Prime-Time Ratings:
Thursday 5/07/09

-Total Viewers:
CBS: 12.09 million, ABC: 11.14, Fox: 7.58, NBC: 5.99, CW: 3.09

-Adults 18-49:
ABC: 3.5 rating/10 share, CBS: 3.2/ 9, Fox: 2.5/ 7, NBC: 2.4/ 7, CW: 1.3/ 4

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-Yesterday’s Winners:
Survivor: Tocantins (CBS), Grey’s Anatomy (ABC), The Office (NBC), Michael J. Fox: Adventures of an Incurable Optimist (ABC)

-Down But Not Out:
CSI (CBS)

-Honorable Mention:
Bones (Fox)

-Yesterday’s Losers (excluding repeats):
My Name is Earl (NBC), Parks and Recreation (NBC), Southland (NBC)

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Note: Any prior comparisons are based on the final nationals.

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-Ratings Breakdown:
It was a night of below-average split Thursday leadership, with CBS the most-watched network and ABC No. 1 among adults 18-49. Third in both categories was Fox, followed by NBC and the CW.

CBS Survivor: Tocantins opened the evening on a winning note, with 11.97 million viewers and a 3.8 rating/12 share among adults 18-49 at 8 p.m. Next was Fox’s underrated Bones (Viewers: 8.62 million; A18-49: 2.3/ 7), followed by ABC’s already renewed Ugly Betty (Viewers: 7.49 million; A18-49: 2.1/ 7), NBC’s on-the-fence My Name is Earl (Viewers: 4.42 million; A18-49: 1.7/ 6) and Parks and Recreation (Viewers: 4.64 million; A18-49: 2.0/ 6), and Smallville on the CW (Viewers: 3.40 million; A18-49: 1.5/ 5). Survivor, Ugly Betty, MY Name is Earl and Smallville are all down from one year earlier.

Although dominance is normally shared at 9 p.m., Grey’s Anatomy on ABC was the sole winner with 15.33 million viewers and a 5.3/14 among adults 18-49. Second was CBS’ deteriorating CSI at 14.58 million viewers and a 3.5/ 9 in the demo. CSI, in fact, only beat Hell’s Kitchen on Fox (Viewers: #4, 6.53 million; A18-49: #34, 3.4/ 9) by one-tenth of a rating point in the demo. Comparably, CSI dipped by 3.49 million viewers (18.07 to 14.58) and 30 percent among adults 18-49 (5.0/13 to 3.5/ 9) from the year-ago telecast. It looks like the absence of William Petersen has now officially taken its toll.

Capping off the 9 p.m. hour were NBC sitcoms The Office (Viewers: #3, 7.71 million; A18-49: #2, 3.8/11) and 30 Rock (Viewers: #4, 6.17 million; A18-49: #3t, 2.9/ 8), and compatible Supernatural on the CW (Viewers: #5, 2.78 million; A18-49: #5, 1.2/ 3). Worth noting for The Office (and hysterical episode last night) was growth out of dud Parks and Recreation of 3.07 million viewers and 90 percent among adults 18-49.

First in the 10 p.m. was ABC special Michael J. Fox: Adventures of an Incurable Optimist at 10.59 million viewers and a 3.3/10 among adults 18-49. Comparably, that was right on par with the season-finale of week-ago occupant Private Practice (Viewers: 9.70 million; A18-49: 3.5/10 on April 30). Next was a repeat of CSI on CBS (9.72 million; A18-49: 2.4/ 7), followed by NBC’s Southland (Viewers: 6.50 million; A18-49: 2.0/ 6), which has dropped the demo ratings ball completely. Nope…it is not a hit.

Source: Nielsen Media Research data

Wow! GA is back to beating CSI in viewers again!

GA only went up because it had a big wedding push.

Also, GA was *up* in viewers (by 15K viewers...) though down 0.6 in the demo versus last season's pre-season finale episode (5/15/08)

quote:

Originally posted by a-mad:
Wow! GA is back to beating CSI in viewers again!

I had thought Ugly Betty would drop versus last week because last week was it's hyped return / premiere. But the demo stayed the same. Good for it.

Bones didn't get much of a bump from the Family Guy / Stewie cameo.

Boy CSI is way down, now behind the Office in the demo and only .1 above Hell's Kitchen. While I don't watch the show I can tell by the numbers that Fishburne just isn't cutting it. And Southland is a joke, it's still losing without CBS even in the competition that's only airing repeats.

quote:

Originally posted by KSO:
GA only went up because it had a big wedding push.

Yea... but:

a) wedding hasn't happened yet (although they're gearing up to it) and...

b) the show is GREAT again - which also sometimes results in an increase in viewership.

quote:

Originally posted by a-mad:

quote:

Originally posted by KSO:
GA only went up because it had a big wedding push.

Yea... but:

a) wedding hasn't happened yet (although they're gearing up to it) and...

b) the show is GREAT again - which also sometimes results in an increase in viewership.

From all the commercials I saw it was supposed to happen, if it didn't pissing off the viewership could lose the viewers they gained for the wedding.

CSI's drop is truely amazing. CBS is going to have to think of something to get those viewers back. Survivor isn't exactly in top form either.

quote:

Originally posted by a-mad:
Wow! GA is back to beating CSI in viewers again!

Demos vs. year-ago evening (back to fast nationals comparisons)

Ugly Betty -13%
Grey's Anatomy -13%
Survivor -7%
CSI -29%
Earl -35%
Office +6%
30 Rock +38%
Smallville even
Supernatural +20%

Michael J. Fox special vs. year-ago Lost -33%
Parks & Recreation vs. year-ago Scrubs -20%
Southland vs. year-ago ER -31%
Bones vs. year-ago 5th Grader +21%
Hell's Kitchen vs. year-ago Don't Forget the Lyrics +35%

This message has been edited. Last edited by: spotupj,

Too bad about SOUTHLAND dropping again...good thing they already got their renewel for next year...assuming NBC doesn't chicken out and go back on it....

How come nobody on SURVIVOR realizes that if they want to win the million dollars they need to FIRST get rid of J.T. and keep or have kept Coach or Debbie to sit next to them in the final two?

The show IS great again (took long enough!) and anyone who tuned in for the Meredith / Derek wedding really couldn't have been disappointed because the couple that did get married was much more powerful in the current emotional arc of the characters.

quote:

Originally posted by KSO:

quote:

Originally posted by a-mad:

quote:

Originally posted by KSO:
GA only went up because it had a big wedding push.

Yea... but:

a) wedding hasn't happened yet (although they're gearing up to it) and...

b) the show is GREAT again - which also sometimes results in an increase in viewership.

From all the commercials I saw it was supposed to happen, if it didn't pissing off the viewership could lose the viewers they gained for the wedding.

I am pleased to see Grey's back on top. The episode was truly great. It was definitely a highlight episode of the series, IMO.

quote:

Originally posted by KSO:

quote:

Originally posted by a-mad:

quote:

Originally posted by KSO:
GA only went up because it had a big wedding push.

Yea... but:

a) wedding hasn't happened yet (although they're gearing up to it) and...

b) the show is GREAT again - which also sometimes results in an increase in viewership.

From all the commercials I saw it was supposed to happen, if it didn't pissing off the viewership could lose the viewers they gained for the wedding.

Sorry to disappoint you... but a wedding happened - just not the one everyone was expecting.

and... I'm pretty sure it didn't "piss off" (your words) any viewers they gained, as based on everything I've read (critically and on boards/polls) everyone pretty much raved about the episode.

quote:

Originally posted by KSO:
GA only went up because it had a big wedding push.

Well, that's kinda what May Sweeps is all about, ie, special events. CSI has nothing to promote right now and their new lead is not as interesting as Grissom. I'm not that surprised by CSI's ratings. I fully expected them to become more in line with the other shows in the franchise without Petersen and Fox. The show peaked creatively in Season 7. The last 2 seasons have just been about cast changes, and some obviously not for the better.

Bones was great last night, as was The Office!

I'm disappointed in Southland. Last nite was good, but it might do better with a smaller cast where the viewers can settle in on their favorites. IMO Regina King is the best, but certainly Ben McKenzie has a big following.