Fox Sweeps Week of April 19

THE PROGRAMMING INSIDERWednesday, April 28, 2010 Prime-Time Metered Market Tuesday Ratings:Fox Wins; CBS a Solid Second National Ratings in Prime-Time:Week of April 19, 2010 Ratings Box:What’s Hot/What’s Not On the Air Tonight:Prime-Time Programming Options TV Tidbits:Notes of Interest TV Trivia Time: So Long, Aunt Bee________________________________________________________________________________ Prime-Time Metered Market Tuesday Ratings:Fox Wins; CBS a Solid Second Tuesday 4/27/10 HH Rtg/Shr Fox 10.9/16CBS 9.6/15ABC 5.5/ 8NBC 4.8/ 7CW 1.0/ 1 ---------- -Percent Change From the Year-Ago Evening (Tuesday, April 28, 2009):Fox: +17, ABC: + 6, CBS: - 1, CW: -17, NBC: -20 ---------- -Yesterday’s Winners:American Idol (Fox), NCIS (CBS), Dancing With the Stars (ABC), NCIS: Los Angeles (CBS), The Good Wife (CBS) -Honorable Mention:Glee (Fox) – Yes, Glee will win the 9 p.m. hour among adults 18-49. But too much erosion out of American Idol is why it is not a “winner.” -Yesterday’s Losers (excluding repeats):90210 (CW), V (ABC) ---------- -Ratings Breakdown:Led by American Idol, Fox dominated this final Tuesday in April, but CBS was certainly no slouch and ABC was alive and well at 8 p.m. courtesy of the live Dancing With the Stars Results Show. American Idol was the top-rated show of the evening, once again, with a 13.5 rating/20 share in the overnights at 8 p.m. Comparably, that was up by five percent year-to-year (versus a 12.8/20 on April 28, 2009). With only six contestants left and six decent performances last night, the person to depart tonight will not be easy to predict. That said, my picks for the bottom three are Aaron Kelly, Siobhan Magnus and Michael Lynch, with Michael’s time the most likely to be up. American Idol led into Glee, which finished second behind CBS’ competing NCIS: Los Angeles in the overnights with an 8.6/13. As good a show as Glee is (and I personally did enjoy it last night – Mike O’Malley, in particular), retention out of the 8:30 p.m. portion of Idol was only 62 percent. Regardless, Glee is still poised for time period victory among adults 18-49. Opposite Idol, CBS’ rock-solid NCIS remained just that with a second-place 10.4/16 in the overnights at 8 p.m. Next on CBS was aforementioned spin-off NCIS: Los Angeles (#1: 10.0/15 at 9 p.m.), followed by The Good Wife at a dominant 8.6/14. Although The Good Wife outdelivered NBC’s second-place Parenthood (4.4/ 7) by a massive 95 percent in the overnights, its advantage among adults 18-49 (if there is one) will be far less significant. Despite facing two mega hits at 8 p.m., there was still room for a solid 9.2/14 for ABC’s aforementioned Dancing With the Stars, which saw former The Bachelor contestant Jake Pavelka get the boot. Combined, American Idol, NCIS and Dancing With the Stars totaled at 33.1 rating/50 share in the overnights from 8-9 p.m.! ABC dropped the ratings ball at 9 p.m., however, with a repeat of Lost at a fourth-place 3.8/ 6. With weaker lead-in support, on-the-fence drama V finished a distant third with a 3.7/ 6 at 10 p.m. Tick, tock…the cancellation clock is ticking. Over at NBC, The Biggest Loser averaged a 5.0/ 8 in the overnights from 8-10 p.m., building by half-hour as follows: The Biggest Loser (NBC)8:00 p.m.: 4.2/ 6 (#4)8:30 p.m.: 4.5/ 7 (#4)9:00 p.m.: 5.4/ 8 (#4)9:30 p.m.: 5.9/ 9 (#4) Given the severity of the competition, this is a respectable performance. Aforementioned Parenthood capped off the night for NBC with a second-place 4.4/ 7 at 10 p.m. While that may sound weak, keep in mind that Parenthood always manages to generate interest among adults 18-49. Last was The CW’s combination of already renewed 90210 (#5: 1.4/ 2) and a repeat of one-the-fence Life Unexpected (#5: 0.7/ 1), which from a critical standpoint is worthy of a second season. Source: Nielsen Media Research data (R = repeat)_____________________________________________________________________________ National Ratings in Prime-Time:Week of April 19, 2010 It was a clean sweep for Fox this week, with the home of American Idol (including fund raiser Idol Gives Back on Wednesday) first in households, total viewers and the three key demos -- adults 18-49, adults 25-54 and adults 18-34. But ABC’s Dancing With the Stars finished as primetime’s most-watched series for the 3rd time in the last 4 weeks, topping American Idol on Tuesday (+1.4 million) and American Idol on Wednesday (+2.25 million) by its biggest margin to-date. CBS dipped to second in households and total viewers, with an also No. 2 finish in adults 25-54 and a fourth-place ranking in adults 18-49 and adults 18-34. ABC came in second in adults 18-49 and adults 18-34 and third elsewhere, and both ABC and CBS were down year-to-year. Fox built by margins of 3 to 12 percent in the five surveyed categories. Elsewhere, NBC and The CW were also on the downside, with last-place The CW’s losses more severe at as much as 20 percent among adults 18-34. In series-premiere news, 10.67 million viewers (#15 overall) and a 2.9 rating/8 share among adults 18-49 (#20t) for ABC sitcom Romantically Challenged certainly sounds promising in the Monday 9:30 p.m. half-hour. But before anyone breaks out the bottle of bubbly at the alphabet net, initial retention out of Dancing With the Stars (Viewers: 21.07 million; A18-49: 4.8/13) was only 51 percent in total viewers and 60 percent in the demo. In the rare world of original made-for TV movies, Hallmark Hall of Fame’s Love is Not Enough: The Lois Wilson Story on CBS Sunday did not impress with 7.05 million viewers (#35) and a 1.2/ 3 among adults 18-49 (tied for #68). Over at ABC, a Thursday 9 p.m. airing of Private Practice (which led into a repeat of Grey’s Anatomy) fell flat at 7.49 million viewers (#31) and a 2.3/ 6 in the demo (#32t). As for the freshman midseason scorecard, keep in mind that CBS’ Undercover Boss, which always leads the charts, closed season one two weeks ago. Here are the results ranked in order of total viewers. Romantically Challenged (ABC) – Monday 9:30 p.m. (series premiere)Viewers: 10.67 million (#15), A18-49: 2.9/ 8 (#20t)Grade: C(retention out of Dancing With the Stars was just 51 percent in total viewers and 60 percent among adults 18-49) Parenthood (NBC) – Tuesday 10 p.m. (renewed for season two)Viewers: 7.27 million (#33), A18-49: 2.9/ 8 (#20t)Grade: B Miami Medical (CBS) – Friday 10 p.m. Viewers: 6.08 million (#41), A18-49: 1.0/ 3 (#78t)Grade: D Minute to Win It (NBC) – Sunday 8 p.m. (10 episode renewal for 2010-11)Viewers: 5.65 million (#46), A18-49: 1.8/ 5 (#41t)Grade: C- The Marriage Ref (NBC) – Thursday 10 p.m. (13 episode renewal for 2010-11)Viewers: 4.27 million (#69), A18-49: 1.9/ 5 (#39t)Grade: D Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution (ABC) – Friday 9 p.m. (season or series finale)Viewers: 3.96 million (#73), A18-49: 1.3/ 4 (#62t)Grade: D- Fly Girls (CW) – Wednesday 9 p.m.Viewers: 904,000 (#94), A18-49: 0.4/ 1 (#94t)Grade: F High Society (CW) – Wednesday 9:30 p.m. Viewers: 800,000 (#96), A18-49: 0.4/ 1 (#94t)Grade: F What follows are the final national ratings for the week of April 19, 2010 (with percent change versus the comparable year-ago week in parentheses), followed by the top 30 rated programs of the week and the top rated networks on basic cable. -Households:Fox: 5.4 rating/9 share (+ 4), CBS: 5.3/ 9 (-10), ABC: 4.7/ 8 (-11), NBC: 3.7/ 6 (- 5), CW: 1.1/ 2 (-15) -Total Viewers: Fox: 9.23 million (+ 7), CBS: 8.37 (- 9), ABC: 7.37 (- 9), NBC: 5.71 (- 5), CW: 1.65 (-17) -Adults 18-49:Fox: 3.2 rating/10 share (+ 7), ABC: 2.0/ 6 (-17), NBC: 1.9/ 6 (- 5), CBS: 1.9/ 6 (-17), CW: 0.8/ 2 (-11) -Adults 25-54:Fox: 3.7/10 (+ 3), CBS: 2.7/ 7 (-10), ABC: 2.6/ 7 (-13), NBC: 2.2/ 6 (- 8), CW: 0.7/ 2 (-12) -Adults 18-34:Fox: 2.8/ 9 (+12), ABC: 1.6/ 5 (-20), NBC: 1.4/ 5 (-12), CBS: 1.2/ 4 (-14), CW: 0.8/ 3 (-20) -------------------- Top 30 Rankings -Total Viewers:Dancing With the Stars – Monday (ABC): 21.07 million, American Idol – Tuesday (Fox): 19.67, American Idol – Wednesday (Fox, Idol Gives Back): 18.82, The Mentalist (CBS): 14.96, Dancing With the Stars – Tuesday (ABC): 13.56, CSI (CBS): 13.35, Glee (Fox): 12.98, Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains (CBS): 11.89, The Big Bang Theory R (CBS) and CSI: Miami (CBS): 11.66 each, Two and a Half Men R (CBS): 11.42, 60 Minutes (CBS): 11.38, Desperate Housewives (ABC): 11.29, House (Fox): 10.81, Romantically Challenged (ABC, series premiere): 10.67, The Amazing Race (CBS): 10.65, Castle (ABC): 10.39, NCIS: Los Angeles R (CBS): 10.27, NCIS R (CBS): 9.99, Lost (ABC): 9.53, Bones (Fox): 9.01, 24 (Fox): 8.94, Law & Order: SVU (NBC): 8.75, The Biggest Loser (NBC): 8.58, Brothers & Sisters (ABC): 8.36, Criminal Minds R (CBS): 8.09, The Celebrity Apprentice (NBC): 7.93, How I Met Your Mother R (CBS): 7.71, The Good Wife R (CBS): 7.67, Private Practice (ABC): 7.49 -Adults 18-49:American Idol – Tuesday (Fox): 6.9 rating/20 share, American Idol – Wednesday (Fox, Idol Gives Back): 5.9/17, Glee (Fox): 5.3/13, Dancing With the Stars – Monday (ABC): 4.8/13, House (Fox): 4.1/12, The Big Bang Theory R (CBS): 4.1/11, Two and a Half Men R (CBS): 3.8/10, Lost (ABC): 3.7/10, Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains (CBS): 3.6/11, The Biggest Loser (NBC) and Desperate Housewives (ABC): 3.4/ 9 each, How I Met Your Mother R (CBS): 3.2/10, CSI: Miami (CBS), The Office (NBC) and The Amazing Race (CBS): 3.2/ 9 each, Family Guy R (Fox): 3.2/ 8, The Celebrity Apprentice (NBC): 3.1/ 8, The Mentalist (CBS): 3.0/ 9, Rules of Engagement (CBS): 3.0/ 8, Romantically Challenged (ABC, series premiere) and Parenthood (NBC) 2.9/ 8 each, Law & Order: SVU (NBC) and CSI (CBS): 2.8/ 8 each, 24 (Fox): 2.8/ 7, The Simpsons (Fox): 2.7/ 8, American Dad (Fox): 2.7/ 7, Castle (ABC): 2.6/ 8, Bones (Fox): 2.5/ 8, 30 Rock (NBC): 2.5/ 7, Dancing With the Stars – Tuesday (ABC) and The Cleveland Show R (Fox): 2.4/ 7 each -------------------- CABLE What follows are the top 10 rated networks on cable in prime-time for the week of March 29 based on total viewers and the three key demos: Total Viewers:USA: 2.95 million, TNT: 2.83, ESPN: 2.53, History: 2.16, Nick at Nite: 2.00, Fox News: 1.80, TBS: 1.51, Cartoon Network: 1.46, A&E: 1.40, ABC Family: 1.21 Adults 18-49:TNT: 1.50 million, ESPN: 1.33 million, USA: 1.18 million, History: 936,000, TBS: 807,000, A&E: 666,000, Discovery: 629,000, Comedy Central: 595,000, MTV: 569,000, ABC Family: 567,000 Adults 25-54:TNT: 1.42 million, USA: 1.33 million, ESPN: 1.28 million, History: 1.02 million, TBS: 738,000, A&E: 685,000, Discovery: 645,000, Syfy: 590,000, Tru: 573,000, FX: 530,000 Adults 18-34:TNT: 841,000, ESPN: 695,000, USA: 491,000, MTV: 464,000 each, TNT: 439,000, History: 394,000, Comedy Central: 388,000, ABC Family: 311,000, Spike TV: 308,000, A&E: 289,000 Source: Nielsen Media Research data (R = repeat) Ratings Box:What’s Hot/What’s Not -Updated National Ratings in Syndication:What follows are the top 20 rated programs in syndication (first-run and off-network) based on households for the week of April 12: Wheel of Fortune (CBS Television Distribution): 6.5 rating, Jeopardy (CBS): 5.4, Two and a Half Men (Warner Bros.): 4.6, Judge Judy (CBS): 4.4, Entertainment Tonight (CBS): 4.1, Oprah (CBS): 3.8, Family Guy (Twentieth Television): 3.2, The Office (NBC Universal): 3.1, Inside Edition (CBS) and Everybody Loves Raymond (CBS): 3.0 each, CSI: NY (CBS) and Wheel of Fortune – Weekend (CBS): 2.9 each, Seinfeld (Sony Pictures Television): 2.8, George Lopez (Warner Bros.) and Law & Order: Criminal Intent (NBCU): 2.7 each, Dr. Oz (SPT), Dr. Phil (CBS), Live with Regis & Kelly (Disney-ABC), Bones (Twentieth) and Seinfeld – Weekend (SPT): 2.4 each Source: Nielsen Media Research data (R = repeat) On the Air Tonight:Prime-Time Programming Options Wednesday 4/28/10 ABC: 8:00 p.m. The Middle (R) 8:30 p.m. The Middle 9:00 p.m. Modern Family (one hour)10:00 p.m. Happy Town (premiere) CBS: 8:00 p.m. The New Adventures of Old Christine (R) 8:30 p.m. Two and a Half Men (R) 9:00 p.m. Criminal Minds (R)10:00 p.m. CSI: NY (R) NBC: 8:00 p.m. Mercy 9:00 p.m. Law & Order: SVU (R)10:00 p.m. Law & Order: SVU (with Sharon Stone in the first of a four-episode guest star arc) Fox: 8:00 p.m Lie To Me (R, return) 9:00 p.m. American Idol CW 8:00 p.m. America’s Next Top Model 9:00 p.m. Fly Girls 9:30 p.m. High Society (series finale) -Debuting on Cable:Sunset Daze on WE, 10 p.m. ET ----- New Program Descriptions Happy Town (ABC) -The Premise:After a crime hits a small Minnesota town already rocked by a series of kidnappings seven years earlier, the new investigation unearths some long-kept secrets. -The Scoop:Reminiscent of cult favorite Twin Peaks, here is what producer John Applebaum said at the Television Critics Association Press Tour in Los Angeles: “Twin Peaks was very much set in a world that was wholly bizarre, and Happy Town is much more the real world, and of course there are dark corners to all of that. There’s certainly surreal moments that pop up through the show, but it’s very grounded in the real world, for sure.” -The Reality:Comparisons to cult drama Twin Peaks gives Happy Town early buzz, but Twin Peaks barely lasted a season and-a-half in the early 1990s. The obstacle quirky looking Happy Town faces, no doubt, is the potentially limited audience appeal. -Chance of Survival for Happy Town (Based on a scale of 1-1 to 10-1):8-1______________________________________________________________________ TV Tidbits:Notes of Interest -truTV Programming Initiatives:Cable net truTV has unveiled its programming plans for 2010, which will include eight new shows in development and the return of 13 series. The proposed series are America’s Toughest Boss, the story of an obsessive perfectionist and self-made millionaire; Disclosure, which follows two men who have devoted their lives to examining secretive and undercover phenomena; Exposed!, a comedy-driven social experiment from Ashton Kutcher; Limo Bob, the story of the larger-than-life owner of a fleet of limos in Chicago; Ma’s Roadhouse, which chronicles the happenings at a Texas saloon; The Naked Office, which utilizes group therapy to rebuild the workplace; Rogue Society, which exposes bigots, jerks and scam artists through hidden pranks; and Vegas Repo. The returning series on truTV include Black Gold, Conspiracy Theory with Jesse Ventura, Full Throttle Saloon, Las Vegas Jailhouse and Rehab: Party at the Hard Rock Hotel. -Next Up on I Get That a Lot:Ongoing CBS special I Get That a Lot, which features popular stars pretending to be everyday people, will be back on Wednesday, May 19 with Wayne Brady, style guru Tim Gunn, Nick Jonas, country superstar Wynonna Judd, Gary Unmarried star Jay Mohr and the one and only Martha Stewart, who will pretend to be a craft store employee. _________________________________________________________________________ TV Trivia Time:So Long, Aunt Bee Who replaced Frances Bavier when she departed from Mayberry R.F.D. in the third, and final season? Shirley Booth Alice GhostleyLurene Tuttle Nancy Walker Mary Wickes The answer to yesterday’s question… Which one of the following TV characters had a girlfriend named Bunny? a) Peter Bentonb) Vince Carter c) Phil Esterhausd) Mike Hammere) George Utley Is: b) Vince Carter of classic sitcom Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. -Current kudos goes to:Steve Albright, Becky Beaty, Gerry Bixenspan, Barbara Bloomfield, Paul Certo, Tom Condosta, Kay Copeland, John Ferlazzo, Jan Frazier, George Gardner, Maureen Goldman, Michelle Harrington, Carla Snell-Hatfield, Brad Hight, Melissa Hodgdon, Heidi Hoffmeister, Bob Ingersoll, Deb Kainer, Tom Kilgallon, Cliff Kroeter, Steve Kurtzer, Tom Lawrenson, Debbie Mirr, Anne Moynihan, Michael Murphy, Tony Naldrett, Jay Ogletree, Amy Preisendefer, Con Rigg, Susan Rogers, Jay Rossi, Joe Rubi, Paul Rule, Maxine Shulman, Mark Simmons, Joe Swaney, Rick Vosk, Larry Weinstock, David Williams, John Wood

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Fox Sweeps Week of April 19

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