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Week 19 First Four Day Ratings; How the Sitcoms Did

Week 19 numbers (first four nights, Mon-Thu):

Households: FOX 10.9/16.1; CBS: 9.8/15.0; ABC: 7.3/11.0; NBC: 5.5/8.4; The WB: 2.3/3.5; UPN 1.4/2.1.
Total Viewers: FOX 18.77 million; CBS: 15.21 million; ABC: 11.07 million; NBC: 8.32 million; The WB: 3.52 million; UPN: 2.06 million.
Adults 18-49: FOX 7.9/18.9; CBS: 4.7/11.5; ABC: 3.8/9.2; NBC: 3.3/8.1; The WB: 1.5/3.6; UPN: 0.9/2.1.

Analysis: Again it was American Idol that powered Fox over on Tuesday and Wednesday. 34.96 million tuned in for the two-hour Tuesday edition, slightly down from last week's 35.5 million. Last Wednesday 31.65 million tuned in for the one-hour Wednesday edition. You would think this week would be slightly down? Wrong! 32.44 million tuned in this Wednesday. Again Idol dented a lot of programming, including According to Jim, Rodney, Fear Factor, Scrubs, George Lopez, Freddie, Commander in Chief. CBS's second episode of new drama Love Monkey only scored 7.68 million, a distant third place, even down from the premiere's 8.63 million. Fox again had a strong Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Skating with the Celebrities was way down from its post-Idol slot, but still was solid for Fox to open on a Monday. 24 followed with great numbers, including a first place finish in adults 18-49 for the hour. The new CBS sitcom Courting Alex did well with just under 15 million, slightly better than what Out of Practice was doing. Let's see what Alex will do next week before calling this a hit. Tuesday again was all Fox with American Idol. Wednesday it was a little better for the other networks but still Fox's Idol was too much for everyone, including the return of George Lopez/Freddie. Lost did solid for ABC and CBS's Criminal Minds also did well. Thursday it was all CBS and ABC. ABC won the 8 p.m. hour with Dancing with the Stars, while CBS won the 9 and 10 p.m. hours with CSI and Without a Trace. CSI might be a little affected by the last half hour of Stars, as CSI usually gets 27-30 million, this week it only saw 25.86. Friday it was again a battle between CBS and ABC with the Dancing with the Stars: The Results, followed by first place finishes for the CBS dramas at 9 and 10. Saturday was very very slow. All the networks had nothing to write home about. Fox will win the week in both total viewers and adults 18-49 thanks to one show. CBS will be unaffected by Idol and pull the same numbers as it usually does, but will have to settle for second place. ABC will be a solid contender as well.


Monday Sitcoms

• The King of Queens (CBS) - 11.38 million tuned in. Very solid.
• How I Met Your Mother (CBS) -10.82 million tuned in. And built on from lead-in in A18-49 from a 3.9 rating to a 4.1 rating.
• Two and a Half Men (CBS) - 17.07 million tuned in. Easily the best sitcom of the week. A nice 5.8 A18-49 rating was also best for sitcoms this week.
• Courting Alex (CBS) - Solid start for the new sitcom. 14.9 million tuned in and a solid 5.1 A18-49 rating. If it can sustain that or even build on it next week, we will call it a hit.
• One on One (UPN), All of Us (UPN), Girlfriends (UPN), Half and Half (UPN) - All repeats and had usual repeat numbers. I think only one of these will survive for The CW next fall.
  

Tuesday Sitcoms

• According to Jim (ABC) - Last week's repeat saw only 4.92 million, but this week an all new episode scored 5.94 million. Idol will dent the sitcoms.
• Rodney (ABC) - A new episode did only 5.52 million. And sustained from lead-in's 1.9 A18-49 rating.
• Scrubs (NBC) 2 episodes - 5.45 million and 5.73 million tuned in for the two airings. It'll be interesting once Idol is down to one-hour and ABC puts Sons & Daughters in this slow for March.
• UPN comedy repeats - Why did they even bother? All under 2 million and under a 1.0 A18-49 rating.
  

Wednesday Sitcoms

• Still Standing (CBS) - Only 6.88 million tuned in, down from last week's 7.32 million.
• Yes, Dear (CBS) - Built from lead-in and won the slot among sitcoms with 7.38 million.
• George Lopez (ABC) - Geroge is back in 2006 but Idol is greeting it. Season low with only 6.31 million.
  
• Freddie (ABC) - Usually Freddie builts on George, not this week. Only 6.05 million. It did build on A18-49 from 2.1 to a 2.4 rating.
  

Thursday Sitcoms

• Will & Grace (NBC) - It was even worse that last week. Only 6.91 million.
• Four Kings (NBC) - Cancelation clock is ticking. 6.28 million only.
  
• That's 70s Show (FOX) 2 episodes - An original episode did 5.68 million, a repeat followed with a better 5.69 million--both slightly up from last week.
  
• My Name is Earl (NBC) - Slightly down from last week, but still solid with 10.45 million.
  
• The Office (NBC) - 8.6 million tuned in.
  
• Crumbs (ABC) - A little drop from last week, but still a solid 10.73 million, highest rated sitcom of the night.
  
• Everybody Hates Chris (UPN) - Repeat scored 3.49 million. Will The CW be better for this show?
  
• Love, Inc. (UPN), Eve (UPN), Cuts (UPN) - Repeats again for these sitcoms that will probably be all gone next season.

Friday Sitcoms

The WB Friday was dead last in each half hour. And two Bernie episodes on Fox were in the 2 ratings.

Summing it up. King of Queens, How I Met Your Mother, Two and a Half Men, Courting Alex, My Name is Earl and Crumbs were impressive for the week. Everything else was OK (such as The Office, Yes Dear) or just plain old terrible (such as WB Friday, Bernie Mac, Rodney).