Sunday, December 18, 2005

Home Improvement E! True Hollywood Story Premieres Tonight; Week 13 First Four Day Ratings; How The Sitcoms Did

E! will have a new episode of E! True Hollywood Story tonight featuring the '90s sitcom Home Improvement. E! will take a two-hour look starting at 8 p.m. ET/PT on what happened behind the scenes on this sitcom starring Tim Allen.
Turn off that Shop-Vac, and tune in to see how a ragtag show grew into a prime-time phenomenon, lasting eight seasons and more than 200 episodes, on Home Improvement: The E! True Hollywood Story.
More details here, including a video preview. Next Sunday (Christmas night), E! will have a brand new episode of True Hollywood Story on the '80s sitcom Who's the Boss?, which starred Tony Danza, Judith Light, Katherine Helmond and Alyssa Milano. More details will be shared soon.

Week 13 numbers (first four nights, Mon-Thu):

Households: CBS: 8.5/13.4; ABC: 6.1/9.7; NBC: 6.0/9.5; FOX 4.2/6.6; The WB: 2.4/3.7; UPN 2.2/3.4.
Total Viewers: CBS: 13.04 million; ABC: 9.21 million; NBC: 9.03 million; FOX 6.58 million; The WB: 3.58 million; UPN: 3.18 million.
Adults 18-49: CBS: 4.3/11.4; ABC: 3.3/8.8; NBC: 3.3/8.8; FOX 2.8/7.3; The WB: 1.5/3.9; UPN: 1.3/3.5.

Analysis: Like last week, repeats dominated the schedule with shows like Lost, Two and a Half Men, My Name is Earl, and CSI: Miami in repeats. The CBS comedies repeated pretty well on Monday, but Monday Night Football took home the prize. CSI: Miami repeat did very well with 13.79 million, but down from last week's repeat of 15.33 million. It was not so well for Arrested Development yet again which had an original episode and a repeat UPN's competing comedies did even better. Tuesday saw CBS win with a new Navy NCIS and the finale of The Amazing Race 8. Sitcom wise, a special holiday episode of Hope & Faith at a special night and time on ABC, did very well, building on According to Jim with 8.02 million viewers. A new House on Fox did well. On Wednesday, again CBS was all original and won the night thanks to Criminal Minds & CSI: NY. ABC's Alias again at a special night and time was not too good, Alias will now return in March, with a night and time to be determined. The WB aired the classic How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and had a good showing for them with 5.23 million viewers, taking audience away for George Lopez, which just drew 7.16 million for ABC. Thursday saw CBS winning even in repeats for the dramas. It's sad when repeats of Two and a Half Men and How I Met Your Mother are airing in a special night and time on CBS and they beat two new episodes of Joey on NBC. The Apprentice 4 finale was down big from previous installments.
Not included in the ratings are Friday and Saturday. Friday saw CBS winning with its dramas. Saturday saw NBC and ABC battle with Law & Order franchise repeats and the movie The Sound of Music. CBS also got a strong showing for Frosty the Snowman.
CBS will for sure win by a wide margin in total viewers for the week and adults 18-49. Will the remake of the classic movie Once Upon a Mattress lift ABC to victory on Sunday? Housewives is a repeat, people in the east might not see all of it as President Bush will pre-empt all the networks at 9 p.m. ET (6 p.m. PT).

Monday Sitcoms

  • The King of Queens (CBS) - 9.23 million tuned in for an encore broadcast; very good!
  • How I Met Your Mother (CBS) - 8.42 million tuned in for a repeat, almost similar to what it did later in the week on a special night and time encore.
  • Arrested Development (FOX) - Only 3.91 million for an original. And an encore at 8:30 did worse with 3.42 million. UPN beat it with 3.77 million at 8:30!
  • Two and a Half Men (CBS) - A repeat scored 14.25 million, slightly up from last week.
  • Out of Practice (CBS) - 10.84 million for a repeat of the hiatus bound sitcom.
  • One on One (UPN), All of Us (UPN), Girlfriends (UPN), Half and Half (UPN) - All were original and did decent as CBS's competing comedies were in repeats and Fox aired the low rated Arrested Development. Here is how the networks did from 8-9pm in order: CBS, NBC, ABC, The WB, Fox and UPN. Fox averaged 3.67 million and UPN 3.6 million--you see how bad it was for Fox. Let Showtime or ABC take Arrested Development please!

Tuesday Sitcoms
  • According to Jim (ABC) - 7.89 million tuned in for the 2005 Christmas episode at 8 p.m. Classic Christmas episodes aired at 9 and 9:30 and scored a decent 7.99 and 7.82 million.
  • Hope & Faith (ABC) - Impressive on a special night and time. All-new holiday episode scored 8.02 million, built on lead-in in households, total viewers, and adults 18-49.
  • My Name is Earl (NBC) - Repeat at a special time of 9:30 p.m. did 7.04 million, not bad.
Wednesday Sitcoms
  • George Lopez (ABC) - Down a lot from last week, the holiday episode only did 7.16 million and 2.3 adult 18-49 rating. I guess people watched The WB's How The Grinch Stole Christmas instead.
  • Freddie (ABC) - Built from last week's 7.44 million to 7.48 million. Steady A18-49 rating continues, with a 3.0 rating for number one in timeslot.
  • Twins (The WB) - Special night and time was nothing to write home about. Following the Grinch, a big loss for this repeat with only 2.26 million and a 1.1 adult 18-49 rating.
  • That '70s Show (FOX) - Young audience is there, but not overall yet again.
  • Stacked (FOX) - 4.32 million only tuned in.
Thursday Sitcoms
  • Joey (NBC) - 7.99 tuned in for an hour of new episodes.
  • Two and a Half Men (CBS) - Special night and time encore at 8 p.m. did very well with 9.72 million...beating the new episode of the NBC comedy at 8 p.m.
  • How I Met Your Mother (CBS) - Special night and time encore at 8:30 p.m. did very well with 8.4 million...beating the new episode of the NBC comedy at 8:30 p.m.
  • Everybody Hates Chris (UPN) - New episode scored 4.95 million.
  • Love, Inc. (UPN), Eve (UPN), Cuts (UPN) - New episodes did decent enough for them ranging from 2.66 to 2.97 million.

Friday Sitcoms

Not even going here. Fox had a new and a repeat of Bernie Mac, a repeat of Family Guy and a new Malcolm. Didn't do well. ABC's Hope & Faith repeat and a new Hot Properties did better, but not good. WB's repeats of What I Like About You, Reba & Twins were on par with previous weeks. A special Scooby Doo Christmas special aired at 8:30.

Summing it up. Out of Practice, How I Met Your Mother Mon & Thurs, Two and a Half Men Mon & Thurs, and The King of Queens were the only impressive sitcoms this week. Everything else was OK (such as Freddie, Hope & Faith Tues) or just plain old terrible (such as Arrested Development, Bernie Mac, Malcolm in the Middle).


Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Thursday, February 5

Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - "A Pregnancy Test and an Old Man’s Gallbladder" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Georgie’s jealousy rears its head when Mandy gets sent on an overnight work trip with her ex and current boss, Scott (Christopher Gorham). Meanwhile, Jim and Audrey panic when they find a pregnancy test in Connor’s trash.

Ghosts - "Viking Wedding" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Sam and Jay try to impress their trendy city friends while a misplaced bookcase threatens Thor’s ability to deliver an important speech. Also, Isaac rallies the ghosts to help the couple navigate a tough customer service ordeal.

Animal Control - "French Bulldogs and White Broncos" (Fox, 9:00PM ET/PT)
Frank scrambles to find a date for a romantic sunset horse ride; Patel hosts a "sip 'n snip" fundraising event.

Going Dutch - "None of the Good Guys" (Fox, 9:30PM ET/PT)
Captain Maggie is cursed with dating bad men and Sergeant Dana convinces her to go to a single's mixer; the Colonel deals with an anonymous protestor that has infiltrated the base.

Complete TV Listings


Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of February 2)

Thursday, February 5

  • Odessa A'zion (I Love LA/Fam) - Catch Odessa on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
  • Halle Berry (Living Dolls) - Halle appears on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
  • Nick Jonas (Jonas) - Nick is a guest on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
  • John Early (The Afterparty/Search Party) - John appears on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
  • Kaley Cuoco (The Big Bang Theory/8 Simple Rules/Ladies Man) - Andy Cohen interviews Kaley on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen at 10pm on Bravo.
  • Lea Michele (The Mayor) - Lea talks about Broadway's Chess on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
  • Craig Ferguson (The Drew Carey Show) - Comedian and host of the hit game show Scrabble Craig Ferguson is here to play a game with Tamron on Tamron Hall, so check your local listings.
  • Gabby Sidibe (Difficult People/The Big C) - Gabby tells Sherri about directing Mary J. Blige Presents Be Happy on Lifetime on Sherri, so check your local listings.
  • Lena Waithe (Master of None) - Lena talks about her playwriting debut with Trinity at Baltimore Center Stage on Sherri, so check your local listings.
  • Paula Pell (The 'Burbs/Girls5eva/Mapleworth Murders/A.P. Bio) - Paula hits the news with Drew and Ross then chats with Drew about her new show The 'Burbs on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
  • Kevin Hart (Lil Kev/Die Hart/The Big House/Undeclared) and Kenan Thompson (Kenan/Kenan & Kel) - Kevin and Kenan are guests on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.


New on DVD and Blu-ray

Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray) Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - The Complete First Season (DVD) St. Denis Medical - Season One (Blu-ray) Happy's Place - Season One (Blu-ray) Two and a Half Men - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)

07/22 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)
08/26 - The Huckleberry Hound Show - The Complete Original Series (Blu-ray)
09/30 - Touché Turtle and Dum Dum - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
10/07 - Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - The Complete First Season (DVD)
10/14 - Curb Your Enthusiasm - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (DVD)
10/28 - St. Denis Medical - Season One (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/04 - Happy's Place - Season One (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/11 - Rick and Morty - Season 8 (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/11 - SpongeBob SquarePants - The Complete Fifteenth Season (DVD)
11/11 - Two and a Half Men - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
12/02 - Tom and Jerry - The Golden Era Anthology (1940-1958) (Blu-ray) (DVD)
12/16 - Lippy the Lion and Hardy Har Har - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
12/16 - Wally Gator - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
01/20 - The Woody Woodpecker and Friends Golden Age Collection (Blu-ray)
01/27 - The New Fred and Barney Show - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/11 - Tom and Jerry - The Complete CinemaScope Collection (Blu-ray)
03/24 - Looney Tunes Collector's Vault - Volume 2 (Blu-ray)

More Recent and Upcoming TV DVD and Blu-ray Releases / TV Shows on DVD, Blu-ray and Prime Video / DVD Reviews Archive


Recent SitcomsOnline.com News Blog Posts

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02/03 - NBC Renews St. Denis Medical and Happy's Place for Season 3; Pilot Orders for Comedy Projects on NBC
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02/01 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of February 2, 2026)
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01/07 - Saturday Night Live Bobbleheads from the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum; Fox Entertainment Signs Tracee Ellis Ross to Deal
01/06 - Emily in Paris Renewed for Season 6; Audible's New Comedy Series Starring Jenifer Lewis, Cedric the Entertainer, and Niecy Nash-Betts
01/05 - Trailer for The Muppet Show Special Event; Season 3 of Genndy Tartakovsky's Primal on Adult Swim
01/04 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of January 5, 2026)