'Lopez' & 'Freddie' Premieres Delayed By 1 Week Each; 'Chris' Neck and Neck with 'Joey'

Friday, September 23, 2005

'Lopez' & 'Freddie' Premieres Delayed By 1 Week Each; 'Chris' Neck and Neck with 'Joey'

With the monster numbers for the Lost season premiere this past Wednesday, ABC decided to re-air the season premiere next Wednesday at 8:00 p.m. replacing the one-hour fifth season premiere of George Lopez. Lopez will have its one hour season premiere now the week after on October 5. So mark those calendars for this underrated sitcom. The series premiere of Freddie was all set for 8:30 p.m. on October 5, and now that will be on October 12 instead. Of note, technically the second episode of Freddie will be the premiere episode and the pilot episode is actually on October 19. I thought the pilot was a little weak (see our pilot reviews), so maybe ABC thought that too and will air a stronger episode for the show's debut.
Also of note on the third episode of the season for Lost (October 5), sitcom star Katey Sagal (8 Simple Rules, Married...With Children) is guest starring as Helen, a lady from Locke's past. I hope she appears in more than one episode. She is rumored to be appearing in more than one.

As today's topic is network television, we think we should mention the debut of UPN's most talked about series ever probably (sorry America's Next Top Model!). That is of course, Everybody Hates Chris. Chris beat NBC's Joey in adults 18-49 in its half hour (3.2 rating vs. 3.0) for second place (behind Survivor) and was virtually tied with Joey for third in total viewers for the half hour (behind Survivor and Dancing with the Stars: Dance-Off). You might say, 'so what Joey is not a ratings sensation,' but this is big step for UPN and if Joey continues to tumble, NBC might move the show (maybe Tuesdays?) or just cancel it. If My Name is Earl continues to do what it did in its premiere, then you might see that on Thursday nights. In the big apple, WWOR was #1 in its half hour for Chris in adults 18-49 by a wide margin over both Survivor and Joey. But after Chris' airing, Love, Inc. and the rest of the UPN comedies all came down to regular UPN levels.
Other impressive series premieres this week so far besides Earl and Chris include Invasion, Criminal Minds preview, Surface, How I Met Your Mother, and Out of Practice. NBC's E-Ring did OK, but will have a big drop against Lost and the regular time-slot debut of Criminal Minds, which will beat E-Ring for a distant second place behind Lost. Bad series premieres this week include Kitchen Confidential, Just Legal, Apprentice: Martha Stewart. FOX has already canceled Head Cases after just two airings, but two terribly rated airings.

So what do I think will do good based on the numbers for the first episode? I think Everybody Hates Chris, Invasion, How I Met Your Mother will be the ones to perform similar numbers or even higher. I'm not convinced yet about My Name is Earl. Out of Practice might have a good lead-in, but I'm still questioning if it can hold much of it in subsequent airings. Surface got a decent sampling with 11.18 million viewers, but I expect a big drop this week. NBC got lucky on Monday and Tuesday with decent nights, but the last two nights have been big disappoinments.

Season to date (first four nights):
Households: CBS: 9.0/13.9; ABC: 8.5/13.2; NBC: 7.4/11.4; FOX: 4.3/6.6; UPN: 2.8/4.2; The WB: 2.4/3.6
Total Viewers: CBS: 14.16 million; ABC: 12.88 million; NBC: 11.22 million; FOX: 6.78 million; UPN: 4.25 million; The WB: 3.49 million.
Adults 18-49: CBS: 4.9/12.5; ABC: 4.7/12.1; NBC: 4.2/10.7; FOX: 2.9/7.3; UPN: 1.9/4.9; The WB: 1.4/3.6

Analysis: With three nights to go and two nights being "weak" - Sunday will be the key and expect ABC to blow away the competition on that night. So, it looks like ABC will win the first week, is what I'm projecting. Lost's big jump has helped a lot and the premiere of Invasion was more than solid. Maybe those Housewives can draw 27-30 million viewers for its premiere this Sunday? I hope to try to do this once every week (either Friday or Saturday) so you can expect who will win each week.
I won't post final numbers as that is available usually everywhere on Tuesday afternoon.

Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Monday, December 22

Everybody Loves Raymond: 30th Anniversary Reunion Pt. 2 (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT)
CBS is gifting viewers an extra special holiday present this season, the brand-new EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND: 30TH ANNIVERSARY REUNION PT. 2,” airing Monday, Dec. 22, (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network and streaming on Paramount+.*

This one-hour show gives viewers who loved the first special another opportunity to reminisce and revisit the laughter and joy from the original CBS series. The brand-new broadcast follows the success of EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND: 30TH ANNIVERSARY REUNION, which originally aired Monday, Nov. 24, with an encore presentation Friday, Nov. 28, garnering 10.08 million live plus 7-day multiplatform viewers across both broadcasts and streaming.

Hosted by Emmy Award-winning actor Ray Romano and series creator Phil Rosenthal, this fresh hour brings fans closer than ever to the original series, with exclusive stories and heartfelt memories shared by beloved cast members gathered together to honor one of TV’s most iconic sitcoms. Ray Romano and Phil Rosenthal share their thoughts on the magic of being back on set and reuniting with the cast. Additionally, viewers can enjoy never-before-seen content, outtakes and behind-the-scenes footage. Plus, guest stars, writers and producers will provide unique insights into the creation and legacy of this beloved series.

St. Denis Medical - "Get Me in the Pod, Brother" (NBC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Alex and Ron spar over the wisdom of open communication; Joyce brings in a body scanner that proves overly distracting.

The Paper - "I Love You" (NBC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
With Marv camped out in the newsroom while his office is painted, Ned and the staff find their unresolved attitudes toward authority bubbling up; Esmeralda and Ken plot a betrayal that leaks.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of December 22)

Monday, December 22

Kenan Thompson (Kenan/Kenan & Kel) - Watch Kenan on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
Tony Shalhoub (We Are Men/Stark Raving Mad/Wings) - Tony appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
Ron Funches (Loot/Powerless/Undateable) and Jeff Garcia (Mr. Box Office) - Ron and Jeff are guests on a repeat of Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen at 12:37am on CBS.
Kate Hudson (Running Point) - Andy Cohen interviews Kate on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen at 9pm on Bravo. She also talks about Song Sung Blue on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
Jamie Lee Curtis (The Sticky/Anything But Love/Operation Petticoat) - Jamie Lee talks about Ella McCay with the ladies of The View on a repeat on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
Simu Liu (Kim's Convenience) - Simu talks about The Copenhagen Test on ABC News Live Prime with Linsey Davis at 7pm.
Hugh Jackman (Human Resources) - Hugh talks about Song Sung Blue on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
Kyle Richards (Down to Earth) - Kyle gives Sherri a sneak peek at the 15th season of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills on a repeat of Sherri, so check your local listings.
Paul Rudd (The Shrink Next Door/Living with Yourself/Wild Oats) - Paul and Jack Black are telling Drew all about their hilarious adaptation of Anaconda on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
Odessa A'zion (I Love LA/Fam) - Odessa tells Drew about her role in new movie Marty Supreme and hit series I Love LA on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
Melissa Gilbert (Stand by Your Man) - Melissa is guest on New York Living on WPIX in New York at 10:10am.