SitcomsOnline.com News Blog

Households: #1. CBS 6.4 rating/12.0 share; #2. Fox 5.9/8.9; #3. ABC 4.5/7.0; #4. NBC 2.7/4.2; #5. The CW 1.2/1.8
Total Viewers: #1. CBS 10.08 million; #2. Fox. 10.04 million; #3. ABC 6.88 million; #4. NBC 4.08 million; #5. The CW 1.81 million.
Adults 18-49: #1. Fox 3.5 rating/9.0 share; #2. CBS 2.3/6.0; #3. ABC 2.2/5.7; #4. NBC 1.4/3.8; #5. The CW 0.7/1.9

Week 18 (Jan. 21-27) Analysis: Fox saw a good series premiere rating and Idol while down is still on top and has given Fox the lead this week. Through the first four night averages, CBS has the lead in HH/total viewers, while Fox is on top in adults 18-49. CBS is distant second place in 18-49, followed very closely by ABC, then NBC a very distant fourth. Fox is a very close second in HH/viewers, followed by ABC. Then NBC is a distant fourth and it will be a long winter for them. When the week is done, Fox will take the week in 18-49 since there is no NFL this week (well NBC has the Pro Bowl tonight, but that won't do anything to change the rankings). CBS and ABC will battle for second in adults 18-49, as that is the only battle this week. More on that later. As for last week, week 17, CBS took home first in adults 18-49 helped by two AFC Championship Game on Sunday night, crushing second place Fox, which had four hours of Idol. Then ABC and NBC were well back. Among total viewers, CBS took that crown as well, while Fox was a distant second. ABC and NBC were again behind.

Monday saw CBS take the night but Fox had a good showing. Starting with ABC, a two-hour The Bachelor from 8-10pm did 7.57 million and a 2.5 18-49 rating, which is again up a tenth in 18-49 from previous week. Like any good season for this series, it goes up weekly. At 10pm, Castle was all-new and did 8.82 million and a solid 2.0 18-49 rating, up a tenth in 18-49 from previous week.  For NBC, they had a two-hour The Biggest Loser from 8-10pm doing 6.11 million and a 2.4 18-49 rating, which is on par again with previous week. It is steady but not going up like the competing ABC reality series. At 10pm, week three of new drama Deception didn't do much with 3.61 million and a 1.3 18-49 rating, down three more tenths in 18-49 from previous week. Not good news and doesn't have much of a future. CBS was in all-new  with its comedies, as a new How I Met Your Mother did 10.07 million and a 3.7 18-49 rating, which is great but down two tenths in 18-49 from the previous week. A repeat of The Big Bang Theory at 8:30pm did 10.5 million and a 3.2 18-49 rating, which is solid but down five tenths in 18-49 from previous week. Is this too much Big Bang? At 9pm, a new 2 Broke Girls followed with 11.56 million and a 3.7 18-49 rating, down four tenths in 18-49 from the previous week. Next, a new Mike & Molly did 10.89 million and a 3.3 18-49 rating, which was down two tenths in 18-49 week-to-week. A new episode of Hawaii Five-0 at 10pm did 9.85 million and a 2.3 18-49 rating, which is down a tenth in 18-49 from previous week and the episode that aired the night before after the AFC Championship Game didn't help. CBS should have used that airing for something else. Poor decision. Fox aired an all-new episode of Bones at 8 and it did 8.53 million and a 2.3 18-49 rating, which was up two tenths in 18-49 from previous week as this series is still solid. At 9pm, the series premiere of The Following at 9pm was certainly sampled with 10.42 million and a 3.2 18-49 rating, which is up 1.1 18-49 rating points from the previous week's Bones in the timeslot. Solid beginning. The CW aired week two of The Carrie Diaries at 8 and did 1.27 million and a 0.5 18-49 rating, which is down a tenth in 18-49 from its series premiere the previous week.  At 9, 90210 was new at its new time and did only 0.79 million and a 0.4 18-49 rating, as this series should have called it quits after last season or even the previous season.

On Tuesday, it was ABC with the win in 18-49 on a slow night. First for CBS, a repeat of NCIS aired at 8 and did 12.86 million and a 1.7 18-49 rating. Next a repeat of NCIS: Los Angeles at 9 did 11.93 million and a 1.8 18-49 rating, building by a tenth in 18-49 from its lead-in. And finally at 10pm, a repeat of freshman Vegas did 6.94 million and only a 1.0 18-49 rating. Onto ABC, at 8pm the two-hour premiere of The Taste did a solid 5.82 million and a 2.1 18-49 rating, good for first place. If it can maintain or build on this, then ABC has a solid player. ABC preempted Happy Endings and Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23 has been pulled. Private Practice was new for its series finale doing 5.32 million and a 1.5 18-49 rating, up three tenths in 18-49 week-to-week. It ended quietly, but a perfect scene to end the series. NBC aired new episodes of Betty White's Off Their Rockers from 8-9pm. At 8pm it did 5.56 million and a 1.6 18-49 rating, up a tenth in 18-49 from previous week. At 8:30pm it did better with 5.91 million and a 1.8 18-49 rating, on par in 18-49 with previous week. At 9pm, a new Go On did only 3.97 million and a 1.3 18-49 rating, which is down an alarming four tenths in 18-49 from previous week for a new series low. At 9:30pm, The New Normal was new and did 3.28 million and a 1.2 18-49 rating, down two tenths in 18-49 from previous week for a new series low. Without The Voice as a lead-in, they are tanking, as expected. At 10pm, the season finale of Parenthood did 4.87 million and a 1.8 18-49 rating, which is down a tenth in 18-49 from previous week. Fox aired comedies as well as a new Raising Hope at 8pm did 4.00 million and a 1.7 18-49 rating, which was up a tenth in 18-49 from previous week. A new Ben and Kate did horrible with 2.53 million and a 1.2 18-49 rating at 8:30pm, and also up a tenth in 18-49 from previous week. The series has now been pulled and is canceled. A new episode of New Girl followed at 9 with 4.05 million and a 2.2 18-49 rating, which is the best of the block and up three tenths in 18-49 from previous week's series low. At 9:30pm, a new The Mindy Project did 3.05 million and a 1.5 18-49 rating, again on par week-to-week in 18-49 but this is still a disappointment. It is married to a 1.5 18-49 rating, it seems. The CW aired a new Hart of Dixie at 8 and did 1.45 million and a 0.6 18-49 rating, on par with previous week. A new episode of new series Emily Owens MD at 9 did 1.36 million and only a 0.4 18-49 rating, which is up a tenth in 18-49 from previous week. 

Wednesday had the American Idol take the night of course. But first,  CBS started the night off with a repeat of Criminal Minds at 8pm doing 6.6 million and a 1.5 18-49 rating, up for tenths in 18-49 from previous week's NCIS repeat, which skewed so much older. At 9pm, a new Criminal Minds did a solid 11.84 million and a 3.1 18-49 rating, which is up two tenths in 18-49 from previous week. At 10pm, a new CSI did 11.46 million and a 2.6 18-49 rating, up three tenths in 18-49 from previous week and more of a lead at 10pm this week.  ABC kicked off the night with a new episode of The Middle doing 8.55 million and a 2.5 18-49 rating, which is up two tenths in 18-49 from previous week. At 8:30pm a new episode of The Neighbors did 6.42 million and a 2.0 18-49 rating, also up two tenths in 18-49 from previous week. Such a good show now. At 9pm, a new episode of Modern Family did the best of the block with 10.83 million and a 4.2 18-49 rating, which is great but down a tenth in 18-49 from previous week. Suburgatory followed at 9:30pm with 6.09 million and a 2.2 18-49 rating, also down a tenth in 18-49 from previous week. At 10pm, Nashville was all-new and did 5.51 million and a 1.9 18-49 rating, down three tenths in 18-49 from previous week. Very strange. On Fox, a two-hour American Idol did a solid 16.07 million and a 5.5 18-49 rating, which is down five tenths in 18-49 from previous week but still higher than The Voice from this fall. Onto NBC a repeat (oh boy) of Whitney started it off at 8pm with 2.56 million and a 0.8 18-49 rating, but up a tenth in 18-49 week-to-week. At 8:30pm, a repeat of Guys with Kids did 2.16 million and a 0.7 18-49 rating, down a tenth in 18-49 week-to-week.  Law & Order: SVU followed at 9pm with a repeat as well that did 2.65 million and a 0.7 18-49 rating, which is terrible for a repeat for this series but up a tenth in 18-49 from previous week. At 10pm, a repeat of Chicago Fire did 2.56 million and a 0.8 18-49 rating, which is down two tenths in 18-49 from previous week. NBC was actually sixth place on this night, ouch. The CW aired a new airing of its new hit Arrow and did 3.14 million and a 1.1 18-49 rating, which beat the NBC comedy repeats again and on par with previous week in 18-49 again. At 9pm, a new Supernatural did 2.01 million and a 0.9 18-49 rating, beating NBC's repeat, and on par in 18-49 week-to-week.

On Thursday, Fox easily took the night in both 18-49 and total viewers with Idol. Starting with ABC, the finale of Last Resort did 5.48 million and a 1.2 18-49 rating, back up two tenths in 18-49 from previous week. Good show and ending. At 9pm, Grey's Anatomy was new and did a solid 9.01 million and a 3.0 18-49 rating, on par in 18-49 with previous week. The surging Scandal at 10pm was a repeat of a big episode from last season doing 5.57 million and a 1.7 18-49 rating, its best repeat performance ever. Good job. CBS had a night of repeats and opened with a repeat of The Big Bang Theory doing 11.49 million and a 3.2 18-49 rating, which is amazing for a repeat and on par in 18-49 with previous week.  This Thursday it faces Idol, will it be over a 6.0 18-49 again for the third straight new episode? I'm guessing no, but it will be close. A repeat of Two and a Half Men was up next and benefited with 8.52 million and a 2.2 18-49 rating, down a tenth in 18-49 from previous week. At 9pm, a repeat of older-skewing Person of Interest followed with 10.01 million and a 1.9 18-49 rating, up three tenths in 18-49 from previous week. Should CBS opt for younger-skewing comedies next season, this series would be perfect on Tuesdays at 9 or 10 following older NCIS. At 10pm, a repeat of freshman Elementary closed the night with 7.89 million and a 1.5 18-49 rating, up a tenth in 18-49 from previous week but  I don't think a post-Super Bowl episode will give this show much of a bump. Fox had a one-hour American Idol at 8 that did 15.65 million and a 5.2 18-49 rating, which was down four tenths in 18-49 from previous week when it was two-hours. Glee returned with a new episode at 9 and did 6.79 million and a 2.6 18-49 rating, still couldn't hang on to #1 with a large lead-in. NBC aired new episodes of its comedies, as a new 30 Rock did just 3.81 million and a 1.4 18-49 rating, up a tenth in 18-49 from previous week as the series finale is this Thursday to kick-off February sweep. At 8:30pm, the new time of  Parks & Recreation did 3.94 million and a 1.7 18-49 rating, down two tenths in 18-49 from previous week. Not bad for NBC Thursday these days. At 9, The Office was new and did 4.19 million and a 2.0 18-49 rating, which is again down a tenth in 18-49 from previous week. A new episode of 1600 Penn followed with only 3.28 million and a 1.3 18-49 rating, as it was up a tenth in 18-49 from previous week. Still not good at all. And it got worse at 10pm with the Thursday finale of Rock Center with Brian Williams doing 3.72 million and a 0.8 18-49 rating, down three tenths in 18-49 from previous week. New drama Do No Harm begins this Thursday. The CW's big gun Vampire Diaries aired at 8 and did 2.71 million and a 1.3 18-49 rating, which is great but down a tenth in 18-49 from previous week. At 9, Beauty and the Beast was new and did 1.79 million and a 0.7 18-49 rating, losing nearly half of its lead-in's 18-49 rating.

Now, final numbers for Friday and Saturday are not available, but it was a very slow night filled with repeats as ABC, NBC, and Fox tied for first in 18-49. CBS took the 8pm hour with a repeat of Undercover Boss, besting a new Kitchen Nightmares on Fox. ABC was first at 9pm with a repeat of Shark Tank easily beating a repeat of CSI: NY at 9. From 9-11pm Dateline did OK on NBC, growing at 10pm.  CBS was third at 10pm with a repeat of Blue Bloods as ABC 20/20 took the hour. The Following series premiere encore at 9 for Fox did better than the previous week's Fringe series finale, ouch.
Saturday had Fox easily take the night with the UFC Championship, as Cops was preempted, while CBS took 10pm with 48 Hours just getting by ABC's Saturday edition of 20/20 at 10. NBC didn't do much with US Figure Skating, losing to repeats on ABC and CBS.

Week 18 How the Sitcoms Did

Last Sunday Sitcoms (counts for Week 17 -- Jan. 14-20)

Monday Sitcoms

Tuesday Sitcoms

Thursday Sitcoms