CBS and NBC Share Top Weekly Spot

THE PROGRAMMING INSIDERWednesday, December 16, 2009 Prime-Time Metered Market Tuesday Ratings:Landslide Victory for CBS National Ratings in Prime-Time:Week of December 7, 2009 Ratings Box:What’s Hot/What’s Not On the Air Tonight:Prime-Time Programming Options TV Tidbits:Notes of Interest TV Trivia Time: Anjelina’s Ex________________________________________________________________________________ Prime-Time Metered Market Tuesday Ratings:Landslide Victory for CBS Tuesday 12/15/09 HH Rtg/Shr CBS 10.4/17NBC 4.0/ 7Fox 3.2/ 5ABC 3.0/ 5CW 1.0/ 2 ---------- Note: The year-to-year overnight comparisons are not available today. ---------- -Yesterday’s Winners:NCIS (CBS), NCIS: Los Angeles (CBS), The Good Wife (CBS) -Disappointing:So You Think You Can Dance (Fox) -Yesterday’s Losers:Scrubs (ABC), Better Off Ted (ABC), Gordon Ramsay: Cookalong Live (Fox), The Jay Leno Show (NBC) ---------- -Ratings Breakdown:It was a clean Tuesday sweep for CBS with its rock-solid combination of NCIS (11.5 rating/19 share), spin-off NCIS: Los Angeles (10.6/17) and The Good Wife (9.2/16), which made the cut on the just announced 67th Annual Golden Globe Awards with a nod to Julianna Margulies for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Drama (see TV Tidbits below). CBS’ overall metered market advantage over distant second-place NBC was a considerable 160 percent. Over at NBC, night two of short-flight musical reality/competition The Sing Off averaged a 4.2/7 in the overnights from 8-10 p.m., with the half-hour breakdown as follows: The Sing Off (NBC)8:00 p.m.: 3.8/ 6 (#3)8:30 p.m.: 3.9/ 6 (#3)9:00 p.m.: 4.4/ 7 (#2)9:30 p.m.: 4.5/ 7 (#2) One night earlier, The Sing Off debuted with an almost identical 4.3/ 7 on Monday, Dec. 14, which resulted in a respectable 6.89 million viewers and a 2.3 rating/6 share among adults 18-49, based on the final nationals. NBC capped off the evening, of course, with The Jay Leno Show, which finished second with a 3.7/ 7. Given how much older-skewing Leno is expected to fall from The Sing Off in adults 18-49, its back to the “losers” listing. Fox’s unnecessary fall edition of So You Think You Can Dance finished fourth in the overnights from 8-9 p.m., with a 3.6/ 6 for this final performance show. Tonight is the two-hour season finale. So You Think You Can Dance led into 9 p.m. special Gordon Ramsay: Cookalong Live, which dipped to an uneventful 2.8/ 4 (but still managed to finish third in the hour ahead of ABC duds Scrubs and Better Off Ted). ABC opened the evening with annual animated holiday special A Charlie Brown Christmas (#2: 4.2/ 7 from 8-9 p.m.), which always manages to score among adults 18-49. Next was re-tooled Scrubs (#3t, 2.8/ 4), which needs to officially end, followed by failing sophomore sitcom Better Off Ted (#4: 2.2/ 3) and a repeat of freshman crime drama The Forgotten (#3: 2.4/ 4). The CW aired two more repeat episodes of The Vampire Diaries (#5, avg. 1.0/ 2 form 8-10 p.m.) in its week-long 10-episode Vampire Diaries marathon. Source: Nielsen Media Research data (R = repeat)_____________________________________________________________________________ National Ratings in Prime-Time:Week of December 7, 2009 There was more mixed leadership on this 12th week of the 2009-10 season, but NBC actually stepped up to the plate and finished first among adults 18-49 and adults 18-34. CBS, which has now ranked first in total viewers for 10 of the last 11 weeks, dominated in households, total viewers and adults 25-54. Both networks, however, were down year-to-year (excluding no change for NBC in total viewers). Although Fox took a dip in the rankings, it did post minor growth from one year earlier. Elsewhere, the absence of original episodes of Grey’s Anatomy and Desperate Housewives resulted in a fourth-place finish demographically for ABC, but it too posted minor growth from the year-ago week. The CW, of course, finished last, and its gains are a result of low-rated Sunday being factored into the year-ago averages. In the original specials department, animated Disney’s Prep & Landing on ABC led the quartet, with a hefty 12.04 million viewers (#) and a 4.1 rating/11 share among adults 18-49 (#) in the Tuesday 8:30 p.m. half hour. Here is how the others fared: Christmas at the White House: An Oprah Primetime Special (ABC) – Sunday 10 p.m.Viewers: 11.95 million (#15), A18-49: 2.9/ 7 (#27t) A Charlie Brown Christmas R (ABC) – Tuesday 8 p.m.Viewers: 11.17 million (#16), A18-49: 3.7/11 (#12t) Barbara Walters Presents The 10 Most Fascinating People of 2009 (ABC) – Wednesday 10 p.m.Viewers: 10.55 million (#18), A18-49: 3.1/ 9 (#22t) Carrie Underwood: An All-Star Holiday Special (Fox) – Monday 8 p.m.Viewers: 8.55 million (#29), A18-49: 2.3/ 6 (#37t) Yes, Virginia – Friday 8 p.m.Viewers: 5.2064 million (#29), A18-49: 1.3/ 5 (#70t) In season-premiere news, ABC sitcom Better Off Ted opened season two at 9:30 p.m. on Tuesday with a miniscule 3.82 million viewers (#82) and a 1.5/ 4 among adults 18-49 (#62t). Re-tooled lead-in Scrubs fared better at 5.44 million viewers (#60) and a 2.3/ 6 in the demo (#37t) at 9 p.m. The one season-finale this week, NBC’s The Biggest Loser, rose to a season-high (see rankings below). Here are the final national ratings for the week of December 7, 2009 (with percent change versus the comparable year-ago week in parentheses), followed by the freshman series results (including The Jay Leno Show being broken out separately), and the top 30 rated programs of the week. -Households:CBS: 6.6 rating/11 share (-11), NBC: 5.5/ 9 (+ 2), ABC: 4.2/ 7 (+ 5), Fox: 3.8/ 6 (+ 3), CW: 1.1/ 2 (+10) -Total Viewers: CBS: 10.55 million (-12), NBC: 8.76 (no change), ABC: 6.83 (+ 8), Fox: 6.22 (+ 4), CW: 1.63 (+ 7) -Adults 18-49:NBC: 2.8 rating/8 share (-12), CBS: 2.7/ 8 (-18), Fox: 2.2/ 6 (no change), ABC: 2.0/ 6 (+ 5), CW: 0.7/ 2 (+17) -Adults 25-54:CBS: 3.5/ 9 (- 3), NBC: 3.3/ 9 (- 8), Fox: 2.5/ 6 (+ 4), ABC: 2.4/ 6 (+ 4), CW: 0.7/ 2 (+17) -Adults 18-34:NBC: 2.3/ 7 (-18), Fox: 2.1/ 7 (+ 5), CBS: 1.9/ 6 (-14), ABC: 1.6/ 5 (+14), CW: 0.9/ 3 (+12) -------------------- Original Freshman Series Results (in order of total viewers)Pre-Empted This Week: Trauma (NBC)In Repeats: NCIS: Los Angeles (CBS), The Good Wife (CBS), The Forgotten (ABC), FlashForward (ABC), The Vampire Diaries (CW) Modern Family (ABC) – Wednesday 9 p.m. ETViewers: 9.67 million (#22), A18-49: 3.8/10 (#10t)Grade: A- The Jay Leno Show (NBC) – Tuesday 10 p.m. ETViewers: 8.33 million (#33), A18-49: 2.9/ 8 (#27t)Grade: C+ Glee (Fox) – Wednesday 9 p.m. ET (winter season finale)Viewers: 8.13 million (#34), A18-49: 3.7/ 9 (#12t)Grade: B+ Accidentally on Purpose (CBS) – Monday 8:30 p.m. ETViewers: 7.91 million (#36), A18-49: 2.8/ 7 (#29t)Grade: C The Middle (ABC) – Wednesday 8:30 p.m. ETViewers: 7.69 million (#38), A18-49: 2.4/ 7 (#34t)Grade: B- Cougar Town (ABC) – Wednesday 9:30 p.m. ETViewers: 7.01 million (43#), A18-49: 2.8/ 7 (#29t)Grade: C The Cleveland Show (Fox) – Sunday 8:30 p.m. ET Viewers: 6.53 million (#51), A18-49: 3.0/ 7 (#26)Grade: B The Jay Leno Show (NBC) – Friday 10 p.m. ETViewers: 5.72 million (#56), A18-49: 1.4/ 5 (#65t)Grade: F Community (NBC) – Thursday 8 p.m. ETViewers: 5.51 million (#58), A18-49: 2.2/ 7 (#44t)Grade: D Find My Family (ABC) – Monday 9 p.m. ETViewers: 5.23 million (#63), A18-49: 1.5/ 4 (#62t)Grade: F The Jay Leno Show (NBC) – Thursday 10 p.m. ETViewers: 4.96 million (#66), A18-49: 1.6/ 5 (#60t)Grade: F The Jay Leno Show (NBC) – Monday 10 p.m. ETViewers: 4.68 million (#69), A18-49: 1.4/ 4 (#65t)Grade: F The Jay Leno Show (NBC) – Wednesday 10 p.m. ETViewers: 4.50 million (#71), A18-49: 1.3/ 4 (#70t)Grade: F FlashForward R (ABC) – Thursday 8 p.m. ETViewers: 3.96 million (#80), A18-49: 1.0/ 3 (#83t)Grade: No grade for repeats Brothers (Fox) – Sunday 7 p.m. ET Viewers: 1.46 million (#93), A18-49: 0.5/ 1 (#95t)Grade: F Melrose Place (CW) – Tuesday 9 p.m. ET Viewers: 1.26 million (#97), A18-49: 0.7/ 2 (#91t)Grade: F --------------- Top 30 Rankings -Total Viewers:Sunday Night Football (NBC, Philadelphia at NY Giants): 20.88 million, CSI (CBS): 16.43, The Mentalist (CBS): 16.37, 60 Minutes (CBS): 16.24, NCIS R (CBS): 15.09, Two and a Half Men (CBS): 14.84, Criminal Minds (CBS): 14.43, The Big Bang Theory (CBS): 14.38, The Biggest Loser (NBC, season finale): 13.45, Survivor: Samoa (CBS): 13.25, CSI: NY (CBS): 12.97, CSI: Miami (CBS): 12.72, Disney’s Prep & Landing (ABC) and NCIS: Los Angeles R (CBS): 12.04 each, Christmas at the White House (ABC): 11.95, A Charlie Brown Christmas R (ABC): 11.17, Bones (Fox): 10.90, Barbara Walters Presents The 10 Most Fascinating People of 2009 (ABC): 10.55, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (ABC): 10.34, Cold Case (CBS): 10.30, Football Night in America, part three (NBC): 10.11, Modern Family (ABC): 9.67, The Mentalist R (CBS, Sun. 8 p.m.): 9.37, Dateline – Friday (NBC): 9.34, The Good Wife R (CBS): 9.10, Law & Order (NBC): 8.88, How I Met Your Mother (CBS): 8.78, America’s Funniest Home Videos (ABC): 8.68, Carrie Underwood: An All-Star Holiday Special (Fox): 8.55, The Office (NBC): 8.51 -Adults 18-49:Sunday Night Football (NBC, Philadelphia at NY Giants): 7.8 rating/20 share, The Big Bang Theory (CBS): 5.6/13, The Biggest Loser (NBC, season finale): 5.0/13, Two and a Half Men (CBS): 5.0/12, Survivor: Samoa (CBS): 4.2/12, The Office (NBC): 4.2/11, Disney’s Prep & Landing (ABC): 4.1/11, Criminal Minds (CBS) and CSI (CBS): 3.9/10 each, Modern Family (ABC): 3.8/10, Family Guy (Fox): 3.8/ 9, A Charlie Brown Christmas R (ABC): 3.7/11, CSI: Miami (CBS): 3.7/10, Glee (Fox, winter season finale): 3.7/ 9, The Mentalist (CBS) and 60 Minutes (CBS): 3.6/10 each, How I Met Your Mother (CBS) and Football Night in America, part three (NBC): 3.5/10, : 3.5/10, CSI: NY (CBS) and 30 Rock (NBC): 3.2/ 9 each, The Simpsons (Fox): 3.2/ 8, Barbara Walters Presents The 10 Most Fascinating People of 2009 (ABC) and Bones (Fox): 3.1/ 9 each, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (ABC): 3.1/ 8, American Dad (Fox): 3.1/ 7, The Cleveland Show (Fox): 3.0/ 7, The Jay Leno Show – Tuesday (NBC): 2.9/ 8, Christmas at the White House (ABC): 2.9/ 7, NCIS R (CBS) and Shrek the Halls R (ABC): 2.8/ 8 each, Accidentally on Purpose (CBS) and Cougar Town (ABC): 2.8/ 7 each Source: Nielsen Media Research data (R = repeat) Ratings Box:What’s Hot/What’s Not -Oprah Does Not Dominate Everything:For the second week in a row, NBC Universal’s Maury beat CBS Television Distribution’s Oprah among adults 18-34. Based on ratings for the week of Nov. 30, Maury averaged a 1.5 in the demo versus a 1.4 for Oprah. -Santa Baby 2 Christmas Maybe Scores on ABC Family:Original ABC Family movie Santa Baby 2 Christmas Maybe debuted on Sunday, Dec. 13 as basic cable’s No. 1 telecast in the 8-10 p.m. block in total viewers (3.8 million), adults 18-34 (732,000), women 18-34 (492,000), adults 18-49 (1.6 million) and women 18-49 (993,000). Comparably, this is now the No. 1 movie on all basic cable this season among adults 18-49. And, for the week, Santa Baby 2 Christmas Maybe ranked first in total viewers, adults 18-49, women 18-34, women 18-49 and females 12-34 (737,000). Source: Nielsen Media Research data (R = repeat) On the Air Tonight:Prime-Time Programming Options Wednesday 12/16/09 ABC: 8:00 p.m. Prep & Landing (R) 8:30 p.m. The Middle (R) 9:00 p.m. Modern Family (R) 9:30 p.m. Cougar Town (R)10:00 p.m. Eastwick CBS: 8:00 p.m. The New Adventures of Old Christine 8:30 p.m. Gary Unmarried 9:00 p.m. Criminal Minds10:00 p.m. CSI: NY NBC: 8:00 p.m. The Sing-Off (two hours)10:00 p.m. The Jay Leno Show Fox: 8:00 p.m. So You Think You Can Dance Results Show (season finale, two hours) CW 8:00 p.m. The Vampire Diaries (R) 9:00 p.m. The Vampire Diairies (R) ______________________________________________________________________ TV Tidbits:Notes of Interest -NBCU Clears The Real Housewives in Off-Net:NBC Universal Domestic Television Distribution has sold Bravo series The Real Housewives for fall 2010 in off-network syndication in approximately 85 percent of the country. New stations recently added include WDIV-TV/Detroit, WCCB-TV/Charlotte, WKRG-TV/Mobile, WVTM-TV/Birmingham, KASA-TV/Albuquerque, KPRC-TV/Houston and WBND-TV/South Bend. The prior to the update, The Real Housewives had been cleared on all 10 of the NBC Local Media broadcast stations, plus the Hearst Television stations. -The Kennedys on History Channel:History Channel has ordered an eight-hour scripted miniseries based on the Kennedy family called, appropriately, The Kennedys. Told in a format similar to The Godfather, the patriarch of the large clan is determined to live out his ambitions through his sons. The Kennedys will premiere in 2011. -Coming Up on Disney XD:Disney XD will debut a new half-hour musical driven live-action comedy called I’m in the Band, which focuses on a teenager who joins his favorite vintage rock band. It premieres on Monday, Jan. 18 at 7 p.m. ET on Disney XD and DisneyXD.com. I’m in the Band will also be showcased on Disney XD on Demand, DisneyXD.com, Disney XD Mobile, Xbox Live and iTunes on Tuesday, January 19. -NBC in Midseason:NBC has announced its official midseason initiatives, including the premiere of two new series (long-awaited scripted drama Parenthood, based on the 1989 Ron Howard theatrical, and non-scripted The Marriage Ref from Jerry Seinfeld), and the return of Chuck and Celebrity Apprentice. Chuck will kick-off season three with back-to-back episodes on Monday, Jan. 10 beginning at 8 p.m. ET. One week later, Heroes moves back to 9 p.m. ET out of Chuck and until Parenthood steps into the time period on Monday, March 1. The Marriage Ref, which takes at a look at legalized unions as celebrities, comedians and sports stars decide who is right and wrong in disputes between real-life spouses, airs Sundays at 8 p.m. ET out of Dateline beginning on March 14. The new season of Celebrity Apprentice, which is scheduled for two hours each week, begins at 9 p.m. ET also on March 14. Sitcom 100 Questions, which had its episode order slashed from 13 to 6 and was originally announced for Tuesday at 9:30 p.m. out of a 90-minute edition of The Biggest Loser, has been pulled from the schedule. Also missing is drama Day One, which was pared down to a miniseries format. Here is NBC’s entire primetime line-up in midseason (with new shows in caps): Monday 8:00 p.m. Chuck (season premiere, Jan. 11) 9:00 p.m. Heroes / PARENTHOOD (series premiere: March 1)10:00 p.m. The Jay Leno Show Tuesday 8:00 p.m. The Biggest Loser (two hours, season premiere: Jan. 5)10:00 p.m. The Jay Leno Show Wednesday 8:00 p.m. Mercy 9:00 p.m. Law & Order: SVU10:00 p.m. The Jay Leno Show Thursday 8:00 p.m. Community 8:30 p.m. Parks and Recreation 9:00 p.m. The Office 9:30 p.m. 30 Rock10:00 p.m. The Jay Leno Show Friday 8:00 p.m. Law & Order 9:00 p.m. Dateline10:00 p.m. The Jay Leno Show Saturday 8:00 p.m. Drama repeats 9:00 p.m. Drama repeats10:00 p.m. Drama repeats Sunday 7:00 p.m. Dateline 8:00 p.m. THE MARRIAGE REF (series premiere: March 14) 9:00 p.m. Celebrity Apprentice (season premiere: March 14, two hours) --------------- -The Golden Globe Nominations Announced:The 67th Annual Golden Globe Awards, which will air live on NBC from the famed Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles on Sunday, Jan. 17, have been announced. New shows making the grade this time around either by series or performance include ABC’s Modern Family and Cougar Town, CBS’ The Good Wife , Fox’s Glee and Hung on HBO. The nominees in television are as follows: Best Television Series – Comedy or Musical:Entourage (HBO)Glee (Fox)Modern Family (ABC)The Office (NBC)30 Rock (NBC) Best Television Series - Drama:Big Love (HBO)Dexter (Showtime)House (Fox)Mad Men (AMC)True Blood (HBO) Best Miniseries or Made-for-Television Movie: Georgia O'Keefe (Lifetime)Grey Gardens (HBO)Into the Storm (HBO)Little Dorritt (PBS)Taking Chance (HBO) Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Drama:Glenn Close (Damages, FX)January Jones (Mad Men, AMC)Julianna Margulies (The Good Wife, CBS)Anna Paquin (True Blood, HBO)Kyra Sedgwick (The Closer, TNT) Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Drama:Simon Baker (The Mentalist, CBS)Michael C. Hall (Dexter, Showtime)Jon Hamm (Mad Men, AMC)Huge Laurie (House, Fox)Bill Paxton (Big Love, HBO) Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Comedy or Musical:Toni Collette, The United States of Tara (Showtime)Courteney Cox, Cougar Town (ABC)Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie (Showtime)Tina Fey, 30 Rock (NBC)Lea Michele, Glee (Fox)Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Comedy or Musical:Alec Baldwin (30 Rock, NBC)Steve Carell (The Office, NBC)David Duchovny (Californication, Showtime)Thomas Jane (Hung, HBO)Matthew Morrison (Glee, Fox) Best Performance by an Actress in a Minseries or Motion Picture Made For Television:Joanne Allen, Georgia O'Keefe (Lifetime)Drew Barrymore, Grey Gardens (HBO)Jessica Lange, Grey Gardens (HBO)Anna Paquin, The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler (CBS)Sigourney Weaver, Prayers for Bobby (Lifetime) Best Performance by an Actor in a Minseries or Motion Picture Made For Television:Kevin Bacon, Taking Chance (HBO)Kenneth Branagh, Wallender: One Step Behind (PBS)Chiwetel Ejiofor, Endgame (HBO)Brendan Gleeson, Into the Game (HBO)Jeremy Irons, Georgia O’Keefe (Lifetime)Best Supporting Actor: Michael Emerson, Lost (ABC)Neil Patrick Harris, How I Met Your Mother (CBS)William Hurt, Damages (FX)John Lithgow, Dexter (Showtime)Jeremy Piven, Entourage (HBO)Best Supporting Actress: Jane Adams, Hung (HBO)Rose Byrne, Damages (FX)Jane Lynch, Glee (Fox)Chloe Sevigny, Big Love (HBO)Janet McTeer, Sense & Sensibility (BBC) _________________________________________________________________________ TV Trivia Time:Anjelina’s Ex What was the name of the sitcom Billy Bob Thornton appeared in the early to mid 1990s? BobDave’s WorldGrace Under FireHearts Afire Major Dad The answer to Monday’s question…What was the name of Cheyenne and Van’s daughter on sitcom Reba? DollyCrystalElizabeth Janie Patsy Is: c) Elizabeth…Elizabeth Montgomery to be exact, which was also the real name of the star of Bewitched. All together now… My roots are planted in the pastThough my life is changing fastWho I am is who I want to be!A single mom who works too hardWho loves her kids and never stops!With gentle hands And the heart of a fighter.I'm a survivor. -Current kudos goes to:Suzanne Ackley, Mark-Allen, Gerry Bixenspan, Cory Chapman, Tom Condosta, Kristin Conner, Mark Cosenza, Arleen Fong, Reba Grenier, Penny Hirsch, Bob Ingersoll, Mark Krause, Steven Kurtzer, Patty Lynch, Kerri Madden, Julia McCray, Carmen McKinley, Tillie Nutter, Gordon Purcell, Ron Salmon, Marni Setless, Kristen Signore

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CBS and NBC Share Top Weekly Spot

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