FINALS UPDATE: Empire (1.7) adjusted up.
WHAT MATTERS:- CBS and NBC saw a split between regular programming and specials on Wednesday. NBC used its annual Christmas in Rockefeller Center special (1.7) as a lead-in to regular dramas. Law and Order: SVU (1.5) and Chicago PD (1.3) benefited big, with the former setting a new season high and the latter tying its premiere's season high. CBS went with two high-end hours of Survivor (1.8/1.7) leading into a Bruno Mars special (1.1) at 10/9c.
- For the other three networks, it was a return to the normal lineups after taking last week off for Thanksgiving Eve. ABC looked normal enough in the 8:00 hour with The Goldbergs (1.4) and Speechless (1.1), but Modern Family (1.6) was on the low end and American Housewife (1.0) took an inexplicably massive dive at 9:30. Designated Survivor returned to 0.7 at 10/9c.
- It was also a rough return from preemption for Empire (1.6), though Star (1.2) held up at 9/8c. The CW was even with Riverdale (0.5) and Dynasty (0.2).
FINALS UPDATE: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1.9),
This Is Us (2.8) and
The Flash (1.0) adjusted up.
WHAT MATTERS:- With ABC and CBS both sitting out, NBC was the center of the entertainment world with The Voice (1.8) and the fall finale of This Is Us (2.7), which had its best rating in over a month. Chicago Med (1.3) tied last week's premiere at 10/9c.
- But CBS did better than usual thanks to special staples Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1.8) and the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show (1.5). Both were down from last year's respective 2.3/2.1, but the fashion show still tied This Is Us for the nightly lead with a massive 1.7 A18-34.
- Fox remained original with Lethal Weapon (1.0) and some much-welcomed upticks for The Mick (0.8) and Brooklyn Nine-Nine (0.7).
- And the CW finished out its two-night, four-hour superhero crossover with a third and fourth consecutive 0.9, this time for The Flash and Legends of Tomorrow. The crossover was a fair bit weaker than last year's version (which ranged from 1.1 to 1.5), but still helped all the non-Flash shows do way better than normal.
FINALS UPDATE: CMA Country Christmas (1.1) and
The Good Doctor (1.7) adjusted down.
WHAT MATTERS:- Numbers and analysis coming shortly.
FINALS UPDATE: 60 Minutes (1.9),
NCIS: Los Angeles (0.9) and
Sunday Night Football (6.0) adjusted up while
Football Night in America p2 (1.2) and
Football Night in America p3 (3.0) adjusted down.
WHAT MATTERS:- Without The Toy Box to drag down the 7:00 hour, it was a season-high night for America's Funniest Home Videos (1.2) at 8/7c. Its new lead-in was a repeat of AFHV (0.9), which did about double the usual Toy Box rating. The juice continued into the 9:00 hour as Shark Tank (1.0) got back into the ones for the first time in a month. It led into a repeat of Shark Tank (0.8) at 10/9c.
- The CBS lineup started at around 7:45; 60 Minutes (1.5), Wisdom of the Crowd (0.9) and NCIS: Los Angeles (0.8) are currently attributed to the 8:00, 9:00 and 10:00 hours. So they may adjust up (especially 60M) when given their correct start times in finals.
- The Miss Universe Competition averaged a 1.1ish across all three hours of Fox primetime, which would be down markedly from the last competition (a 1.5 in late January 2017). Sunday Night Football averaged a preliminary 5.1 which should end up in the high-5's after finals.
FINALS UPDATE: Dreamworks Trolls Holiday (1.5) adjusted up.
WHAT MATTERS:- Numbers coming later today.
FINALS UPDATE: Sunday Night Football (5.1) adjusted up while
Football Night in America p3 (2.7) adjusted down.
WHAT MATTERS:- On Thanksgiving evening, CBS aired a repeat of The Big Bang Theory (2.9) leading into originals of Young Sheldon (2.6), Mom (1.8), Life in Pieces (1.3) and S.W.A.T. (1.1). Though the network's late afternoon NFL game ended well before primetime, its halo was still enough to pull the entire lineup upward by multiple tenths, with Sheldon headed for easily its best rating since the series premiere.
- The CW also went original on Thanksgiving to much weaker results; the Supernatural (0.3) / Arrow (0.3) combo was at barely half of its usual delivery.
- NBC won Thursday with its Thanksgiving NFL game, but it looks like the Redskins and the Giants (with a low-to-mid-4's prelim) will be down significantly from last year's 6.9 Thanksgiving game.
FINALS UPDATE: Saturday Night Live Thanksgiving (1.1) adjusted up while
Empire (R)
(0.4) adjusted down.
WHAT MATTERS:- Numbers coming later today. Happy Thanksgiving!
WHAT MATTERS:- On the last full-fledged entertainment night before a long holiday weekend, NBC introduced Chicago Med (1.3) into the Tuesday mix at 10/9c. It was down just a tenth from last year's premiere, but it also had a way bigger lead-in from This Is Us (2.5) than it usually had on Thursday last season. Still, it looks like a solid bet that the show will improve noticeably on previous occupant Law and Order True Crime. At 8/7c, The Voice (1.7) continued a down week by matching Monday's performance episode.
- ABC featured the two-hour finale of Dancing with the Stars (1.3), which was a touch lower than what the show has usually been doing on Mondays, and significantly below the 1.8 fall finale in 2016. It had a comedy hour lead-in from The Middle (1.3) and Fresh Off the Boat (1.1), which both matched last week.
- On a night that usually sees some overall viewing slippage due to the start of the holiday, there were a few down shows, including the NCIS twins (1.4 for the mothership and 0.9 for New Orleans, which had a lot more 10/9c competition than usual) as well as The Flash (0.8). And some shows matched last week, like everything on Fox (1.0/0.7/0.6), Bull (1.1) and Legends of Tomorrow (0.5).
FINALS UPDATE: The Good Doctor (1.8),
Kevin Can Wait (1.2) and
Man with a Plan (1.0) adjusted down.
WHAT MATTERS:- ABC's Dancing with the Stars (1.4/1.5) and The Good Doctor (1.9) along with the early part of the CBS lineup (1.4/1.2/1.0/0.8/0.9) are pending Monday Night Football preemptions.
- It was a down night for the other half of the big four, with The Voice (1.7) taking a tumble while dramas The Brave, Lucifer and The Gifted all lost a tenth to 0.9. The CW was steady with Supergirl (0.5) and Valor (0.2).
FINALS UPDATE: Sunday Night Football (7.0) adjusted up while
The Toy Box (0.5),
60 Minutes (1.8),
Madam Secretary (0.6),
Football Night in America p2 (2.4),
Football Night in America p3 (3.7) and
Bob's Burgers (R)
(0.6) adjusted down.
WHAT MATTERS:- The American Music Awards on ABC went for a 2.3/2.6/2.3 in its three hours, steadying the ship for the ceremony after last year posted a 2.4 (which was down huge from the 3.5 in 2015). It's an especially solid showing since the awards had a much weaker lead-in than last year in the finale of The Toy Box (0.6) at 7/6c. But that would still be a second consecutive new season high for Toy Box.
- It was also a massive night for Sunday Night Football, as the Cowboys and Eagles posted a low-6 prelim which should be the biggest game for SNF in over two months (or since the start of the TV regular season).
- That combination meant really bad things for the broadcast entertainment options. Despite a national NFL lead-in and a 2.0 from 60 Minutes, CBS quickly went fractional with Wisdom of the Crowd (0.8), NCIS: Los Angeles (0.7) and Madam Secretary (0.7). And with the exception of a strong Bob's Burgers (1.1) at 7:30, Fox was at new season lows with The Simpsons (1.1), Ghosted (0.8), Family Guy (0.9) and The Last Man on Earth (0.7). The first three of those were two tenths behind their previous lows this season.
WHAT MATTERS:- Once Upon a Time aired two original hours, with its usual 0.5 at 8/7c and its first 0.4 at 9/8c, as the network prepares to launch Agents of SHIELD after Thanksgiving. However, 20/20 (0.7) did better than usual at 10/9c. NBC's Blindspot (0.6) was also down to a new low.
- CBS gave back a bit of its surge from a week ago, with Hawaii Five-0 (1.0) and Blue Bloods (0.9) each down a notch while MacGyver held onto the 0.9.
FINALS UPDATE: Thursday Night Football (4.2) and
Supernatural (0.7) adjusted up while
Young Sheldon (2.0) adjusted down.
WHAT MATTERS:- Week three for the CBS Thursday lineup saw a little downward movement across the board, with The Big Bang Theory (2.6) down a tick or two and Young Sheldon (2.1), Mom (1.4), Life in Pieces (1.1) and S.W.A.T. (0.9) each losing one.
- On ABC, TGIT was mostly steady again, though Grey's Anatomy (1.8) gave back last week's 300th episode uptick. Fox saw The Orville (0.9) go fractional for the first time in over a month. And NBC did a little better at least in the prelims with its second week of Thursday Night Football (2.8).
FINALS UPDATE: The Goldbergs (1.5) adjusted up.
WHAT MATTERS:- On a night full of upticks for the big four, perhaps the most crucial one came on CBS, as newbie SEAL Team (1.1) shot back up to a healthy number after three straight declines. Surrounding it were Survivor (1.7) and Criminal Minds (1.0), up a tenth apiece. This is the only regular lineup that will stay on air next week for Thanksgiving Eve.
- After last week's CMA Awards preemption, ABC rebounded across the board vs. its numbers against the World Series two weeks ago with The Goldbergs (1.4), Speechless (1.1), Modern Family (the net's only two-tenth gainer at 1.7), American Housewife (1.3) and Designated Survivor (0.8).
- NBC's Chicago PD (1.2) got a big rebound after last week's stinker, with an assist from a special edition of The Voice (1.4) at 9/8c. The Blacklist remained at 0.9 leading off.
- On Fox, Empire (2.0) was back into the twos for the first time in over a month, but that made a steady Star (1.2) look kinda iffy by comparison.
- The CW did not join in on the positive momentum, as Riverdale remained at 0.5 and Dynasty at 0.2.
FINALS UPDATE: Fresh Off the Boat (1.1),
Kevin (Probably) Saves the World (0.7) and
The Flash (1.0) adjusted up while
Bull (1.1) and
Law and Order True Crime (0.9) adjusted down.
WHAT MATTERS:- It was a slightly up Tuesday for all things NBC, from The Voice (2.0) to This Is Us (2.6) to the finale of Law and Order True Crime (1.0).
- Meanwhile, ABC had a couple downticks, including The Middle (1.3) at 8/7c and a more crucial one for Kevin (Probably) Saves the World, which was back to its 0.6 low from two weeks ago (when it was against the World Series). The other comedies were even, leaving The Mayor at 0.7 for the third week in a row.
- On CBS, NCIS: New Orleans (1.1) was up a tenth while the other two dramas were steady (1.5/1.2). Everything on the other two networks matched last week, which meant The Mick was stuck at 0.7 again.
FINALS UPDATE: Kevin Can Wait (1.3),
The Voice (2.0) and
The Gifted (1.0) adjusted up while
Dancing with the Stars (1.4) adjusted down.
WHAT MATTERS:
- CBS made yet another change on Monday with the return of Man with a Plan (1.0) at 8:30. Despite an impressive lead-in from Kevin Can Wait (1.3), MwaP tied its lowest raw rating from last season, and looked a bit weaker in Plus than the fall episodes last season. With its third different lead-in in as many weeks, Superior Donuts (0.9) shed a tenth, putting it squarely between its premiere rating after 9JKL but a tick below what it did after a repeat of The Big Bang Theory last week.
- The Good Doctor (1.9) was back at huge levels after last week's preemption and seemingly helped drag Dancing with the Stars (1.4) upward with it.
- With the exception of Valor (0.2), which gave back last week's uptick, everything else on broadcast matched last week.
FINALS UPDATE: Sunday Night Football (5.8) and
The OT (3.6) adjusted up while
Wisdom of the Crowd (0.7),
Football Night in America p2 (1.8) and
Football Night in America p3 (3.2) adjusted down.
WHAT MATTERS:- Fox's comedies got a national NFL lead-in for just the second time all season. As always, The Simpsons (1.9) got the biggest boost, but it was actually Ghosted (1.3) and Family Guy (1.4) that came closer to their last episodes with NFL help back in early October. The Last Man on Earth (0.9) rounded out an uptick night for the network.
- Meanwhile, CBS got a rare look at Wisdom of the Crowd (0.8), NCIS: Los Angeles (0.9) and Madam Secretary (0.6) without national NFL help. Wisdom and LA each did a little better than two weeks ago without NFL help, when they were also facing the World Series, but Wisdom still took a big dip from last week's NFL-inflated rating.
- On ABC, The Toy Box (0.5) and America's Funniest Home Videos (1.0) were both at season high levels, while Shark Tank (0.9/0.8) dropped a bit less at 10/9c this time, in its last of three original double-pumps.
- NBC had the Patriots and Broncos on Sunday Night Football with a 5.0ish prelim, the show's best performance since the last time the Pats were on three weeks ago.
WHAT MATTERS:- The CBS Friday lineup flexed a little muscle, as MacGyver (0.9), Hawaii Five-0 (1.1) and Blue Bloods (1.0) were all on the upswing to high-end results.
- Blindspot remained the best of the rest in the scripted world, posting a 0.7 for the third straight week. Meanwhile, the finale of Inhumans remained at 0.5, leading out of another 0.5 from Once Upon a Time. The Exorcist (0.4) couldn't hold onto last week's uptick and was back to its usual rating. And Jane the Virgin continued to oscillate around the 0.250 mark, back up to a 0.3 in the rounded numbers this week.
FINALS UPDATE: The Big Bang Theory (2.8) and
Thursday Night Football (4.0) adjusted up while
Thursday Night Football Pregame (1.5) adjusted down.
WHAT MATTERS:- The new CBS lineup held up swimmingly in week two, with The Big Bang Theory (2.7) poised to go above last week after finals, while Young Sheldon (2.2) stayed well within megahit territory for another week and Mom (1.5) actually picked up a tenth. The only show to decline at all was S.W.A.T. (1.0), but losing just one tenth for week two of a newbie is still encouraging.
- The other broadcast entertainment programs were also eerily steady with last week; in fact, the only movement anywhere was with the 300th episode of Grey's Anatomy (1.9). It was up a tenth from last week and may be up two after finals.
- It all came against a fairly modest showing for the NBC premiere of Thursday Night Football (2.5), though this game is likely to adjust up heavily since it featured two Pacific time zone teams.
WHAT MATTERS:- After facing Game 7 of the World Series a year ago, the CMA Awards on ABC (3.3/3.5/2.9) were bumped a week later in 2017, allowing them to dominate the broadcast night and bounce back by a few ticks after last year's big drop.
- Fox's Empire (1.8) and Star (1.2) returned from two weeks off for the World Series, with the former matching its last episode and Star inching down.
- The CBS and NBC dramas did not look good on the heels of preemptions last week; SEAL Team (0.9), Criminal Minds (0.9), Law and Order: SVU (1.1) and Chicago PD (0.9) all hit new season lows. The 8:00 hour proved a little more resilient as Survivor (1.6) and The Blacklist (0.9) both matched last week.
- On the CW, Riverdale (0.5) finally ended its run of 0.6's (at least in the prelims). And after scoring a full season yesterday, Dynasty (0.2) was unable to follow its fellow newbie Valor up to 0.3.
FINALS UPDATE: The Middle (1.4) adjusted up while
The Mayor (0.7) adjusted down.
WHAT MATTERS:- After a brutal Halloween/World Series combo last Tuesday, the broadcasters got most of the way back to normal this week. That included a 0.5 rebound for chart-topper This Is Us (2.5), but it's still going to finish at least a couple tenths behind its lowest pre-Halloween point of the season. The penultimate episode of Law and Order True Crime (0.9) was also on the uptick.
- On CBS, it was a best-since-season-premiere night for NCIS (1.5), leading into Bull (1.2) and NCIS: New Orleans (1.0) which were at more typical levels.
- The only down show of the night was The Mick (0.7), returning from two weeks off due to the World Series and eyeing a season low. Brooklyn Nine-Nine remained mired at 0.6, but Lethal Weapon (1.0) was up a notch.
- On ABC, everything was up a tenth from last week: The Middle (1.3), Fresh Off the Boat (1.0), Black-ish (1.1), The Mayor (0.8) and Kevin (Probably) Saves the World (0.7).
- The CW's The Flash (0.9) also got back to normal after a soft showing last week, as did Legends of Tomorrow (0.5).
FINALS UPDATE: Dancing with the Stars (1.2),
Living Every Day: Luke Bryan (0.8) and
The Gifted (1.0) adjusted down.
WHAT MATTERS:- After a disastrous start last week, CBS injected some juice into its Monday comedy lineup with a repeat of The Big Bang Theory (1.1) at 8:30. Leading out of Kevin Can Wait (1.2), it was three tenths better than last week's 9JKL in the slot. That helped Superior Donuts (1.0) perk up noticeably from last week's premiere, while 9JKL (0.8) held last week's rating in the move to 9:30. With easier competition than usual, Scorpion (0.8) ticked up at 10/9c. Next week, Man with a Plan takes over at 8:30.
- On ABC, The Good Doctor took the night off in favor of a CMA special featuring future American Idol judge Luke Bryan (1.0). The network is pending preemptions in both Monday Night Football markets (Detroit and Milwaukee).
- NBC's The Brave (1.0) also appeared to benefit from a weaker ABC, back up to its usual number after dropping big a week ago. The Voice (1.9/2.0) was even to slightly up.
- On Fox, Lucifer (1.0) was up to its best rating since the season premiere, perhaps benefiting from the end of DST, while The Gifted matched last week's 1.1. And the CW had an uptick of its own as Valor (0.3) tried to put itself back in play. Its lead-in Supergirl remained at 0.5.
FINALS UPDATE: 60 Minutes (2.5),
Sunday Night Football (4.9) and
Family Guy (1.1) adjusted up while
Madam Secretary (0.6),
Football Night in America p2 (2.1),
Football Night in America p3 (3.1),
The Simpsons (R)
(0.7) and
Bob's Burgers (1.4) adjusted down.
WHAT MATTERS:- The late afternoon national NFL lead-in (featuring the Dallas Cowboys) swung over to CBS, helping boost 60 Minutes (2.4), Wisdom of the Crowd (1.1), NCIS: Los Angeles (0.9) and Madam Secretary (0.7) up from last week's numbers against the World Series.
- Fox had NFL help of its own, as the late-afternoon Redskins/Seahawks game which played in several major markets boosted the 7:00 half-hour (1.5) and spilled into the 7:30 half-hour with Bob's Burgers (1.6). Later in the night were The Simpsons (1.3), Ghosted (1.0), Family Guy (1.0) and The Last Man on Earth (0.8); it looks like a particularly below-average night for Family Guy and low-end results for everyone else.
- On ABC, America's Funniest Home Videos (0.9) returned to the 8:00 hour, and Shark Tank (0.9/0.7) was actually down at 10/9c after doing well against the World Series last week.
- NBC's Sunday Night Football was at a season low in the prelims, and we'll have to see if the Raiders audience out west can pull it up to last week's season low 4.8 in the finals.
WHAT MATTERS:- All the Friday originals were back in place, and without a whole lot of movement. NBC showed some promise as Blindspot (0.7) matched last week's premiere and Dateline (1.0) was up, tying its season high and topping the night outright.
- Dateline's 1.0 was on top because Hawaii Five-0 (0.9) inched down from its usual level. Back at 8/7c, MacGyver (0.8) was also down a notch, while Blue Bloods hung at 0.9.
- On Fox, The Exorcist was back up to 0.5 for the first time since premiere week, leading out of a steady Hell's Kitchen (0.8).
- And it was status quo on ABC, with 0.5's across the board for Once Upon a Time, Inhumans and 20/20. The CW's Jane the Virgin couldn't hang onto last week's 0.3 and re-joined Crazy Ex-Girlfriend at 0.2.
FINALS UPDATE: Will and Grace (1.6) adjusted up while
Young Sheldon (2.2),
Mom (1.4),
Life in Pieces (1.2) and
S.W.A.T. (1.1) adjusted down.
- This put Young Sheldon (2.2) down by more than 40% from its Premiere Monday preview in September, but still within clear smash territory for now. Big downward adjustments for Mom (1.4) and Life in Pieces (1.2) put them up in Plus but down in raw from last year's premieres, with a major lead-in upgrade.
- And at 10/9c, S.W.A.T. was up a tenth from last year's Pure Genius premiere in this slot, and fell just a tick behind its Life in Pieces lead-in. I would argue not quite as much promise as the SEAL Team premiere, but it's in contention.
WHAT MATTERS:
- For the only time this fall, all five networks had their regular entertainment lineups on at the same time, and it was timeslot premiere night for CBS powerhouses The Big Bang Theory (2.7) and Young Sheldon (2.4). Later in the night, Mom (1.8) and Life in Pieces (1.5) returned to the 9/8c hour, and drama newbie S.W.A.T. (1.3) debuted at 10/9c. CBS is pending Thursday Night Football preemptions in New York City, so stay tuned for finals.
- Last year, one of the big surprises of the fall was how well Superstore and The Good Place did against the return of CBS. This year, they were not quite as heroic, as both sank to season low 1.0 ratings in the 8:00 hour. But NBC took equally sizable hits later in the night as well, including Will and Grace (1.5) and Chicago Fire (1.0). In between, it was an especially rough night for Great News (0.7) at 9:30.
- On Fox, The Orville (1.0) was not able to hold onto last week's big surge and fell back to a more typical number at 9/8c, leading out of another 0.9 from Gotham. ABC's TGIT (1.8/1.1/0.9) and the CW's Supernatural (0.6) and Arrow (0.5) all exactly matched last week.
It's time to talk about some bubble shows! Check out
yesterday's drama post.
FINALS UPDATE: The Goldbergs (1.3),
Speechless (1.0),
Survivor (1.6),
The Blacklist (0.9) and
World Series (8.2) adjusted up while
SEAL Team (R)
(0.5) adjusted down.
WHAT MATTERS:- Fox went big with Game 7 of the World Series, averaging a preliminary 7.0 from 8:00 to 11:00. But the outcome was not in huge doubt for most of the game, so it looks like it may not have gotten quite the Game 7 bounce of recent Series past.
- ABC was the only big four opponent that plowed forward with its full regular lineup. The network seemed to get whacked harder in the first half of the night, when it was facing most of the usual entertainment competition; The Goldbergs (1.2), Speechless (0.9) and Modern Family (1.5) all shed two tenths. But American Housewife (1.2) was down just one and Designated Survivor actually matched last week's 0.7.
- On the other two networks, the 8:00 show stayed original while the last two hours got preempted. Survivor (1.5) was down a couple notches, but NBC's The Blacklist managed to match last week's 0.8.
- The CW also went original, with Riverdale managing to hold on to yet another 0.6 while Dynasty stayed at 0.2.
Let's talk about some bubble shows! Comedies coming tomorrow.
FINALS UPDATE: The Middle (1.2) and
World Series (6.0) adjusted up while
Law and Order True Crime (0.7) adjusted down.
WHAT MATTERS:- Halloween converged with a monstrous Game 6 of the World Series (4.9/5.0/5.5), leading to a slew of ratings declines on the other broadcasters. This game should probably be expected to adjust up a little more than usual, since it ended before midnight ET/9:00 PT.
- The worst decline came from This Is Us (2.0) on NBC, since it had the added triple whammy of a The Voice recap special (1.0) as a lead-in. Its newbie lead-out Law and Order True Crime (0.8) was down two tenths, mimicking The Brave's drop on Monday.
- CBS was down two tenths across the board with NCIS (1.2), Bull (1.0) and NCIS: New Orleans (0.9). ABC's 8:00 hour of The Middle (1.1) and Fresh Off the Boat (0.9) was also down two tenths, but the remaining programs Black-ish (1.0), The Mayor (0.7) and Kevin (Probably) Saves the World (0.6) lost just one.
- The second-biggest drop on broadcast came from CW's The Flash (0.7), which was down three tenths after a great showing last week. Its lead-out Legends of Tomorrow (0.4) shed one tenth.
© SpottedRatings.com 2009-2022. All Rights Reserved.
