-Yesterday’s Winners: Dancing With the Stars (ABC), Two and a Half Men (CBS), CSI: Miami (CBS)
-Honorable Mention: The Big Bang Theory (CBS), How I Met Your Mother (CBS)
-Disappointing: Heroes (NBC)
-Yesterday’s Losers: Heroes Clips Show (NBC), Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (Fox), Prison Break (Fox), Worst Week (CBS), Boston Legal (ABC)
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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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-Ratings Breakdown: Well, folks…let the 2008-09 games begin! On that note…ABC and CBS split leadership on this first Monday of the new season, with dancing ABC the most-watched network and CBS first among adults 18-49. NBC finished a disappointing third, followed by Fox and the CW.
The two-hour season-premiere of ABC’s Dancing With the Stars opened on a very dominant note, with 21.12 million viewers and a 5.3 rating/13 share among adults 18-49 from 8-10 p.m. Here is the half-hour breakdown:
Dancing With the Stars (ABC) 8:00 p.m. - Viewers: 20.11 million (#1), A18-49: 4.8/13 (#1) 8:30 p.m. - Viewers: 22.01 million (#1), A18-49: 5.5/14 (#1) 9:00 p.m. - Viewers: 21.26 million (#1), A18-49: 5.3/12 (#1t) 9:30 p.m. - Viewers: 21.10 million (#1), A18-49: 5.5/12 (#1)
The year-ago 90-minute season-opener of Dancing With the Stars scored a very similar 21.25 million viewers and a 5.8/15 among adults 18-49 on Sept. 24, 2007. As for the new round of contestants, Lance Bass is the early standout. Sadly, it looks like my personal favorite, Edyta Slininska, will be departing tonight as a result of her clunky partner, comedian Jeffrey Ross. There was nothing funny about his performance last night.
Dancing With the Stars led into the season-premiere of relocated Boston Legal, which squandered the hefty support with a last-place 9.41 million viewers and a 2.4/ 6 among adults 18-49 at 10 p.m. Comparably, retention out of the last half-hour of Dancing With the Stars was just 45 percent in total viewers and 44 percent in the demo. ABC was smart to announce this as Boston Legal’s final season.
CBS featured four season-premieres last night -- The Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother, Two and a Half Men and CSI: Miami -- plus the series-debut of Worst Week. Here are the opening results results:
8:00 p.m. The Big Bang Theory – Viewers: 9.36 million (#2), A18-49: 3.6/10 (#2) 8:30 p.m. How I Met Your Mother – Viewers: 9.74 million (#2), A18-49: 4.0/10 (#2) 9:00 p.m. Two and a Half Men – Viewers: 14.93 million (#2), A18-49: 5.3/12 (#1t) 9:30 p.m. Worst Week – Viewers: 11.04 million (#2), 18-49: 3.8/ 9 (#3) 10:00 p.m. CSI: Miami – Viewers: 16.87 million (#1), A18-49: 5.1/13 (#1)
The returning series were all above year-ago opening levels, but Worst Week dipped by 1.19 million viewers and 16 percent among adults 18-49 from former occupant Rules on Engagement (Viewers: 12.23 million; A18-49: 4.5/10 on Sept. 24, 2007). And the retention out of Two and a Half Men was disappointing at just 74 percent in viewers and 72 percent in the demo. Not a good start. As for The Big Bang Theory, Emmy really needs to take notice of Jim Parsons this season.
The return of Heroes on NBC, meanwhile. was a big disappointment last night. The one-hour clips show was third in the 8 p.m. hour, with 5.96 million viewers and a 2.6/ 7 in the demo. That led into the two-hour season three premiere at just 9.89 million viewers and a 4.9/12 among adults 18-49 from 9-11 p.m. Here is the half-hour breakdown:
One year earlier, Heroes kicked-off the season (on Sept. 24, 2007) with a much heftier 16.97 million viewers and a 7.3/17 among adults 18-49 from 9-10 p.m. Comparably, that’s erosion of a massive 7.08 million viewers and 33 percent in the demo. In other words, absence may not have made the heart grow fonder for fans of Heroes.
Opposite all original competition, Fox’s combination of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (Viewers: #4, 5.81 million; A18-49: #4, 2.2/ 6) and Prison Break (Viewers: #4, 5.93 million; A18-49: #4, 2.5/ 6) could not compete. One year earlier, Prison Break at 8 p.m. was considerably stronger at 7.41 million viewers and a 3.1/ 8 in the demo.
The CW capped off the evening with the perfectly compatible combination of Gossip Girl (Viewers: #5, 3.35 million; A18-49: #5, 1.6/ 4) and One Tree Hill (Viewers: 3.10 million; A18-49: 1.5/ 3). Opposite all original competition, the network dipped by just 12 percent in the demo from one week earlier.
Heroes' numbers are pretty comparable to where it ended up last season. I *am* a bit surprised at the erosion throughout... but can we really compare it to last season's premiere's numbers? That 7.3 in A18-49 is based the combined totals of two hour-long, limited commercial airings (remember NBC taking advantage of Nielsen's "if you air the same commercials, it counts as the same program" nonsense rule?)
Worst Week... even worse retention than I expected. I don't know how this show escaped with as much critical praise as it did. I can't wait to see how poorly Gary Unmarried does. Old Christine will be back to post-2.5 Men before I'd thought (November sweeps was my original suspicion).
This message has been edited. Last edited by: TravisYanan,
Everyone knew DWTS was not a good leadin for BL and expectations were always low and the show is cancelled. Might it be yanked off the air completely. I don't think with nearly 10 million viewers it will be. It might be moved but what else does abc have right now.
not bad numbers for gossip and one tree hill! Mark i know this is a little off topic but what are you feeling toward chuck this season? Do you think it will do well?
I watched the season premiere on hulu yesterday and i personally loved it! I know they got an early pickup so im not overly worried but i was wondering what your thoughts are?
This was a pretty good night for TV last night. ABC had a really strong Dancing premiere. Stinks Boston Legal didn't do so hot though. Nevertheless, its going nowhere and likely will regain some audience as it approaches its finale.
CBS has a very good night save for Worst Week which won't last that much longer I predict. After a fairly weak spring, Miami bounced back although I still wonder why people enjoy that wretch Caruso.
Heroes year to year dip is very concerning but it remains a stable demo option.
Prison Break and Terminator if those numbers hold will be right on week to week meaning they likely will last the fall and then be replaced come January.
ABC isn't going to move BL now. The Bachelor did worse last fall if I recall in terms of total audience. Agreed that while Dancing helps BL numbers somewhat, they are not compatible in many ways. ABC has never really had a compatible show for BL to tell the truth.
quote:
Originally posted by GMYERS: Everyone knew DWTS was not a good leadin for BL and expectations were always low and the show is cancelled. Might it be yanked off the air completely. I don't think with nearly 10 million viewers it will be. It might be moved but what else does abc have right now.
Werent the premiere ratings for Heroes (for season 2) higher due the fact that it was reaired and its ratings were added in? That being said, Heroes is in trouble.
Originally posted by TravisYanan: I can't wait to see how poorly Gary Unmarried does. Old Christine will be back to post-2.5 Men before I'd thought (November sweeps was my original suspicion).
If the Monday comedies can do this well against strong Monday competition, I think the Wednesday shows will at least have decent debuts. Everyone I've talked to thinks Gary looks quite funny and I think the promotion that CBS has been doing for the Wednesday comedies has been the best they've done for any show this fall. Its pretty clear that Dancing is not the same sort of audience and I don't see Knight Rider and Bones skewing all that much the same either. I think 8 million is not an out of reach number for either one.
What a terrific start for the first three CBS sitcoms. Remember, these are also big DVR shows, and will probably add another million in the DVR ratings, which will put the 8:00 shows over 10 million viewers.
As to Worst Week, what a disaster for it to only hold 74% of the Two And a Half Men audience for its sampling is terrible. Having visited several forums to see what people thought of the show, it will definitely be going down in the coming weeks. About one half of the people hated the show. Hang in there Rules of Engagement fans, your show will be back soon.
Worst Week didn't do as bad as the preliminaries suggested, but still not good. ROE did better in that slot. The other CBS lineup choices did well.
Heroes really tanked. NBC can't be happy about it.
To say FOX Mondays aren't competitive is an understatement. They are way behind in both viewers and demos. T:SCC lost to a Heroes clip show in both viewers and demos. That is pathetic. T:SCC will be pulled by November but Prison Break will probably stay due to the fact that it is still pulling mid 2s in demos and building on the numbers.
ABC has to be very happy about DWTS but BL is just tanking the numbers. ABC could have been even stronger without it.
