May Sweeps 2010 Week Three Recap

Different day comparisons

Lost (Tuesday vs. year-ago Wednesday) -2% (it was a finale in the year-ago week, will have finale comparisons next week)

The Mentalist (Th vs. T) -3%

Law & Order (M vs. W) -23%

Fringe (Th vs. T) -41%

Smallville (F vs. Th) -33%

Top 5 year-to-year timeslot gainers
1. Dancing with the Stars vs. According to Jim (ABC, Tuesday 8pm) +127%
2. Chuck vs. Deal or No Deal (NBC, Monday 8pm) +73%
3. Friday Night Lights vs. Howie Do It (R) (NBC, Friday 8pm) +63%
4. The Big Bang Theory vs. Rules of Engagement (CBS, Monday 9:30pm) +53%
t-5. 20/20 (ABC, Friday 10pm) +50%
t-5. Kitchen Nightmares vs. Dollhouse (Fox, Friday 9pm) +50%
t-5. Survivor reunion vs. The Unit (CBS, Sunday 10pm)+50%

With a few exceptions like Big Bang and Survivor, most shows on the list aren't blowing the house down, they're just doing a lot better than the even more anemic stuff airing last year. That's especially true for stuff like Chuck and Friday Night Lights, considered ratings losers in their own right, but looking like gangbusters when stacked up with Howie Mandel.

Top 5 timeslot losers
1. Life Unexpected (R) vs. 90210 -67%
t-2. Primetime: WWYD? vs. Lost -53%
t-2. America's Next Top Model special vs. ANTM -53%
4. Parenthood vs. The Biggest Loser -50%
5. The Good Guys vs. Lie to Me -42%

This list has consisted of a lot of repeats in recent weeks, and the LUX repeat along with the ANTM clip show hold up that tradition, but big numbers for a 2009 Lost finale and a 2009 Biggest Loser finale throw a couple decent-performing originals onto the list. The Good Guys, however, has no excuse; it came in way, way below an only marginally performing Fox original in 2009.

Top 5 show gainers
1. 20/20 +50%
2. The Big Bang Theory (M9:30 vs. M8pm) +49%
3. Family Guy +22%
4. American Dad! +17%
5. The Simpsons +16%

Great week for Fox animation, great week for one of those always fluctuating newsmagazines, and yet another great week for The Big Bang Theory, a mainstay on this list. Will its move to Thursday work out, or will it have to worry about avoiding the other list next fall?

Top 5 show losers
1. Fringe (Th9pm vs. T9pm) -41%
2. The Biggest Loser (T8-10pm vs. T8-11pm) -34%
t-3. 90210 (T8pm vs. T9pm) -33%
t-3. Smallville (F8pm vs. Th8pm) -33%
t-3. Ghost Whisperer -32%

The Biggest Loser has the misfortune of being a non-finale vs. finale comparison, and on that show the finale spikes are large. Still, it's been a slightly down year for the show, but nothing catastrophic. Fringe, Smallville, and Ghost Whisperer have all been here before, and this week the renewed 90210 joins the list.