The Programming Insider: Monday Victory for ABC

In Today's Issue: Prime-Time Metered Market Monday Ratings: Huge Victory for Dancing-Ignited ABC Ratings Box: What’s Hot/What’s Not On the Air Tonight: Prime-Time Programming Options TV Tidbits: Notes of Interest TV Trivia Time: Moonlighting in Mayberry PRIME-TIME METERED MARKET MONDAY RATINGS: Huge Victory for Dancing-Ignited ABC; Soggy Freshman Returns Monday 4/25/11 Note: The overnight data now includes DVR playback until 3 a.m. local time. One year earlier it was based on Live data only. All times are ET/PT. Household Rating/Share ABC: 10.6/17, CBS: 4.4/ 7, NBC: 3.1/ 5, Fox: 3.1/ 5, CW: 1.3/ 2 Percent Change From the Year-Ago Evening (Monday 4/26/10): ABC: + 4, NBC: -11, CBS and CW: -19 each, Fox: -56 Yesterday’s Winners: Dancing With the Stars (ABC) Yesterday’s Losers (excluding repeats): Mad Love (CBS), 90210 (CW), The Event (NBC), Gossip Girl (CW), Law & Order: Los Angeles (NBC) Note: The fast affiliate results for Monday will be posted at PIFeedback by 12 p.m. ET. Go to the website, click on Ratings Box (the first category), then Last Night’s Results, and Monday, April 25, 2011. Ratings Breakdown: It was no contest on this final Monday in April with the home of Dancing With the Stars, ABC, besting No. 2 CBS by a whopping 141 percent. With the exception of failing sitcom Mad Love, however, CBS aired all repeats. Tied for third overall was NBC and Fox, which bodes poorly for a night of two hours of originals on NBC versus encores on Fox, followed by lacking The CW, which never resonates in the overnights. Dancing With the Stars stood well above all competitors last night, with a 15.1 rating/23 share in the overnights from 8-9:30 p.m. and growth by half hour as follows: 14.1/22 -- 15.4/23 -- 15.7/23. My pick to big adieu tonight: Chris Jericho, who did not deserve the verbal thrashing he received from Judge Bruno. A 9:30 p.m. edition of on-the-fence freshman comedy Better Than You, featuring a guest spot by Derek Hough from Dancing With the Stars, rose to a series-high 7.8/12 (#1) at 9:30 p.m. But before ABC issues a second season renewal, keep in mind that retention out of the 9:00 p.m. portion of Dancing With the Stars was only 50 percent. At 10 p.m., a repeat of ABC’s Castle led with a 5.3/ 9 in the overnights. Over at CBS, the network opened with a repeat of How I Met Your Mother (#2: 3.5/ 6 at 8 p.m.), followed by expected-to-be axed recent entry Mad Love at a second-place 3.6/ 5 at 8:30 p.m. Considering Mad Love cannot build out of an encore telecast of How I Met Your Mother in the higher HUT-level 8:30 p.m. half hour, the end is definitely near. The remainder of CBS’ lineup—The Big Bang Theory (#2: 5.1/ 8), Mike & Molly (#2: 5.1/ 8), and Hawaii Five-O (#2: 4.5/ 7) from 9-11 p.m.—were encore telecasts. Elsewhere, NBC needs to do a complete revamp on Monday next season. A repeat of needs-to-be axed Chuck limped out of the gate with a fourth-place 1.9/ 3 in the overnights at 8 p.m., followed by freshman occupants The Event (#3: 3.2/ 5), which does not live up to its title, and Law & Order: Los Angeles (#3: 4.2/ 7) from 9-11 p.m. LOLA, unfortunately, could not even outdeliver repeats of competing Castle and Hawaii Five-O, while The Event lost any momentum it had after taking an unnecessary three-month hiatus. Fox populated the evening with repeats of House (#3: 3.5/ 5) and The Chicago Code (#4: 2.8/ 4), which is 50-50 for renewal. And The CW capped off the evening with 90210 (#5: 1.4/ 2) and Gossip Girl (#5: 1.2/ 2), which are both expected back in 2011-12 despite the lack of audience interest. While I do understand that young females are The CW’s target audience, overnights this low will not translate well elsewhere. Source: Nielsen Media Research data ___________________________________________________________________ RATINGS BOX: What’s Hot/What’s Not Girls Night Out Tops Friday Charts: Based on the live plus same day ratings for Friday, April 22, two-hour CBS musical special Girls Night Out: Superstar Women of Country led the night with 8.37 million viewers and a 1.6 rating/5 share among adults 18-49 from 9-11 p.m. Comparably, that built from a lead-in of CSI: NY (Viewers: #1, 6.00 million; A18-49: #2t, 1.0/ 3 at 8 p.m.), which was a last-minute replacement for canceled Chaos, by 2.37 million viewers and 60 percent in the demo. While this performance on paper does not seem all that special, for the fourth Friday in April on this low HUT-level evening consider this performance a winner. Speaking of Friday: Here are the results by network based on total viewers and adults 18-49: Total Viewers: CBS: 7.58 million, NBC: 5.01, ABC: 4.43, Fox: 2.94, CW: 2.13 Adults 18-49: CBS: 1.4 rating/5 share, NBC: 1.2/ 4, ABC: 1.2/ 4, Fox: 1.1/ 4, CW: 0.9/ 3 Source: Nielsen Media Research data __________________________________________________________________ ON THE AIR TONIGHT: Prime-Time Programming Options Tuesday 4/26/11 ABC: 8:00 p.m. Dancing With the Stars: The Road to the Finals, 9:00 p.m. Dancing With the Stars Live Results Show, 10:00 p.m. Body of Proof CBS: 8:00 p.m. NCIS (R), 9:00 p.m. NCIS: Los Angeles (R), 10:00 p.m. The Mentalist (R) NBC: 8:00 p.m. The Biggest Loser: Couples (two hours), 9:00 p.m. The Voice (series premiere, two hours) Fox: 8:00 p.m. Glee (90 minutes), 9:30 p.m. Raising Hope CW: 8:00 p.m. One Tree Hill, 9:00 p.m. Hellcats New Programming Descriptions The Voice (NBC) Four musician coaches—Christina Aguilera, Cee Lo Green, Adam Levine, and Blake Shelton—each select singers to mentor into artists. The winning team will receive a recording contract and $100,000. _____________________________________________________________________ TV TIDBITS: Notes of Interest Fox Announces Summer Sketch Show: In the Flow with Affion Crockett, a half-hour sketch comedy hosted by comedian Affion Crockett and executive produced by Academy Award-winner Jamie Foxx, will debut with a one-hour series premiere on Sunday, August 14 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. One week later it airs in its regularly scheduled Sunday 9:30 p.m. half hour out of repeat telecasts of Family Guy. Late-night encores will air Saturdays at midnight beginning on August 20. Boston Rob Heads to History Channel: Perennial Survivor contestant Rob Mariano (aka Boston Rob) and monster truck Gravedigger creator Dennis Anderson will host upcoming Around the World in 80 Days on History Channel. Scheduled to debut later this year, the 10-part Around the World in 80 Days will feature the pair traveling the globe using 80 different modes of travel without repeating any vehicle. The Borgias Re-Upped for Season Two: Recently introduced Showtime drama The Borgias has been renewed for a second season, with an order for 10 new episodes to air in 2012. Earlier this month, the Jeremy Irons historical drama led the pay cable net to its strongest drama premiere in seven years, with 1.5 million viewers for its initial original and repeat telecast. Danger Zone: Shows on the Verge of Cancellation: Click here for Mr. TV’s comments today in the NY Post on current on-the-fence occupants CSI: NY, One Tree Hill, and Law & Order: Los Angeles. Paula Abdul Heads to The X Factor: After months of speculation, it is official: Paula Abdul has been named as one of the four judges on upcoming Fox talent competition The X Factor, where she will reteam with executive producer Simon Cowell. "I've always wanted Paula and have always been very vocal about that," said Cowell in a statement. “I missed her the second she left the show. Always loved working with her even though she can be a pain. And I've been consistent about this. I don't know what it is about her, but I've always clicked with her. You just have to get that chemistry, and she's right. I've never found anyone better than her." The panel will also include Antonio "L.A." Reid, who was previously the chairman of Island Def Jam Records, and British singer Cheryl Cole. Based on the successful U.K. series, The X Factor debuts next fall on Fox. ______________________________________________________________________ TV TRIVIA: Moonlighting in Mayberry Note: To respond to the trivia, please click HERE. Do not click Reply. What kind of business did Andy Taylor buy on The Andy Griffith Show to bring in a second income to fund Opie’s upcoming college education? a) bakery b) coffee shop c) diner d) ice cream truck e) laundromat The answer to yesterday’s question… Which failed fall freshman series was the first cancellation of this current season? a) Lone Star (Fox) b) My Generation (ABC) c) Outlaw (NBC) d) Undercovers (NBC) e) The Whole Truth (ABC) ...is: a) Lone Star (Fox), which exited after just two episodes on Sept. 27, 2010. Current kudos goes to: Michelle Yarborough-Bauer, Gerry Bixenspan, Jordan Breslow, John Brooker, Larry Cauble, Larry Collins, Sue Doron, Mike Dugger, Andy Ehlen, Jan Frazier, Maureen Goldman, Geoffrey Gordon, Carolyn Becker Hayes, Barb Hemberger, David Heraux, Michael Holland, David Jackino, Ken Jobe, Michael Johnson, Kathryn Kieser, Tom Kilgallon, Synda Kollman, Andi Kupersmith, Steven Kutzer, Audrey Lewin, Carolyn Mailloux, Susan McClellan, Matheson Moore, Aaron Paquette, Jodi Perris, Greg Phelan, Francine Purcell, Gordon Purcell, Stefan Rafi, Bruce Robinson, Jay Rossi, Colleen Roth, David Ruckman, David Shearer, Joe Swaney, Julie Syers, Ronnie Tallant, Nina Tomlinson, Stephanie Watson, Larry Weinstock

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The Programming Insider: Monday Victory for ABC

'Dancing' continues to move ratings

Marc Berman

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