Prime-Time Ratings:
Wednesday 9/23/09

-Total Viewers:
CBS: 12.50 million, ABC: 11.86, NBC: 7.68, Fox: 6.11, CW: 1.96

-Adults 18-49:
ABC and CBS: 3.5 rating/10 each, Fox: 2.8/ 8, NBC: 2.2/ 6, CW: 0.9/ 3

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-Yesterday’s Winners:
Dancing With the Stars (ABC), Criminal Minds (CBS), Modern Family (ABC), Cougar Town (ABC), CSI: NY (CBS)

-Some Sampling:
Mercy (NBC), Eastwick (ABC)

-Yesterday’s Losers (Excluding Repeats):
So You Think You Can Dance (Fox), America's Next Top Model (CW), Law & Order: SVU (NBC), The Beautiful Life (CW), The Jay Leno Show (NBC)

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-Note: Any comparisons to the year-ago time period are based on the final Live Plus Same Day nationals.

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-Ratings Breakdown:
ABC and CBS split leadership on this first Wednesday of the 2009-10 season, with CBS the most-watched network and the two tied among adults 18-49. NBC and Fox tied for the No. 3 and 4 spots, while distant The CW sunk to under 2-million viewers with a mere 0.9 rating among adults 18-49.

A Wednesday edition of ABC’s Dancing With the Stars scored an easy victory, with 14.96 million viewers and a 3.2 rating/10 share among adults 18-49 from 8-9 p.m. So long, Ashley Hamilton and Macy Gray. Ashley’s departure means, unfortunately, that Mr. TV’s favorite, Edyta Śliwińska, is also history. But paired with Tom DeLay, Cheryl Burke is also thankfully doomed!

The debut of NBC medical drama Mercy got sampled, with a second-place finish in total viewers (8.25 million). But results among adults 18-49 ranked fourth in the time period, with a 2.3/ 7. Fox’s So You Think You Can Dance finished second among adults 18-49 (2.5/ 8), but its total viewer tally was only a fourth-place 5.60 million. One year earlier, former occupant Bones averaged 9.73 million viewers and a 3.1/ 9 among adults 18-49 on Sept. 24, 2008. As I have been saying for months, Fox should not have gambled with a fall edition of a summer favorite.

Over at CBS, the season-premiere sitcoms The New Adventures of Old Christine and Gary Unmarried were on the map, with growth in total viewers from one year earlier. Take a look:

The New Adventures of Old Christine (CBS) – 8 p.m.
9/24/08 – Viewers: 6.52 million; A18-49: 2.1/ 6
9/23.09 – Viewers: 7.68 million; A18-49: 2.3/ 7
Percent Change – Viewers: +18, A18-49: +10

Gary Unmarried (CBS) – 8:30 p.m.
9/24/08 – Viewers: 6.82 million; A18-49: 2.4/ 7
9/23.09 – Viewers: 7.37 million; A18-49: 2.4/ 7
Percent Change – Viewers: +8, A18-49: NC

Capping off the 8 p.m. hour was The CW’s fading America’s Next Top Model at 2.84 million viewers and a 1.3/ 4 among adults 18-49. One year earlier, Top Model was considerably stronger with 4.13 million viewers and a 2.1/ 6 in the demo. What happened?

Next week, ABC will kick-off Wednesday with new sitcoms Hank and The Middle.

At 9 p.m., CBS and ABC shared leadership as follows:

ABC/Modern Family – 9 p.m. (series premiere)
Viewers: 12.74 million (#2), A18-49: 4.3/12 (#1)

ABC/Cougar Town – 9:30 p.m. (series premiere)
Viewers: 11.44 million (#2), A18-49: 4.3/11 (#1t)

CBS/Criminal Minds (season premiere)
Viewers: 15.42 million (#1), A18-49: 4.2/11 (#2)

One year earlier, Criminal Minds opened with a slightly higher 17.01 million viewers and a 4.7/12 in the demo. Modern Family and Cougar Town, meanwhile, built on average from the season-premiere of former occupant Private Practice (Viewers: 8.16 million; A18-49: 3.3/ 8 on Oct. 1, 2008) by a hefty 48 percent in total viewers and 30 percent in the demo. Consider this an excellent start for both.

Unfortunately for NBC, the season-premiere of the similar appeal (and relocated) Law & Order: SVU could not compete with just 8.36 million viewers (#3) and a fourth-place 2.5/ 7 among adults 18-49 (#4) from 9-10 p.m. Historically, this was SVU’s weakest season-premiere to-date, with a loss of 1.50 million viewers (9.86 to 8.36 million) and 34 percent among adults 18-49 (3.8/10 to 2.5/ 7) on Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2008 at 10 p.m. ET.

Also airing in the 9 p.m. hour was Fox’s Glee (Viewers: #4, 6.62 million; A18-49: #3, 3.0/ 8), which continues to build out of lead-in So You Think You Can Dance, and week two of The CW’s embarrassing The Beautiful Life (Viewers: #5, 1.09 million; A18-49: #5, 0.5/ 1). As for The Beautiful Life, tick, tock…the cancellation clock is ticking!

CBS dominated 10 p.m., with the sixth season-premiere of CSI: NY at a very healthy 14.57 million viewers and a 4.0/11 among adults 18-49. Comparably, this was almost duplicate to its year-ago season-opener. Next was the series-premiere of ABC’s Eastwick, with 8.53 million viewers and a 3.0/ 8 in the demo. Although the retention out of Cougar Town could have been better (75 percent in total viewers; 70 percent in adults 18-49), this was a noticeable improvement over the season-premiere of former occupant Dirty Sexy Money (Viewers: 7.02 million; A18-49: 2.4/ 7 on Oct. 1, 2008).

Last at 10 p.m. was NBC’s The Jay Leno Show with 6.43 million viewers and a 2.0/ 5 among adults 18-49. Comparably, this was only about equal to year-ago failed occupant Lipstick Jungle (Viewers; 6.25 million; A18-49: 2.4/ 6 on Sept. 24, 2008). It’s official: NBC has a big problem on its hands!

Source: Nielsen Media Research data (R = repeat)

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Marc Berman,

I am very happy with how well Modern Family and Cougar Town did. I really enjoyed both shows a great deal.

Whoa at SVU's demo numbers, which is also probably responsible for how weak Mercy was in that department too.

And maybe ABC will actually manage to hang onto a couple of new series this year.

Wow for Modern Family which retained a good chunk of the DWTS lead in, Cougar Town did good as well but the winner has to be CBS with Criminal Minds and CSI:NY and for NY to beat Miami is nothing short of brilliant. NBC and FOX were the losers with Special Victims Unit and SYTYCD down although Glee built on SYTYCD.

Big night tonight with the return of Grey's Anatomy, CSI and The Mentalist. Given Grey's resurgent and CSI drop last season, it will be interesting how they fare and if The Mentalist outperforms CSI then we see a timeslot switch as early as February. Also the premiere of FlashForward which should do good.

Dawn Ostroff should be very worried about her job with only one hit in The Vampire Diaries.

I have watched Criminal Minds on and off over the years, and I think last night episode was one of the best I have seen. But I have to wonder, did something more serious happen to Hotch than was alluded to in the episode last night?

Modern Family and Cougar Town did very, very well. It will be interesting to see if they do the same or better next week without the DWTS lead in. I think they might, because they built on DWTS in the demo.

Nice improvement from last year for Christine and Gary.

I liked Modern Family. It's the first sitcom that I actually liked and laughed at in a long time.

quote:

Whoa at SVU's demo numbers, which is also probably responsible for how weak Mercy was in that department too.

I think a lot of people forgot it was on last night. I doubt the competition helped either.

Wouldn't it be funny if NBC's scripted shows thanks in part of people not being used to some of these shows being on at 9:00 eastern?

Wow on those ABC sitcom numbers! The Alphabet promoted the heck out of both shows this summer, and it paid off. Have to wonder what the numbers will be like next week with Hank and The Middle as the lead-ins.

So you think Fox is wondering whether giving SYT a fall run was a great idea?

NBC has a disaster on Wednesdays. Both Law and Order: SVU and Mercy came in way too low in the demos. They were decently sampled, but very old skewing. Considering the lead in, Jay Leno is still doing as decently as he can.

ABC did very well. Dancing with the Stars, Cougar Town, and Modern Family were all winners. Although, Dancing with the Stars is getting very old skewing. I think ABC has something here with comedy Wednesdays. Eastwick did decently, but it is younger skewing than Castle and The Forgotten, which works in its favor.

At CBS, the comedies grew, but they are still way too low. CBS could do better with a drama here. Criminal Minds and CSI: NY did well.

FOX got a decent rating out of So You Think You Can Dance and Glee.

A 1.3 demo for ANTM? That's really low. It is falling fast. TBL also came in way too low.

quote:

Originally posted by Marc Berman:

CBS/Criminal Minds (season premiere)
Viewers: 15.42 million (#1), A18-49: 4.2/11 (#1)

Great numbers for CM, but how is it #1 in the demo when the ABC comedies each had 4.3 demos?

quote:

Capping off the 8 p.m. hour was The CW’s fading America’s Next Top Model at 2.84 million viewers and a 1.3/ 4 among adults 18-49. One year earlier, Top Model was considerably stronger with 4.13 million viewers and a 2.1/ 6 in the demo. What happened?

Looks like when they cut the girl's height in half, they also cut the viewership in half.

Maybe they need to really re-invent this show? Maybe one LADIES top model in the fall and then a MEN top model in the spring?

They gotta do something. This show's dropping fast.

And I'm very sad about TBL. Such a shame its getting under 2mil when I personally like it better than Melrose Place. I like MP, but TBL has more to it. Really hope they can turn it around.

In other CW news: One Tree Hill, Vampire Diaries and even Melrose Place get more episodes:

http://blog.zap2it.com/fromins...s-melrose-place.html

http://www.variety.com/article...l?categoryId=14&cs=1

http://tvbythenumbers.com/2009...ampire-diaries/28238

http://www.thewrap.com/ind-col...otes-confidence_7660

One Tree Hill & Vampire Diareis get their "back nine" episodes, while MP gets an extra six episode order.

But question, with everything OTH has done for this network, why didn't OTH already have a full season order already?

Tsk, tsk.

quote:

Also airing in the 9 p.m. hour was Fox’s Glee (Viewers: #4, 6.62 million; A18-49: #3, 3.0/ 8), which continues to build out of lead-in So You Think You Can Dance,

Marc,

Wouldn't that be worthy of an hon. men.?

On Wednesday I only watch OC/GU and Glee, so I'm happy that they are all doing well so far. I'm glad that that CBS comedies were up, but all that promotion during the Emmys and during the Monday night lineup (I didn't watch CBS any other time so I don't know if there was more promotion than that) only resulted in a small increase...but in a time of declining overall ratings, any increase is good.

Glee is building nicely from SYTYCD, but it would be doing better if SYTYCD was doing better.

Excellent ratings for the ABC comedies. If they can hold the people that sampled them, then we'll have more comedies being developed for next season.

Marc, could you please post the half hours breakdown for Mercy, Glee and The Beautiful Life?

quote:

Originally posted by jhTHraven09:

In other CW news: One Tree Hill, Vampire Diaries and even Melrose Place get more episodes:

I thought that MP got an order for 6 more *scripts*, not episodes. There is a BIG difference between the two--ordering the scripts lets CW see what direction they will be taking things after Heather Locklear is established there and see if the ratings improves. If the ratings do not improve, I'm sure that those extra 6 scripts will be shelved.