Spotted Ratings, Monday 8/30/21

FINALS UPDATE: Bachelor in Paradise (0.9) adjusted up while Housebroken (0.2) adjusted down.

WHAT MATTERS:

• Numbers posted.

The Breakdown: CW Friday in 2020-21 (Charmed, Dynasty, Masters of Illusion and more!)

It's time for a journey through the CW Friday schedule in 2020-21...

Spotted Ratings, Sunday 8/29/21

FINALS UPDATE: The Chase (0.5) and NFL Preseason Football (1.1, +0.2) adjusted up while Wellington Paranormal (0.0) adjusted down.

WHAT MATTERS:

• Numbers posted.

The Breakdown: Fox Friday in 2020-21 (WWE SmackDown!)

It's time for a journey through the Fox Friday schedule in 2020-21...

Spotted Ratings, Friday 8/27/21

FINALS UPDATE: Shark Tank (R) (0.3), Secret Celebrity Renovation (0.3, -0.2), The Greatest #AtHome Videos (0.3), Blue Bloods (R) (0.2), American Ninja Warrior (R) (0.3), Dateline (0.3), WWE SmackDown! (0.6), Burden of Truth (0.0) and Dynasty (0.0) adjusted down.

WHAT MATTERS:

• Numbers posted.

Spotted Ratings, Thursday 8/26/21

FINALS UPDATE: Holey Moley (R) (0.4), Big Brother (1.0) and Making It (0.3) adjusted up while Law and Order: SVU (R) (0.2) adjusted down.

WHAT MATTERS:

• Numbers posted.

The War of 18-49, Good Girls

Spotted Ratings, Wednesday 8/25/21

FINALS UPDATE: Press Your Luck (0.5), The $100,000 Pyramid (0.5), America's Got Talent (0.7), Chicago Med (R) (0.3) and MasterChef (0.6) adjusted up.

WHAT MATTERS:

• Numbers posted.

The War of 18-49, Station 19

The Second Grey's Spin-off

Right around the time that Shonda Rhimes staple Scandal was wrapping up its seven-season run, ABC brought in some new blood to try to keep its 'TGIT' Thursday branding alive. It was Station 19, the second spin-off of Grey's Anatomy, premiering more than a decade after the first (Private Practice). And the show did not particularly impress out of the gate, opening with a 1.1 demo that was well below its 1.9 Grey's lead-in. It pulled out a season two renewal by staying pretty consistent post-premiere, ticking up to a 1.2 in week two and posting mostly 1.0's and 0.9's the rest of the way. 

It basically remained at the same level in a fall/spring run for season two. It roughly matched the mediocre final season of Scandal in the fall, then roughly matched itself in the spring ratings, and only really perked up during a trio of Grey's cross-over episodes.

The 8/7c Upgrade

Like Private Practice, Station 19 aired multiple seasons directly after the Grey's mothership, and in those episodes the two shows actually didn't look that different from each other. Where the stories diverged was what happened after the post-Grey's run. When Scandal launched in 2012, Private Practice was sent off to Tuesday, where it withered away rather quickly. But Station 19 remained part of Thursday night, at 8/7c in the pre-Grey's timeslot, giving the direct Grey's lead-in back to 10/9c shows.

This turned out to be a big win for Station 19, and for ABC's ratings overall; the Grey's audience followed it back to 9/8c, while Station saw a significant ratings improvement in the high-viewed 8/7c hour, hammocked between local programming and the Grey's mothership. Season three was actually up in raw numbers, staying around 1.0 in the winter and then bouncing up to the low-1's when COVID lockdowns hit in the spring. And season four basically took a league average decline, staying at those same high levels. As long as Grey's lives, there's no reason to mess with the Station/Grey's combo, so it will roll into 2021-22 intact.

Adults 18-49 info by season:

Seas	Year	Slot	Avg	y2y	Lo	Hi	Results	Grade
1	Spring 2018	Thursday 9:00	1.06		0.9	1.2	detail	B-
2	2018-19		Thursday 9:00	0.95	-10%	0.8	1.3	detail	B-
3	2020	Thursday 8:00	1.05	+10%	0.8	1.3	detail	B+
4	2020-21		Thursday 8:00	0.83	-21%	0.7	1.2	detail	B
5	2021-22		Thursday 8:00	0.61	-26%	0.5	0.8	detail	C+
6	2022-23		Thursday 8:00	0.47	-23%	0.4	0.5	detail	C+
7	Spring 2024	Thursday 10:00	0.28	-40%	0.2	0.4	detail	C

Historical-adjusted ratings by season:

Seas	Year	A18-49+	Label	Now24	y2y	Lo	Hi	Premiere	Finale
1	Spring 2018	96	marginal	0.37		83	108	105	93
2	2018-19	100	solid	0.38	+4%	81	137	113	85
3	2020	128	hit	0.49	+28%	100	156	149	109
4	2020-21	129	hit	0.49	+1%	102	189	189	107
5	2021-22	120	solid	0.46	-7%	94	149	149	114
6	2022-23	111	solid	0.42	-8%	91	124	120	108
7	Spring 2024	74	marginal	0.28	-33%	53	98	98	90
AVERAGE:		AVERAGE:	109	solid
CAREER:		CAREER:	760	tentpole

The War of 18-49 chronicles the ratings history of veteran primetime series. For more, see the Index.

Spotted Ratings, Tuesday 8/24/21

FINALS UPDATE: Bachelor in Paradise (0.8) and FBI (R) (0.3) adjusted up while The Ultimate Surfer (0.3) adjusted down.

WHAT MATTERS:

• Numbers posted.

The Breakdown: NBC Friday in 2020-21 (The Blacklist, Dateline)

It's time for a journey through the NBC Friday schedule in 2020-21...

Spotted Ratings, Monday 8/23/21

FINALS UPDATE: Bachelor in Paradise (1.0) adjusted up.

WHAT MATTERS:

• Numbers posted. Competition reality series The Ultimate Surfer premiered after Bachelor in Paradise.

Spotted Ratings, Sunday 8/22/21

FINALS UPDATE: The Chase (0.6), Big Brother (1.1) and America's Got Talent (R) (0.3) adjusted up while 60 Minutes (0.4, -0.2) adjusted down.

WHAT MATTERS:

• Numbers posted.

The Breakdown: CBS Friday in 2020-21 (MacGyver, Magnum P.I., Blue Bloods and more!)

It's time for a journey through the CBS Friday schedule in 2020-21...

Spotted Ratings, Friday 8/20/21

FINALS UPDATE: American Ninja Warrior (R) (0.2) and Dateline (R) (0.2) adjusted down.

WHAT MATTERS:

• Numbers posted.

Spotted Ratings, Thursday 8/19/21

FINALS UPDATE: B Positive (R) (0.3), Brooklyn Nine-Nine (0.4), Brooklyn Nine-Nine (0.3) and Making It (0.2) adjusted down.

WHAT MATTERS:

• Numbers posted.

The War of 18-49, Black Lightning

Spotted Ratings, Wednesday 8/18/21

FINALS UPDATE: America's Got Talent (0.7) and Chicago PD (R) (0.3) adjusted up.

WHAT MATTERS:

• Numbers posted. CBS had the premiere of unscripted offering House Calls with Dr. Phil.

The War of 18-49, The Masked Singer

A Record-Setting Rookie Singing Show

While singing competitions have been dominant in primetime for the last two decades, even American Idol and The Voice were not megahit performers out of the gate; they both crossed that threshold in season two. But Fox's winter newbie The Masked Singer wasted no time, opening with a whooping 3.0 demo on January 2, 2019. That was well over double its lead-in from 24 Hours to Hell and Back.

The show took a somewhat sizable drop to 2.3 in week two, but it held in the low 2's for most of the rest of the season, then picked up momentum down the stretch with a 2.7 in the penultimate week and a 2.6/3.6 for the double-episode season finale. The season's Plus average of 272 was far bigger than any season of The Voice and barely 10% weaker than even the very strongest American Idol seasons.

On the Fall/Spring Schedule

Unlike American Idol, which always aired only one season per year, Fox was able to put The Masked Singer on the two-cycles-per-year plan long used with The Voice and Dancing with the Stars. In fall 2019, season two of The Masked Singer was still deep into megahit levels if not quite on the level of season one; it stayed just north of 2.0 for over a month and dipped into high-1's for the second half of the season.

Despite airing after the Super Bowl, season three looked like it was headed for another step down in raw numbers, but then the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and The Masked Singer got a sizable ratings bump during the lockdowns, breaking 2.0 through late March and most of April. The show kept going pretty strong the next fall, returning on Premiere Wednesday against a lot of filler competition due to pandemic-related production delays.

The first cracks in the mask might have finally appeared in season five in spring 2021; it started in the low-1's and stayed there, narrowly taking it out of megahit territory. A drop was inevitable considering how much it benefited in the previous spring season, but was this drop large enough to be worrisome? Its legacy as a high ratings achiever is absolutely secure, and it won't be a Joe Millionaire-esque flash in the pan. But the 2021-22 season will tell us a lot about the show's true longevity potential.

Adults 18-49 info by season:

Seas	Year	Slot	Avg	y2y	Lo	Hi	Results	Grade
1	Winter 2019	Wednesday 9:00	2.58		2.2	3.6	detail	A+
2	Fall 2019	Wednesday 8:00	2.00		1.6	2.5	detail	A-
3	Spring 2020		Wednesday 8:00	2.03	-21%	1.8	2.4		detail	A-
4	Fall 2020		Wednesday 8:00	1.78	-11%	1.3	3.5	detail	B
5	Spring 2021		Wednesday 8:00	1.21	-40%	1.1	1.4	detail	C
6	Fall 2021		Wednesday 8:00	0.94	-47%	0.8	1.1	detail	C-
7	Spring 2022		Wednesday 8:00	0.71	-41%	0.6	0.9	detail	D+
8	Fall 2022		Wednesday 8:00	0.73	-23%	0.4	2.2	detail	D+
9	Spring 2023		Wednesday 8:00	0.57	-20%	0.5	0.7	detail	B-
10	Fall 2023		Wednesday 8:00	0.46	-37%	0.4	0.5	detail	C
11	Spring 2024		Wednesday 8:00	0.39	-31%	0.3	0.5	detail	C-

Historical-adjusted ratings by season:

Seas	Year	A18-49+	Label	Now24	y2y	Lo	Hi	Premiere	Finale
1	Winter 2019	272	megahit	1.03		233	376	312	376
2	Fall 2019	244	megahit	0.92		194	307	307	272
3	Spring 2020	248	megahit	0.94	-9%	215	295	248	286
4	Fall 2020	275	megahit	1.05	+13%	202	543	243	279
5	Spring 2021	188	big hit	0.71	-24%	164	209	203	209
6	Fall 2021	185	big hit	0.70	-33%	165	218	218	194
7	Spring 2022	139	hit	0.53	-26%	123	171	171	139
8	Fall 2022	171	big hit	0.65	-8%	91	516	148	155
9	Spring 2023	134	hit	0.51	-4%	113	159	148	129
10	Fall 2023	120	solid	0.46	-30%	100	142	142	134
11	Spring 2024	103	solid	0.39	-23%	92	127	108	92

The War of 18-49 chronicles the ratings history of veteran primetime series. For more, see the Index.

Spotted Ratings, Tuesday 8/17/21

FINALS UPDATE: FBI (R) (0.3), America's Got Talent (0.9) and LEGO Masters (0.5) adjusted up while Stargirl (0.1) and Superman and Lois (0.1) adjusted down.

WHAT MATTERS:

• Numbers posted.

The Breakdown: ABC Friday in 2020-21 (Shark Tank, 20/20)

It's time for a journey through the ABC Friday schedule in 2020-21...

Spotted Ratings, Monday 8/16/21

FINALS UPDATE: Bachelor in Paradise (0.9) and American Ninja Warrior (0.6) adjusted up.

WHAT MATTERS:

• Numbers posted. Bachelor in Paradise returned to ABC after skipping summer 2020.

SpotVault - Stargirl (CW) - 2021 Ratings

Stargirl

Tuesdays, 8/7c, CW

SpotVault - Secret Celebrity Renovation (CBS) - Summer 2021 Ratings

Secret Celebrity Renovation

Fridays, 8/7c, CBS

SpotVault - Roswell, New Mexico (CW) - Summer 2021 Ratings

Roswell, New Mexico

Mondays, 8/7c, CW

SpotVault - Love Island (CBS) - Summer 2021 Ratings

Love Island

Wednesdays, 9/8c, CBS

SpotVault - Fantasy Island (Fox) - Summer 2021 Ratings

Fantasy Island

Tuesdays, 9/8c, Fox

SpotVault - Family Game Fight! (NBC) - Summer 2021 Ratings

Family Game Fight!

Wednesdays, 9/8c, NBC

SpotVault - Brooklyn Nine-Nine (NBC) - 2021-22 Ratings

Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Thursdays, 8/7c, NBC

SpotVault - Big Brother (CBS) - Summer 2021 Ratings

Big Brother

Wednesdays, 8/7c, CBS

SpotVault - Bachelor in Paradise (ABC) - 2021 Ratings

Bachelor in Paradise

Tuesdays, 8/7c, ABC

Spotted Ratings, Sunday 8/15/21

FINALS UPDATE: America's Funniest Home Videos (R) (0.4), Celebrity Family Feud (0.6), Big Brother (1.0) and America's Got Talent (R) (0.3) adjusted up.

WHAT MATTERS:

• Numbers posted.

The Breakdown: CW Thursday in 2020-21 (Supernatural, Walker, Legacies)

It's time for a journey through the CW Thursday schedule in 2020-21...

Spotted Ratings, Friday 8/13/21

FINALS UPDATE: Secret Celebrity Renovation (0.3), Love Island (0.3), Blue Bloods (R) (0.2) and Dateline (0.3) adjusted down.

WHAT MATTERS:

• Numbers posted. Preliminary numbers may be affected by local NFL preemptions.

Spotted Ratings, Thursday 8/12/21

FINALS UPDATE: When Nature Calls with Helen Mirren (0.2), Big Brother (0.9), Love Island (0.4, -0.2), Bull (R) (0.2), Brooklyn Nine-Nine (0.4, -0.2), Brooklyn Nine-Nine (0.3, -0.2), Making It (0.2, -0.2), Law and Order: Organized Crime (0.1) and MLB Baseball (0.9, -0.4) adjusted down.

WHAT MATTERS:

• Numbers posted. NBC had the double-episode return of Brooklyn Nine-Nine, its first originals in more than 15 months. NOTE: Numbers may be inflated due to local NFL preemptions.
  

The War of 18-49, Young Sheldon

Big Bang's Big Spin-off

It took nearly a decade, but in fall 2017 CBS finally came out with its first spin-off of longtime megahit comedy The Big Bang Theory. They aired together on Premiere Monday in fall 2017 and had one of the biggest comedy explosions in recent memory: Big Bang averaged a 4.1 demo (a series high 373 Plus) and Young Sheldon held onto almost all of it with a 3.8. Big Bang remained on Monday for a month longer, as CBS was still airing Thursday Night Football at this time, but Sheldon did not return until the Thursday slot opened up in early November. Sheldon's 2.3 demo was down about 40% from that huge premiere night, but it stayed very close to that for most of the rest of the season and even popped up to some mid-2's in January. In the end, Sheldon posted a 202 Plus average for the season, making it the biggest new comedy of the entire A18-49+ era.

The 2018-19 season was the announced final season for Big Bang, and while it was still at megahit levels, it was mostly a little weaker than the previous season. And Sheldon's retention got a little worse; Big Bang was usually in the low-2's and Sheldon in the high-1's until late in the season, when Sheldon dropped to some mid-1's. They were still an undeniably potent combination, with Sheldon off just 11% in Plus from its huge rookie season.

The Heir to the Thursday Lead-off Slot

But a new challenge awaited Young Sheldon in season three: opening Thursday night as Big Bang had in the previous nine seasons. It was quickly apparent that Sheldon would not step right in at the same strength level. It opened season three with just a 1.1 demo on Premiere Thursday, easily a new series low, and it spent pretty much the whole season hanging around a 1.0. That added up to a 128 Plus, down by almost 30% from its last season alongside TBBT, and not even half of what the peak TBBT seasons were doing.

Fortunately, it didn't get much worse from there, at least in season four; the show opened the season with a somewhat alarming 0.7, but perked up nicely in the winter with a bunch of 0.8's and 0.9's. Even after spring declines, it was down just 7% in Plus. It may not be Big Bang, but it's the best CBS can do right now, and the network rewarded it with a three-season renewal in spring 2021. With veteran Mom off the schedule in 2021-22, Sheldon will be asked to carry even more of a load on Thursday alongside a bunch of young guns.

Adults 18-49 info by season:

Seas	Year	Slot	Avg	y2y	Lo	Hi	Results	Grade
1	2017-18	Thursday 8:30	2.21		1.8	3.8	detail	A
2	2018-19		Thursday 8:30	1.71	-23%	1.4	2.1	detail	C+
3	2019-20	Thursday 8:00	1.05	-39%	0.9	1.3	detail	C
4	2020-21		Thursday 8:00	0.76	-27%	0.6	0.9	detail	C
5	2021-22		Thursday 8:00	0.66	-13%	0.6	0.8	detail	B+
6	2022-23		Thursday 8:00	0.58	-12%	0.5	0.7	detail	B+
7	Spring 2024		Thursday 8:00	0.53	-8%	0.4	0.8	detail	B

Historical-adjusted ratings by season:

Seas	Year	A18-49+	Label	Now24	y2y	Lo	Hi	Premiere	Finale
1	2017-18	202	megahit	0.77		162	349	349	197
2	2018-19	180	big hit	0.68	-11%	150	222	181	222
3	2019-20	128	hit	0.48	-29%	115	155	131	137
4	2020-21	118	solid	0.45	-7%	90	147	110	112
5	2021-22	130	hit	0.49	+9%	112	163	137	129
6	2022-23	136	hit	0.52	+5%	110	159	120	134
7	Spring 2024	141	hit	0.53	+4%	111	200	166	200
AVERAGE:		AVERAGE:	148	hit
CAREER:		CAREER:	1034	star

The War of 18-49 chronicles the ratings history of veteran primetime series. For more, see the Index.

Spotted Ratings, Wednesday 8/11/21

FINALS UPDATE: Press Your Luck (0.5) and MasterChef (0.5) adjusted up.

WHAT MATTERS:

• Numbers posted. Family Game Fight! had its regular timeslot premiere, following the first Wednesday edition of America's Got Talent.

Spotted Ratings, Tuesday 8/10/21

FINALS UPDATE: No adjustments.

WHAT MATTERS:

• Numbers posted. Fox premiered summer drama Fantasy Island, and the CW had the return of Stargirl for season two.

The Breakdown: Fox Thursday in 2020-21 (Hell's Kitchen, Call Me Kat, Last Man Standing and more!)

It's time for a journey through the Fox Thursday schedule in 2020-21...

Spotted Ratings, Monday 8/9/21

FINALS UPDATE: The Bachelorette (1.3) and Hell's Kitchen (0.7) adjusted up.

WHAT MATTERS:

• Numbers posted.

Spotted Ratings, Sunday 8/8/21

FINALS UPDATE: 60 Minutes (0.5), Tokyo Gold (0.9, +0.2), Summer Olympics (1.6, +0.5) and Family Game Fight! (0.7) adjusted up.

WHAT MATTERS:

• Numbers posted. NBC previewed game show Family Game Fight! after the Closing Ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics. Its regular timeslot premiere comes on Wednesday.

The Breakdown: NBC Thursday in 2020-21 (Manifest, Superstore, Law and Order: SVU and more!)

It's time for a journey through the NBC Thursday schedule in 2020-21...

Spotted Ratings, Friday 8/6/21

FINALS UPDATE: Summer Olympics (2.3, +0.4) adjusted up.

WHAT MATTERS:

• Numbers posted.

Spotted Ratings, Thursday 8/5/21

FINALS UPDATE: Summer Olympics (2.0) and NFL Preseason Football (2.0, +0.4) adjusted up.

WHAT MATTERS:

• Numbers posted. The Olympics got some NFL competition as the Hall of Fame Game kicked off the preseason on Fox.

The War of 18-49, The Good Doctor

A Rare Breakout at 10/9c

After seven seasons with consistent cop drama Castle in the Monday 10/9c hour, then one very bad post-Castle season for the timeslot (shared by flop newbie Conviction and flop sophomore Quantico), ABC immediately came up with a new staple for the timeslot on Premiere Monday in 2017. Medical drama The Good Doctor opened with a whooping 2.2 demo at 10/9c, growing by more than 50% from its Dancing with the Stars lead-in (1.4). That ended up being a 200 Plus, far bigger than any Castle episode ever (its series high was 135). And Good Doc stayed above peak Castle levels throughout season one; it held its 2.2 in week two, then had a couple 2.0's and high-1's for the rest of the fall. In the winter, it mostly stayed north of 1.5 and was about in line with its much bigger lead-ins from The Bachelor. This added up to a 163 Plus, making it one of the biggest rookie dramas in the 10/9c hour over the last decade (a little behind How to Get Away with Murder, but bigger than The Blacklist).

A Fast Fall Back to Reality

 But The Good Doctor's time at those sky-high levels was short-lived. The season two premiere was a 1.3, tying its low from season one, and it stayed at very low-1's for the rest of the season. Season three was fractional almost all the way, only perking up into the 1's for its last couple episodes (at the start of the COVID lockdowns). It wasn't any help that these seasons aired after two of the weakest Dancing with the Stars seasons ever, but by season three it was usually a bit behind its DWTS lead-in: a far cry from its huge gains during season one.

Season four didn't premiere till November due to COVID-driven production delays, meaning the show largely missed out on a major resurgence season for DWTS, plus had to air much deeper into the spring than was typical. That provides some excuse for its continued declines, but the bottom line is that season four ended up looking like a below-average Castle season (at least in Live+SD), and at this point it's hard to imagine it turning around. Nevertheless, it will return to that Monday 10/9c hour for a fifth straight year in 2021-22.

Adults 18-49 info by season:

Seas	Year	Slot	Avg	y2y	Lo	Hi	Results	Grade
1	2017-18	Monday 10:00	1.79		1.3	2.2	detail	A
2	2018-19		Monday 10:00	1.10	-38%	1.0	1.3	detail	C-
3	2019-20		Monday 10:00	0.86	-22%	0.7	1.1	detail	C+
4	2020-21		Monday 10:00	0.57	-34%	0.4	0.7	detail	C
5	2021-22		Monday 10:00	0.40	-29%	0.3	0.5	detail	C
6	2022-23		Monday 10:00	0.32	-21%	0.2	0.4	detail	C+
7	Spring 2024	Tuesday 10:00	0.20	-39%	0.1	0.3	detail	D

Historical-adjusted ratings by season:

Seas	Year	A18-49+	Label	Now24	y2y	Lo	Hi	Premiere	Finale
1	2017-18	163	big hit	0.62		121	202	200	151
2	2018-19	116	solid	0.44	-29%	104	142	136	142
3	2019-20	105	solid	0.40	-10%	84	133	117	133
4	2020-21	88	marginal	0.34	-16%	70	104	102	85
5	2021-22	79	marginal	0.30	-11%	69	96	80	71
6	2022-23	75	marginal	0.28	-5%	59	91	91	75
7	Spring 2024	51	flop	0.20	-31%	37	69	69	58
AVERAGE:		AVERAGE:	97	marginal
CAREER:		CAREER:	677	staple

The War of 18-49 chronicles the ratings history of veteran primetime series. For more, see the Index.

Spotted Ratings, Wednesday 8/4/21

FINALS UPDATE: Big Brother (0.9) and Summer Olympics (2.4, +0.2) adjusted up.

WHAT MATTERS:

• Numbers posted.

Spotted Ratings, Tuesday 8/3/21

FINALS UPDATE: The Goldbergs (R) (0.3), Black-ish (R) (0.2) and Summer Olympics (3.0, +0.3) adjusted up.

WHAT MATTERS:

• Numbers posted.

The Breakdown: CBS Thursday in 2020-21 (Young Sheldon, B Positive, Mom, The Unicorn and more!)

It's time for a journey through the CBS Thursday schedule in 2020-21...