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Week 6 Numbers (First Four Nights); How the Sitcoms Did

Week 6 numbers (first four nights, Mon-Thu):

Households: ABC: 8.7/13.8; CBS: 8.2/13.0; Fox: 4.9/7.6; NBC: 4.5/7.2; The CW: 1.8/2.8; MNT: 0.8/1.2.
Total Viewers: ABC: 13.12 million; CBS: 12.78 million; Fox: 7.76 million; NBC: 7.19 million; The CW: 2.73 million; MNT: 1.16 million.
Adults 18-49: ABC: 4.1/10.8; CBS: 3.7/9.6; NBC: 3.0/7.8; Fox: 2.8/7.8; The CW: 1.2/3.1; MNT: 0.5/1.2.

Analysis: Week 6 is nearly done...and we are now into day four of November sweeps tonight. I know...already! Last week Fox won the top spot thanks to the World Series, with ABC second and CBS a close third in HH ,viewers, and 18-49. NBC was fourth in all categories and had a very rough week. Through the first four days of this week, ABC has the lead in all categories in week 6 with CBS a close second, Fox and NBC are way back, with Fox with the slight edge.
Monday it was all ABC thanks to Dancing with the Stars. A 92 minute performance show did an impressive 21.43 million and a 5.2/13 in 18-49, up from the previous week in viewers, that lead into week three of new sitcom Samantha Who at an impressive 14.18 million (up from week two!) and a 4.5/10 18-49 rating...that has been the same all three weeks. The Bachelor followed with 9.76 million, up from the previous week. Next up was CBS with its comedies and CSI: Miami. The Big Bang Theory did 8.41 million, down a bit from the previous week and yet again it built on How I Met Your Mother's ratings of 7.82 million. Two and a Half Men and Rules of Engagement followed with decent numbers (13.73 and 10.57 million). Men was down just a bit from the previous week, as was Rules. CSI: Miami followed with 14.85 million, down from previous week. NBC followed lead by the downward Heroes at 10.51 million and a 4.9 18-49, below its usual average once again...what has happened? Chuck opened the night with 7.14 million, down a bit from previous week. Journeyman closed the night with 5.75 million, down again from previous week, time to pull the show if there is no strike. Fox was fourth this week with a repeat of House at 5.97 million and an encore of K-Ville at just 3.86 million...will the latter show last into sweeps if there is no strike? The CW aired their Monday sitcoms, with Aliens in America doing just 2.01 million, a series low, and even The Game keeps dropping with 2.42 million.
Tuesday, it was a three network race, with again ABC on top. Fox and CBS were also right behind. ABC's sitcom hour of Cavemen/Carpoolers was pre-empted for the holiday classic It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, doing a wonderful 11.4 million, Dancing with the Stars: The Results followed with 18.86 million saying goodbye to Sabrina Bryan (WOW! Shocking!). Boston Legal followed and did a solid 11.4 million. Fox's huge hit House did 17.3 million and a 7.0 18-49 rating (both down from previous week) and Bones started the night off with a solid 8.98 million, up a bit from previous week. The always reliable NCIS opened the night off for CBS with 16.33 million, down from previous week. The Unit followed with 10.67 million, down a bit from previous week, and Cane did 8.05 million, up a bit from previous week. NBC was fourth with Singing Bee at just 5.6 million (now it is pulled from the sked), The Biggest Loser from 8:30-10 did 6.32 million, followed by an encore of Law & Order: SVU at 8.63 million, doesn't repeats of that show do better than that usually? The CW had Beauty & the Geek and Reaper do 2.3 and 2.6 million. The former was a clip show type so that is why only 2.3 million, in fact MyNetworkTV's Magic Special beat it with 2.6 million!
Wednesday it was CBS on top on Halloween. CBS saw Kid Nation go down to 6.7 million, but veteran dramas Criminal Minds and CSI: NY did well and were consistent doing 14.94 (down a tad from previous week) and 13.4 million (down a tad from previous week). ABC was a close second with Pushing Daisies doing 8.57 million, followed by Private Practice at 11.34 million, both down from previous week, Dirty Sexy Money followed with 8.2 million, down a tad from previous week. NBC opened the night with a two-hour Phenomenon doing 6.16 million (down like 2 million from the premiere the previous week), Bionic Woman was pre-empted this week. At 10pm NBC's Life did 5.71 million, down over a million from previous week. Fox was fourth with repeats of Back to You, 'Til Death and Kitchen Nightmares, doing 5.26, 5.01, and 3.71 million each. The CW had Top Model at a below normal 3.24 million, while a Gossip Girl repeat did 1.52 million.
Thursday saw CBS and ABC duke it out again. CBS opened with Survivor: China at 14.44 million, up a tad from the previous week. CSI followed with 19.06 million for second place, for the first time this season. Without a Trace followed with 14.58 million, up from previous week. ABC opened the night with Ugly Betty doing a solid 9.9 million, down just a tad from previous week. Grey's Anatomy followed with 19.31 million, up from previous week and was number one in viewers and in 18-49 with a 8.1/19 18-49 rating...should be good for #1 for the week. Big Shots followed at 10:07pm with a last place finish of 7.32 million...down a tad from previous week again...will it have a chance to survive even with a writers strike? Fox was next with two episodes of 5th Grader doing very solid at 8.5 and 8.61 million. NBC was fourth with its comedies, a one-hour My Name is Earl opened the night with 7.3 million, down from previous week, as 30 Rock was off-air this week. The Office followed with 8.36 million, down a bit from previous week. Scrubs followed with a so-so 6.58 million. ER closed the night with 9.15 million, on par from previous week. Smallville on The CW did 4.38 million, followed by Supernatural at 3.24 million, the latter was up from previous week.
Now, final numbers for Friday and Saturday are not available, but NBC, CBS and ABC battled on Friday. NBC had a solid outing for Deal or No Deal at 8pm. CBS saw nice numbers for its dramas at 8 and 10 (Ghost Whisperer, NUMB3RS), and ABC did solid business at 9pm with Women's Murder Club the #1 show of the night in HH. Fox bombed again for The Next Great American Band. Will they please pull it?.
Saturday numbers are not available yet. But College Football will probably draw on CBS and ABC. ABC Sunday should do well tonight with its all-star line-up. CBS will do decent as well, with the NFL game of the year doing huge overrun numbers, as a result NBC might suffer with its NFL game. Fox's animated comedies return, but will likely be down with the CBS NFL overrun.
As for the week, ABC and CBS will battle for HH and viewers, with ABC a clear first place in 18-49, unless CBS's NFL overrun does really massive numbers. Fox and NBC will battle for the distant third spot. More sweeps action this week, as the first full week of sweeps is this week! Hopefully the writer's strike doesn't make sweeps a side story.

Last Sunday Sitcoms (counts for week of October 22-28)

• Aliens in America (The CW) - A repeat did just 750,000 viewers, down from the 1.29 million the week before...yuck.
  

Monday Sitcoms

• How I Met Your Mother (CBS) - 7.82 million tuned in, down from the 8.5 million the previous week.
  
• The Big Bang Theory (CBS) - 8.41 million tuned in, down about 400k from previous week but it still is building on the lead-in every single week.
  
• Two and a Half Men (CBS) - 13.73 million this week, down a bit from previous week's 13.94 million.
• Rules of Engagement (CBS) - 10.57 million, down from the previous week's 10.82 million.
• Samantha Who? (ABC) - 14.18 million and a 4.5/10 18-49 for week three, up from the previous week's 13.68 million for episode two and each week so far the 18-49 rating is at a 4.5 rating.
  
• CW Monday Comedies: Chris, Aliens in America, Girlfriends, The Game. Not doing that well at all. Aliens did a terrible 2.01 million, a series low, The Game continues to be solid, but it has dropped each week now with 2.42 million this week, down from previous week's 2.61 million. Chris led the block with 2.44 million...not good.
  

Tuesday Sitcoms

• Cavemen (ABC) - It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown! aired this week...it returns Tuesday!
  
• Carpoolers (ABC) - See above.
  

Wednesday Sitcoms

• Back to You (Fox) - A repeat of the pilot lured in 5.26 million, not too bad.
  
• 'Til Death (Fox) - 5.01 million tuned in for an encore.
  

Thursday Sitcoms

• My Name is Earl (NBC) - 7.3 million tuned in for an hour long episode, down from the 8.2 million the previous week, which was a half-hour only...wonder why a drop?
  
• The Office (NBC) - 8.36 million tuned in, down about 600k from the previous week's 8.96 million.
• Scrubs (NBC) - 6.59 million tuned in for the second showing of the season.

Friday Sitcoms
None.

Saturday Sitcoms
None.

Airing tonight (Sunday) is a repeat of Aliens in America on The CW at 7:30, and Fox's animated comedies return!

Summing it up. Two and a Half Men, Samantha Who?, The Office, Big Bang Theory, and Rules of Engagement were impressive for the week. Everything else was OK (such as My Name is Earl, How I Met Your Mother) or just plain old terrible (Aliens in America).