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.
----------
-Friday’s Winners: (Keeping in mind the expectations are lower) Ghost Whisperer (CBS)
-Down but Not Out: Numb3rs (CBS)
-Friday’s Losers (excluding repeats): Wife Swap (ABC), Howie Do It (NBC), Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (Fox), Everybody Hates Chris (CW), Friday Night Lights (NBC), Dollhouse (Fox), The Game (CW), 20/20 (ABC), Dateline (NBC) -- that’s nine different “losers” on one night!
----------
-Ratings Breakdown: It was a clean sweep for CBS on this typical Friday, with its combination of Ghost Whisperer (Viewers: 11.11 million; A18-49: 2.6 rating/9 share), Flashpoint (Viewers: 9.44 million; A18-49: 1.9/ 6) and Numb3rs (Viewers: 10.05 million; A18-49: 2.0/ 6). But the network needs to strengthen the 9 p.m. hour next season in order to keep lead-out Numb3rs dominant. While Flashpoint is a big improvement over fall occupant The Ex List, under a 2-rating among adults 18-49 is a concern. And the retention out of Ghost Whisperer this week -- 85 percent in total viewers, 73 percent in the demo -- is not as strong as it once was.
ABC finished in the distant No. 2 spot in both total viewers and adults 18-49 with its line-up of Wife Swap (Viewers: #2, 4.50 million; A18-49: #2t, 1.4/ 5), Supernanny (Viewers: #2, 5.63 million; A18-49: #2, 1.7/ 5) and 20/20 (Viewers: #2, 5.18 million; A18-49: #2, 1.6/ 5). While Supernanny deserves props for continuing to build out of Wife Swap, Wife Swap is just not capable of anchoring the evening. And both hours might be better off as fill-ins (and not regularly scheduled occupants). Note to ABC: Why not raid corporate cousin Disney Channel’s programming closet and set up a night of kids and tween driven comedies? Remember T.G.I.F.?
NBC finished in the No. 3 spot care of two episodes (original and repeat) of the fading Howie Do It (Viewers: #3, avg. 4.36 million; A18-49: #2t, avg. 1.4/ 5), lackluster Friday Night Lights (Viewers: #3, 4.86 million; A18-49: #3t, 1.5/ 5) and Dateline (Viewers: #3, 4.68 million; A18-49: #3, 1.5/ 5). But if the rumors are true and NBC is indeed looking to renew its deal with DirecTV, Friday Night Lights could be around for two more seasons.
Fox continues to struggle with its combination of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (Viewers: #4, 3.93 million; A18-49: #2t, 1.4/ 5) and the recently introduced Dollhouse, which picked up some steam at 4.42 million viewers (#4) and a 1.5/ 5 in the demo (#3t). But that is still a losing performance. Coming up on April 17 in the Friday 8 p.m. hour: the return of Prison Break.
Last, and very least in every half hour, was the CW’s Everybody Hates Chris (Viewers: 1.83 million; A18-49: 0.7/ 2), The Game (Viewers: 2.07 million; A18-49: 0.8/ 3) and a repeat of America’s Next Top Model (Viewers: 1.86 million; A18-49: 0.7/ 2), which just does not perform well in non-originals. If I were programming the CW, I would pursue non-scripted shows of a lifestyle nature (see HGTV) for Friday next season.
Terminator: SCC, Dollhouse, Battlestar Galactica, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and in the theater: Watchmen. Friday is a fantastic day to be a sci-fi enthusiast these days.
Even better, just think of all the extra freetime I will have next season.
OMG Yay!!! Dollhouse went up it jumped up by nearly a million since last week!! I hope it continues going up or at least staying steady. Next week looks AWESOME!!
Apparently CBS has not figured out that Flashpoint is incapable of finding its own audience at 9pm because its not the same audience as Ghost Whisperer. I think 9 and 10pm drama switch would improve demo results on the night.
Marc, I totally agree on the 9pm hour for CBS and there will be a change I'm sure, but at some point doesn't NUMBERS have to come under the microscope a bit, too?
It is opposing virtually nothing. It was one thing when L&O was in this hour a few years ago. This has been on the air for 5 years. It's not a secret. It also reaches 100 eps this year.
That said, it will probably get renewed but I wouldn't be shocked with a partial order and a likely try out of a new show in the spring, much like NUMBERS entered the TV world 4 years ago.
Posts: 2833 | Location: Western Pennsylvania | Registered: 13 December 2006
While I know it's a cheap Canadian production, I can't believe that Flashpoint's low demo is acceptable to CBS even on Friday. It's not even cracking a 2, basically just as bad as MDP. It's also dropping alot from GW and taking down Numbers along with it.
CBS is in an interesting position. They have a lot of shows that are nearing their end with maybe 2 more seasons max on the way. Stuff like Numb3rs, Cold Case, Without a Trace, and possibly even CSI:NY and Ghost Whisperer are on the downhill slide to eventual cancellation. It will be interesting to me to see how the network plays this all out. A move to Friday for Cold Case next year is the first step. Its a show that probably still has some creative juice in it but simply skews to old on Sundays to work there any longer. It would however, be the perfect 9pm Friday show to fit in between GW and Numb3rs. Flashpoint, in my opinion, would probably do better after one of CBS's edgier shows like Criminal Minds, CSI, or even the Amazing Race. In fact, my push for CBS next fall on Sundays (since they don't seem to want to move the comedies on Wed.) is to put the NCIS spinoff Sunday at 8, TAR at 9 (so it resemebles CBS Tuesdays of a few years ago) and Flashpoint or a new non-crime drama on Tuesdays at 10.
quote:
Originally posted by Bruce: Marc, I totally agree on the 9pm hour for CBS and there will be a change I'm sure, but at some point doesn't NUMBERS have to come under the microscope a bit, too?
It is opposing virtually nothing. It was one thing when L&O was in this hour a few years ago. This has been on the air for 5 years. It's not a secret. It also reaches 100 eps this year.
That said, it will probably get renewed but I wouldn't be shocked with a partial order and a likely try out of a new show in the spring, much like NUMBERS entered the TV world 4 years ago.
Originally posted by mushu_jj: Apparently CBS has not figured out that Flashpoint is incapable of finding its own audience at 9pm because its not the same audience as Ghost Whisperer. I think 9 and 10pm drama switch would improve demo results on the night.
Yes, NUmb3rs is lagging. But I imagine CBS would want to only replace one hour on Friday before it has to deal with it. And 9 p.m. is more of a problem.
quote:
Originally posted by Bruce: Marc, I totally agree on the 9pm hour for CBS and there will be a change I'm sure, but at some point doesn't NUMBERS have to come under the microscope a bit, too?
It is opposing virtually nothing. It was one thing when L&O was in this hour a few years ago. This has been on the air for 5 years. It's not a secret. It also reaches 100 eps this year.
That said, it will probably get renewed but I wouldn't be shocked with a partial order and a likely try out of a new show in the spring, much like NUMBERS entered the TV world 4 years ago.
Regarding the end of your post, don't you mean "Sunday at 10pm."?
quote:
Originally posted by mushu_jj: CBS is in an interesting position. They have a lot of shows that are nearing their end with maybe 2 more seasons max on the way. Stuff like Numb3rs, Cold Case, Without a Trace, and possibly even CSI:NY and Ghost Whisperer are on the downhill slide to eventual cancellation. It will be interesting to me to see how the network plays this all out. A move to Friday for Cold Case next year is the first step. Its a show that probably still has some creative juice in it but simply skews to old on Sundays to work there any longer. It would however, be the perfect 9pm Friday show to fit in between GW and Numb3rs. Flashpoint, in my opinion, would probably do better after one of CBS's edgier shows like Criminal Minds, CSI, or even the Amazing Race. In fact, my push for CBS next fall on Sundays (since they don't seem to want to move the comedies on Wed.) is to put the NCIS spinoff Sunday at 8, TAR at 9 (so it resemebles CBS Tuesdays of a few years ago) and Flashpoint or a new non-crime drama on Tuesdays at 10.
quote:
Originally posted by Bruce: Marc, I totally agree on the 9pm hour for CBS and there will be a change I'm sure, but at some point doesn't NUMBERS have to come under the microscope a bit, too?
It is opposing virtually nothing. It was one thing when L&O was in this hour a few years ago. This has been on the air for 5 years. It's not a secret. It also reaches 100 eps this year.
That said, it will probably get renewed but I wouldn't be shocked with a partial order and a likely try out of a new show in the spring, much like NUMBERS entered the TV world 4 years ago.
Posts: 2833 | Location: Western Pennsylvania | Registered: 13 December 2006
Originally posted by Bruce: Regarding the end of your post, don't you mean "Sunday at 10pm."?
quote:
Originally posted by mushu_jj: CBS is in an interesting position. They have a lot of shows that are nearing their end with maybe 2 more seasons max on the way. Stuff like Numb3rs, Cold Case, Without a Trace, and possibly even CSI:NY and Ghost Whisperer are on the downhill slide to eventual cancellation. It will be interesting to me to see how the network plays this all out. A move to Friday for Cold Case next year is the first step. Its a show that probably still has some creative juice in it but simply skews to old on Sundays to work there any longer. It would however, be the perfect 9pm Friday show to fit in between GW and Numb3rs. Flashpoint, in my opinion, would probably do better after one of CBS's edgier shows like Criminal Minds, CSI, or even the Amazing Race. In fact, my push for CBS next fall on Sundays (since they don't seem to want to move the comedies on Wed.) is to put the NCIS spinoff Sunday at 8, TAR at 9 (so it resemebles CBS Tuesdays of a few years ago) and Flashpoint or a new non-crime drama on Tuesdays at 10.
quote:
Originally posted by Bruce: Marc, I totally agree on the 9pm hour for CBS and there will be a change I'm sure, but at some point doesn't NUMBERS have to come under the microscope a bit, too?
It is opposing virtually nothing. It was one thing when L&O was in this hour a few years ago. This has been on the air for 5 years. It's not a secret. It also reaches 100 eps this year.
That said, it will probably get renewed but I wouldn't be shocked with a partial order and a likely try out of a new show in the spring, much like NUMBERS entered the TV world 4 years ago.
