Note: Any prior rating results are based on the final nationals. Also, since the level of DVR penetration has increased from 9 percent in early 2006-07 to approximately 20 percent at present, the overall results may be negatively impacted.
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-Yesterday’s Winners: Football overrun (Fox), The OT (Fox), 60 Minutes (CBS), Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (ABC), Sunday Night Football (NBC), BCS Selection Show (Fox), Desperate Housewives (ABC), Brothers & Sisters (ABC)
-Yesterday’s Losers (Excluding Repeats): Football Night in America, parts one and two (NBC), CW Now, Life is Wild (CW)
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-Ratings Breakdown: ABC dominated this first December Sunday, with a first-place finish in total viewers and adults 18-49. Tied for second was CBS (in viewers) and Fox (adults 18-49), while the CW plummeted to a new Sunday low. NBC was third in both categories.
Fox kicked-off Sunday on a dominant note care of the 7-8 p.m. combination of an approximate half-hour football overrun (Viewers: 19.25 million; A18-49: 7.0 rating/19 share) and post-game The OT (Viewers: 13.03 million; A18-49: 5.0/13). Next was CBS’ older skewing 60 Minutes (Viewers: 14.05 million; A18-49: 2.9/ 8), followed by America’s Funniest Home Videos on ABC (Viewers: 7.89 million; A18-49: 2.3/ 6), NBC’s Football Night in America (Viewers: 5.74 million; A18-49: 2.1/ 5), and CW Now (Viewers: 958,000; A18-49: 0.3/ 1)and a repeat of Aliens in America on the CW (Viewers: 880,000; A18-49: 0.3/ 1).
The last half-hour of NBC’s Football Night in America (Viewers: #4: 10.41 million; A18-49: #3, 2.8/ 9 at 8 p.m.) led into the Cincinnati vs. Pittsburgh match-up at a typical 13.06 million viewers and a 5.1/11 among adults 18-49 from 8:30-11p.m. The BCS Selection Show on Fox finished first in adults 18-49 (4.3/10) and third in total viewers (10.80 million), followed by a repeat of The Simpsons at a fourth-place 6.55 million viewers and a 3.0/ 7 in the demo at 8:30 p.m.
Also airing from 8-9 p.m. was ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (Viewers: #1, 14.48 million; A18-49: #1, 4.9/11), CBS’ The Amazing Race 12 (Viewers: #3, 11.19 million; A18-49: #4, 3.4/ 8), which builds well out of 60 Minutes among adults 18-49, and the CW’s struggling Life Is Wild (Viewers: #5, 1.25 million; A18-49: #5, 0.4/ 1). If you liked 7th Heaven, you will enjoy Life Is Wild. Too bad the CW does not have another time period for it.
The highly promoted tornado episode of ABC’s Desperate Housewives was above average at 20.59 million viewers and a 7.7/17 among adults 18-49 from 9-10 p.m. Comparably, that built by 6.11 million viewers and a 57 percent in the demo from lead-in Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. Wasn’t that an awesome ending when Lynette walked outside and discovered the mess? CBS had a steady, albeit non-spectacular performance from made-for Hallmark Hall of Fame: Pictures of Hollis Woods at 11.45 million viewers and a 2.2/ 5 among adults 18-49 from 9-11 p.m. Don’t you find it unusual that the network scheduled this outside of the November sweeps?
Also in the 9 p.m. hour was Fox’s animated combination of Family Guy (R – Viewers: #4, 7.04 million; A18-49: #4, #3, 3.5/ 8) and American Dad (Viewers: #4, 5.67 million; A18-49: #3, 2.8/ 6), and a repeat of America’s Next Top Model on the CW (Viewers: #5, 1.28 million; A18-49: #5, 0.6/ 1), Poor CW!
Brothers & Sisters (featuring a surprise appearance by co-creator Ken Olin) capped off the evening for ABC with a healthy 12.66 million viewers (#1) and a 4.8/12 among adults 18-49 (#1, tied with Sunday Night Football). Wasn’t that odd how Ken’s character asked Holly who the picture of Rebecca was? Hmmm…
"Desperate" finally sees 20 million again, and thankfully it was the best episode of the series since Bang!
I wasn't a big B&S fan last season, but I've been hooked every week this year and I have to say that this show is absolutely moving. More people should be watching.
Awesome! Great to see DH back over 20 million -- and the episode deserved it: it was the first one I watched in 8 or 9 months, and it got me hooked again!
** SPOILER ** Yes, Lynette's reaction was incredible (Emmy, anyone), but I think it was more than just because of the general destruction: it was more likely because the house that her entire family was in appeared leveled. The foreboding about 1 will lose their husband is easy though: it's that sleasebag Mayor that is still technically Gabrielle's husband. As to the friend that will be lost: my guess is the other old lady that was with the Scavo family. It will not be a major character. ** end of SPOILER **
Also great to see EH and B&S pulling to #1 in their timeslots. Aside from a depressed Thursday, ABC should have won this week handily...
Now what will it take for Grey's Anatomy to go over 20 million as well? I don't think this week's conclusion of the crash will do it... Maybe once they find a good companion show.
Originally posted by tonee: "Desperate" finally sees 20 million again, and thankfully it was the best episode of the series since Bang!
I wasn't a big B&S fan last season, but I've been hooked every week this year and I have to say that this show is absolutely moving. More people should be watching.
Originally posted by Chimera: ** SPOILER ** Yes, Lynette's reaction was incredible (Emmy, anyone), but I think it was more than just because of the general destruction: it was more likely because the house that her entire family was in appeared leveled. The foreboding about 1 will lose their husband is easy though: it's that sleasebag Mayor that is still technically Gabrielle's husband. As to the friend that will be lost: my guess is the other old lady that was with the Scavo family. It will not be a major character. ** end of SPOILER **.
Yes I don't think there's any question that the husband that dies is Gabby's sleazebag husband, but I'm a little more confused about the friend, because from what I have understood from all the spoilers I've read that there would ONLY be 2 deaths, but yet ... I don't think as Adam's mistress (Sylvia I think was her name ... all I can think is that she also plays Wanda on Big Love) can be considered a friend. So either it wasn't truly a friend that died or more than 2 people died ... either way it appears the spoilers were wrong. I do have a feeling though that the spoilers were wrong and more than 2 people die and that the third person (and the friend) will be Ida. Granted she's not really a friend, friend, but I'm sure all of them would think of her that way.
I'm a huge Desperate fan; I haven't missed one episode in any season. But I have to say that last night was probably the worst episode I have ever seen.
I mean come on, how many exact different things had to go wrong in that episode? And for what to happen? Victor dies? They could have just made him die from the boat accident rather than bring him back for one episode just to get killed bizarrely in a tornado.
I will definitely keep watching, but last night's "event" did not come close to last year's hostage situation in the grocery store. That is the series' best episode.
Great for DH! That episode deserved it. B&S lost a big chunk of viewers for a wedding episode.
quote:
Now what will it take for Grey's Anatomy to go over 20 million as well? I don't think this week's conclusion of the crash will do it... Maybe once they find a good companion show.
Putting it back after DH? The writing tuning viewers out is Grey's Anatomy's problem. Nothing ever changes on that show.
Originally posted by Marc Berman: CBS had a steady, albeit non-spectacular performance from made-for Hallmark Hall of Fame: Pictures of Hollis Woods at 11.45 million viewers and a 2.2/ 5 among adults 18-49 from 9-11 p.m. Don’t you find it unusual that the network scheduled this outside of the November sweeps?
If CBS had to air it on Sunday, they were wise to keep it out of sweeps since it didn't seem to improve on their regular Sunday night shows. I agree that it could have been put into sweeps (Friday or Saturday) and helped CBS out, though.
I'm sorry, Marc, but I have to respectfully disagree with a couple of your assessments. I wouldn't have labeled Brothers & Sisters a winner. It managed a weak 62% retention in both total audience and adult 18-49. It did win its time period, so I wouldn't label it a loser either, but a winner it ain't.
Also I have to disagree with you about Life is Wild. I did like the earlier seasons of 7th Heaven, but near the end it became all about the kids and it lost me, along with millions of other viewers. This is the main problem with Life is Wild; it's too teen-centric. I'd say that if you liked 7th Heaven, then you'd like the original UK version, Wild at Heart. However, I'm not surprised about the weak ratings of the CW-ised version. They made the teen daughter the central character and added five teen characters. No wonder the adult actors originally cast all bailed before the series ever aired.
P.S. I do have to agree with you, Marc, about the horrible camerawork on Friday Nights Lights. I stumbled across the show one day and had to turn it off after a few minutes because I became nauseous due to motion sickness! What's with shaky cam and the extreme closeups? This isn't the freakin' Blair Witch Project. I agree that more people would watch the show if they were drop the damn pseudo-artisiness and stick to solid storytelling and camerawork.
Originally posted by Chimera: ** SPOILER ** Yes, Lynette's reaction was incredible (Emmy, anyone), but I think it was more than just because of the general destruction: it was more likely because the house that her entire family was in appeared leveled. The foreboding about 1 will lose their husband is easy though: it's that sleasebag Mayor that is still technically Gabrielle's husband. As to the friend that will be lost: my guess is the other old lady that was with the Scavo family. It will not be a major character. ** end of SPOILER **.
Yes I don't think there's any question that the husband that dies is Gabby's sleazebag husband, but I'm a little more confused about the friend, because from what I have understood from all the spoilers I've read that there would ONLY be 2 deaths, but yet ... I don't think as Adam's mistress (Sylvia I think was her name ... all I can think is that she also plays Wanda on Big Love) can be considered a friend. So either it wasn't truly a friend that died or more than 2 people died ... either way it appears the spoilers were wrong. I do have a feeling though that the spoilers were wrong and more than 2 people die and that the third person (and the friend) will be Ida. Granted she's not really a friend, friend, but I'm sure all of them would think of her that way.
ITA! BTW, I had to laugh about Sylvia being pulled into the tornado in such a cartoon-like way (like the cow in Twister). And how completely self-absorbed could she be, not to say under cover during a tornado that she was warned about!
Originally posted by GMYERS: Ken Olin looked like a mountain man.
I fell asleep during B&S, so I'll have to watch it later, but I read that they had thought about naming his character Michael (his character's name on Thirtysomething), but that either him & Patricia one vetoed that idea. Too bad ... that would have been kind of funny.
