Sunday, November 29, 2009

Week 10 TV Ratings and Analysis; How the Sitcoms Did

Week 10 TV Ratings (first four nights, Mon-Thurs finals):
(Due to the Thanksgiving holiday, final network averages for Wednesday and Thursday are not available, so I won't give you the first four nights numbers below...but check the analysis for the final program numbers for Monday and Tuesday and prelim numbers for Wednesday and on.)

Households: n/a
Total Viewers: n/a
Adults 18-49: n/a

Week 10 (Nov. 23-29) Analysis: For week 10 we don't have final first four night averages because of Thanksgiving, but I can predict that CBS is on top in all categories through the first four days. ABC is a close second in all categories thanks to huge numbers on Monday and Tuesday. While Fox is in 3rd followed by NBC in 4th. Last week, week 9, CBS hung on and beat ABC in HH/viewers, but ABC prevailed in 18-49 for the second straight week. CBS was second in 18-49, with NBC in third in all categories thanks to the NFL. Fox was in fourth everywhere.
On Monday it was ABC on top. A 90-minute Dancing with the Stars final performance show did a season high 20.41 million for ABC, up nearly two million from the previous week. A special preview of the new feel-good series Find My Family launched to good numbers with 12.76 million and a decent 2.9 18-49 rating. The series will air Mondays starting tomorrow at 9pm. An all-new Castle followed with a solid 10.31 million, down just a bit from the previous week when it had the direct Dancing lead-in, but it reached a season high in 18-49 with a 2.7 rating! Watch out for Castle in 2010 as it could grow even more with the younger skewing The Bachelor as its lead-in (and Alyssa Milano guest starring!). Next up was CBS with its comedies and CSI: Miami. How I Met Your Mother started it off with 8.75 million, up week-to-week, while Accidentally on Purpose followed doing 7.9 million and a 3/1 18-49 rating, both up some from previous week. Two and a Half Men followed doing 13.88 million, up a tad week-to-week and The Big Bang Theory followed and built from the lead0in for the first time in viewers with 14.13 million, up nearly a million from previous week, as it didn't go up against Dancing for the first time. The show also did a 5.2 18-49 rating building on the lead-in's 4.7 rating. A new episode of CSI: Miami did 13.22 million, down a tad from previous week. Fox started with House doing a solid 11.95 million and a 4.6 18-49 rating, but both down week-to-week again, followed by Lie to Me at only 7.16 million, off some from previous week again. NBC was next with Heroes doing 5.16 million, up a bit from the previous week. A new episode of Trauma followed and did only 5.39million and only a 1.7 A18-49 rating, in viewers it was up a tad from the previous week but in 18-49 it was down a tenth. The Jay Leno Show followed with only 4.49 million, but actually up ever so slightly from previous week. The CW was in repeats for some reason during sweeps, as One Tree Hill did only 1.13 million and Gossip Girl at an even worse 964,000 viewers. Repeats, but still it was bad.
On Tuesday, CBS and ABC battled. CBS had the always reliable NCIS opening the night off with 20.35 million...on par really from previous week. A new episode of NCIS: Los Angeles was next and did 17.22 million, up a ton from previous week as the series had a character cross-over from the parent show. No wonder. And finally CBS aired a new The Good Wife and did 12.53 million, down some from previous week. ABC was second for the night with episode four (the last of 2009) of V doing 9.3 million, on par from the previous week. 3.1 18-49 rating was also the same as previous week. Good sign. Then it was the two-hour grand finale of Dancing with the Stars: The Results doing 19.29 million, up of course week-to-week as Donny Osmond beat Mya and Kelly Osbourne for the trophy. The 10pm hour was well over 20 million and close to a 5 rating in 18-49. For you the forgotten fans, the show is back this Tuesday with an all-new episode. NBC was next with two-hours of The Biggest Loser doing 8.91 million, down from previous week when it was 90-minutes, followed by the The Jay Leno Show at 4.88 million, which was down well over a million from previous week. Fox aired So You Think You Can Dance for two-hours and did only 5.45 million, down from previous week. The CW was next with more repeats...a repeat of 90210 did only 1.11 million, followed by a repeat of Melrose Place at an even worse 774,000 viewers.
Wednesday it was CBS on top in a lower than usual night on Thanksgiving Eve. Ratings are not final for this night yet and are just prelim. CBS started with a new Old Christine doing a prelim 7.01 million, down some from previous week, followed by a new Gary Unmarried at prelim 6.8 million, down some from previous week. Veteran drama Criminal Minds was next and did a prelim 13.51 million, down some week-to-week, while CSI: NY did a prelim 12.67 million, down from previous week. ABC comedies were lower than normal, as a repeat of Modern Family did a decent prelim 5.54 million and a prelim 1.6 18-49 rating, lower than last week of course. The Middle was new and next and did a prelim 6.0 million and a prelim 1.8 18-49 rating, down from previous week. Modern Family was new and did a prelim 7.12 million and a prelim 2.4 18-49 rating, series lows, but expected. Cougar Town was next and all-new as well doing a prelim 5.53 million and a prelim 1.9 18-49 rating. The comedies will be all-new again on Dec. 9, but The Middle is new this week (Dec. 2). Eastwick was next and did a prelim 3.65 million, not good. NBC preempted Mercy and Law & Order: SVU for a Biggest Loser: Where Are They Now? special doing a decent prelim 7.7 million and a prelim 2.8 18-49 rating. At 10pm NBC aired The Jay Leno Show of course at just a prelim 5.11 million, but actually up week-to-week. Fox started with So You Think You Can Dance doing only a prelim 4.88 million, down from previous week and a season low obviously, and Glee was next at a prelim 6.11 million and a prelim 2.5 18-49 rating, both series lows, but again expected. The CW aired a movie and did a prelim 1.34 million. Its best ratings of the week actually.
Thursday it was CBS on top with mostly repeats on Thanksgiving Night. Again these are only prelim numbers and not final. ABC preempted the usual FLASHFORWARD, Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice with specials. A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving opened the night with a decent prelim of 6.4 million. ABC next aired two concert specials, Beyonce: I Am Yours did an OK prelim 5.14 million and a better prelim of 1.7 in 18-49. Paul McCartney: Good Evening NYC only did a prelim 4.66 million and a prelim 1.2 18-49 rating. CBS opened with Survivor: Samoa clip show at a prelim 9.96 million and a prelim 3.1 A18-49 rating, both down from previous week but expected. A repeat of CSI followed with a prelim 8.73 million. At 10pm The Mentalist was also a repeat and did a prelim 9.2 million. Fox preempted Bones and Fringe for the movie Night at the Museum doing a prelim 6.65 million, not bad. NBC preempted its comedies Community, Parks & Recreation, The Office and 30 Rock but they did a special one-hour repeat of The Office at 8pm that mustered just a prelim 2.68 million. An NBC special was next called NBC's People of the Year doing a prelim 5.17 million, it did OK. The Jay Leno Show closed the night with only a prelim 5.04 million, but up a bit week-to-week. The CW aired repeats of Vampire Diaries and Supernatural but the prelim ratings had also a NY Giants game mixed in NY, so it is best to wait until the final numbers to see how these repeats did.
Now, final numbers for Friday and Saturday are not available as usual, but CBS won Friday with repeats of their dramas as usual overall, but ABC's 20/20 at 10pm was the night's best in viewers and 18-49. New showings of Supernanny and Ugly Betty were at season lows due to the holiday.
Saturday numbers had ABC's College Football prevailing in all areas by a slim margin in prelim numbers.
Tonight the full ABC Sunday line-up is back (AFV, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Desperate Housewives, and Brothers & Sisters) look for solid ratings as usual, as on AFV, Bob Saget returns for a special 20th anniversary episode with Tom Bergeron. NBC has an NFL game tonight so they will win the night. CBS has a holiday movie from 9-11pm tonight that will skew pretty old. Fox has Animation Domination from 8-10 and an NFL overrun that will keep them competitive. Look for CBS to win the week likely in HH/viewers over ABC and they should win in 18-49 as well. NBC could overtake Fox in all categories for 3rd place thanks to NFL once again. As for this coming week, look for President Obama to speak on Tuesday at 8pm ET (more on that tomorrow on the blog) and the season premiere of the new Scrubs at 9pm Tuesday on ABC!

Week 10 How the Sitcoms Did

Last Sunday Sitcoms (counts for week 9-- Nov. 16-22)

  • Brothers (Fox) - New episode only mustered 2.27 million. Is that paying homage to the classic sitcom 227? I doubt it, as that series was millions times better in quality and ratings.
  • The Simpsons (Fox) 2 episodes - Only 6.88 million tuned in for a new episode at 8pm, down from the over 9 million the week prior. No NFL lead-in was the reason for the big drop. 3.3 18-49 rating was decent though, but down big also from the week prior. A repeat at 7:30pm did 3.96 million.
  • The Cleveland Show (Fox) - 6.56 million and a 3.3 18-49 rating. Looks like series lows and once again going down. 18-49 rating was basically on par from previous week though, going down from a 3.4 to a 3.3.
  • Family Guy (Fox) - 7.48 million and a 3.9 18-49 rating is excellent for a new showing...but it also was down from previous week.
  • American Dad (Fox) - 5.6 million and a 2.8 18-49 rating...still so-so.

Monday Sitcoms

  • How I Met Your Mother (CBS) - A new showing did 8.75 million, up from previous week. Solid showing.
  • Accidentally on Purpose (CBS) - 7.9 million for a new episode...up from previous week. Will it grow in December with no Dancing on ABC?
  • Two and a Half Men (CBS) - 13.88 million for a new episode. Up some from previous week and the same 4.7 18-49 rating from previous week.
  • The Big Bang Theory (CBS) - For the first time ever, a new episode built from the lead-in! 14.13 million tuned in as it looks like having no Dancing in the half-hour helped. This was a series high in viewers I believe. 5.2 18-49 rating is also excellent but not a series high.


Tuesday Sitcoms

  • None.

Wednesday Sitcoms
  • Old Christine (CBS) - New episode did a prelim 7.01 million...down some from previous week.
  • Gary Unmarried (CBS) - New episode did a prelim 6.8 million...down some from previous week.
  • The Middle (ABC) - A prelim 6.0 million for an all-new showing of this underrated family comedy. Too bad it aired on Thanksgiving Eve...great episode.
  • Modern Family (ABC) 2 episodes - A repeat at 8pm did solid for a repeat doing a prelim 5.54 million, down from previous week's final 6.13 million. But a new episode at 9 featuring a nice birthday-Thanksgiving episode did a prelim 7.12 million and a prelim 2.4 18-49 rating...down from normal of course, but not bad for Thanksgiving Eve.
  • Cougar Town (ABC) - A prelim 5.53 million and a prelim 1.9 18-49 rating for a new showing. Another good Thanksgiving episode.

Thursday Sitcoms

  • Community (NBC) - preempted.
  • Parks & Recreation (NBC) - preempted.
  • The Office (NBC) - A one-hour repeat at 8pm only did a prelim 2.68 million.
  • 30 Rock (NBC) - preempted.

Friday Sitcoms

  • None.

Saturday Sitcoms

  • None.

Airing tonight (Sunday) are Fox's animated comedies from 8-10pm tonight, all-new, along with Brothers at 7.

Summing it up. Two and a Half Men, The Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother & Accidentally on Purpose were impressive for the week. Everything else was OK (such as The Middle, Old Christine) or just plain old terrible (such as Brothers from week 9, The Office repeat).


Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Tuesday, November 11

The Golden Girls - 40 Years of Laughter and Friendship

The Golden Girls: 40 Years of Laughter and Friendship -- A Special Edition of 20/20 - (ABC, 10:00PM ET/PT)
A behind-the-scenes look at the beloved sitcom's enduring impact on TV and culture, including interviews with superfans Sheryl Lee Ralph, Kelly Ripa, Laverne Cox and former guest star Mario Lopez.

Complete TV Listings


Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of November 10)

Tuesday, November 11

  • Eddie Murphy (The PJs) - Catch Eddie on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
  • Morgan Fairchild (Cybill) - Morgan appears on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
  • Rob Riggle (Rob Riggle's Ski Master Academy/Golan the Insatiable/Gary Unmarried) - Rob talks about Grit, Spit, and Never Quit: A Marine's Guide to Comedy and Life on Comedy Central's The Daily Show at 11pm, on CBS Morning News sometime between 7-9am and on ABC News Live Prime with Linsey Davis at 7pm. NBC's Today catches up with Rob in the 10am hour.
  • Jamie Kaler (My Boys) - Jamie is a guest on Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen at 12:37am on CBS.
  • Ricki Lake (The King of Queens) - Andy Cohen interviews Ricki on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen at 3:30am on Bravo.
  • Ke Huy Quan (Head of the Class/Together We Stand) - Ke talks about Zootopia 2 on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am and on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm He also chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT..
  • Ginnifer Goodwin (Pivoting) - Ginnifer chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
  • Leslie Bibb (Palm Royale/God's Favorite Idiot/American Housewife/The Odd Couple/About a Boy) - Leslie co-hosts NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
  • Chloe Fineman (Big Mouth/Search Party) - Chloe talks about Satuday Night Live on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
  • Roy Wood Jr. (Sullivan & Son) - Roy talks about his new memoir The Man of Many Fathers: Life Lessons Disguised as a Memoir on Tamron Hall, so check your local listings.
  • Phil Rosenthal (Creator of Everybody Loves Raymond - Phil shares recipes from his new cookbook Phil's Favorites: Recipes from Friends and Family to Make at Home on Sherri, so check your local listings.
  • Tiffany Haddish (The Last O.G./The Carmichael Show) - tells Drew about her new series Tiffany Goes Off on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
  • Oliver Hudson (Splitting Up Together/Rules of Engagement/My Guide to Becoming a Rock Star) - Oliver talks about Netflix's A Merry Little Ex-Mas on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
  • Jane Lynch (Angel from Hell) and Kate Flannery (The Office) - Jane and Kate discuss their Christmas Cabaret tour on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.


New on DVD and Blu-ray

Frasier (2023) - Season Two Abbott Elementary - The Complete Third Season The Drew Carey Show - The Complete Series* (missing 4 episodes and some music has been replaced or altered) Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray) Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - The Complete First Season

01/28 - Wait Till Your Father Gets Home - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/04 - The Wayans Bros. - The Complete Series
03/11 - Frasier (2023) - Season Two
04/01 - Abbott Elementary - The Complete Third Season
05/13 - The Drew Carey Show - The Complete Series* (missing 4 episodes and some music has been replaced or altered)
06/06 - Shoresy - Season 2
06/17 - Looney Tunes - Collector's Vault - Volume 1 (Blu-ray)
07/22 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)
08/26 - The Huckleberry Hound Show - The Complete Original Series (Blu-ray)
10/07 - Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - The Complete First Season

More Recent and Upcoming TV DVD and Blu-ray Releases / TV Shows on DVD, Blu-ray and Prime Video / DVD Reviews Archive


Recent SitcomsOnline.com News Blog Posts

11/10 - ABC's New Game Show The Greatest Average American; Prime Video Christmas Movie
11/09 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of November 10, 2025)
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11/06 - Freeform's 25 Days of Christmas 2025 Schedule; Single Drunk Female Star Gets Hulu Film
11/05 - ABC 2025 Holiday Specials; Netflix Renews Nobody Wants This for Season 3
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11/03 - Apple TV Holiday Schedule; Another Week and Dancing with the Stars Rises Again
11/02 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of November 3, 2025)
11/01 - SitcomsOnline Digest: King of the Hill Renewed for Two More Seasons on Hulu; MTV Cancels Ridiculousness
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10/29 - ABC Midseason 2026 Schedule; Hulu Renews Only Murders in the Building for Season 6, Now in London
10/28 - Hulu Debuts Trailer for Original Holiday Film; Sidelined Returns for Sequel on Tubi
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10/26 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of October 27, 2025)
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10/24 - USA Network Renews The Rainmaker; Reba Hosting Christmas in Rockefeller Center
10/23 - The CW Holiday Specials Schedule; Apple TV Fraggle Rock Special
10/22 - Apple TV's Shrinking Returns in January 2026; Season 2 of Idris Elba Series Also Returns in January 2026
10/21 - FETV Acquires Here Come the Brides; Netflix's Mo Amer Special Trailer
10/20 - SNL November Guests Lineup; It's a Wonderful Lifetime 2025 Schedule
10/19 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of October 20, 2025)
10/18 - SitcomsOnline Digest: First Look at NBC Comedy Stumble; Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage Showrunner Talks When the Inevitable May Happen
10/17 - Apple TV's Palm Royale Returns November 12; Pop Culture Jeopardy! Moving to Netflix
10/16 - Kathleen Madigan Prime Video Special; His & Hers Premiere Date for Netflix
10/15 - ABC Wednesday Comedies Premiere Strong; Sebastian Maniscalco's Hulu Comedy Special Date
10/14 - Tubi's Breaking Bear Premieres March 2026; NBC's Stumble Trailer
10/13 - Jurassic World: Chaos Theory Final Season; Bat-Fam Premieres November 10 on Prime Video
10/12 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of October 13, 2025)
10/11 - SitcomsOnline Digest: First Look at Upcoming Paramount+ Sitcom Crutch; Yellowjackets to End After Upcoming Season
10/10 - Prime Video Releases Trailer for The Mighty Nein; Season 2 Premiere Date for Cross