Prime-Time Ratings:
Wednesday 10/01/08

-Total Viewers:
CBS: 12.03 million, NBC: 8.47, ABC: 7.17, Fox: 7.04, CW: 2.87

-Adults 18-49:
CBS: 3.3 rating/9 share, ABC: 2.6/ 7, NBC: 2.5/ 7, Fox: 2.4/ 6, CW: 1.4/ 4

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-Yesterday’s Winners:
Bones (Fox), Criminal Minds (CBS), America’s Got Talent (NBC), CSI: NY (CBS)

-Disappointing:
Knight Rider (NBC), Private Practice (ABC)

-Yesterday’s Losers (excluding repeats):
Pushing Daisies (ABC), The New Adventures of Old Christine (CBS), Gary Unmarried (CBS), ‘Til Death (Fox), Dirty Sexy Money (ABC), Lipstick Jungle (NBC)

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Note: Any prior rating results are based on the final nationals. Since the level of DVR penetration has increased from 20 percent at this same point last year to approximately 28 percent at present, the overall results may be negatively impacted.

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-Ratings Breakdown:
CBS led the Wednesday troops in both total viewers and adults 18-49 despite the highly promoted (and long-awaited) return of ABC’s Pushing Daisies, Private Practice and Dirty Sexy Money, which did not benefit by the long absence. ABC finished third overall in total viewers and second in the demo -- one-tenth of a rating point ahead of NBC. Fox came in fourth in both categories, followed by the CW.

Leading the 8 p.m. hour was unsung Fox hit Bones, with 9.82 million viewers and a 3.2 rating/9 share among adults 18-49. Next was NBC’s Knight Rider at 7.56 million viewers and a 2.4/ 7 among adults 18-49, which was close to opening levels one week earlier (Viewers: 7.35 million; A18-49: 2.5/ 7 on Sept. 24). All things considered, it could be worse.

Third overall from 8-9 p.m. were CBS’ combination of The New Adventures of Old Christine and week two of Gary Unmarried, which performed as follows:

CBS/Wednesday
8:00 p.m. - The New Adventures of Old Christine
Viewers: 6.86 million (#3), A18-49: 2.0/ 6 (#3t)

8:30 p.m. - Gary Unmarried
Viewers: 6.97 million (#3), A18-49: 2.2/ 6 (#3)

Comparably, week two of Gary Unmarried was also close to debut levels (Viewers: 6.82 million; A18-49: 2.4/ 7 on Sept. 24). But since the goal of any new show is to attract the largest possible audience, Jay Mohr would be wise to keep his shirt on! How many of you ran for the remote in that horrific kitchen scene?

Over at ABC, the second season-premiere of long awaited Pushing Daisies was left at the starting gate, with a fourth-place 6.32 million viewers and a 2.0/ 6 among adults 18-49 from 8-9 p.m. One year earlier, Pushing Daisies launched with a considerably heftier at 13.03 million viewers and a 4.3/13 in the demo on Oct. 3, 2007. Do the math, and that’s a loss of 6.71 million viewers and 53 percent in the demo. Particularly negative for Pushing Daisies was a drop of 780,000 viewers (6.71 to 5.93 million) in the second half hour.

America’s Next Top Model on the CW capped off the 8 p.m. time period with a below average 4.01 million viewers and a 1.8/ 5 among adults 18-49.

CBS moved into the winners circle at 9 p.m., with established Criminal Minds at a healthy14.51 million viewers and a 3.8/10 among adults 18-49. Comparably, that built from lead-in Gary Unmarried by a whopping 7.54 million viewers and 73 percent in the demo. Mandy Patinkin…are you kicking yourself?

Second in the time period was the season-finale of America’s Got Talent on NBC (which should have ended weeks earlier) at an impressive 12.55 million viewers and a 3.3/ 8 in the demo. Compared to the second half of lead-in Knight Rider (Viewers: 8.02 million; A18-49: 2.5/ 7 at 8:30 p.m.), that was an increase of 4.53 million viewers and 32 percent in the demo. Congratulations, Neal E. Boyd.

Left out in the cold at 9 p.m., however, was the second-season premiere of ABC’s Private Practice at a third-place 8.05 million viewers and a 3.2/ 8 among adults 18-49. Although that built from the second-half of lead-in Pushing Daisies by double-digits, it was also down by 6.36 million viewers and 40 percent in the demo from its series-premiere on Wednesday, Sept. 26, 2007 (Viewers: 14.41 million; A18-49: 5.2/13 on Sept. 26, 2007). Absence, no doubt, has not made the ratings heart grow fonder!

Rounding off the 9 p.m. hour were two episodes of Fox’s struggling ‘Til Death, which replaced the recently axed Do Not Disturb at 9:30 p.m., and a repeat of the CW’s oddly addictive 90210 (Viewers: #5, 1.73 million; A18-49: #5, 0.9/ 2). Here is how the once promising ‘Til Death did by half-hour:

Wednesday/Fox
9:00 p.m. – Viewers: 4.66 million (#4), A18-49: 1.8/ 5 (#4)
9:30 p.m. – Viewers: 3.86 million (#4), A18-49: 1.6/ 4 (#4)

One look at the second telecast of ‘Til Death (which was a left-over from last season) and the presence of the former neighbors are sorely missed.

Top-rated honors at 10 p.m. went to CBS’ CSI: NY, at a solid 14.67 million viewers and a 4.1/11 among adults 18-49. Crime, no doubt, still pays on CBS. In the distant No. 2 spot was the sophomore opener of ABC’s Dirty Sexy Money (Viewers: 7.14 million; A18-49: 2.5/ 7), followed by NBC’s struggling Lipstick Jungle (Viewers: 5.31 million; A18-49: 1.9/ 5). Last fall, Dirty Sexy Money premiered with a considerably stronger 10.44 million viewers and a 3.6/10 in the demo on Wednesday, Sept. 26, 2007. As for Lipstick Jungle, this is no Sex and the City!

Source: Nielsen Media Research data

ABC had a bad night--but Pushing Daisies really takes the honors for worst performance in a lead-in role.

I know it's going to hurt, because it's their precioussssss, but they just have to grit their teeth and do the deed. They'll wait at least a few weeks, maybe even a few months, just to make sure it's dead.

But it's dead.

Retention of DSM out of PP is actually not that bad. A stronger lead-in could benefit that show.

Big ouch for PD! A 2 in the demo... ugh.

I'm happy to see Bones has stood up against the competition! (Though that competition turned out to be pretty soft)

PD and DSM are a disaster, PP not too bad.

Ya for DSM at least pulling 7 million! Time for Daisies to go bye bye. Perhaps its can be tested on Tuesday at 8 here in a few weeks but ABC needs to cue up something for next Wed. at 8 (perhaps they can get Sarah Red Hot Palin to stumble her words with Charlie Gibson for another hour).

Gary and Christine aren't doing all that well but CBS needs to consider an encore of Gary this Monday post-2.5 Men.

I'm shocked Knight Rider held but people have watched stupider stuff so no surprise.

Audios Lipstick Jungle and Til Death!

Kudos to Bones, CM, and CSI:NY for standing above the sludge.

Knight Rider gained a small amount from last week. I call that good, it didn't lose anyone.

ABC needs to play with the time slots here to make these shows work. Private Practice is awful it will be awful anywhere.

Swap Pushing Daises and Ugly Betty.
Swap Dirty Sexy Money and Life on Mars.

Marc,

Can we get half-hour breakdowns of the ABC shows if it's not too much trouble? Thanks!

I applaud myself for saying CM will beat PP in demos. Many thought i was gfoing nuts

PD needs to go ASAP, it's an embarassment. I mean Christine and GU did better without any promotion, any Emmy, and any critical praise. CBS needs to be patiant, this lineup may work very well in the enar future

Every show that didn't return after the strike is doing much much worse. PB, Heroes, ABC's lineup all are well down

If you ask me the nest thing for ABC yesterday wa DSM. 7 million is not that bad at 10pm. Not good but compared with PD and PP is better

What a disappointment for Old Christine and GU. I thought for sure they would get a big bump up from last week after DWTS left the time slot. With the only competition in the time slot being Bones all they got is about a 200,000 bump up in viewers, and the worst part is the lost demo.

Old Christine dropped from 2.1 to 2.0 and

GU dropped from 2.4 to 2.2

Those demos are a disaster for CBS. Kid Nation is looking good compared to those demos.

Dismal. ABC's performance is utterly dismal.

I wonder how much impact baseball had last night?

PUSHING DAISIES was beat by KNIGHT RIDER?
KNIGHT RIDER???!

Let me say this loud and clear so ABC can hear it.
The majority of American audience members
DO NOT LIKE WHIMSY

As for DIRTY SEXY MONEY it was number one on my hate list last year. It is a very trashy show filled with vile unlikable characters..by next week look for down to six million viewers and if NBC ever manages to find something that works at 10PM then it will bury DSM.

Nine of Wensdays...FOX...please cancel or move TIL DEATH and put TERMINATOR there...great coutner programming against PP and CRIMINAL MINDS because I doubt the TERMINATOR audience isn't the same as the audience for those shows.

Wait...

ignoring the demo for a sec, because I know Boston Legal does bad in the demo and skews so old, but did BL actually do better in the last 2 weeks than all of the ABC premieres did last night? BL, a show that is airing a final season of 11 more epiodes?

Wow.

YAY for DSM, but PD did awful and PP was pretty pathetic too. Interesting indeed.

Lipstick Jungle had a much bigger lead-in from last week and still dropped big time, and got beat by DSM which had a much weaker lead-in!

quote:

Originally posted by robert:
I applaud myself for saying CM will beat PP in demos. Many thought i was gfoing nuts

PD needs to go ASAP, it's an embarassment. I mean Christine and GU did better without any promotion, any Emmy, and any critical praise. CBS needs to be patiant, this lineup may work very well in the enar future

Every show that didn't return after the strike is doing much much worse. PB, Heroes, ABC's lineup all are well down

If you ask me the nest thing for ABC yesterday wa DSM. 7 million is not that bad at 10pm. Not good but compared with PD and PP is better

Did you even bother to look at the demos for Old Christine and GU. I can't believe CBS could ever keep sitcoms on with 2.0 and 2.2 demos. That is just terrible by CBS standards. They actually lost demo from last week.