May Sweeps 2009 Week One Analysis by genre

Now for a look at how different kinds of shows are doing year-to-year.

BY GENRE
SCRIPTED HALF-HOUR
BBT +10%
30 Rock +11%
2.5 Men +2%
Rules -3%
HIMYM -3%
Office -5%
Earl -8%
American Dad: -17%
According to Jim (8-8:30pm) -18%
Simpsons: -19%
Family Guy: -21%

SCRIPTED HOUR
NCIS +17%
Supernatural +10%
Criminal Minds even
CSI:NY even
Ghost Whisperer -4%
Law & Order: SVU -5%
One Tree Hill -8%
Smallville -13%
Numb3rs -14%
CSI: Miami -15%
Brothers & Sisters: -18%
Desperate Housewives: -20%
(House 8pm vs. year-ago House 9pm) -21%
CSI -21%
Cold Case: -22%
Grey's -23%
(Wednesday Lost vs. year-ago Thursday Lost) -23%
Gossip Girl -23%
(Tues. Without a Trace vs. year-ago Thurs. WAT) -24%
Law & Order -27%
(Thurs. Bones vs. year-ago Mon. Bones) -28%
Medium -29%
(8pm Reaper vs. year-ago 9pm Reaper) -36%

UNSCRIPTED
20/20 (10-11 pm) +47%
60 Minutes: even
Dancing with the Stars (Mon.) -4%
American Idol (Wed.) -8%
American Idol (Tues.) -10%
America's Next Top Model -10%
Survivor -19%
Dancing with the Stars (Tues.) -20%
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (8-9pm): -31%
Dateline (2 hrs., Fri.) -32%
Dateline (7-8pm, Sun.): -38%
(Friday Wife Swap vs. year-ago Wednesday Wife Swap) -41%
(Thurs. Hell's Kitchen vs. year-ago Tues. Hell's Kitchen) -44%

ANALYSIS: You see a list like this and you start to realize why a net like ABC is reportedly going comedy-crazy next year. The best genre year-to-year is comedy, with well over half the holdover programs seeing single digit declines or better. The only comedy block that's really struggling year-to-year is Fox's Sunday animation, and the removal of Sit Down, Shut Up at 8:30 may help that whole night out next Sunday. And keep in mind that many of the comedies were listed among those programs that came back well from the strike last year. Some of the biggest reality programs aren't doing so bad year-to-year, like Monday DWTS and Idol, but most of the very biggest dramas have taken large dives.