Spotted Ratings, Friday 5/29/20

FINALS UPDATE: No adjustments.

Spotted Ratings, Thursday 5/28/20

FINALS UPDATE: Celebrity Watch Party (0.4) adjusted up while S.W.A.T. (R) (0.3) and Law and Order: SVU (R) (0.2) adjusted down.

WHAT MATTERS:

• Numbers posted.

Spotted Ratings, Wednesday 5/27/20

FINALS UPDATE: Game On! (0.7) adjusted up while Agents of SHIELD (0.3) adjusted down.

WHAT MATTERS:

• CBS opened reality newbie Game On! (0.6) in the 8/7c hour. Last year's summer newbie Love Island also started at 0.6.

• Game On! tied for the biggest program of the night with week two of Fox's Ultimate Tag (0.6), which was down by more than 50% week-to-week but did manage to build noticeably on its MasterChef repeat lead-in (0.4).
  

• And ABC brought back Marvel's Agents of SHIELD (0.4) for its final season, leading out of Marvel theatrical Thor: The Dark World (0.5).

SpotVault - Game On! (CBS) - Summer 2020 Ratings

Game On!

Wednesdays, 8/7c, CBS

SpotVault - Agents of SHIELD (ABC) - Summer 2020 Ratings

Agents of SHIELD

Wednesdays, 10/9c, ABC

Spotted Ratings, Tuesday 5/26/20

FINALS UPDATE: America's Got Talent (1.5) adjusted up while FBI (R) (0.4) adjusted down.

WHAT MATTERS:

• America's Got Talent (1.4/1.5) returned to NBC, taking a 10-15% drop from last year's 1.7 premiere. World of Dance (1.0) returned to the post-Talent slot after occupying spring Sundays last year, and had similar retention to what it was doing after AGT two summers ago.
  

• ABC had a much quieter original launch with docu-series The Genetic Detective (0.4) at 10/9c, which had little lead-in help from a Diane Sawyer special (0.4) in the 9/8c hour.

• And it was another promising Tuesday on the CW, as Stargirl (0.3) and Legends of Tomorrow (0.2) preliminarily both held onto last week's ratings.

SpotVault - World of Dance (NBC) - Summer 2020 Ratings

World of Dance

Tuesdays, 10/9c, NBC

SpotVault - The Titan Games (NBC) - Summer 2020 Ratings

The Titan Games

Mondays, 8/7c, NBC

SpotVault - The Genetic Detective (ABC) - Summer 2020 Ratings

The Genetic Detective

Tuesdays, 10/9c, ABC

SpotVault - America's Got Talent (NBC) - Summer 2020 Ratings

America's Got Talent

Tuesdays, 8/7c, NBC

Spotted Ratings, Monday 5/25/20

FINALS UPDATE: No adjustments.

WHAT MATTERS:

• NBC reality series The Titan Games (0.7) returned for a Memorial Day season two premiere almost fifteen months after the season one finale. While it won the night against almost entirely repeat competition, it was down by more than half from its 1.8 premiere in January 2019, and was multiple tenths below the season one low point (0.95). At 10/9c, Songland (0.5) dipped to a season low with its worst lead-in of the season.

• The only other original was The Baker and the Beauty, which held at 0.4 following Celebrity Family Feud repeats (0.5/0.5).

How Much Did COVID-19 Affect Spring TV Ratings?

This has been a spring like no other, both in television ratings and in things that are much more important than television ratings. But since ratings are what we do here, in this post I'm gonna tackle a couple questions: 1) how much did the spring viewing inflation affect TV ratings and 2) why should we care? Or, to try to combine them into one question: was the inflation so profound that we should think of the 2019-20 TV season almost like two separate seasons?

Spotted Ratings, Sunday 5/24/20

FINALS UPDATE: NASCAR (0.7) adjusted up while The Wall (0.2) adjusted down.

Spotted Ratings, Friday 5/22/20

FINALS UPDATE: Dateline (R) (0.4) and WWE SmackDown! (0.5) adjusted down.

Spotted Ratings, Thursday 5/21/20

FINALS UPDATE: Red Nose Day (0.3) adjusted down.

WHAT MATTERS:

• ABC's summer Thursdays got off to a nice start with Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (0.8) leading into the returns of Holey Moley (0.8) and To Tell the Truth (0.7). While down from its 1.0 year-ago series premiere, Holey Moley had an impressive rebound from its 0.5ish level in August of last year. It was a similar story for TTtT, which opened at 0.8 a year ago but spent most of the late summer getting 0.4's and 0.5's.

• NBC's annual Red Nose Day night was highlighted by a 0.8 for the Celebrity Escape Room special in the 8/7c hour, but quickly fell to 0.4/0.3 for the two hours of the official Red Nose Day special.

• Fox got even more dire on Thursday with week three of Celebrity Watch Party (0.3) leading into a disastrous start for newbie Labor of Love (0.2) at 9/8c.

• The CW's Burden of Truth (0.1) returned to lead into In the Dark (0.1). And CBS' Man with a Plan (0.6) and Broke (0.5) each dropped a notch in their first summer airings.

SpotVault - To Tell the Truth (ABC) - Summer 2020 Ratings

To Tell the Truth

Thursdays, 10/9c, ABC

SpotVault - Labor of Love (Fox) - Summer 2020 Ratings

Labor of Love

Thursdays, 9/8c, Fox

SpotVault - Holey Moley (ABC) - Summer 2020 Ratings

Holey Moley

Thursdays, 8/7c, ABC

SpotVault - Burden of Truth (CW) - Summer 2020 Ratings

Burden of Truth

Thursdays, 8/7c, CW

SpotVault - Celebrity Watch Party (Fox) - Summer 2020 Ratings

Celebrity Watch Party

Thursdays, 8/7c, Fox

Spotted Ratings, Wednesday 5/20/20

FINALS UPDATE: No adjustments.

WHAT MATTERS:

• On the last night of the regular season, Fox had the original landscape mostly to itself, and used a huge season finale of The Masked Singer (2.3) to lead into the premiere of summer reality newbie Ultimate Tag (1.3). Tag was not as impressive retention-wise as the LEGO Masters premiere (1.6 out of a 2.0 back in February), but still quite far ahead of where Almost Family started in the fall (0.75 out of a 2.0).

• The CW premiered the final season of The 100 (0.2), and CBS had the season finale of S.W.A.T. (0.6) which upticked from repeat lead-ins (0.5/0.5) at 10/9c. ABC eked out second place for the night led by theatrical Moana (0.6/0.7).

SpotVault - Ultimate Tag (Fox) - Summer 2020 Ratings

Ultimate Tag

Wednesdays, 9/8c, Fox

SpotVault - The 100 (CW) - Summer 2020 Ratings

The 100

Wednesdays, 8/7c, CW

Spotted Ratings, Tuesday 5/19/20

FINALS UPDATE: The Voice (R) (0.7) and The Masked Singer (R) (1.0) adjusted up.

WHAT MATTERS:

• The CW's Stargirl opened its mostly-summer run with a 0.3, the first time since January March that something not named The Flash broke a 0.3 for the netlet. Legends of Tomorrow held at 0.2 at 9/8c.

• The season finale of The Voice managed only a 0.9 from 9:00-11:00, leading out of an 8/7c recap special (0.6) that lost head-to-head with The Masked Singer's recap special (0.9). ABC had a quiet night with a The Last Dance recap (0.4) and two-hour special The Story of Soaps (0.3).

SpotVault - Stargirl (CW) - Summer 2020 Ratings

Stargirl

Tuesdays, 8/7c, CW

SpotVault - Snowpiercer (TNT) - Summer 2020 Ratings

Snowpiercer

Sundays, 9/8c, TNT

SpotVault - Masters of Illusion (CW) - Summer 2020 Ratings

Masters of Illusion

Fridays, 8/7c, CW

Spotted Ratings, Monday 5/18/20

FINALS UPDATE: No adjustments.

Spotted Ratings, Sunday 5/17/20

FINALS UPDATE: NASCAR Overrun (1.0) and Bob's Burgers (R) (0.5) adjusted down.

WHAT MATTERS:

• The season finale of American Idol (1.0) matched last week, leading out of an at-home edition of America's Funniest Home Videos (0.7). A Taylor Swift concert special at 10/9c (0.5) lagged behind recent episodes of The Rookie.

• It was also finale night for Fox's cartoons (0.6/0.4/0.5/0.5), which were mostly up a tenth from last week and may have gotten a little indirect help from the return of NASCAR in the late afternoon on the net.

• On CBS, Mission Impossible (0.5/0.4/0.4) was the lowest-rated of CBS' three movie nights thus far. NBC got no interest in the Beverly Hills Dog Show (0.3), surrounded by Little Big Shots (0.3) at 7/6c and The Wall (0.3) at 10/9c. And CW finale night saw Supergirl edge back up to 0.2, leading out of Batwoman (0.2).

Spotted Ratings, Friday 5/15/20

FINALS UPDATE: No adjustments.

Spotted Ratings, Thursday 5/14/20

FINALS UPDATE: Celebrity Watch Party (0.4) adjusted up.

WHAT MATTERS:

• The series finale of How to Get Away with Murder (0.7) wrapped up a respectable spring half of the season with a new season high, and lead-in Station 19 (0.9) was also up on its season finale night. The night began with a steady Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (0.9).

• Fox's Celebrity Watch Party (0.3) went even lower in week two, while NBC's Council of Dads (0.4) and Blindspot (0.3) remained weak in their second airings together.

• The CW's Katy Keene (0.1) wrapped up its season, but the transition to summer will not be too obvious on Thursdays, as CBS' Man with a Plan (0.7) and Broke (0.6) along with CW's In the Dark (0.1) will continue airing into the summer.

Spotted Ratings, Wednesday 5/13/20

FINALS UPDATE: The Masked Singer: After the Mask (0.8) adjusted down.

WHAT MATTERS:

• CBS got a big three-hour season finale of Survivor (1.6/1.6/1.5), likely growing in raw numbers vs. last year's 1.5, though it couldn't quite catch up to Fox's The Masked Singer (1.8) which was flat week-to-week.

• ABC's comedies got a little finale night improvement with the return of Schooled (0.7) at 8:30, while American Housewife (0.6) and Single Parents (0.5) also grew in the 9/8c hour. Bookends The Goldbergs (0.8) and Shark Tank (0.5) matched last week.

Spotted Ratings, Tuesday 5/12/20

FINALS UPDATE: FBI: Most Wanted (R) (0.5) adjusted down.

WHAT MATTERS:

• ABC's For Life ticked back up to 0.5, getting a better lead-in from a two-hour Garry Marshall special (0.6).

• After The Voice (0.9) and Ellen's Game of Games (0.8), NBC replaced its recent New Amsterdam repeats with a socially distant Hollywood Game Night special (0.6). Fox had its own special edition of a regular series with two hours of 24 Hours to Hell and Back (0.6). And the CW (0.4/0.2) was even.

Spotted Ratings, Monday 5/11/20

FINALS UPDATE: The Baker and the Beauty (0.4) and Songland (0.6) adjusted down.

WHAT MATTERS:

• The Price is Right (0.9) returned to primetime, outrating both of the TPiR specials (0.75/0.75) that aired in late December.

• It was a flat night for most of the entertainment originals, including the season finale of 9-1-1 (1.3) which topped the night. NBC's Songland (0.7) managed a small uptick after The Voice (1.0/0.9), while ABC's The Bachelor Presents: Listen to Your Heart (0.6) and The Baker and the Beauty (0.5) were even yet again.

Spotted Ratings, Sunday 5/10/20

FINALS UPDATE: The Disney Family Singalong: Volume II (1.4) adjusted up.

WHAT MATTERS:

• In the Sunday 7/6c hour, volume two of the Disney Family Singalong (1.3) only did half the rating of the first one on a Thursday in mid-April, but it was big enough to provide a boost for American Idol (1.0), which fell from a 1.2 in its first half-hour all the way to 0.8 by 9:30. At 10/9c, The Rookie (0.6) inched down in its season finale.

• CBS was a comfortable second with week two of its movie night, Forrest Gump (0.7). NBC did not get much from a two-hour Feeding America special (0.3) but improved in the second half of the night with a Saturday Night Live Mother's Day compilation (0.5).

• Fox's cartoons (0.5/0.3/0.4/0.5) saw a new low from Bob's Burgers and everything else even. The CW (0.2/0.1) was steady.

Spotted Ratings, Friday 5/8/20

FINALS UPDATE: The Blacklist (0.6) adjusted up.

Spotted Ratings, Thursday 5/7/20

FINALS UPDATE: Man with a Plan (0.8) adjusted up.

WHAT MATTERS:

• NBC unveiled its regular early-summer Thursday lineup, with Council of Dads (0.4) picking up a tenth in its move to 8/7c and the final season of Blindspot (0.3) premiering lifelessly at 9/8c.

• Fox didn't do much with its premiere of new reality series Celebrity Watch Party (0.4).

• ABC's Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (0.9) continued to improve in its new timeslot, but the TGIT remnants Station 19 (0.8) and How to Get Away with Murder (0.5) were each down a tenth from last week. CBS' recently cancelled originals Man with a Plan (0.7), Broke (0.6) and Tommy (0.5) were all even.

SpotVault - In the Dark (CW) - 2020 Ratings

In the Dark

Thursdays, 9/8c, CW

SpotVault - What We Do in the Shadows (FX) - Spring 2020 Ratings

What We Do in the Shadows

Wednesdays, 10/9c, FX

SpotVault - What We Do in the Shadows (FX) - Spring 2019 Ratings

What We Do in the Shadows

Wednesdays, 10/9c, FX

SpotVault - Blindspot (NBC) - Summer 2020 Ratings

Blindspot

Thursdays, 9/8c, NBC

SpotVault - Billions (Showtime) - Summer 2020 Ratings

Billions

Sundays, 9/8c, Showtime

Spotted Ratings, Wednesday 5/6/20

FINALS UPDATE: Single Parents (0.6) adjusted up while Chicago PD (R) (0.5) adjusted down.

WHAT MATTERS:

• Against two hours of Survivor (1.5/1.4), Fox's The Masked Singer (1.8) and aftershow (0.9) were both down a couple tenths from last week. But Fox remained on top in the nightly race thanks to CBS rounding out its night with the recently renewed SEAL Team (0.6) at 10/9c.

• ABC subbed Single Parents (0.5) in at 8:30, dropping by three tenths from The Goldbergs (0.8), and was down a tenth vs. two weeks ago in the 9/8c hour with American Housewife (0.5) and another Single Parents (0.4). In its first of two straight weeks with Wednesday/Friday originals, Shark Tank (0.5) grew on its lead-in but was far lower than what it's been doing on Friday.

• Riverdale (0.2) was even in its season finale.

Spotted Ratings, Tuesday 5/5/20

FINALS UPDATE: No adjustments.

WHAT MATTERS:

• Finale night for ABC's comedies saw The Conners (0.9) slide below a 1 for the first time since February, and Black-ish drop to its first ever 0.4. Bless This Mess (0.6) and Mixed-ish (0.5) were even, while For Life declined to 0.4 at 10/9c.

• The Voice (1.0) returned to Tuesdays, matching Monday's number, but was no help to Ellen's Game of Games (0.8) which was down a tenth from last week. FBI: Most Wanted (0.6) also declined as the lone CBS original, while the CW (0.4/0.2) was even.
  

Spotted Ratings, Monday 5/4/20

FINALS UPDATE: The Neighborhood (0.9) and 9-1-1 (1.3) adjusted up while Bull (0.6) and 9-1-1: Lone Star (R) (0.5) adjusted down.

WHAT MATTERS:

• Like American Idol before it, The Voice (1.0) came back weaker on the other side of its clip show break, and in fact took an even bigger hit (down from 1.4 two weeks ago) than Idol. Songland stayed at the 0.6 that it posted after the clip show last week.
  

• CBS used two episodes of The Neighborhood (0.9/0.8) to lead into a remotely-produced episode of All Rise (0.6), which was flat with its last original three weeks ago. Bull remained at 0.7.

• Fox was even again with 9-1-1 (1.2), and ABC's The Baker and the Beauty persisted at 0.5, this time managing to match the second half of The Bachelor Presents: Listen to Your Heart (0.6/0.5). The CW's Roswell, New Mexico fell back to 0.1.

Spotted Ratings, Sunday 5/3/20

FINALS UPDATE: 60 Minutes (0.8) adjusted up while Man with a Plan (R) (0.3) adjusted down.

WHAT MATTERS:

• Numbers posted.

Spotted Ratings, Friday 5/1/20

FINALS UPDATE: No adjustments.

WHAT MATTERS:

• On season finale night for Blue Bloods (0.7), all three CBS dramas (0.6/0.7/0.7) were down a tenth from last week. That put Shark Tank (0.8) back on top of the night, though it too was down a tenth from its last original three weeks ago.

• NBC's The Blacklist (0.5) also dropped a tenth. The CW's Charmed (0.2) and Dynasty (0.1) matched two weeks ago.

Spotted Ratings, Thursday 4/30/20

FINALS UPDATE: No adjustments.

WHAT MATTERS:

• NBC got strong interest in an 8/7c hour full of Parks and Recreation-themed programming, with a Paley Center salute to the series hitting a 1.0 at 8:00 and A Parks and Recreation Special growing to a whooping 1.4 at 8:30. 
• The episode at 8:30 went way higher in Plus than anything during P&R's regular run, and even the Paley special at 8/7c was about on par with the regular run series high (which was a 126 Plus). If treated as a regular sitcom episode, it would be the third-biggest live action comedy episode of the season, behind only the Modern Family finale (1.6) and the post-Jeopardy! Modern Family in January (1.5). And its whooping 1.2 in A18-34 easily topped all live action sitcoms this season (none of which have even hit a 1.0).

• But the P&R interest in the 8/7c hour did not translate to the first Thursday edition of new drama Council of Dads, which managed only a 0.4 for the pilot encore at 9/8c and dropped to a paltry 0.3 at 10/9c.

• On ABC, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (0.8) got some juice from a move to an earlier hour, while Station 19 (0.9) predictably fell well behind what it had been doing alongside Grey's Anatomy. At 10/9c, How to Get Away with Murder (0.6) matched two weeks ago when S19 was three tenths bigger.

• CBS got an uptick for the season finale of Young Sheldon (1.1), but the bigger lead-in didn't boost a double-dip of Man with a Plan (0.7/0.7), Broke (0.6) or Tommy (0.5). Fox's Last Man Standing (0.7) also concluded its season.