CBS Closes Week on a Winning Overnight Note

THE PROGRAMMING INSIDERMonday, May 10, 2010 Primetime 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:Musical Monk _______________________________________________________________________ Prime-Time Ratings:Weekend Highlights Friday 5/07/10Note: The following results are based on the fast affiliate ratings (Live Plus Same Day data). HH Rtg/ShrCBS 4.3/ 8ABC 3.5/ 7NBC 3.1/ 6Fox 2.0/ 4CW 1.0/ 2 -Total Viewers:CBS: 6.64 million, ABC: 5.32, NBC: 4.83, Fox: 3.82, CW: 1.45 -Adults 18-49:ABC and CBS: 1.6 rating/6 share each, Fox: 1.3/ 5, NBC: 1.2/ 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 30 percent at this same point last year to approximately 36 percent at present, the overall results may be negatively impacted. ---------- -Friday’s Winners:Nothing -On the Fence for Renewal:Ghost Whisperer (CBS), Medium (CBS), Miami Medical (CBS) -Friday’s Losers (excluding repeats):Wife Swap (ABC), Friday Night Lights (NBC), Dateline (NBC), Kitchen Nightmares (Fox), 20/20 (ABC), Miami Medical (CBS) ---------- -Ratings Breakdown:It was another typical bland Friday with CBS the most-watched network (at under 7-million viewers) and ABC and CBS tied for first among adults 18-49 (with a mere 1.6 rating/6 share each in the demo). CBS needs to make a decision, no doubt, on its three uneventful Friday dramas, with recent entry Miami Medical the least likely to return. Here were the results this week: CBS/Friday8:00 p.m. – Ghost WhispererViewers: 6.51 million (#1), A18-49: 1.6 rating/6 share (#1) 9:00 p.m. – MediumViewers – 7.14 million (#1), 18-49: 1.8/ 6 (#2) 10:00 p.m. – Miami MedicalViewers: 6.27 million (#1), A18-49: 1.4/ 4 (#3) In season-premiere news, ABC newsmagazine Primetime: What Would You Do? returned with 5.98 million viewers (#2) and a first-place 1.9/ 6 among adults 18-49 at 9 p.m. While growth out of dying lead-in Wife Swap (Viewers: #2, 4.50 million; A18-49: #2, 1.4/ 5 at 8 p.m.) was noticeable, it was also not worth boasting about. Veteran 20/20 signed-off at 10 p.m. with 5.49 million viewers (#3) and a first-place 1.6/ 5 in the demo. Sad, isn’t it, that a 1.6 rating among adults 18-49 is enough to win the time period? Given 20/20 could not hold its lead-in, this is a losing performance. Over at NBC, critically acclaimed Friday Night Lights returned with minimal interest, unfortunately, with a mere 3.90 million viewers and a 1.2/ 5 among adults 18-49 -- third in both categories at 8 p.m. But you do have to give NBC credit for finding a way to keep this show alive. Two-hour lead-out Dateline started out slow, but built slowly as the night progressed as follows: Dateline (NBC)9:00 p.m. – Viewers: 4.32 million (#3), A18-49: 0.9/ 3 (#4)9:30 p.m. – Viewers: 4.84 million (#3), A18-49: 1.1/ 4 (#4)10:00 p.m. – Viewers: 5.82 million (#2), A18-49: 1.4/ 5 (#2)10:30 p.m. – Viewers: 6.21 million (#2), A18-49: 1.5/ 5 (#2) Fox populated the evening with a repeat of House (Viewers: #4, 3.10 million; A18-49: #4, 1.1/ 4) and time period filler Kitchen Nightmares (Viewers: #4, 3.47 million; A18-49: #3, 1.4/ 5). And The CW aired veteran Smallville (Viewers: #5, 1.92 million; A18-49: #5, 0.8/ 3), which did not earn its renewal stripes based on this performance, and a repeat of America’s Next Top Model (Viewers: #5, 990,000; A18-49: #5, 0.4/ 1). Sadly, Friday looks like Saturday more and more each week. Source: Nielsen Media Research data -------------------- Saturday 5/08/10Note: The following results are based on the fast affiliate ratings (Live Plus Same Day data). HH Rtg/Shr Fox 4.1/ 8CBS 3.9/ 7ABC 3.0/ 6NBC 2.6/ 5 -Total Viewers:Fox: 6.85 million, CBS: 5.67, ABC: 4.55, NBC: 3.90 -Adults 18-49:Fox: 2.2 rating/8 share, ABC: 1.6/ 6, CBS: 1.1/ 4, NBC: 0.9/ 3 --------------- Note: Any prior rating results are based on the final nationals. Since the level of DVR penetration has increased from 30 percent at this same point last year to approximately 36 percent at present, the overall results may be negatively impacted. --------------- -Saturday’s Winners: Nothing -Saturday’s Losers (excluding repeats):The night overall ---------- -Ratings Breakdown:Fox led the Saturday troops with NASCAR 2010 in Darlington, South Carolina at an average 6.61 million viewers and a 2.1 rating/8 share for the primetime (8-10 p.m.) portion. Comparably, this is a slight improvement from the regularly scheduled Cops and America’s Most Wanted, with the half-hour breakdown as follows: NASCAR 2010 (Fox)8:00 p.m. – Viewers: 6.43 million (#1), A18-49: 2.0/ 8 (#1)8:30 p.m. – Viewers: 6.83 million (#1), A18-49: 2.2/ 8 (#1)9:00 p.m. – Viewers: 6.53 million (#1), A18-49: 2.1/ 8 (#1)9:30 p.m. – Viewers: 6.66 million (#1), A18-49: 2.1/7 (#1) Despite the dominance, this is not exactly a “winning” performance. Over at ABC, the NBA Playoff, Los Angeles Lakers at Utah in Game 3 of a Western Conference, averaged 4.55 million viewers (#3) and a second-place 1.6/ 6 in the demo from 8-11 p.m. CBS populated this second Saturday in May with repeats of NCIS (Viewers: #2, 5.31 million; A18-49: #3, 0.8/ 3) and Criminal Minds (Viewers: #2, 5.90 million; A18-49: #3, 1.1/ 4) from 8-10 p.m., and an original installment of 48 Hours Mystery (Viewers: #1, 5.81 million; A18-49: #2, 1.2/ 4 at 10 p.m.). And NBC aired a night of all repeats with encore telecasts of Parenthood (Viewers: #4, 2.10 million; A18-49: #4, 0.6/ 2), Law & Order (Viewers: #4, 3.92 million; A18-49: #4, 0.8/ 3) and Law & Order: SVU (Viewers: #2, 5.67 million; A18-49: #2, 1.3/ 4). Source: Nielsen Media Research data (R = repeat) ------------------------- Sunday 5/09/10 HH Rtg/Shr CBS 7.3/12ABC 5.6/ 9NBC 4.2/ 7Fox 3.2/ 5 ---------- -Percent Change From the Year-Ago Evening (Sunday, May 10, 2009):Fox: +19, CBS: +16, ABC: - 2, NBC: -18---------- 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, May 2, 2010. ---------- -Yesterday’s Winners:60 Minutes (CBS), The Amazing Race (CBS), Jesse Stone – No Remorse (CBS), Family Guy (Fox) -Yesterday’s Losers (excluding repeats): Dateline (NBC), ‘Til Death (Fox), Minute to Win It (NBC) -----------Ratings Breakdown:CBS led the Sunday overnight troops with its combination of granddaddy 60 Minutes (#1: 7.7 rating/15 share), the season-finale of The Amazing Race 16 (#1: 7.2/12) and successful ongoing made-for movie franchise Jesse Stone: No Remorse (#1: 7.2/12), which performed as follows by half-hour: Jesse Stone: No Remorse9:00 p.m.: 7.0/11 (#2)9:30 p.m.: 7.1/11 (#2)10:00 p.m.: 7.4/12 (#1)10:30 p.m.: 7.4/12 (#1) Given this performance, there is every reason to believe we will be seeing more of Tom Selleck as Jesse Stone. Look for the season-finale of Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains next Sunday. ABC aired its regularly scheduled line-up of America’s Funniest Home Videos (#2: 4.0/ 8), Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (#2: 4.5/ 8), Desperate Housewives (#1: 8.1/13) and always critically potent Brothers & Sisters (#2: 5.9/10). NBC started out weak, as usual, and slowly built with its combination of bland Dateline (#3: 2.7/ 6), uneventful game show Minute to Win It (#4: 3.3/ 6) and The Celebrity Apprentice (5.3/ 8 from 9-11 p.m.), which performed by half-hour as follows: The Celebrity Apprentice (NBC)9:00 p.m.: 4.8/ 7 (#4)9:30 p.m.: 5.2/ 8 (#3)10:00 p.m.: 5.5/ 9 (#3)10:30 p.m.: 5.9/10 (#2) With just two episodes of The Celebrity Apprentice left, it is very obvious Sharon Osbourne will make it into the top 2. But the other spot is between Holly Robinson Peete and Bret Michaels, who thankfully is on the road to recovery. Fox, which is never dependent on the overnights, performed as follows: Fox/Sunday7:00 p.m. – ‘Til Death: 1.1/ 2 (#4)7:30 p.m. – The Simpsons R: 1.9/ 3 (#4)8:00 p.m. – The Simpsons: 4.0/ 7 (#3)8:30 p.m. – The Cleveland Show: 3.7/ 6 (#3)9:00 p.m. – Family Guy: 5.0/ 8 (#3)9:30 p.m. – American Dad: 3.6/ 6 (#4) Double-digit growth and another expected solid rating among adults 18-49 lands Family Guy back in the winners circle. Source: Nielsen Media Research data____________________________________________________________________________ Ratings Box:What’s Hot/What’s Not -Betty White Scores on SNL:The May 8th edition of NBC’s veteran Saturday Night Live, hosted by the beloved Betty White and featuring performances from show alums Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Molly Shannon, Rachel Dratch and Ana Gasteyer was well above-average at an 8.8 rating/21 share in the metered markets. Comparably, this was its best performance since Ben Affleck hosted on Nov. 1, 2008 (9.0/20). In the 25 markets with Local People Meters, SNL rose to a 5.1/20 among adults 18-49, also the best since Nov. 1, 2008. SNL was the top-rated show of the evening, doubling the No. 2 telecast (The NBA Playoffs on ABC -- 4.4/ 8). -Above Average The Vampire Diaries on The CW:Based on the live plus same day ratings for Thursday, May 6, CW drama The Vampire Diaries rose to its best ratings since Feb. 4 in women 18-34 (2.7 rating/10 share), adults 18-34 (2.0/ 7) and women 18-49 (2.2/ 7), with a second-place time period finish in women 18-34, females 12-34 (2.6/10), persons 12-34 (1.9/ 7) and female teens (2.4/ 9). Compared to one week earlier, The Vampire Diaries increased by as by as much as 13 percent in women 18-34. Source: Nielsen Media Research data____________________________________________________________________________ On the Air Tonight:Prime-Time Programming Options Monday 5/10/10Night 12 of the May 2010 Sweeps ABC: 8:00 p.m. Dancing With the Stars (two-hours)10:00 p.m. Castle CBS:8:00 p.m. How I Met Your Mother 8:30 p.m. Rules of Engagement 9:00 p.m. Two and a Half Men 9:30 p.m. The Big Bang Theory 10:00 p.m. CSI: Miami NBC: 8:00 p.m. Chuck 9:00 p.m. Law & Order (R)10:00 p.m. Law & Order Fox: 8:00 p.m. House 9:00 p.m. 24 CW: 8:00 p.m. One Tree Hill 9:00 p.m. Gossip Girl _____________________________________________________________________ TV Tidbits:Notes of Interest -More NBC Series Pick-Ups:In addition to upcoming drama Undercovers, NBC has announced three additional new scripted series for the 2010-11 season: comedy Outsourced, thriller The Event and anthology Love Bites. Outsourced is a single camera half-hour about a customer service manager (Ben Rappaport) in Kansas City who is sent to India to train his replacement after his department is outsourced. Drama The Event follows an “everyman” (Jason Ritter) who inadvertently exposes the biggest cover-up in U.S. history while investigating the mysterious disappearance of his fiancé (Sarah Romer). And Love Bites is a comedy-themed anthology hour reminiscent of classic Love, American Style featuring three loosely connected stories of love, sex, dating and marriage. Becki Newton (Ugly Betty) and Jordana Spiro (My Boys) will anchor each story. -It’s Effin’ Science on G4:G4, the cable network targeted to young males, has ordered 10 episodes of a new half-hour series called It’s Effin’ Science. Spun-off from a segment from Attack of the Show and hosted by comedians Angie Greenup and Marc Horowitz and engineer Chad Zdenek, It’s Effin’ Science will explore the odd, wild and off-beat side of science. It launches on Tuesday, June 15 at 9 p.m. ET following G4’s live E3 coverage. -ABC News Names New Co-Anchor of Weekend GMA:Bianna Golodryga has been named the co-anchor of the weekend edition of ABC’s Good Morning America. His initial stint opposite Bill Weir, news anchor Ron Clairborne and weather anchor Marysol Castro was this past weekend. ______________________________________________________________________ TV Trivia Time:Musical Monk What musical instrument does Det. Adrian Monk play? clarinetfluteguitar harpsaxophone The answer to Friday’s question… Which famous comedian portrayed classic country bumpkin Clem Kadiddlehopper? a) Milton Berle b) Sid Caesarc) Jackie Gleasond) Jerry Lewise) Red Skelton Is: e) Red Skelton, who was a variety host staple on CBS from 1953 to 1970. “Good night and God bless.” -Current kudos goes to:Suzanne Ackley, Dave Aiken, Steve Albright, Mary Bancroft, Janice Barney, Becky Beaty, Mikki Beno, Gerry Bixenspan, Lisa Blatt, Kimay Bloch, Barbara Bloomfield, Michael Bobble, John Brooker, Peggy Campbell, Michael Cascio, Mavis Chow, Steve Clements, Larry Collins, Tom Condosta, Kay Copeland, Larry Corsa, Roy Cuyler, Audrey Davis, Reid Davis, Sylvia Davis, Sue Doron, Mike Dugger, Bob Eisenstaedt, Phyllis Epstein, John Ferlazzo, Serri Ferrante, Albert Fisher, Renee Foley, Karen Gardner, Beth Gelfond, Jerry Gibbons, Leon Gittens, Steve Gleason, Gail Goins, Bob Goldman, Maureen Goldman, Geoffrey Gordon, Peter Grad, Vicky Gregorian, Scott Hamula, Kevin Harlan, Barb Hemberger, Sherrie Henstchel, Jerry Hermes, Brad Hight, Bob Ingersoll, David Jackino, Ken Jobe, Deb Kainer, Mary Kalnin, Kathryn Kieser, Tom Kilgallon, Trevor Kimball, Synda Kollman, Mark Krause, Steve Kurtzer, Tom Lawrenson, Howard Lieboff, Ricke Locke, Patty Lynch, Richard Mann, Claudia Martin, Kathy Martin, Mary Ann McAleer, Lisa Menin, Gene Miller, Richard Millhiser, Mark Misiano, Anne Moynihan, Pat Patton, Alan Perris, Sandra Pettway, Mary Politano, David Primuth, Fran Purcell, Gordon Purcell, Con Rigg, Bruce Robinson, Patti Rodroguez, Susan Rogers, Alan Rosenfeld, Colleen Roth, Paul Rule, Neal Sabin, Ron Salmon, David Salz, Judy Schrader, Sonya Shaw, David Shearer, Maxine Shulman (2x), Joe Smith, Mike Stallcup, Michelle Stanton, Phyllis Stewart, Ron Strauss, Don Surath, Joe Swaney, Ronnie Tallant, Carol Teichman, Margaret Thomas, Melissa Toyofuku, Trenna Underhill, Don Webb, Larry Weinstock, Tammy Wiard, Ged Young, Ted Zavales

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CBS Closes Week on a Winning Overnight Note

Marc Berman

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