Spotted Ratings, Friday 7/29/22

FINALS UPDATE: Blue Bloods (R) (0.2), Dateline (R) (0.3) and WWE SmackDown! (0.5) adjusted up while World's Funniest Animals (R) (0.0) and World's Funniest Animals (R) (0.0) adjusted down.

WHAT MATTERS:

• Numbers posted.

Spotted Ratings, Thursday 7/28/22

FINALS UPDATE: Press Your Luck (0.5) and Big Brother (0.8) adjusted up.

WHAT MATTERS:

• Numbers posted.

The War of 18-49, Legacies

The Second Vampire Diaries Spin-Off

Two years after The Vampire Diaries signed off as the most successful drama of the pre-superhero years on the CW, and a year after the final season of its first spin-off (The Originals), the TVD universe stayed alive on the network with the premiere of Legacies. It may not have had the mothership as a lead-in, but it did have a still potent Supernatural, and Legacies held onto a pretty solid chunk of that audience. The series premiere was underwhelming at 0.29, but it leapt up to 0.37 the next week and spent most of the rest of the season somewhere in the 0.3's (while Supernatural was usually hitting 0.4's at 8/7c).

The pairing returned for season two, with Legacies arguably looking even more impressive. Its fall ratings were almost even year-to-year in Plus while Supernatural took a noticeable dip.

Thursday Falls Apart

But that last dose of Supernatural in fall 2019 proved to be the high water mark for Legacies. It started in winter 2020 when Legacies had to air after the disastrous Riverdale spin-off Katy Keene. That took a chunk out of Legacies' ratings, but it still held up admirably, building big on Katy and posting massive DVR gains to boot.

Then the show didn't air again for 10 months due to COVID-19 production delays. When it came back in January 2021, it actually had a lead-in that was every bit as strong as Supernatural in the new drama Walker. But it was attracting a far older audience and was never really a good fit. Legacies had an even worse Plus after the early Walker eps than it did following Katy Keene. Then Walker fell off hard and fast, and Legacies pretty much followed suit. It was down to 0.1's for good in the spring and summer of that season. By the second half of season four, with Walker still down 40% or more year-to-year, Legacies was struggling to even hang onto 0.1's. That left Legacies as a casualty in an uncommon flurry of CW cancellations after the 2021-22 season, a harrowing result for a show that had shown so much potential in the first two seasons.

Adults 18-49 info by season:

Seas	Year	Slot	Avg	y2y	Lo	Hi	Results	Grade
1	2018-19	Thursday 9:00	0.31		0.2	0.4	detail	B-
2	2019-20		Thursday 9:00	0.23	-24%	0.2	0.3	detail	B+
3	2021		Thursday 9:00	0.12	-47%	0.1	0.2	detail	C-
4	2021-22		Thursday 9:00	0.08	-38%	0.0	0.1	detail	D+

Historical-adjusted ratings by season:

Seas	Year	A18-49+	Label	Now22	y2y	Lo	Hi	Premiere	Finale
1	2018-19	32	marginal(CW)	0.17		22.09	41	31	31
2	2019-20	28	marginal(CW)	0.15	-12%	20.75	35	35	26
3	2021	19	flop	0.10	-33%	10.86	28	26	19
4	2021-22	15	flop	0.08	-21%	7.84	24	12	18
AVERAGE:		AVERAGE:	24	flop

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

Spotted Ratings, Wednesday 7/27/22

FINALS UPDATE: The Conners (R) (0.3) adjusted up.

WHAT MATTERS:

• Numbers posted.

Spotted Ratings, Tuesday 7/26/22

FINALS UPDATE: Generation Gap (R) (0.3) and America's Got Talent (0.8) adjusted up.

WHAT MATTERS:

• Numbers posted. NBC previewed USA Network reality competition Snake in the Grass after America's Got Talent.

The Breakdown: NBC Thursday in 2021-22 (Law & Order, Law & Order: SVU, Law & Order: Organized Crime and more!)

It's time for a journey through the NBC Thursday schedule in 2021-22...

Spotted Ratings, Monday 7/25/22

FINALS UPDATE: The Bachelorette (0.7), Don't Forget the Lyrics! (R) (0.3) and Beat Shazam (R) (0.3) adjusted up.

WHAT MATTERS:

• Numbers posted.

Spotted Ratings, Sunday 7/24/22

FINALS UPDATE: America's Funniest Home Videos (R) (0.4), Celebrity Family Feud (0.5), The Final Straw (0.4), Big Brother (0.7), Weakest Link (R) (0.3), Beat Shazam (R) (0.2) and The Simpsons (R) (0.2) adjusted up.

WHAT MATTERS:

• Numbers posted.

The Breakdown: CBS Thursday in 2021-22 (Young Sheldon, United States of Al, Ghosts and more!)

It's time for a journey through the CBS Thursday schedule in 2021-22...

Spotted Ratings, Friday 7/22/22

FINALS UPDATE: No adjustments.

WHAT MATTERS:

• Numbers posted.

Spotted Ratings, Thursday 7/21/22

FINALS UPDATE: No adjustments.

WHAT MATTERS:

• Numbers posted. ABC, CBS and NBC simulcast the January 6th Committee hearing.

SpotVault - The Final Straw (ABC) - Summer 2022 Ratings

The Final Straw

Sundays, 10/9c, ABC

SpotVault - The Challenge: USA (CBS) - Summer 2022 Ratings

The Challenge: USA

Wednesdays, 9/8c, CBS

SpotVault - The Bachelorette (ABC) - Summer 2022 Ratings

The Bachelorette

Mondays, 8/7c, ABC

SpotVault - The $100,000 Pyramid (ABC) - Summer 2022 Ratings

The $100,000 Pyramid

Sundays, 9/8c, ABC

SpotVault - Press Your Luck (ABC) - Summer 2022 Ratings

Press Your Luck

Thursdays, 8/7c, ABC

SpotVault - Generation Gap (ABC) - Summer 2022 Ratings

Generation Gap

Thursdays, 9/8c, ABC

SpotVault - Claim to Fame (ABC) - Summer 2022 Ratings

Claim to Fame

Mondays, 10/9c, ABC

SpotVault - Celebrity Family Feud (ABC) - Summer 2022 Ratings

Celebrity Family Feud

Sundays, 8/7c, ABC

SpotVault - Big Brother (CBS) - Summer 2022 Ratings

Big Brother

Sundays, 8/7c, CBS

The War of 18-49, Magnum P.I.

An Underwhelming Monday Rookie

Just two years after returning to its traditional two hours of Monday comedy, in fall 2018 CBS gave up on the plan once again and returned to drama programming at 9/8c. But newbie Magnum P.I. immediately looked like a much weaker option than the last drama they used for this role (Scorpion in fall 2014). With help from The Big Bang Theory (2.5) and Young Sheldon (1.7) on Premiere Monday, Magnum mustered up a 1.1 demo, and it fell to a 0.9 the next week when the regular Monday comedy hour took over. It mostly pulled 0.8's going forward that season, even hitting some 0.7's down the stretch. And while Scorpion had usually built from the comedy hour at 9/8c, Magnum generally matched it at best, and was often down a bit. Magnum ended up only barely improving on a very weak comedy hour from the previous season, and didn't seem to be the answer for the Monday 9/8c hour.

New Life on Friday 

But it got renewed and sent off to Friday, where it would have to fit in on a night that already had three established properties in MacGyver, Hawaii Five-0 and Blue Bloods. For fall 2019, Magnum aired at 9/8c while Hawaii moved to 8/7c. While Magnum still wasn't anything special, and usually lost a little bit of Hawaii's demo, it was at least more competitive with the standard historically. And it looked better following a winter hiatus, matching and sometimes outrating its MacGyver lead-in during the spring.

With Hawaii Five-0's cancellation coming into the 2020-21 season, CBS had a much clearer trio of Friday dramas, and they were consistently steady year-to-year in Plus. That included Magnum continuing to match or edge MacGyver, and it actually tied what Hawaii Five-0 had done at 9/8c during Magnum's winter hiatus the previous season. The cancellation of MacGyver gave Magnum a much more volatile lead-in situation in season four, but it looked solid for the fall/winter (after S.W.A.T. and Undercover Boss) before falling off a bit when CBS premiered the flop reality series Come Dance with Me.

But for a third straight year, CBS swung the axe on a solid Friday night performer, and this time it was Magnum P.I. that got cancelled. As well as this lineup has seemed to stack up with CBS Fridays of the past, it seems pretty clear at this point that it's not good enough for CBS to keep intact. Perhaps CBS just doesn't want to overspend on veteran dramas when so many shows have proven capable of big numbers here (including shows that struggled on weeknights like Magnum and S.W.A.T.). This fall, CBS will replace Magnum with the new firefighter drama Fire Country. But unlike MacGyver, Magnum was able to find a second home, and has been picked up for two short seasons at NBC.

Adults 18-49 info by season:

Seas	Year	Slot	Avg	y2y	Lo	Hi	Results	Grade
1	2018-19	Monday 9:00	0.85		0.7	2.4	detail	C
2	2019-20	Friday 9:00	0.65	-24%	0.5	0.8	detail	B
3	2020-21		Friday 9:00	0.52	-21%	0.4	0.6	detail	B
4	2021-22		Friday 9:00	0.42	-19%	0.3	0.5	detail	B
5	Winter Spring 2023	Sunday 9:00	0.27	-35%	0.2	0.4	detail	C
6	2023-24	Wednesday 9:00	0.26	-4%	0.2	0.3	detail	C+

Historical-adjusted ratings by season:

Seas	Year	A18-49+	Label	Now24	y2y	Lo	Hi	Premiere	Finale
1	2018-19	90	marginal	0.34		69	254	122	72
2	2019-20	79	hit(Fri)	0.30	-12%	67	104	70	73
3	2020-21	80	hit(Fri)	0.30	+1%	64	93	78	64
4	2021-22	82	hit(Fri)	0.31	+2%	61	98	76	67
5	Winter Spring 2023	64	flop	0.24	-22%	47	84	84	59
6	2023-24	68	flop	0.26	+7%	55	84	84	69
AVERAGE:		AVERAGE:	77	hit(Fri)
CAREER:		CAREER:	463	utility

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

Spotted Ratings, Wednesday 7/20/22

FINALS UPDATE: Big Brother (0.7), Chicago Med (R) (0.3) and MasterChef (0.5) adjusted up.

WHAT MATTERS:

• Numbers posted. The ESPY Awards were back on a weeknight after averaging just a 0.24 on a Saturday last year.

Spotted Ratings, Tuesday 7/19/22

FINALS UPDATE: MLB All-Star Game (1.6, +0.4) adjusted up.

WHAT MATTERS:

• Numbers posted. The MLB All-Star Game aired on Fox. Last year's edition averaged a 1.4 prelim/1.84 final

The Breakdown: ABC Thursday in 2021-22 (Station 19, Grey's Anatomy, Big Sky)

It's time for a journey through the ABC Thursday schedule in 2021-22...

Spotted Ratings, Monday 7/18/22

FINALS UPDATE: The Bachelorette (0.7) and Claim to Fame (0.4) adjusted up.

WHAT MATTERS:

• Numbers posted.

Spotted Ratings, Sunday 7/17/22

FINALS UPDATE: The $100,000 Pyramid (0.4), America's Got Talent (R) (0.3) and World Track and Field Championships (0.3) adjusted up.

WHAT MATTERS:

• Numbers posted.

The Breakdown: CW Wednesday in 2021-22 (Legends of Tomorrow, Batwoman, Kung Fu and more!)

It's time for a journey through the CW Wednesday schedule in 2021-22...

Spotted Ratings, Friday 7/15/22

FINALS UPDATE: WWE SmackDown! (0.5) adjusted up.

WHAT MATTERS:

• Numbers posted.

Spotted Ratings, Thursday 7/14/22

FINALS UPDATE: Big Brother (0.7) adjusted up.

WHAT MATTERS:

• Numbers posted.

The War of 18-49, The Rookie

Nathan Fillion Returns

Three years after the ABC crime drama Castle ended its eight-season run, its lead actor Nathan Fillion launched a new ABC procedural called The Rookie in the Tuesday 10/9c hour. It looked pretty decent, opening to a 1.0 demo and building by a tick on its lead-in, another new series premiere (comedy Splitting Up Together). It dropped to 0.8 in week two and mostly pulled 0.6's and 0.7's during season one, but on average it continued to outrate Splitting by a little bit. So The Rookie ended up with a Plus more like the weakest Castle seasons (the first and last) than the heyday, but it also had a lot less support than Castle, which largely aired out of Dancing with the Stars and The Bachelor.

Surviving Sunday

For season two, The Rookie got moved to the Sunday 10/9c hour. It came with the promise of a big American Idol lead-in like what Castle always got, and in those episodes The Rookie has been able to perk up to Castle-like ratings on its best days. But the downside is that it also has to endure the always perilous fall period when Idol isn't around. The fall 9/8c lead-ins have been pretty bad generally, sometimes making it an even worse situation than it had on Tuesday.

In the end, these factors have largely ended up being a wash for the seasonal ratings; it picked up a teeny bit in season two, dropped back to the season one Plus for season three, and then dropped a bit more to a new low in season four.

The Tuesday Breakout

Season five started abnormally well for The Rookie, as its Celebrity Wheel of Fortune proved a better lead-in than the show had often seen in the fall. But even better days were ahead with a midseason move to the Tuesday 8/7c hour, where the show exploded into legitimate hit territory with a high 0.6 in its first January episode. It stayed in the 0.5 range for most of the rest of the way, bringing the season average all the way above the league average in 2022-23.

Adults 18-49 info by season:

Seas	Year	Slot	Avg	y2y	Lo	Hi	Results	Grade
1	2018-19	Tuesday 10:00	0.72		0.6	1.0	detail	B
2	2019-20	Sunday 10:00	0.64	-10%	0.5	0.8	detail	B+
3	2021		Sunday 10:00	0.49	-24%	0.4	0.6	detail	B-
4	2021-22		Sunday 10:00	0.36	-27%	0.3	0.5	detail	B-
5	2022-23	Sun 10:00, Tue 8:00	0.43	+20%	0.3	0.6	detail	A
6	Spring 2024	Tuesday 9:00	0.31	-29%	0.2	0.4	detail	C+

Historical-adjusted ratings by season:

Seas	Year	A18-49+	Label	Now24	y2y	Lo	Hi	Premiere	Finale
1	2018-19	76	marginal	0.29		61	103	103	72
2	2019-20	79	marginal	0.30	+4%	62	99	81	76
3	2021	76	marginal	0.29	-3%	60	96	76	79
4	2021-22	70	marginal	0.27	-7%	55	100	71	71
5	2022-23	101	solid	0.38	+44%	63	150	73	120
6	Spring 2024	81	marginal	0.31	-20%	63	100	100	79
AVERAGE:		AVERAGE:	80	marginal
CAREER:		CAREER:	483	utility

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

Spotted Ratings, Wednesday 7/13/22

FINALS UPDATE: Shark Beach with Chris Hemsworth (0.3), Shark Tank (R) (0.3), Big Brother (0.7) and The Challenge: USA (0.4) adjusted up.

WHAT MATTERS:

• Numbers posted.

Spotted Ratings, Tuesday 7/12/22

FINALS UPDATE: No adjustments.

WHAT MATTERS:

• Numbers posted.

The Breakdown: Fox Wednesday in 2021-22 (The Masked Singer, Alter Ego, Next Level Chef and more!)

It's time for a journey through the Fox Wednesday schedule in 2021-22...

Spotted Ratings, Monday 7/11/22

FINALS UPDATE: The Bachelorette (0.7), Claim to Fame (0.4) and American Ninja Warrior (0.4) adjusted up.

WHAT MATTERS:

• Numbers posted. ABC's The Bachelorette returned, leading into new competition series Claim to Fame.

Spotted Ratings, Sunday 7/10/22

FINALS UPDATE: America's Funniest Home Videos (R) (0.5), Celebrity Family Feud (0.7) and Bob's Burgers (R) (0.2) adjusted up.

WHAT MATTERS:

• Numbers posted. ABC's game show Sunday lineup returned with 9/8c newbie The Final Straw sandwiched by veterans Celebrity Family Feud and The $100,000 Pyramid. NBC revived reality series Who Do You Think You Are? in the 7/6c hour, following three seasons on NBC and seven on TLC in the 2010s.

The Breakdown: NBC Wednesday in 2021-22 (Chicago Med, Chicago Fire, Chicago PD)

It's time for a journey through the NBC Wednesday schedule in 2021-22...

Spotted Ratings, Friday 7/8/22

FINALS UPDATE: S.W.A.T. (R) (0.3) and WWE SmackDown! (0.5) adjusted up.

WHAT MATTERS:

• Numbers posted.

Spotted Ratings, Thursday 7/7/22

WHAT MATTERS:

• Numbers posted. ABC featured the return of Press Your Luck into a pair of newbies, game show Generation Gap and docu-series The Fatal Flaw.

The War of 18-49, New Amsterdam

The Most Common This Is Us Lead-out

In its first two years, the huge lead-in from megahit drama This Is Us was mostly used on familiar franchises, from Chicago Fire in season one to Law and Order True Crime and Chicago Med in season two. Season three was NBC's first big push to try something new, and the medical drama New Amsterdam showed some real promise. It premiered to a 1.8 following This Is Us' 3.0, actually beating the raw numbers of L&O True Crime (1.6 out of a 3.9). And though it had dropped to 1.0ish by the back half of This Is Us' season, New Amsterdam still retained more than 50% of the lead-in every week (something True Crime had never done). It was not that different from what Chicago Med had done in the hour the previous year, and with big DVR gains to boot.

By the 2019-20 season, it was clear that This Is Us was past its peak, and New Amsterdam was pretty much following it downward in lockstep. It kept doing a little better than 50% retention, but it was certainly not looking like another big Chicago-esque franchise in the live ratings.

Still, NBC famously gave it a three-season renewal in January 2020, and continued to ride it out in the Tuesday 10/9c hour. They were not really rewarded for their efforts. The show took another large hit in the 2020-21 season, in part because the COVID-19 pandemic delayed its premiere to March 2021. The retention out of This Is Us still never got that much worse, but This Is Us was now diminished enough that retaining 50% of it made New Amsterdam a pretty iffy player in the Live+SD ratings. In season four, it returned to the fall, but it aired after the much weaker La Brea because This Is Us was delayed till midseason. But airing earlier and then reuniting with a strong final season of This Is Us helped New Amsterdam to stop the bleeding and rebound a touch in Plus. Perhaps that makes it a bit less painful for NBC to see out the last year of the three-season renewal, but NBC has confirmed it will also be the last of the series.

Adults 18-49 info by season:

Seas	Year	Slot	Avg	y2y	Lo	Hi	Results	Grade
1	2018-19	Tuesday 10:00	1.06		0.6	1.8	detail	B+
2	2019-20		Tuesday 10:00	0.77	-28%	0.6	1.0	detail	C+
3	Spring 2021		Tuesday 10:00	0.46	-40%	0.4	0.6	detail	C-
4	2021-22		Tuesday 10:00	0.37	-19%	0.3	0.5	detail	C+
5	2022-23		Tuesday 10:00	0.31	-16%	0.2	0.4	detail	B-

Historical-adjusted ratings by season:

Seas	Year	A18-49+	Label	Now23	y2y	Lo	Hi	Premiere	Finale
1	2018-19	112	solid	0.48		63	194	194	91
2	2019-20	94	marginal	0.40	-16%	76	121	121	115
3	Spring 2021	71	marginal	0.30	-24%	56	95	93	82
4	2021-22	73	marginal	0.31	+2%	51	106	106	92
5	2022-23	73	marginal	0.31	+0%	56	91	91	77
AVERAGE:		AVERAGE:	85	marginal
CAREER:		CAREER:	423	utility

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

Spotted Ratings, Wednesday 7/6/22

FINALS UPDATE: No adjustments.

WHAT MATTERS:

• Numbers posted. CBS had the 90-minute return of Big Brother and the 90-minute premiere of competition series The Challenge: USA.

The Breakdown: CBS Wednesday in 2021-22 (Survivor, The Amazing Race, CSI: Vegas and more!)

It's time for a journey through the CBS Wednesday schedule in 2021-22...

Spotted Ratings, Tuesday 7/5/22

FINALS UPDATE: Holey Moley (0.4) and The Chase (0.4) adjusted up.

WHAT MATTERS:

• Numbers posted.

Spotted Ratings, Monday 7/4/22

FINALS UPDATE: No adjustments.

WHAT MATTERS:

• Numbers posted.

The Breakdown: ABC Wednesday in 2021-22 (The Goldbergs, The Wonder Years, The Conners and more!)

It's time for a journey through the ABC Wednesday schedule in 2021-22...

Spotted Ratings, Sunday 7/3/22

FINALS UPDATE: America's Funniest Home Videos (R) (0.3), Celebrity Family Feud (R) (0.3), Celebrity Family Feud (R) (0.4), 60 Minutes (0.3) and NCIS: Los Angeles (R) (0.2) adjusted up.

WHAT MATTERS:

• Numbers posted.

Spotted Ratings, Friday 7/1/22

FINALS UPDATE: Shark Tank (R) (0.4) and WWE SmackDown! (0.5) adjusted up while Penn and Teller: Fool Us (R) (0.0) adjusted down.

WHAT MATTERS:

• Numbers posted.

Spotted Ratings, Thursday 6/30/22

FINALS UPDATE: Press Your Luck (R) (0.4) adjusted up.

WHAT MATTERS:

• Numbers posted.

The War of 18-49, The Neighborhood

CBS Resets Monday Comedy

Coming off one of its weakest Monday nights historically, CBS cancelled the expensive sophomore anchor Kevin Can Wait and most of the other comedies that made up the two-hour block. They reverted to a single multi-camera comedy hour with newbies The Neighborhood and Happy Together. While Happy Together was a disappointment, The Neighborhood showed some promise. It started at a 1.3, fell to 1.1 in week two, and stayed right around there for most of the rest of the season, perking up a bit in the winter and falling off a bit in the spring. CBS found itself with a comedy anchor that did not hit the early heights of Kevin Can Wait, but ended up outrating its disappointing second season in Plus.

Season two brought a pairing with Chuck Lorre newbie Bob Hearts Abishola, which helped to shore up the 8:30 timeslot. However, The Neighborhood had a slow start to the season, premiering on a new series low 0.9. It didn't get much worse from there, but it started in enough of a hole that it finished the season down in Plus.

Season three was a step in the right direction, with a healthier premiere (0.83) and a nice bounce in the winter (including a couple 1.0's in late January/early February). That put it back on its season one Plus, and then The Neighborhood eked out a new high in season four. That season didn't have as flashy a winter bounce, but was very consistent and even held onto mostly 0.6's deep into the spring. Now The Neighborhood is starting to look like one of CBS' stronger 8/7c comedy anchors in the Plus era. (The only show that did significantly better was How I Met Your Mother in its later seasons.) The network may not have the horses to go with a two-hour comedy lineup as they did during the Everybody Loves Raymond/Two and a Half Men days, but this show is keeping that Monday beachhead alive.

Adults 18-49 info by season:

Seas	Year	Slot	Avg	y2y	Lo	Hi	Results	Grade
1	2018-19	Monday 8:00	1.12		1.0	1.4	detail	A-
2	2019-20		Monday 8:00	0.90	-20%	0.7	1.1	detail	B-
3	2020-21		Monday 8:00	0.76	-15%	0.6	1.0	detail	A-
4	2021-22		Monday 8:00	0.61	-19%	0.5	0.7	detail	B
5	2022-23		Monday 8:00	0.52	-16%	0.4	0.7	detail	B
6	Spring 2024		Monday 8:00	0.44	-15%	0.3	0.6	detail	C+

Historical-adjusted ratings by season:

Seas	Year	A18-49+	Label	Now24	y2y	Lo	Hi	Premiere	Finale
1	2018-19	118	solid	0.45		104	144	138	107
2	2019-20	109	solid	0.41	-7%	92	134	112	105
3	2020-21	118	solid	0.45	+8%	93	155	129	118
4	2021-22	121	solid	0.46	+2%	106	141	123	110
5	2022-23	121	solid	0.46	+1%	94	155	117	113
6	Spring 2024	116	solid	0.44	-4%	87	145	145	111
AVERAGE:		AVERAGE:	117	solid
CAREER:		CAREER:	704	tentpole

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