Prime-Time Ratings:
Tuesday 5/27/08

The following results are based on the fast affiliate ratings (Live Plus Same Day data)

-Total Viewers:
Fox: 8.35 million, CBS: 7.99, NBC: 6.83, ABC: 4.69, CW: 1.40

-Adults 18-49:
Fox: 3.7 rating/10 share, NBC: 2.1/ 6, CBS: 1.8/ 5, ABC: 1.5/ 4, CW: 0.6/ 2

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Note: Any prior rating results are based on the final nationals. Since the level of DVR penetration has increased from 13 percent at this same point last year to approximately 23 percent at present, the overall results may be negatively impacted.

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-Yesterday’s Winners:
Hell’s Kitchen (Fox)

-Yesterday’s Losers (Excluding Repeats):
According to Jim (ABC), Most Outrageous Moments (NBC)

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-Repeat Alert:
60 percent of last night’s schedule was encore telecasts.

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-Ratings Breakdown:
Fox led this pre-summer Tuesday, with a first-place finish in both total viewers and adults 18-49. CBS and NBC tied for the No. 2 and 3 spots, respectively, followed by ABC and the CW.

The second season-premiere of Fox game show Moment of Truth won the 8 p.m. hour in adults 18-49, with a 3.1 rating/10 share in the demo. But it finished second behind a repeat of CBS’ NCIS in total viewers, with 7.28 million. NCIS averaged 9.67 million viewers and a second-place 1.8/ 6 among adults 18-49. While you have to give Moment of Truth accolades for dominating in the demo, overall the results are disappointing.

Also airing in the 8 p.m. hour were two episodes (original and repeat) of NBC’s Most Outrageous Moments (Viewers: #3, avg. 6.13 million; A18-49: #2t, avg. 1.8/ 5, followed by two episodes of ABC’s According to Jim (Viewers: #4, avg. 5.03 million; A18-49: #2t, avg. 1.8/ 5), and a repeat of Beauty and the Geek on the CW (Viewers: #5, 1.29 million; A18-49: #5, 0.6/ 2). Why ABC won’t cancel According to Jim is what you would call an unsolved TV mystery.

Fox moved into the 9-10 p.m. winner’s circle with Hell’s Kitchen at a solid 9.41 million viewers and a 4.4/12 among adults 18-49. Comparably, that beat the second half of lead-in Moment of Truth (Viewers: 8.10 million; A18-49: 3.4/10 at 8:30 p.m.) by 1.31 million viewers and a hefty 29 percent among adults 18-49. Also in the hour was a repeat of NBC’s Law & Order: SVU (Viewers: 7.08 million; A18-49: 2.1/ 6), a repeat of CBS’ The Unit (Viewers: #3, 5.99 million; A18-49: #4, 1.2/ 3), two repeat episodes of ABC’s Samantha Who? (Viewers: #4, avg. 5.27 million; A18-49: #3, avg. 1.6/ 4), and a repeat of the CW’s Reaper (Viewers: #5, 1.50 million; A18-49: #5, 0.6/ 2). Don’t forget: The Unit moves to Sundays at 10 p.m. this fall out of Cold Case.

The regularly scheduled encore telecast of NBC’s Law & Order: SVU and a repeat of CBS’ 48 Hours Mystery tied at 10 p.m. as follows:

Tuesday 10 p.m.
48 Hours Mystery R (CBS)
Viewers: 8.31 million (#1), A18-49: 2.3/ 7 (#2)

Law & Order: SVU R (NBC)
Viewers: 7.29 million (#2), A18-49: 2.5/ 7 (#1)

And a repeat of ABC’s Boston Legal capped off the hour with 4.34 million viewers and a 1.3/ 3 among adults 18-49. Also don’t forget: the final season of Boston Legal moves to Mondays at 10 p.m. out of Samantha Who? this fall.

Source: Nielsen Media Research data

quote:

Fox moved into the 9-10 p.m. winner’s circle with Hell’s Kitchen at a solid 9.41 million viewers and a 4.4/12 among adults 18-49.

Thats is a pretty strong number now that AI is not leading in to it. Only a couple million off in viewers and a point in the demo.

quote:

And a repeat of ABC’s Boston Legal capped off the hour with 4.34 million viewers and a 1.3/ 3 among adults 18-49. Also don’t forget: the final season of Boston Legal moves to Mondays at 10 p.m. out of Samantha Who? this fall.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, one of the networks needs to programm the summer as individual week specials. Bring Back the "Quantum Leap Week" mentality to the summer, not unlike watching a series's Seaon DVD.

With the dismal numbers a show like BL gets during the summer, would more viewers watch it if 10-15 episodes were to be show in one week, but not have the series on again until fall?

First week could be 2 hour blocks of BL each night. The Second Week could be Desperate Housewives. The 3rd Week would Be Grey's Anatomy. The 4th... A season of Lost in one week. Miss them then, you miss them for the summer. ABC could fill in the 3rd hour of each night with shows like Wipeout & High School Musical, plus 20/20.

AFTRA signs tentative deal to avert strike: story link

Hell's did fine. It never needed an Idol lead-in to begin with. It did what it usually does in the summer.

Ouch for Moment of Truth in viewers but very good demos

re: According to Jim 'mystery'...

I have two words to explain: Syndication. Dollars.

quote:

Originally posted by TV-aholic:

quote:

And a repeat of ABC’s Boston Legal capped off the hour with 4.34 million viewers and a 1.3/ 3 among adults 18-49. Also don’t forget: the final season of Boston Legal moves to Mondays at 10 p.m. out of Samantha Who? this fall.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, one of the networks needs to programm the summer as individual week specials. Bring Back the "Quantum Leap Week" mentality to the summer, not unlike watching a series's Seaon DVD.

With the dismal numbers a show like BL gets during the summer, would more viewers watch it if 10-15 episodes were to be show in one week, but not have the series on again until fall?

First week could be 2 hour blocks of BL each night. The Second Week could be Desperate Housewives. The 3rd Week would Be Grey's Anatomy. The 4th... A season of Lost in one week. Miss them then, you miss them for the summer. ABC could fill in the 3rd hour of each night with shows like Wipeout & High School Musical, plus 20/20.

I like this idea very much! And I like that BL repeats better than DH and B&S - small moral victory. I'm still hoping BL performs better on Mondays next fall than people think and it gets a full season order.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: College Basketball Fan,

There are more than enough episodes already available for syndication.

quote:

Originally posted by TeelaJBrown:
re: According to Jim 'mystery'...

I have two words to explain: Syndication. Dollars.

But, don't most shows in syndication stay in better time slots than those that are done with new episodes?

That 70's show is all but gone from the airwaves, but AtJ is still chugging along with decent local time slots.

Wouldn't another year on ABC all but give AtJ 2 more years of good syndication value?

quote:

Originally posted by Marc Berman:
There are more than enough episodes already available for syndication.

quote:

Originally posted by TeelaJBrown:
re: According to Jim 'mystery'...

I have two words to explain: Syndication. Dollars.

quote:

Originally posted by Marc Berman:
There are more than enough episodes already available for syndication.

quote:

Originally posted by TeelaJBrown:
re: According to Jim 'mystery'...

I have two words to explain: Syndication. Dollars.

Apparently not:

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117986416.html

Syndication dollars are also what drove one more year of "Jim." The family laffer starring Jim Belushi was given a renewal even though the show averaged less than a 2 rating in the adults 18-49 demo last season, and ranked below canceled Alphabet laffers "Miss/Guided," "Notes From the Underbelly," "Carpoolers" and "Cavemen."

"I was astonished and then not," Goodman says of "Jim's" renewal. "Astonished because, really? Really? Really? It's coming back? But on the business end of it, I know why it's coming back."

Indeed, "Jim" has performed well for Disney in syndication, commanding broadcast license fees (with Tribune's off-net heavy stations as its anchor group), and it is set to join cabler TBS' strong comedy block next year. Critics may roll their eyes, but "Jim" has all the elements of an evergreen player: domestic setting, cute kids, goofy dad and a highly recognizable star in Belushi.

But syndie fortunes alone wouldn't explain the show's return in primetime for an eighth season. There has to be something in it for ABC.

"It has to work on both sides," one exec says. "It can't be that detrimental to the network."

In the case of "Jim," its timeslot may tell the tale. The show has been called on to perform yeoman's duty the past several years, going up against Fox's "American Idol" juggernaut. So while "Jim's" ratings may not be huge, you can't say the show isn't a survivor.

quote:

Originally posted by TeelaJBrown:
re: According to Jim 'mystery'...

I have two words to explain: Syndication. Dollars.

yes, it continues to make money, but what is in it for ABC. I thought they don't care about syndication.

So with ratings like these for all the networks, does anyone have the right to complain about the ratings declines of shows that just last week were pulling 3 or 4x more than what the networks are offering now?

Just saying, the death of network tv is premature.

quote:

Originally posted by TV-aholic:

I dislike this idea. Airing a show for one week leaves little room for excitement to build up, and watching that many episodes in so little time is not enough in between episodes. Shows that are run daily in syndication are less enjoyable than in their first run because it might actually take a week to really absorb each episode. This is my main problem with marathons and double runs (of the same cycle; different cycles isn't as bad).

since there doesn't seem to be that much to talk about -- how about the tv to movie transition.

are any of you planning to see Sex and the city in movie theaters this friday?

or Get Smart with Steve Carell and the The Rock on June 20th?

I'm really excited about get smart