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Week 10 Numbers (First Four Nights); How the Sitcoms Did

Week 10 numbers (first four nights, Mon-Thu):

Households: ABC: 8.4/13.0; CBS: 7.7/11.8; Fox: 5.5/8.2; NBC: 5.1/7.8; The CW: 1.9/2.8; MNT: 0.8/1.3.
Total Viewers: ABC: 13.3 million; CBS: 11.99 million; Fox: 8.88 million; NBC: 7.93 million; The CW: 2.74 million; MNT: 1.25 million.
Adults 18-49: ABC: 4.1/10.2; CBS: 3.4/8.5; Fox: 3.3/8.1; NBC: 3.1/7.8; The CW: 1.3/3.1; MNT: 0.5/1.2.

Analysis: We're back after a week off! Week 10 is nearly done...and sweeps ended on Wednesday...holiday season time has begun! Last week CBS won the top spot in HH and viewers, just nipping by ABC. In 18-49, ABC was first, with NBC and CBS tied for second. NBC was third in viewers and HH and Fox was 4th in all categories. Through the first four days of this week, ABC has a lead in all categories in week 10 with CBS second, Fox and NBC are way back, with Fox with the slight edge.
Monday it was all ABC thanks to Dancing with the Stars. Part 1 of the season finale did an impressive 24.23 million and a 6.0/15 in 18-49, both obviously from the previous week, that lead into the new time of 9pm for Samantha Who doing 11.69 million and a 3.7/8 18-49 rating...both series lows, but if it can do these numbers or close to it, ABC will be pleased. Notes from the Underbelly's season premiere followed with 7.45 million, not bad, but not great either. And the badly placed October Road at 10pm did just 5.43 million...put it on after Grey's Anatomy like last season where it did a solid 10 million each week. Next up was CBS with its comedies and CSI: Miami. A repeat of The Big Bang Theory did 7.34 million, on par with the previous week's repeat, a new How I Met Your Mother did 7.91 million, just a bit down from previous week. Two and a Half Men and Rules of Engagement followed with great numbers, 15.26 million for Men and 11.58 million for Rules which was a repeat...both up from previous week. CSI: Miami followed with 15.58 million, up from previous week. NBC was in third, lead by Heroes at 11.89 million and a 5.3 18-49, up from previous week. Chuck opened the night with 8.42 million, up from previous week. Journeyman closed the night with 6.05 million, on par with the previous week. Fox kicked off with a repeat of House at 7.35 million and ended with a repeat of Bones with 6.32 million...you know it is bad when two repeats beat new episodes of Prison Break and K-Ville from the previous week. The CW aired their Monday sitcoms, with Aliens in America doing just 1.88 million, up a bit from the previous week and The Game did 2.8 million, the best of the block.
Tuesday, it was all ABC. ABC started off with the classic holiday special A Charlie Brown Christmas doing a solid 13.55 million leading into the season finale of Dancing with the Stars: The Results at 24.88 million! Congrats to Helio! Boston Legal will return this week. Fox's huge hit House did 16.97 million and a 7.0 18-49 rating (both down from previous week) and Bones started the night off with a solid 9.68 million. The always reliable NCIS opened the night off for CBS with 17.04 million. The Unit followed with 10.56 million and Cane did 6.48 million, down from previous week. NBC was fourth with another two-hour The Biggest Loser from 8-10 doing 7.28 million, followed by Law & Order: SVU at 12.29 million. The CW had Beauty & the Geek and Reaper do 2.52 and 2.23 million.
Wednesday it was a battle between CBS and ABC. CBS saw Kid Nation do 7.12 million, and veteran dramas Criminal Minds and CSI: NY did well and were consistent doing 16.23 (season high maybe) and 14.19 million (up from previous week). ABC started the night off with two holiday specials...an all-new one and a classic. The all-new one was Shrek the Halls, and did a very impressive 20.83 million and a 7.1 18-49 rating! Old faithful How the Grinch Stole Christmas followed with big numbers as well...doing 18.53 million and a 6.8 18-49 rating. A special 9pm episode of Pushing Daisies did a solid 9.99 million (wasn't that episode so good?). Private Practice returns this coming week, and ABC closed the night off with Dirty Sexy Money doing 7.04 million...below normal. NBC opened the night with the annual Christmas at Rockefeller Center doing 8.87 million, Bionic Woman fell to 5.93 million, as the fall in every episode continues. At 10pm NBC's Life did 6.28 million and built on the lead-in again. Fox aired two new episodes of 'Til Death and an all-new Kitchen Nightmares, doing 5.74, 6.22 and 7.03 million each. The CW had Top Model at a dominant 5.04 million (and second in the 8pm hour in 18-49 with a 2.4 rating!), while Gossip Girl did 2.93 million.
Thursday saw CBS win, as ABC was in repeats. CBS opened with Survivor: China at 13.57 million. A repeat of CSI followed with 12.33 million and a repeat of Without a Trace did 9.76 million. ABC opened the night with a repeat of Ugly Betty doing a 6.15 million. A repeat also of Grey's Anatomy followed with 8.69 million and an all-new episode of Big Shots followed with just 5.29 million. NBC started with comedies, My Name is Earl opened the night with a below normal 6.62 million, 30 Rock did just 5.82 million, an encore of The Office followed with 5.9 million and Scrubs has dropped every week since it returned, and this week was no different doing just 5.91 million. ER closed the night with 8.71 million, a season low. Fox's 5th Grader did a solid at 8.97 million and Don't Forget the Lyrics followed with an above average 8.72 million. A repeat of Smallville on The CW did 2.73 million, followed by a repeat of Supernatural at 1.87 million.
Now, final numbers for Friday and Saturday are not available, but ABC won Friday thanks to the holiday airing of A Polar Express starring Tom Hanks. NBC had a solid outing for Deal or No Deal at 8pm for a first place finish. CBS preempted Ghost Whisperer. 10pm's NUMB3RS was a repeat and ABC preempted Women's Murder Club.
Saturday saw ABC win the night thanks to the Big-12 College Football Championship.
ABC Sunday is all-new tonight with the big tornado episode of Desperate Housewives and the wedding on Brothers & Sisters...look for season highs! CBS will do decent but probably below normal with its Hallmark movie from 9-11pm and NBC will do solid business for the NFL game. Fox's animated comedies are repeats but 9:30 and the NFL overrun will help. ABC is the network to beat tonight.
As for the week, ABC will likely win in HH, viewers and 18-49, CBS will be second, with a close finish for second place in 18-49...it could be CBS or even NBC if the game does very well. Fox and NBC will battle for the distant third spot in HH/viewers, with NBC probably winning thanks to the NFL. Imagine if ABC Thursday was all-new this week...they could have really dominated the week...even so, they will still win the week. They should have put the Thanksgiving new episodes for this past Thursday and aired a movie on Thanksgiving like Meet the Fockers or something.

Last Sunday Sitcoms (counts for week of November 19-25)

• Aliens in America (The CW) - A repeat did just 800,000 viewers, down from the previous week.
• The Simpsons (Fox) 3 episodes - A repeat at 7:30 and 8:30 and a new one at its normal 8pm slot...repeats did 5.6 and 8.58 million, as a new one in between did 9.01 million, down from previous week's 10.56 million.
  
• King of the Hill (Fox) - A low rated repeat at 7pm did just 3.9 million.
  
• Family Guy (Fox) 2 episodes - 9.52 million tuned in for a new episode at 9pm, down from previous week's 10.55 million...a repeat at 9:30pm did a decent 8.45 million...better than the usual American Dad new episode.
  

Monday Sitcoms

• How I Met Your Mother (CBS) - 7.91 million tuned in, down from the previous week.
  
• The Big Bang Theory (CBS) - 7.34 million tuned in for a repeat, on par really with the previous week's repeat episode.
  
• Two and a Half Men (CBS) - 15.26 million tuned in...could be a season high, as Dancing with the Stars was not on this half-hour for the first time this season. 13.91 million and 14.12 million tuned in the previous two weeks. Repeats start now...bad timing.
• Rules of Engagement (CBS) - 11.58 million tuned in...up from the previous week's 11.48 million, which was all-new...wow. Repeats from now on until the strike is resolved.
  
• Samantha Who? (ABC) - 11.69 million tuned in for a new episode in its new time of 9pm, head to head vs. Two and a Half Men...it held up well, but down from previous week's 14.38 million which was at 9:30....at least Sam won't have to face any more originals of Men head to head.
• Notes from the Underbelly (ABC) - The season premiere did 7.45 million...not bad, really on par with last season's numbers...hopefully it can do better with repeats airing against it in December.
  
• CW Monday Comedies: Chris, Aliens in America, Girlfriends, The Game. Not doing that well at all. Aliens did a terrible 1.88 million, but up from previous week, The Game did 2.8 million up from previous week and led the block.
  

Tuesday Sitcoms

• Cavemen (ABC) - Preempted for A Charlie Brown Christmas, will not be on the schedule until at the earliest in January now.
  
• Carpoolers (ABC) - Preempted for A Charlie Brown Christmas, will not be on the schedule until at the earliest in January now.

Wednesday Sitcoms

• Til Death (Fox) 2 episodes - Two new episodes did 5.74 and 6.22 million...way below its usual showing for this season...maybe because its lead-in was not on?
  

Thursday Sitcoms

• My Name is Earl (NBC) - Just 6.62 million for a new episode? Wow.
  
• 30 Rock (NBC) - 5.82 million for a new episode...it seems way too low.
  
• The Office (NBC) - An encore episode did 5.9 million...building on its lead in even and that was all-new!
  
• Scrubs (NBC) - 5.91 million for a new episode and actually the second highest rated show for NBC's comedy block this week.
  

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.

Summing it up. Two and a Half Men, Samantha Who?, and Rules of Engagement were impressive for the week. Everything else was OK (such as How I Met Your Mother, Notes from the Underbelly) or just plain old terrible (Aliens in America, 'Til Death 8p).