The Programming Insider: Reality Slate Lifts ABC

In Today's Issue: Prime-Time Metered Market Monday Ratings: Respectable Sampling for Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition on 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: Too Close for Henry's Comfort PRIME-TIME METERED MARKET MONDAY RATINGS: Respectable Sampling for Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition on ABC Monday 5/30/11 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: 4.6/ 8, CBS: 3.5/ 6, NBC: 3.5/ 6, Fox: 2.2/ 6, CW: 0.4/ 1 Percent Change from the Year-Ago Evening (Monday 5/31/10): Fox: + 5, ABC: no change, NBC: -15, CW: -20, CBS: -34 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, May 30, 2011. Ratings Breakdown: A night of all original reality led ABC to Monday victory, with a 31 percent advantage over second place CBS and NBC. But a mere 4.6 rating in the overnights for the dominant network means it will be a long summer. In the distant No. 4 spot was Fox, followed by The CW. Sixty-two percent of last night’s lineup was in repeats. In series-premiere news, Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition on ABC finished second in the overnights at 10 p.m., with a 4.4 rating/8 share. First in the time period was canceled Law & Order: Los Angeles on NBC with a 4.7/ 8. But retention out of the 9:30 p.m. portion of The Bachelorette (#1: 5.0/ 8) was a solid 88 percent, and growth of 5 percent for Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition at 10:30 p.m. (4.3/ 7 to 4.5/ 8) means that whoever did watch stayed with the show. Earlier in the evening on ABC, aforementioned The Bachelorette averaged a 4.8/ 8 from 8-10 p.m., with the half-hour breakdown as follows: 4.6/ 8 (#1) – 4.6/ 8 (#1) – 4.8/ 8 (#1) – 5.0/ 8 (#1). One year earlier, The Bachelorette averaged a 5.1/ 9 on May 31, 2010. In season-premiere news, the final season of Law & Order: Criminal Intent on NBC (which already aired on USA) finished third at 9 p.m. with a lackluster 3.6/ 6. Regardless, growth out of a repeat of Minute to Win It (#3: 2.4/ 5 at 8 p.m.) was still very noticeable at 46 percent. Capping off the evening for NBC was aforementioned Law & Order: Los Angeles at a dominant 4.7/ 8 at 10 p.m. Elsewhere, CBS, Fox and The CW were in all repeats. CBS aired encore telecasts of How I Met Your Mother (#2: 3.1/ 5), canceled Mad Love (#2: 2.6/ 4), Two and a Half Men (#2: 4.2/ 7), Mike & Molly (#2: 4.0/ 6), and Hawaii Five-O (#3: 3.6/ 6). Fox aired back-to-back repeats of House (#4: avg. 2.2/ 4 from 8-10 p.m.), and The CW filled the evening with encores of 90210 (#5: 0.5/ 1) and Gossip Girl (#5: 0.4/ 1). Of the five networks, only ABC will remain consistent with its combination of Dancing With the Stars and Castle next fall. Four new series will populate the evening as follows (with new shows in caps): 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.: 2 BROKE GIRLS 9:00 p.m.: Two and a Half Men 9:30 p.m.: Mike & Molly 10:00 p.m.: Hawaii Five-O NBC 8:00 p.m.: The Sing-Off (two hours, new time) 10:00 p.m.: The PLAYBOY CLUB Fox 8:00 p.m.: TERRA NOVA 9:00 p.m.: House (new time) CW 8:00 p.m.: Gossip Girl (new time) 9:00 p.m.: HART OF DIXIE Source: Nielsen Media Research data ______________________________________________________________ RATINGS BOX: What’s Hot/What’s Not Solid Return for So You Think You Can Dance on Fox: The eighth season-premiere of summer Fox favorite So You Think You Can Dance was amply sampled at a dominant 9.45 million viewers and a 3.3 rating/10 share in the Thursday 8-10 p.m. block on May 26. Compared to its year-ago opener (Viewers: 8.25 million; A18-49: 3.0/10 on May 27, 2010), that was an increase of 1.20 million viewers and 10 percent in the demo. Weekend Fast Nationals: While we were out enjoying the long holiday weekend, here is how the broadcast networks fared. Based on the following lackluster results, it's fair to say the official summer TV season has begun! Friday 5/27/11 -Total Viewers: CBS: 6.25 million, NBC: 3.99, Fox: 3.78, ABC: 2.92, CW: 1.09 -Adults 18-49: CBS: 1.0 rating/3 share, NBC and Fox: 0.9/ 3 each, ABC: 0.8/ 3, CW: 0.5/ 2 Saturday 5/28/11 -Total Viewers: CBS: 4.00 million, Fox: 3.88, NBC: 3.44, ABC: 2.12 -Adults 18-49: Fox: 0.9 rating/4 share, NBC: 0.7/ 3, ABC: 0.6/ 2, CBS:0.5/ 2 Sunday 5/29/11 -Total Viewers: Fox: 7.66 million, CBS: 5.27, ABC: 4.34, NBC: 2.93 -Adults 18-49: Fox: 2.3 rating/9 share, ABC: 1.1/ 4, CBS: 0.9/ 3, NBC: 0.6/ 2 Source: Nielsen Media Research data _______________________________________________________________ ON THE AIR TONIGHT: Prime-Time Programming Options Tuesday 5/31/11 ABC: 8:00 p.m. Jimmy Kimmel Live: Game Night 8:30 p.m. NBA Countdown 9:00 p.m. NBA Finals, Game 1 (Mavericks at Heat) CBS: 8:00 p.m. NCIS (R) 9:00 p.m. NCIS: Los Angeles (R) 10:00 p.m. The Good Wife (R) NBC: 8:00 p.m. America’s Got Talent (season premiere, two hours) 10:00 p.m. The Voice Fox: 8:00 p.m. Glee (R) 9:00 p.m. Raising Hope (R) 9:30 p.m. Traffic Light (season finale) CW: 8:00 p.m. One Tree Hill (R) 9:00 p.m. Hellcats (R) __________________________________________________________ TV TIDBITS: Notes of Interest Gigolos Marathon on SHO 2: Showtime 2 will run a marathon of its late-night reality series Gigolos beginning with the first four episodes on Saturday, May 28 at 11 p.m. ET/PT, and followed by the second half on Sunday, May 29 starting at 11 p.m. ET/PT. Gigolos follows the personal and professional lives of five, high-end male escorts in Las Vegas. Sad News: Actor Jeff Conaway, who is best known for his three-season stint on classic sitcom Taxi and his role in 1978 theatrical Grease, died Friday after a long battle with drug and alcohol addiction. He was 60. In recent years, Conaway appeared on VH1’s Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew Pinsky documenting his real life struggles. __________________________________________________________ TV TRIVIA TIME: Too Close for Henry's Comfort Note: To respond to the trivia, please click HERE. Do not click Reply Who played Muriel’s mother Iris on 1980s sitcom Too Close for Comfort? a) Whitney Blake b) Cloris Leachman c) Audrey Meadows d) Martha Raye e) Jane Wyatt The answer to Friday’s question… Which one of the following dramas from prolific David E. Kelley aired for the most number of years? a) Ally McBeal b) Chicago Hope c) L.A. Law d) Picket Fences e) The Practice Is: c) L.A. Law, which aired on NBC from 1986 to 1994. As for the others: Ally McBeal (Fox): 9/08/97 – 7/08/02 Chicago Hope (CBS): 9/18/94 – 5/04/00 Picket Fences (CBS): 9/18/92 – 6/26/96 The Practice (ABC): 3/04/97 – 9/12/04 Current kudos goes to: Danny Aguilar, Joanne Albrecht, Joelle Alexander, John Beadle, Mikki Beno, Bobby Bernard, Jerry Beyer, Mark Binda, Gerry Bixenspan, Lisa Brause, Dennis Burton, Al Canaletich, Steve Clements, Larry Collins, Larry Corsa, Audrey Davis, Patrick Dupont, Bob Eisenstaedt, Jim Forkan, Julie Friedlander, Rita Gazitano, Beth Gelfond, Gail Goins, Maureen Goldman, Peter Grad, Ed Groves, Jacqueline Hague, David Heraux, Michael Holland, Gordon Howard, Bob Ingersoll, Ken Jobe, Jana Kahn, Todd Koerner, Synda Kollman, Steven Kurtzer, Howard Lieboff, Frank Nicotero, Kimberley Orti, Alan Perris, Gordon Purcell, Mauricio Rios, Bruce Robinson, Jay Rossi, David Ruckman, David Shearer, Barb Shimp, Janet Shute, David Skinner, Deniel Soiseth, Mindy Staley, Michelle Stanton, Joe Swaney, Melissa Toyofuku, Larry Weinstock, Kathy Wells, Abbott Wool, Ted Zavales

Convergent TV

The Programming Insider: Reality Slate Lifts ABC

Network gains with Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition

Marc Berman

About

Subscriptions

Events

Publications

WORK SMARTER - LEARN, GROW AND BE INSPIRED.

Subscribe today!

Marc Berman