-Yesterday’s Winners: Bones (Fox), American Idol (Fox), Criminal Minds (CBS), CSI: NY (CBS)
-Down, but Certainly Not Out: Lost (ABC)
-Yesterday’s Losers (excluding repeats): The Knights of Prosperity (ABC), Friday Night Lights (NBC), One Tree Hill (CW), Medium (NBC)
-Ratings Breakdown: Fox, as expected, led the midweek troops on the strength of blockbuster American Idol. But the news we are all waiting for is the return of ABC’s Lost in a new time period -- 10 p.m. Given the hype (and a clips show retrospective lead-in), the results are certainly good, but far from impressive. Lost returned with 14.68 million viewers (second behind CBS’ CSI: NY – 15.78 million) and a first-place 6.5 rating/16 share among adults 18-49. Although Lost certainly had no trouble winning the hour among adults 18-49, here are observations -- positive and negative -- to make note of:
Pros: 1) Lost lifted ABC to its highest-rated telecast among adults 18-49 in the Wednesday 10 p.m. hour for any regular series (on any network) since the season-premiere of NBC’s ER on Sept. 21, 2006. 2) ABC scored its strongest performance in the time period in total viewers and adults 18-49 since the two-hour season-finale of Lost last May. 3) Lost increased from the debut of former regularly scheduled occupant The Nine (Viewers: 11.91 million; A18-49; 4.6/12 on Oct. 4, 2006) by 2.77 million viewers and 41 percent among adults 18-49. 4) The year ago occupant, Invasion, rated considerably lower at 9.09 million viewers and a 3.6/ 9 among adults 18-49 (out of 18.74 million viewers and a 7.7/17 in the demo for Lost) on Feb. 7, 2006.
Cons 1) Leading out of Dancing With the Stars, Lost averaged a heftier 16.67 million viewers with a 6.9/17 among adults 18-49 this fall in the Wednesday 9 p.m. hour.. 2) Lost last night led out of a retrospective special, The Lost Survivor Guide, which averaged 9.06 million viewers (#4) and a 3.7/ 8 among adults 18-49 (#3) at 9 p.m. Next Wednesday, Lost airs out of the regularly scheduled, and barely seen, In Case of Emergency. 3) Year-to-year, Lost was down by 4.06 million viewers and 15 percent among adults 18-49.
Although the cancellation bells will certainly not be ringing anytime soon, Lost is a classic example of a show mishandled by its network. The performance is good, but given how strong Lost started just two seasons ago, it should be better.
Earlier in the evening, Fox drama Bones (which benefits from the pre tune-in for American Idol) is now the show to beat from 8-9 p.m., with 12.64 million viewers and a 4.4/12 among adults 18-49. Second was a repeat of CBS’ post-Super Bowl episode of Criminal Minds at 10.27 million viewers and a 2.8/ 8 in the demo. ABC’s recently relocated The Knights of Prosperity continues to flounder at 8:30 p.m., meanwhile, with 5.21 million viewers (#4) and a 2.1/ 5 (#5) among adults 18-49 out of 7.01 million viewers (#3) and a 2.6/ 7 in the demo (#2) for lead-in George Lopez. Also in the 8 p.m. hour was NBC’s critically acclaimed but minimally sampled Friday Night Lights (Viewers: #3, 6.56 million; A18-49: #3, 2.4/ 6), and the CW’s Beauty and the Geek (Viewers: #5, 4.39 million; A18-49: #5, 2.1/ 5).
Fox’s American Idol, of course, ruled the 9 p.m. hour, with 27.59 million viewers and an 11.8/27 among adults 18-49. But also worthy of a winner’s listing was CBS’ Criminal Minds, which concluded its two-part episode with a healthy (and second-place) 17.23 million viewers and a 5.1/12 among adults 18-49. Third was ABC’s aforementioned The Lost Survivor Guide at 9.06 million viewers and a 3.7/ 8 among adults 18-49, followed by a season low for NBC’s Deal or No Deal (Viewers: #4, 9.63 million; A18-49: #4, 2.6/ 6), and the CW”s One Tree Hill (Viewers: #5, 2.85 million; A18-49: #5, 1.3/ 3).
Opposite CBS’ CSI: NY and the return of ABC’s Lost at 10 p.m. was NBC’s Medium, at a series-low 8.28 million viewers and a 2.9/ 7 among adults 18-49. If NBC’s upcoming The Black Donnellys fails in the Monday 10 p.m. hour, I personally think the network should ship Medium back to Monday.
A year ago, who would have predicted that returning from a long hiatus, resolving a major cliffhanger, and promoted like crazy, Lost would manage about two million more viewers than Bones did on the same night? And only FOUR million more viewers than a REPEAT of Criminal Minds? The first-run episode was up against AI, and had 17mil viewers--I don't get that show at all, but it's a legitimate megahit now. And Lost isn't--not anymore.
Btw, that "The story so far" thing at 9pm SUCKED. If I'd never seen the show before, I'd think this was the most boring program ever. Which it isn't--yet.
"Although the cancellation bells will certainly not be ringing anytime soon, Lost is a classic example of a show mishandled by its network. The performance is good, but given how strong Lost started just two seasons ago, it should be better"
Marc, you're so right. How can a network take a top show, change its time slot 3 times, break up one season with a 13 week gap and then expect viewers to even find it again. They should have moved Lost at the beginning of Season 2 to an 8:00 p.m. slot way from American Idol and left it there.
Well, loox as if my beloved FNL isn't gonna rise above a viewership of 7 mil. I hope NBC does make a respectable ending for it. In a strict business sense, I believe a season 2 should be ruled out, as it'd be a ratings disaster. Please, NBC, let it end with dignity.
