The Programming Insider Returns Home

THE PROGRAMMING INSIDERMonday, August 17, 2009 Prime-Time Ratings:Weekend Highlights Ratings Box:What's Hot/What's Not On the Air Tonight:Prime-Time Programming Options TV Tidbits:Notes of Interest TV Trivia Time:Most Aggressive Network _______________________________________________________________________ The Programming Insider Returns Home After 15 days on the road (12 at the Television Critics Association Summer Press Tour in Los Angeles; 3 in Honolulu for my fall TV preview for The Hawaii Advertising Federation), The Programming Insider is back to its original format. TCA was the ultimate escape, of course, where the networks gave you the spin and The PI responded with the reality. And Honolulu was a tremendous bonus, but a trip to Pearl Harbor one day before departing certainly put things into perspective. At this very time, I am pleased to report that the official start of the 2009-10 TV season is now only just five weeks away. For a compete listing of the upcoming crop of 22 new entries and The PI’s odds of survival (based on 1-1 to 10-1), go to www.PIFeedback.com, the ultimate chat room for everything TV. _______________________________________________________________________ Prime-Time Ratings:Weekend Highlights Friday 8/14/09Note: The following results are based on the fast affiliate ratings (Live Plus Same Day data). HH Rtg/Shr CBS 3.5/ 7NBC 3.4/ 7ABC 2.3/ 5Fox 2.2/ 4CW 1.0/ 2 -Total Viewers:CBS: 5.44 million, NBC: 5.02, ABC: 3.56, Fox: 3.36, CW: 1.51 -Adults 18-49: CBS and NBC: 1.2 rating/4 share each, ABC: 1.0/ 4, Fox: 0.9/ 4, CW: 0.6/ 2 -------------------- Note: Any prior rating results are based on the final nationals. Since the level of DVR penetration has increased from 20 percent at this same point last year to approximately 28 percent at present, the overall results may be negatively impacted. ---------- -Respectable Summer Performers:Neil Diamond: Hot Summer Nights: NYC (CBS), Dateline (NBC) -Friday’s Losers (excluding repeats):Mental (Fox) ---------- -Ratings Breakdown:It was a Friday of mixed leadership, with CBS the most-watched network and CBS and NBC tied for first among adults 18-49. But, as I have been saying all summer, there remains very little of note on this depressed evening. CBS opened with one-hour special, Neil Diamond: Hot Summer Nights: NYC at a dominant 6.07 million viewers and a 1.2 rating/5 share among adults 18-49 at 8 p.m. (tied with a repeat of ABC’s Supernanny in the demo). Comparably, that was the most-watched show of the evening. Next on the Eye net was a repeat of Ghost Whisperer in the later 9 p.m. hour (Viewers: #2, 5.04 million; A18-49: #2, 1.3/ 4), followed by a repeat of Numbers at 5.22 million viewers (#2) and a 1.1/ 4 among 18-49 (#2t) at 10 p.m. Don’t forget: Medium moves into the 9 p.m. hour this fall. NBC aired a repeat of Southland (Viewers: #4, 2.96 million; A18-49: #4, 0.7/ 3 at 8 p.m.), which is scheduled Fridays at 9 p.m. out of relocated Law & Order this fall, followed by a two-hour installment of Dateline (Viewers: #1, 6.04 million; A18-49: #1, 1.5/ 5 from 9-11 p.m.), which performed by half-hour as follows: Dateline (NBC) 9:00 p.m. – Viewers: 5.23 million (#1), A18-49: 1.3/ 5 (#1) 9:30 p.m. – Viewers: 5.90 million (#1), A18-49: 1.5/ 5 (#1)10:00 p.m. – Viewers: 6.36 million (#1), A18-49: 1.5/ 5 (#1)10:30 p.m. – Viewers: 6.68 million (#1), A18-49: 1.7/ 6 (#1) ABC kicked-off the night with a repeat of aforementioned Supernanny (Viewers: #2, 3.96 million; A18-49: #1t, 1.2/ 5 at 8 p.m.), followed by the Friday 9 p.m. time period premiere of Ugly Betty (Viewers: #4, 2.42 million; A18-49: #4, 0.8/ 3 – repeat) and veteran newsmagazine 20/20 (Viewers: #3, 4.31 million; A18-49: #2t, 1.1/ 4 at 10 p.m.). Although I always say never judge a show by a repeat, it looks like it could be a rough road ahead for Ugly Betty on Friday. Over at Fox, two consecutive episodes of drama Mental (including the series-finale at 9 p.m.) performed as follows: Mental (Fox)9:00 p.m. – Viewers: 2.99 million (#3), A18-49: 0.9/ 4 (#3)10:00 p.m. – Viewers: 3.34 million (#3), A18-49: 0.9/ 3 (#3) Needless to say, the broadcast networks continue to struggle even when they air original scripted dramas in the summer. The CW capped off this lackluster Friday with repeats of Smallville (Viewers: 1.49 million; A18-49: 0.5/ 2) and canceled sitcoms Everybody Hates Chris (Viewers: 1.41 million; A18-49: 0.5/ 2) and The Game (Viewers: 1.54 million; A18-49: 0.6/ 2), which finished last in every half-hour from 8-10 p.m. To keep you interested, here is what is coming up on Friday evenings this fall: ABC 8:00 p.m. Supernanny (new time) 9:00 p.m. Ugly Betty (new day and time)10:00 p.m. 20/20 CBS 8:00 p.m. Ghost Whisperer 9:00 p.m. Medium (new network, new day and time)10:00 p.m. Numbr3s NBC 8:00 p.m. Law & Order (new day and time) 9:00 p.m. Southland (new day and time)10:00 p.m. The Jay Leno Show (new) Fox 8:00 p.m. Brothers (new) 8:30 p.m. ‘Til Death (return) 9:00 p.m. Dollhouse The CW 8:00 p.m. Smallville (new day) 9:00 p.m. America’s Next Top Model (R) Source: Nielsen Media Research data (R = repeat) ------------------------- Saturday 8/15/09Note: The following results are based on the fast affiliate ratings (Live Plus Same Day data). HH Rtg/Shr CBS 3.4/ 7Fox 3.0/ 6NBC 2.5/ 5ABC 2.0/ 4 -Total Viewers:CBS: 5.14 million, Fox: 4.87, NBC: 3.92, ABC: 3.36 -Adults 18-49: Fox: 1.5 rating/6 share, CBS and NBC: 1.1/ 4 each, ABC: 0.9/ 4 ---------- Note: Any prior rating results are based on the final nationals. Since the level of DVR penetration has increased from 20 percent at this same point last year to approximately 28 percent at present, the overall results may be negatively impacted. ---------- -Respectable Summer Performers:America’s Most Wanted (Fox) -Saturday’s Losers (excluding repeats):The 2009 US Gymnastics Championship (NBC)\ ---------- -Ratings Breakdown:It was a typically bland Saturday of shared leadership, with CBS the most-watched network and the home of Cops and America’s Most Wanted, Fox, No. 1 among adults 18-49. CBS aired repeats of Flashpoint (Viewers: #2, 3.97 million; A18-49: #3t, 0.9 rating/ 4 share), Criminal Minds (Viewers: #2, 5.23 million; A18-49: #3, 1.1/ 4) and 48 Hours Mystery (Viewers: #1, 6.21 million; A18-49: #1, 1.5/ 6 -- most-watched show of the evening). Fox’s aforementioned Cops and above average America’s Most Wanted performed as follows: Fox/Saturday8:00 p.m. – CopsViewers: 4.35 million (#1), A18-49: 1.3/ 6 (#1) 9:00 p.m. – America’s Most WantedViewers: 5.39 million (#1), A18-49: 1.8/ 7 (#1)Elsewhere (and there is nothing to say), NBC kicked-off the evening with The 2009 US Gymnastics Championship at a lackluster 3.71 million viewers and 1.1/ 4 among adults 18-49 from 8-10 p.m. Take a look at the half-hour breakdown: The 2009 US Gymnastics Championship (NBC) 9:00 p.m. – Viewers: 3.23 million (#4), A18-49: 0.9/ 4 (#2t) 9:30 p.m. – Viewers: 3.53 million (#4), A18-49: 1.0/ 4 (#2)10:00 p.m. – Viewers: 4.02 million (#3), A18-49: 1.2/ 4 (#2)10:30 p.m. – Viewers: 4.06 million (#3), A18-49: 1.2/ 4 (#2) A repeat of law & Order: SVU capped off the evening with a second-place finish in both total viewers (4.35 million) and adults 18-49 (1.2/ 4) at 10 p.m. ABC ran repeat theatrical Shark Tale (Viewers: 3.61 million; A18-49: 1.0/ 4 from 8-10 p.m.), followed by a repeat of the first episode of reality/competition Shark Tank (Viewers: #3, 2.85 million; A18-49: #3, 0.9/ 3 at 10 p.m.). As a reminder, DOA Shark Tank will air in the Tuesday 8 p.m. this fall until the remake of sci-fi drama V steps in on Nov. 3. Source: Nielsen Media Research data (R = repeat) ------------------------- Sunday 8/16/09 HH Rtg/Shr CBS 5.4/10ABC 3.2/ 6Fox 2.6/ 5NBC 2.3/ 4CW 0.6/ 1 ---------- -Note: Comparisons to the year-ago evening are not available. ---------- Note: The fast affiliate results for Sunday will be posted at PIFeedback.com by 12 p.m. ET. Go to the website, click on Ratings Box (the first category), then Last Night’s Results, and Sunday, August 16, 2009. ---------- -Yesterday’s Winners:PGA Championship (CBS), 60 Minutes (CBS) -Yesterday’s Losers (excluding repeats):Easy Money (CW), Shark Tank (ABC), There Goes the Neighborhood (CBS), Movie: Disturbing Behavior (CW), Defying Gravity (ABC) -----------Ratings Breakdown: Ignited by an approximate half-hour primetime overrun for The PGA Championship, CBS dominated the Sunday overnights with a hefty 69 percent advantage over second-place ABC. Third overall was Fox, followed by NBC and almost invisible The CW, which is about to give the troubled night back to the affiliated stations. Keep in mind that all results for CBS are estimated. On that note, the PGA Championship overrun finished well-above anything else on Sunday with an estimated 11.6 rating/24 share in the 7 p.m. half-hour. That led into later editions of granddaddy 60 Minutes (#1: 8.2/16 from 7:30-8:30 p.m.), Big Brother (#1: 4.2/ 7 from 8:30-9:30 p.m.), week two of reality/competition There Goes the Neighborhood (#2: 3.2/ 6), and a repeat of Cold Case, which scored a first-place 3.7/ 7 in the 10:30 p.m. half-hour. Word of advice to any fan of Big Brother: don’t miss Tuesday’s edition for the explosive departure of one of the contestants. As for There Goes the Neighborhood, doesn’t this feel like Survivor set in suburbia? Second-place ABC opened the evening with a repeat of veteran America’s Funniest Home Videos (#2: 3.4/ 7), followed by Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (#2: 4.4/ 8), which has lost the magic, week two of reality/competition Shark Tank (#2: 3.4/ 6) and scripted drama dud Defying Gravity (#3: 1.7/ 3). Watching Who Wants to Be a Millionaire makes me pine for another game show from 10 years ago, Greed. Yes, I still feel the need for Greed. Don’t you? Next up was Fox with repeats of ‘Til Death (#4: 1.2/ 2), two episodes of The Simpsons (#3: avg. 2.3/ 4 from 7:30-8:30 p.m.), and three episodes of Family Guy (#3 avg. 3.4/ 6 from 8:30-10 p.m.). And in the distant No. 5 spot was The CW’s combination of canceled Easy Money (0.4/ 1) and theatrical Disturbing Behavior (0.7/ 1 from 8-10 p.m.). As a reminder, here is what is on the agenda on Sundays this fall. At press time, there are only 35 days left until the start of the 2009-10 season. ABC 7:00 p.m. America’s Funniest Home Videos 8:00 p.m. Extreme Makeover: Home Edition 9:00 p.m. Desperate Housewives10:00 p.m. Brothers & Sisters CBS 7:00 p.m. 60 Minutes 8:00 p.m. The Amazing Race 9:00 p.m. Three Rivers (new)10:00 p.m. Cold Case (new time) NBC 7:00 p.m. Football Pre Game 8:20 p.m. Football Night in America Fox 7:00 p.m. The OT 8:00 p.m. The Simpsons 8:30 p.m. The Cleveland Show (new) 9:00 p.m. Family Guy 9:30 p.m. American Dad Source: Nielsen Media Research data____________________________________________________________________________ Ratings Box:What's Hot/What's Not -Season High Big Brother:CBS summer favorite Big Brother (an absolute “must see” this time around) rose to its most-watched episode of the season, with 7.48 million viewers on Thursday, August 14. Comparably, that finished first in the 8 p.m. hour, with growth of 1.04 million viewers from one week earlier. Big Brother also won the time period in households (4.7 rating/9 share), adults 18-49 (2.6/ 9) and adults 18-34 (2.0/ 8), building by as much as 19 percent among adults 18-49 also from last week. -National Ratings – Week of August 3:While The Programming Insider was on the road, here is how the broadcast networks fared for the week of August 3: Total Viewers:CBS: 6.15 million, NBC: 5.93, Fox: 5.29, ABC: 3.48, MNTV: 1.43 million, CW: 970,000 Adults 18-49:Fox: 2.0 rating/7 share, NBC: 1.7/ 6, CBS: 1.5/ 5, ABC: 1.1/ 4, MNTV: 0.5/ 2, CW: 0.4/ 1 Source: Nielsen Media Research data ________________________________________________________________________________ On the Air Tonight:Prime-Time Programming Options Monday 8/17/09 ABC: 8:00 p.m. Who Wants to Be a Millionaire 9:00 p.m. Dating in the Dark 10:00 p.m. Castle (R) CBS: 8:00 p.m. How I Met Your Mother (R) 8:30 p.m. Rules of Engagement (R) 9:00 p.m. Two and a Half Men (R) 9:30 p.m. The Big Bang Theory (R)10:00 p.m. CSI: Miami (R) NBC: 8:00 p.m. Great American Road Trip 9:00 p.m. Law & Order: Criminal Intent (R)10:00 p.m. Dateline Fox: 8:00 p.m. House (R) 9:00 p.m. Lie To Me (R) CW: 8:00 p.m. One Tree Hill (R) 9:00 p.m. Gossip Girl (R) MNTV 8:00 p.m. The Twilight Zone (R) 8:30 p.m. The Twilight Zone (R) 9:00 p.m. Magic’s Biggest Secrets Finally Revealed (R) ________________________________________________________________________ TV Tidbits:Notes of Interest -Sherri Shepherd to Star in Lifetime Sitcom:Current The View co-host Sherri Shepherd has a new gig: star of an upcoming sitcom on Lifetime called Sherri. Shepherd (who appeared as a regular on ABC sitcom Less Than Perfect and opposite Brad Garrett on CBS’ Everybody Loves Raymond) will play a recently single mother, paralegal and part-time comedienne/actress who tries to get back into the dating scene. Sherri will premiere on Monday, Oct. 5 at 7 p.m. ET, leading into returning Rita Rocks. Sherri and Rita Rocks will air each night through Friday that week before they move into the regularly scheduled Tuesday 10-11 p.m. block. -TNT Announces End Date for Saving Grace:TNT drama Saving Grace, featuring Emmy nominated Holly Hunter, will conclude next summer after a four-season run. Nine new episodes are scheduled for the final season. -USA Renewals:USA has renewed dramas Royal Pains and Burn Notice for the 2009-10 season, each with an order for 16 additional episodes. Royal Pains, the No. 1 new original series on cable in 2009, returns for season two, while Burn Notice will be back for season four. -This, That and Other Rumors:ABC has apparently approached LaToya Jackson to compete in the upcoming season of blockbuster Dancing With the Stars, which returns on Monday, Sept. 21. Also potentially on tap as one of the contestants: Howard Stern’s wife Beth Ostrosky. Does this mean foul-mouthed Howard will be sitting in the audience cheering her on? _______________________________________________________________________________________ TV Trivia Time:Most Aggressive Network Which one of the following networks will be launching the most number of new shows this fall? ABCCBSNBCFoxCW The answer to the last question… Which one of the following five series was not set in California? Doogie Howser, MD.The L WordLife With BonniePolice WomanTabitha Is: c) Life With Bonnie, which took place in Bonnie Hunt’s hometown of Chicago, Illinois. -Note: The list of kudos recipients will return tomorrow.

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