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Week 10 (Thanksgiving Week) Numbers; How the Sitcoms Did

Households: ABC: 10.0/15.6; CBS: 8.4/13.0; Fox: 4.7/7.1; NBC: 4.1/6.4; The CW: 1.0/1.5; MNT: 0.9/1.4.
Total Viewers: ABC: 16.33 million; CBS: 13.56 million; Fox: 7.77 million; NBC: 6.7 million; The CW: 1.38 million; MNT: 1.38 million.
Adults 18-49: ABC: 4.1/10.5; CBS: 3.7/9.5; Fox: 3.2/8.1; NBC: 2.7/6.9; The CW: 0.6/1.6; MNT: 0.5/1.3.

Analysis: Week 10 so far has seen November sweeps end on Wednesday then the Thanksgiving holiday weekend started and ratings went south. Nielsen didn't release final ratings for Wednesday and Thursday yet (obviously because of Thanksgiving), so I cannot give you those averages and program ratings...but see above for final first two night averages (Mon-Tues), as those two nights were not affected by Thanksgiving. Wednesday was the last night of sweeps, but that was also Thanksgiving Eve, so a lot of shows were preempted or in low ratings mode. If you count the prelim Wednesday & Thursday averages, through the first four days, ABC and CBS are neck and neck in all categories, with Fox probably 3rd across the board, while NBC is likely fourth across the board.
Last week, CBS won week 9 in HH and viewers, while ABC won the week in 18-49. ABC was second in all HH/viewers, while CBS was in 18-49 for the week. Fox was third across the board and NBC was fourth across the board as well.
Monday ABC was on top thanks to of course the final performance show of Dancing with the Stars. The 92-minute finale did a night best 21.1 million...up from previous week by nearly two million. The sitcom Samantha Who followed and did 10.72 million, up from the previous week. A new Boston Legal followed with 8.16 million, up a bit from the previous week. The series finale in coming up on Dec. 8, so it will likely go up these last two weeks. Next up was CBS, with new episodes of its comedies and a new CSI: Miami. The Big Bang Theory did great again, and reached another series high doing 10.03 million, up from previous week. A new How I Met Your Mother followed 9.96 million, off just a bit from previous week, but still great! #1 sitcom Two and a Half Men followed with 14.95 million, off a bit week-to-week as well, while Worst Week did 10.15 million, also off just a bit week-to-week. At 10pm a new CSI: Miami did 14.33 million, down a million or so from previous week's milestone episode. NBC was next and as its regular line-up continues to falter. Chuck did 6.53 million, down some from previous week, followed by Heroes at once again another series low 7.51 million, down from previous week's series low. It has reached series low the last three weeks. What has happened? Recently canceled My Worst Own Enemy was next at just 3.75 million, another series low. Fox was next with the very weak Sarah Connor at just 4.57 million, I believe a series low (I'm afraid how bad this will do on Fridays in February), and on its last legs Prison Break at 5.25 million, down a bit week-to-week. The CW had Gossip Girl preempted but two One Tree Hill episodes, a repeat did just 1.4 million followed by an all-new episode at just 2.22 million, a season low again.
Tuesday it was ABC with the victory as a champion was crowned on Dancing with the Stars. ABC started it off with the holiday classic A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving / This is America Charlie Brown: Mayflower Voyagers at a solid 11.08 million, followed by Dancing with the Stars: The Results grand finale at 20.65 million, up nearly three million week-to-week but the grand finales do higher usually. CBS's quiet hit NCIS started the night off with 18.12 million...up a bit from previous week. New drama The Mentalist followed with 15.92 million, up a tad from previous week. A new Without a Trace would did 10.42 million, down week-to-week, as it was affected by Dancing. Fox was next with a 67 minute House at 12.88 million down week-to-week, followed by lead-in dependent Fringe with just 7.77 million and lots of bleeding in the second half-hour. I don't understand how it will draw new viewers out of Idol in January when the storyline is very serialized on this show. NBC was next with another two-hour The Biggest Loser at a below normal 6.87 million, down nearly a million from previous week and Law & Order: SVU followed at just 8.59 million, down from previous week. Who would have thought SVU could go that low? The CW aired a movie called How to Deal and it certainly did not deal right for The CW doing just 950,000 viewers, ouch.
Wednesday saw CBS win the night on this Thanksgiving Eve. Final ratings were not available due to the Thanksgiving holiday, but we have prelim ratings for you. CBS started with a Thanksgiving episode of Old Christine at a prelim 7.6 million, down a bit from previous week. Thanksgiving episode of Gary Unmarried followed with a prelim 7.72 million, slightly off from previous week and built from the lead-in again for now. Next was Criminal Minds at 9pm and it did a solid prelim 14.0 million, down two million previous week but this was Thanksgiving Eve and at 10pm CSI: NY did a prelim 12.16 million, also down two million from previous week. ABC was next but it started off slow with Pushing Daisies only managing a prelim 4.45 million, a series low, but not off that much from previous week in viewers despite airing on Thanksgiving Eve. Private Practice was next and also had a series low of prelim 6.22 million on this Thanksgiving Eve, down a million from previous week. Dirty Sexy Money was preempted, but ABC aired a Barbara Walters Special with an interview with President-elect Barack Obama and Michelle Obama doing a solid prelim 11.65 million! Final numbers are not in, but ABC won November sweeps in 18-49 while CBS took viewers. Fox was next with a new Bones at a solid prelim 9.76 million, down a million or so from previous week on this Thanksgiving Eve. A House repeat, yes another, followed with a prelim 5.1 million...down from previous week. NBC opened the night with the variety special Rosie Live doing just a prelim 5.04 million, and just a a prelim 1.2 18-49 rating. No more specials looks like. Next up was a special Deal or No Deal instead of Life doing a prelim 6.29 million, better than what Life does, and a new Law & Order did just a 6.26 million, another series low for the veteran series, but you can blame Thanksgiving Eve for doing that low. The CW had a repeat of Stylista doing just under a million in prelim numbers, followed by an all-new Stylista with even less at just 799,000 prelim viewers, no Top Model lead-in, no good ratings.
Thursday as we mentioned final numbers are not in yet due to Thanksgiving...but we will give prelim numbers. CBS won the slow night. CBS opened with Survivor: Gabon clip show at a prelim 8.47 million, of course down from previous week. A repeat of CSI followed with a prelim 10.63 million, not bad for a repeat on Thanksgiving. A repeat of Eleventh Hour followed and did a prelim 7.46 million. ABC was next with another airing of A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving/Mayflower Voyagers instead of Ugly Betty doing a prelim 6.31 million, not bad for just airing two days earlier. Grey's Anatomy two-hour encore of the season premiere followed with a prelim 5.49 million, it did grow in the 10pm hour. Fox was actually next with the movie Click instead of of Kitchen Nightmares at a prelim 5.83 million, but it was boosted by the 4pm NFL game as a lead-in, as the movie went down each half-hour. NBC was next with the movie The Incredibles and an encore of The Office at 10:30 instead of the usual My Name is Earl, Kath & Kim, The Office, 30 Rock and ER as the movie did just about 5 million in prelim numbers followed by The Office encore at just a prelim 3.41 million. Smallville repeat on The CW did a prelim 1.82 million followed by a Supernatural repeat at a prelim 1.69 million.
Now, as usual final numbers for Friday and Saturday are not available, but ABC won this unusual with the combo of the holiday movie The Polar Express and 20/20 as CBS's dramas were in repeats. NBC for some reason aired the same movie as the previous night and did worse naturally.
Saturday numbers saw ABC win in the preliminaries overall and in 18-49 thanks to Saturday Night College Football between Oklahoma and Oklahoma State.
Tonight again NFL will be key. CBS will have an overrun this week, so they will be at above normal levels. ABC's regular Sunday line-up of AFV, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Desperate Housewives, and Brothers & Sisters, returns tonight, so they should be in the game. NBC will be solid with the SNF game, but not as high as usual with the Vikings/Bears. Fox will have its animated comedies as well.
As for the week, I believe ABC will win the week in HH, viewers and 18-49, but it depends on how CBS does tonight with the NFL overrun, if it is high enough CBS could take the week. If not, CBS will be second across the board. Fox will be third, with NBC in fourth across the board, followed by CW and MNT. What to watch for this week? It's a relatively quiet week, but still we have new stuff and lots of holiday specials! Time to start thinking about Christmas!

Last Sunday Sitcoms (counts for week of Nov. 17-23)

• The Simpsons (Fox) - preempted for 24 movie.
• King of the Hill (Fox) - preempted for 24 movie.
• Family Guy (Fox) - preempted for 24 movie.
• American Dad (Fox) - preempted for 24 movie.

Monday Sitcoms

• The Big Bang Theory (CBS) - 10.03 million...another series high. How can you say anything bad about this show? Continues to do very well. CBS sitcoms are all repeats tomorrow though.
• How I Met Your Mother (CBS) - 9.96 million slightly off previous week's season high of 9.99 million...but not complaining.
• Two and a Half Men (CBS) - 14.95 million, down a bit from previous week and #1 sitcom as always.
• Worst Week (CBS) - 10.15 million...down slightly from previous week. I wonder how a repeat will do tomorrow though? Scared to look.
• Samantha Who? (ABC) - 10.72 million...up from previous week, solid. Holiday specials will lead-into two new episodes tomorrow...so it will be down but maybe not as much as you would think.

Tuesday Sitcoms

• None.

• Old Christine (CBS) - Prelim 7.6 million...down from previous week a bit, but this was Thanksgiving Eve, so not bad..
• Gary Unmarried (CBS) - Prelim 7.72 million this week, down a tad from previous week but built from the lead-in again.

Thursday Sitcoms

• My Name is Earl (NBC) - preempted.
• Kath & Kim (NBC) - preempted.
• The Office (NBC) - Special 10:30pm encore only mustered a prelim 3.41 million.
• 30 Rock (NBC) - preempted.

Friday Sitcoms

• Everybody Hates Chris (The CW) 2 episodes - Final numbers are not in yet...but the prelim numbers show 2.1 million for a new episode at 8pm. Up actually week to week so far. A repeat at 9pm did a prelim 1.62 million.
• The Game (The CW) 2 episodes - Prelim numbers show 2.03 million for a new episode...and a repeat at 9:30pm did a prelim 1.54 million.
• The Office (NBC) - Special Friday 10:30pm repeat was barely on the map with just a prelim 2.21 million.

Saturday Sitcoms

• None.
  

Airing tonight (Sunday) are Fox's animated comedies from 8-10 (7-8pm repeats).

Summing it up. Two and a Half Men, The Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother, Samantha Who, Worst Week were impressive for the week. Everything else was OK (such as Gary Unmarried, Old Christine) or just plain old terrible (such as The Office repeats).

Posted by Pavan -- SitcomsOnline.com at 6:00 PM

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Labels: Weekly Ratings