Sunday, November 16, 2008

Week 8 Numbers (First Four Nights); How the Sitcoms Did

Week 8 numbers (first four nights, Mon-Thurs):

Households: ABC: 8.3/12.9; CBS: 8.3/12.9; NBC: 4.6/7.1; Fox: 4.5/6.8; The CW: 1.9/2.8; MNT: 0.8/1.2.
Total Viewers: CBS: 13.34 million; ABC: 12.95 million; Fox: 7.37 million; NBC: 7.26 million; The CW: 2.8 million; MNT: 1.17 million.
Adults 18-49: ABC: 3.6/9.2; CBS: 3.6/9.2; Fox: 3.0/7.5; NBC: 2.8/7.2; The CW: 1.3/3.4; MNT: 0.4/1.0.

Analysis: Week 8 has seen ABC and CBS battle for 1st and through Thursday it is very close, as ABC got a big assist from the 42nd Annual CMA Awards on Wednesday. Through the first four days, ABC and CBS are tied for 1st in households and 18-49 with ABC percentage points ahead, but CBS has slightly more viewers edging ABC. NBC is third in HH but fourth in viewers & 18-49, while Fox is 4th in HH but third in viewers & 18-49...though Fox and NBC are close but so behind ABC and CBS.
Last week, CBS won week 7 in HH/viewers edging ABC, while ABC won in 18-49 but NBC tied it thanks to the NFL game. NBC was third in HH/viewers, while CBS was third in 18-49. Fox was fourth across the board in a weak week without House.
Monday ABC was on top thanks to of course Dancing with the Stars. The 92-minute episode did a night best 18.69 million...nearly up two million week-to-week, as last week the SNL Election special hurt it a bit. The sitcom Samantha Who followed and did 10.4 million, also up nearly two million. A new Boston Legal followed with 8.7 million, yes up two million from the previous week. Next up was CBS, with new episodes of its comedies and a new CSI: Miami. The Big Bang Theory did a series best for the second straight week, this time at 10.01 million, this show continues to shine maybe because Kaley Cuoco's outfits are getting hotter and hotter and How I Met Your Mother followed with 9.79 million, also up week-to-week. #1 sitcom Two and a Half Men followed with 14.5 million, but up two million week-to-week, while Worst Week did 9.46 million, up week-to-week but again losing to the 8-9pm comedies despite the high lead-in. At 10pm a new CSI: Miami did 13.81 million, up a million from previous week. NBC was next and down big from previous week as its regular line-up returned. Chuck did 6.34 million, followed by Heroes at a series low 7.85 million and 3.6 18-49 rating...what has happened? It gains in DVR, but still it has lost viewers from the first two years. Recently canceled My Worst Own Enemy was next at just 4.27 million as the final episodes come to a close. Fox was next with the should have NOT been renewed Sarah Connor at just 5.15 million, on par really from previous week, and on its last legs Prison Break at 5.38 million, though up a bit week-to-week. The CW had its teen girls line-up of Gossip Girl doing 2.88 million, below 3 million for the first time this season, followed by One Tree Hill at an also season low 2.99 million. What happened?
Tuesday it was back to normal as the previous week saw ABC and NBC do big in Election coverage. CBS suffered the most the previous week, but it was back to business this week with a series high for NCIS at 18.75 million...how does this show do it? New drama The Mentalist followed with 16.52 million, just slightly behind ABC for the hour and a series high as well, I believe. It was #1 in 18-49 at a 4.0 for the hour holding all of its NCIS lead-in, wow! Who would have though Without a Trace would be the weak link for the night at 12.23 million but just a 2.8 18-49. ABC was next with a special recap episode of Dancing with the Stars at 10.32 million, followed by Dancing with the Stars: The Results at 16.52 million, but Eli Stone only did 7.01 million, though up from its last new episode two weeks prior to this week. Fox was next with House at 13.06 million and a 5.5 18-49 rating, followed by a time period low for Fringe with 8.61 million and a 3.8 18-49 rating, lowest since its premiere (when it didn't air out of House). NBC was next with an above average The Biggest Loser at 8.1million but more impressive 3.5 18-49 rating and Law & Order: SVU at a normal 9.42 million. The CW aired a new episode of 90210 doing 2.72 million, down a bit from previous week and a new episode of Privileged did 1.86 million, but up a bit week-to-week.
Wednesday saw ABC win the night thanks to the CMA Awards, beating usual winner CBS. ABC's Pushing Daisies, Private Practice, and Dirty Sexy Money will return this week, but the 42nd Annual CMA Awards won the night for ABC this week with a dominant 15.9 million and a 5.0 18-49 for its three-hour coverage. CBS started with Old Christine at a below normal 6.82 million, but up a bit from previous week. Recently picked-up for a full season Gary Unmarried followed with 6.61 million, also up a bit week-to-week. Next was Criminal Minds at 9pm and it did a solid 14.83 million, up slightly from previous week and at 10pm CSI: NY did 11.62 million, down a bit from previous week, as it seems Law & Order and CMA made this go down a lot. Earlier in the year 14-15 million was a given. Fox was next with a new Bones at a solid 10.87 million and a series best 3.5 18-49 rating. A House repeat, just what we need, did 6.22 million...which is not bad for a repeat, but down a bit from previous week. NBC opened the night with the falling Knight Rider doing just 5.34 million, but up week-to-week from previous week's series low, though this week it had a series low 1.5 18-49 rating. Next up was Life doing just 5.81 million, down a bit week-to-week and a new Law & Order did 7.93 million, on par really from its season premiere the previous week. The CW had a new Top Model doing 3.71 million, down a bit from previous week and Stylista followed with only 1.73 million, also down a bit week-to-week.
Thursday CBS won the night. CBS opened with Survivor: Gabon at 12.88 million, up from previous week. A new CSI followed with 19.05 million, up nearly a million from previous week. The new Eleventh Hour followed and did 11.63 million, also up from previous week. ABC was next but in Boston and surrounding areas the line-up was preempted for the New England-New York Jets NFL game, so the numbers are slightly down from usual. ABC opened the night with Ugly Betty doing 8.25 million, down a bit from previous week. Grey's Anatomy followed with 14.9 million, down nearly a million from previous but still #1 in 18-49 with a 5.7 rating despite not airing in the Boston area. At 10pm a new Life on Mars did 7.97 million, also down from previous week. What a hostage episode! NBC was next with a new My Name is Earl doing 7.04, up from previous week, new sitcom Kath & Kim followed with only 5.12 million, down from the previous week. The Office followed with 8.3 million, down a bit from previous week. 30 Rock did 7.6 million, down from previous week, as the show has gone down each airing this season after a fast start. Jennifer Aniston and the Night Court cast guest starred. Will Steve Martin help this coming week? ER did a season high 9.9 million, as some previous ER stars returned. Fox was off the map with two new episodes of Kitchen Nightmares at just 4.59 million, followed by its regular slot episode at just 4.91 million, but both up week-to-week. Smallville on The CW did 3.56 million, down nearly a million from previous week, but in NY The CW lineup was preempted for the New York Jets-New England NFL game, followed by Supernatural at 2.94 million...down from previous week as well, but it seems not airing in NY hurt it. This coming week it will be Pittsburgh and Cincinnati, as CW in Pitt and NBC in Cincy will show the game instead of regular line-up.
Now, final numbers for Friday and Saturday are not available, but CBS won Friday with their dramas, as Ghost Whisperer did a season high, but The Price is Right did nothing like repeat of NCIS at 9pm did as that hurt NUMB3RS a bit, as ABC saw decent numbers for 20/20 at 8pm but Supernanny/Super-manny didn't muster much. NBC's disappointing Crusoe continues to do bad, as does Lipstick Jungle at 10pm.
Saturday numbers saw Fox win in the preliminaries overall and in 18-49 thanks to its regular line-up, as the ABC Saturday College Football game was not on the map this week.
Tonight again NFL will be key. CBS will have a high NFL overrun at 7pm, followed by 60 Minutes with Obama. ABC of course has the Sunday line-up of AFV, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Desperate Housewives, and Brothers & Sisters, as a big episode of Housewives airs tonight, maybe a season high? NBC will be solid with the SNF game, but how will the struggling Cowboys do in Washington? Fox will do nicely in young adults, but probably down from normal.
As for the week, I believe CBS will win the week in HH, viewers and 18-49, but it depends on how NFL overrun does for CBS tonight. ABC could beat CBS in 18-49, but not likely because the College Football game on Saturday didn't do much this week. NBC will be third, with Fox in fourth across the board, followed by CW and MNT. What to watch for this week? We will have a normal week this coming week, but next Sunday ABC has the American Music Awards and Fox will have a special 24 two-hour prequel following the NFL. Regular line-up otherwise, with the Top Model finale this Wednesday on The CW.

Last Sunday Sitcoms (counts for week of Nov. 3-9)

  • The Simpsons (Fox) 2 episodes - Obviously the show dropped from the Halloween episode, but the show did 8.01 million, not bad, but should be better especially after over 12 million the previous week for Halloween. A repeat at 7:30pm leading into to the new episode did 5.36 million.
  • King of the Hill (Fox) - 6.79 million for a new episode, down from previous week...but that was after the high Simpsons Treehouse of Horror. A repeat at 7pm only mustered 2.87 million.
  • Family Guy (Fox) - 8.47 million and a 4.2 18-49...below normal but still pretty solid.
  • American Dad (Fox) - 6.54 million for worst of the night.

Monday Sitcoms

  • The Big Bang Theory (CBS) - 10.01 million is a series best for the second straight week! Simply amazing!
  • How I Met Your Mother (CBS) - 9.79 million up from previous week again, didn't build on the lead-in but it did in 18-49 from a 3.9 to 4.2, making this also a winner for the week.
  • Two and a Half Men (CBS) - 14.5 million, up nearly two million from previous week's below normal performance.
  • Worst Week (CBS) - 9.46 million up over a million from previous week...great show, but needs to be doing better.
  • Samantha Who? (ABC) - 10.4 million...up a lot from previous week's below normal performance.

Tuesday Sitcoms

  • None.
Wednesday Sitcoms
  • Old Christine (CBS) - 6.82 million, but better than previous week a bit.
  • Gary Unmarried (CBS) - Only 6.61 million but yes better than the previous week.

Thursday Sitcoms

  • My Name is Earl (NBC) - 7.04 million for a new episode, up from previous week again.
  • Kath & Kim (NBC) - 5.12 million, not good, down from previous week even.
  • The Office (NBC) - 8.3 million for a new episode...down again week-to-week though. Maybe Thursday NFL will hurt it until the NFL season ends?
  • 30 Rock (NBC) - 7.6 million tuned in this week, down again from previous week...but as of now it is still doing better than last season. Will it go back to last season levels in the coming weeks? I think the Palin-Fey effect will wear off soon.

Friday Sitcoms

  • Everybody Hates Chris (The CW) - Final numbers are not in yet...but the prelim numbers show 1.83 million. Bad yes, but up week to week so far.
  • The Game (The CW) - Prelim numbers show just 1.71 million...same as above.

Saturday Sitcoms

  • The Office (NBC) - Saturday repeat at 9pm only did 2.41 million in prelim numbers. Will go lower in finals like it has before.

Airing tonight (Sunday) is Fox's animated comedies from 7-10 (new from 8-10).

Summing it up. Two and a Half Men, The Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother, Samantha Who, The Office were impressive for the week. Everything else was OK (such as My Name is Earl, Old Christine) or just plain old terrible (such as The Office-Sat repeat, Kath & Kim).


Sitcoms Airing Tonight

Friday, September 22

none scheduled

Complete TV Listings


Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of September 18)

Friday, September 22

  • Kathryn Newton (Gary Unmarried) - Watch Kathryn on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
  • Ralph Harris (On Our Own) and Jimmie "JJ" Walker (Good Times/At Ease/Bustin' Loose) - Ralph and Jimmie are guests on repeats of Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen on CBS between 12:37-1:37am.
  • Alfonso Ribeiro (In the House/The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air/Silver Spoons) - Alfonso is a guest on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your listings.
  • Sam Jay (Bust Down) - Sam appears on PIX11 Morning News on WPIX in New York at 8:50am.


New on DVD/Blu-ray (June-October)

Mayberry R.F.D. - The Complete Series Night Court (1984-1992) - The Complete Series Family Matters - The Complete Series Step by Step - The Complete Series ALF - The Complete Series (Deluxe Edition)

06/13 - Mayberry R.F.D. - The Complete Series
06/13 - Night Court (1984-1992) - The Complete Series
07/18 - South Park - Seasons 21-25 (Blu-ray) (DVD)
07/25 - The Neighborhood - Season Five
07/25 - Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin - Season One
07/25 - Superstore - The Complete Series
08/22 - Back to Life - Season 1 / Season 2
08/29 - Smiling Friends - Season 1 (Blu-ray) (DVD)
09/05 - Young Sheldon - The Complete Sixth Season
09/12 - Abbott Elementary - The Complete Second Season
09/12 - Rick and Morty - The Complete Seasons 1-6 (Blu-ray) (DVD)
09/26 - Family Matters - The Complete Series
09/26 - Step by Step - The Complete Series
10/10 - The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - The Complete Season Thirteen / The Complete Season Fourteen
10/17 - ALF - The Complete Series (Deluxe Edition) (Shout! Factory Special Offers)
10/17 - Night Court (2023) - The Complete First Season
More Recent and Upcoming TV DVD Releases / DVD Reviews Archive / SitcomsOnline Digest


Recent SitcomsOnline.com News Blog Posts

09/21 - Penn & Teller: Fool Us Gets New Return Date; Netflix's Unicorn Academy Premieres November 2
09/20 - Paramount+ Announces Colin from Accounts; The Really Loud House Gets Halloween Movie
09/19 - The Simpsons Season 34 Streams October 11 on Disney+; Good Burger 2 Set for Holiday Season
09/18 - Hulu's Huluween and Disney+'s Hallowstream Line-Up; Shining Vale Returns October 13 on STARZ
09/17 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of September 18, 2023)
09/16 - SitcomsOnline Digest: ABC Cancels Wonder Years Reboot; Byron Allen Makes $10 Billion Offer to Buy ABC
09/15 - Antenna TV's Bewitched Halloween Marathon; Rewind TV's Sabrina the Teenage Witch-O-Ween Marathon
09/14 - Dancing with the Stars Season 32 Cast; BUZZR Celebrates 40 Years of Press Your Luck
09/13 - TBS Acquires Modern Family; The Frasier Awards on COZI TV
09/12 - Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen Gets CBS Late Night Run; Unsolved Mysteries: Behind the Legacy Special
09/11 - Matt Rife Gets Netflix Special; Star Trek Day and Kid Cudi Join Forces
09/10 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of September 11, 2023)
09/09 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Warner Bros. Television Suspends Deals with Top Creators; Fran Drescher Re-Elected President of SAG-AFTRA
09/08 - CBS Announces Hosts of Game Show; New Goosebumps Premieres Friday the 13th This October on Disney+ and Hulu
09/07 - MeTV Presents Svengoolie's Halloween BOOnanza!; The CW Moving Fall Comedies to Thursdays
09/06 - CBS to Air NCIS: Sydney This Fall; Fox Makes Fall Change
09/05 - TBS and TNT September Stunts Include Big Bang Theory Batman Day Marathon; Netflix UK Produced Series Updates
09/04 - TV Marathons on Labor Day 2023 Include Three's Company
09/03 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of September 4, 2023)
09/02 - SitcomsOnline Digest: No Third Season for How I Met Your Father; Spectrum Dispute with Disney Could Spell End of Cable
09/01 - September Is Anniversary Month on Hulu; Freeform's 31 Nights of Halloween Returns for Its 25th Anniversary
08/31 - Max's Original Comedy Series Starstruck Season 3 and Our Flag Means Death Season 2 Premiere Dates; AXS TV Announces Fall Programming Lineup
08/30 - The Partridge Family Coming to AXS TV Starting Oct. 2; CBS to Air A Tribute to Bob Barker Special Aug. 31, Marathon of Match Game Episodes to Air Sept. 2 on Game Show Network
08/29 - Once Upon a Time Coming to Hulu; Young Love Launches on Max in September
08/28 - Remembering TV Legend Bob Barker; Wolf Like Me Returns in October on Peacock
08/27 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of August 28, 2023)
08/26 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Frasier Reboot Date Set, With CBS Also Airing First Two Episodes; Doogie Kamealoha, M.D. Cancelled
08/25 - Rick and Morty Returns October 15; Switch New Season Begins September 18 on Game Show Network
08/24 - Hulu Fall 2023 Slate; Apple TV+ Series Still Up Debuts Trailer
08/23 - Frasier Returns October 12 on Paramount+; And Just Like That... Renewed for Season 3
08/22 - ABC Fall 2023 Premiere Dates and Revised Schedule; Upload Season 3 Returns October 20
08/21 - MeTV September 2023 Schedule; Cartoon Network's Tiny Toons Premieres Sept. 9