Sunday, December 30, 2012

YEAR IN REVIEW: The Top 20 Episodes of 2012

The regular Weekend Rewind looking at past seasons is preempted this week for my second annual rundown of my Top 20 episodes of the year. A quick disclaimer: this is of course based on shows I watched. I am watching the first couple years of Parenthood on DVD and I love it but I haven't gotten to 2012's episodes yet. Also, there are shows like Homeland that I'm sure I love but haven't watched yet, so this is based on what I do watch and what I enjoyed in 2012. So check it out below! And also, check outmy top 20 episodes of 2011!

20. Criminal Minds #159/160 "Hit/Run" (May 16, 2012)
The season finale of Criminal Minds was a two hours full of heart stopping drama. Set mainly around a tense bank robbery, this episode had everything that Criminal Minds fan love: twists and turns, intense action sequences, and building suspense. Then at the end of the episode, there was a very sweet sendoff to Paget Brewster as Agent Prentiss. She has such an impact on the show and it hasn't been the same without her but at least they sent her off in style in a way that made me realize I care about these characters even though they often seem like props in the procedural story.

19. New Girl #25 "Re-launch" (September 25, 2012)
New Girl has been in the opposite of a sophomore slump: it has been getting better and better after a stellar first season. It started off its second season in a real strong way with Jess losing her job. That made her neurotic tendencies even stronger. Adding in a real funny side of Winston after too many of Nick's drinks, I remember being so excited that these guys were back after a long summer off. This is the Friends of this generation in my opinion.

18. Chicago Fire #10 "Merry Christmas, Etc" (December 19, 2012)
Chicago Fire has been the surprise of the year for me. I thought it would be a mundane drama that would run out of storylines quickly (after all, how many ways can they portray fighting a fire?) But instead, the show has been building strong storylines with interesting characters as it's more about its ensemble than the fires. Honestly, give it a chance - the performances are better than you'd think. The most recent episode continued to add new levels to the characters and ended with a dramatic and unexpected moment to send the show into 2013 with new storylines to explore.

17. Scandal #14 "Defiance" (November 29, 2012)
The season's most addictive new drama just keeps twisting with each new episode. In this episode, the building conspiracy involving many of the lead players possibly throwing the election for President Grant was explored by a snooping reporter (and lover of the President's Chief of Staff) in the small town of Defiance, Ohio. As he uncovered evidence, the President celebrated a birthday. It was a good, twisty episode that also included a sometimes comical case of the week with a crazed billionaire. But then everything got real twisty in the final seconds when President Fitzgerald Grant was shot and Scandal just took things to a whole new level.

16. Alcatraz #1 "Pilot" (January 16, 2012)
Alcatraz ended up being a big fat disappointment both in quality and the ratings for FOX. But I was extremely hopeful and for good reason after one of the best pilots of the year. Alcatraz had a dark and compelling pilot about a group of prisoners that disappeared from the famed prison in 1963 and resurfaced in the present day. The show eventually got repetitive and disappointing but I remember finishing the pilot and being so excited for what was coming next. The disappointment of the series doesn't take away from the great start that captured a mood the show needed to keep.

15. New Girl #27 "Fluffer" (October 2, 2012)
This episode of New Girl captured everything that is awesome about the show: it furthered the Nick and Jess saga where Nick felt like Jess is using him like a boyfriend. The episode included a great dinner scene between Nick and Jess. The show is doing a great job of keeping these two apart so far much like Cheers did with Sam and Diane but each episode like this adds to the story. This episode also had one of the funniest "B" plots of the year when Schmidt pretends to be of the Romney sons to connect with hot young Republican women.

14. Smash #1 "Pilot" (February 6, 2012)
Smash was such an interesting show in season one - the show everyone loved to rip on but kept watching anyway (and I was no exception to that crowd). Season one was wildly uneven, ranging from a strong and creative new drama to a silly, misguided show. However, there's little dispute about the quality of the pilot which was regarded as the best pilot heading into the 2011-12 season and with good reason. It was something unlike anything else on TV, an interesting look into the inner workings on Broadway. The performances were strong and the new songs introduced were dynamic. Let's hope season two can recapture some of that pilot magic.

13. Revenge #22 "Reckoning" (May 23, 2012)
I miss Revenge from season one. I still like it this year but everything is just getting so complicated and it's starting to lose me a little bit. It was already heading down that path at the end of season one but it turned things around with a dynamic season finale filled with twists and turns as Emily came face-to-face with the white haired man and Victoria stepped on a plane doomed for disaster. So what if we all knew Madeleine Stowe wasn't really getting killed off, it ended the season with a real bang and there hasn't been as strong an episode since.

12. Modern Family #74 "Schooled" (October 10, 2012)
I think I sometimes take the greatness of Modern Family for granted as it is one of TV's strongest shows week in and week out. But every once in awhile there's an exceptionally great episode to remind me and "Schooled" was one of those episodes. Everything that makes Claire and Phil a great couple was on display as they completely embarrassed Haley when they took her to college (including Phil's book of advice - "Phil'sosophy". Meanwhile, Mitch and Cam got in a battle with some strong minded lesbian parents. As every great Modern Family episode does, this show ended on a very sweet note with Haley appreciating her parents after all.

11. Person of Interest #23 "Firewall" (May 17, 2012)
I love Person of Interest each week but I had a hard time pulling out certain episodes that stood out as the show is consistently one of the best but rarely spectacular at certain points. The season finale, however, was one of those "spectacular" episodes. Finch and Reese are completely fooled by a "person of interest" (a great guest appearance by Amy Acker). The show brilliantly tied up season one while setting up season two as Carter and Fusco finally realized they were both working for the same people and Reese begins to understand the workings of the machine. It was an action-packed, thrilling episode.

10. Parks and Recreation #73 "Halloween Surprise" (October 25, 2012)
For most of the half hour, this episode seemed like a generic Parks and Recreation episode - funny and witty with good performances. But then in the final minutes, it threw us for a loop with Ben's proposal to Leslie. As she cried and said yes, fans of the show were jumping for joy that the hopeless romantic Leslie got her storybook proposal. This is where the show differs from so many other shows like it - it is inherently sweet, not crass and not sarcastic. That's the appeal of this show and this final moment of "Halloween Surprise" was a perfect of example.

9. The Middle #68 "Get Your Business Done" (April 11, 2012)
Sometimes The Middle seems to be more of a kindred spirit to a show like The Andy Griffith Show than any show on TV today and the plot in this episode is a good example of why. When the Heck family goes to a new church, the pastor inspires Frankie and the congregation to "get your business done." She spends the rest of the episode trying to do that to consequences you might expect. This show makes great episodes out of minor things. A great side story was also in this episode involving Sue babysitting a kid her own age.

8. Dallas #1 "Changing of the Guard" (June 13, 2012)
Dallas made a triumphant return to TV on TNT this past summer with one of the more successful reboots in TV history. They did it by blending the old cast with the new - not retelling the story but continuing it. And the pilot got them off to a great start as we explored the next generation of Southfork with JR's conniving son John Ross and Bobby's well-meaning son Christopher at the center of the new generation. Of course, this episode and reboot wasn't complete without the arrival of the late, great Larry Hagman in his iconic role as JR Ewing. Hagman died during production of season two but at least we'll get a year and a half of seeing what the delightfully evil JR is up to in 2012.

7. Go On #7 "Any Given Birthday" (October 23, 2012)
Go On is the best new sitcom in a season with a very weak class of freshman sitcoms. I don't always make this appointment viewing (especially with it airing against New Girl) but I do enjoy it every time I watch it, some weeks more than others. Its best episode so far shows the real potential of this show - as Ryan prepares to spend his first birthday alone, his wacky group therapy friends take him on a scavenger hunt. It keeps his mind off his late wife until a poignant final scene that displays how this show can blend humor and emotion in a very natural way, which is tough for a sitcom to do.

6. Criminal Minds #169 "The Fallen" (November 14, 2012)
I have maintained for a long time that Criminal Minds is underrated. Of course it has many fans but most TV critics dismiss it immediately as a standard procedural that brings nothing new to the table. That argument has merit but I think Minds will sometimes exceed its procedural box and create real compelling drama. That is true in this episode which featured a brilliant guest turn by Meschach Taylor as a homeless war hero. The case of the week was almost secondary to this performance. Taylor should be considered for an Emmy, though he never will because snobby critics see the title Criminal Minds and move on to the next show.

5. Revenge #11 "Duress' (January 4, 2012)
It might not be a great sign that my favorite episode of a show came in the first airing of the year but I have already lamented Revenge's current direction. Instead, I choose to look back at when the show was at its best - that first summer in the Hamptons before the disappointing "reveal" episode, the "initiative," the unnecessary side characters. In this episode, crazy Tyler disrupts Daniel's beach-side clambake birthday dinner as Emily stays a step ahead of the game as she always does. This show seemed much simpler then when it was all about Emily's revenge and this was another fantastically twisty episode.

4. New Girl #32 "Parents" (November 20, 2012)
New Girl is the only show to get three spots on my Top 20 and they're all from the fantastic start to the second season. There were others that could have made the list too but my favorite was the Thanksgiving episode featuring Jess trying to "parent trap" her divorced parents (played excellently by Jamie Lee Curtis and Rob Reiner). That storyline alone was great but Nick's bonding with Jess' mother and Schmidt's increasingly crazy competition with his brother added to the fun of the episode. There is no more enjoyable half hour on TV each week than New Girl.

3. Modern Family #61 "Little Bo Bleep" (January 18, 2012)
The episode that had me laughing the hardest this year was courtesy of Modern Family and its brilliant new cast member in older Lily. When Lily learns some bad language ahead of being a flower girl in a wedding, Cam and Mitch desperately try to discourage the language (even as Cam repeatedly finds it hilarious). When Lily drops some major swear words at the wedding, Cam and Mitch are horrified and the audience is laughing its head off. This episode was the source of a minor controversy due to the young Lily swearing but its a great storyline that many parents have likely dealt with.

2. Scandal #15 "Happy Birthday, Mr. President" (December 6, 2012)
Right after the stunning cliffhanger of the President getting shot (see #17), Scandal picks up with an even better episode. From the opening scene of a dazed Olivia in the ER in the moments after the shooting to the steamy flashbacks that show more of the origin of Olivia and Fitz's relationship to the final twisty moment that implicated Huck as the gunman in the shooting, Scandal packed more excitement and emotion in an hour than some shows do in their whole run. It proved why it is the best drama on TV right now with this mind boggling and juicy episode.

1. Parks and Recreation #68 "Win, Lose, or Draw" (May 10, 2012)
The fantastic arc of Leslie Knope's run for City Council came to an end in this incredible episode that was the best of 2012. It featured more brilliant guest turns by Paul Rudd and Kathryn Hahn as the competition and ended the way everybody wanted it to. As Leslie's professional dreams came true, she was also forced with the fact that Ben was heading out to Washington DC. The best part of this episode though was seeing this amazingly talented ensemble working together to get Leslie elected and then partying together when she did. It captured everything that makes this show great in one episode and it was the best of the year.

Saturday, December 29, 2012

RATINGS RECAP: 12/28/12

ABC 
8:00 Shark Tank (Repeat)
Viewers: 5.5 million, 18-49 demo: 1.4
9:00 Back to the Beginning with Christine Armanpour
Viewers: 5.2 million, 18-49 demo: 0.9

CBS
8:00 Undercover Boss (Repeat)
Viewers: 5.5 million, 18-49 demo: 1.1
9:00 Undercover Boss (Repeat)
Viewers: 4.4 million, 18-49 demo: 1.0
10:00 Undercover Boss (Repeat)
Viewers: 3.8 million, 18-49 demo: 0.9

NBC
8:00 Go On (Repeat)
Viewers: 2.7 million, 18-49 demo: 0.8
8:30 Go On (Repeat)
Viewers: 2.2 million, 18-49 demo: 0.7
9:00 Dateline NBC
Viewers: 6.8 million, 18-49 demo: 1.7

FOX 
8:00 Dreamworks Dragons: Gift of the Night Fury
Viewers: 2.8 million, 18-49 demo: 0.9
8:30 Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas
Viewers: 2.6 million, 18-49 demo: 0.9
9:00 Kitchen Nightmares (Repeat)
Viewers: 1.9 million, 18-49 demo: 0.7

RATINGS RECAP: 12/27/12

ABC
8:00 Happy New Year, Charlie Brown
Viewers: 4.6 million, 18-49 demo: 1.2
9:00 Grey's Anatomy (Repeat)
Viewers: 3.2 million, 18-49 demo: 0.8
10:00 Scandal (Repeat)
Viewers: 2.9 million, 18-49 demo: 0.7

CBS
8:00 The Big Bang Theory (Repeat)
Viewers: 12.0 million, 18-49 demo: 3.3
8:30 Two and a Half Men (Repeat)
Viewers: 8.6 million, 18-49 demo: 2.2
9:00 Person of Interest (Repeat)
Viewers: 10.3 million, 18-49 demo: 1.9
10:00 Elementary (Repeat)
Viewers: 8.1 million, 18-49 demo: 1.6

NBC
8:00 30 Rock (Repeat)
Viewers: 2.5 million, 18-49 demo: 0.7
8:30 Up All Night (Repeat)
Viewers: 2.2 million, 18-49 demo: 0.8
9:00 The Office (Repeat)
Viewers: 2.2 million, 18-49 demo: 0.8
9:30 Parks and Recreation (Repeat)
Viewers: 1.9 million, 18-49 demo: 0.7
10:00 Rock Center with Brian Williams
Viewers: 3.4 million, 18-49 demo: 0.9

FOX
8:00 The Mindy Project (Repeat)
Viewers: 2.0 million, 18-49 demo: 0.7
8:30 The Mindy Project (Repeat)
Viewers: 1.6 million, 18-49 demo: 0.6
9:00 The Mindy Project (Repeat)
Viewers: 1.6 million, 18-49 demo: 0.6
9:30 The Mindy Project (Repeat)
Viewers; 1.7 million, 18-49 demo: 0.7 

RATINGS RECAP: 12/26/12

ABC
8:00 The Middle (Repeat)
Viewers: 4.5 million, 18-49 demo: 1.0
8:30 The Neighbors (Repeat)
Viewers: 4.1 million, 18-49 demo: 1.0
9:00 Modern Family (Repeat)
Viewers: 5.5 million, 18-49 demo: 1.7
9:30 Suburgatory (Repeat)
Viewers: 3.6 million, 18-49 demo: 1.1
10:00 Nashville (Repeat)
Viewers: 2.7 million, 18-49 demo: 0.6

CBS
8:00 Criminal Minds (Repeat)
Viewers: 8.6 million, 18-49 demo: 1.7
9:00 Kennedy Center Honors
Viewers: 8.2 million, 18-49 demo: 1.4

NBC
8:00 Whitney (Repeat)
Viewers: 3.4 million, 18-49 demo: 0.9
8:30 Guys with Kids (Repeat)
Viewers: 2.9 million, 18-49 demo: 0.9
9:00 Law & Order: SVU (Repeat)
Viewers: 5.5 million, 18-49 demo: 1.3
10:00 Chicago Fire (Repeat)
Viewers: 4.2 million, 18-49 demo: 1.1

FOX
8:00 Ben and Kate (Repeat)
Viewers: 1.9 million, 18-49 demo: 0.7
8:30 Ben and Kate (Repeat)
Viewers: 1.4 million, 18-49 demo: 0.7
9:00 Ben and Kate (Repeat)
Viewers: 1.2 million, 18-49 demo: 0.6
9:30 Ben and Kate (Repeat)
Viewers: 1.4 million, 18-49 demo: 0.7 

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

RATINGS RECAP: 12/25/12

ABC 
8:00 NBA Overrun
Viewers: 9.6 million, 18-49 demo: 3.6
8:40 How the Grinch Stole Christmas
Viewers: 5.1 million, 18-49 demo: 1.8
9:10 Movie: How the Grinch Stole Christmas
Viewers: 4.7 million, 18-49 demo: 1.7

CBS
8:00 NCIS (Repeat)
Viewers: 9.8 million, 18-49 demo: 1.4
9:00 NCIS: Los Angeles (Repeat)
Viewers: 8.6 million, 18-49 demo: 1.5
10:00 Vegas (Repeat)
Viewers: 6.0 million, 18-49 demo: 1.1

NBC
8:00 Movie: Horton Hears a Who
Viewers: 3.1 million, 18-49 demo: 1.1
10:00 Blake Shelton's Not-So Family Christmas
Viewers: 2.5 million, 18-49 demo: 0.7

FOX
8:00 New Girl (Repeat)
Viewers: 1.9 million, 18-49 demo: 0.7
8:30 New Girl (Repeat)
Viewers: 1.5 million, 18-49 demo: 0.6
9:00 New Girl (Repeat)
Viewers: 1.5 million, 18-49 demo: 0.6
9:30 New Girl (Repeat)
Viewers: 1.8 million, 18-49 demo: 0.7 

RATINGS RECAP: 12/24/12

ABC
8:00 Prep & Landing
Viewers: 3.4 million, 18-49 demo: 0.9
8:30 Shrek the Halls
Viewers: 3.3 million, 18-49 demo: 1.0
9:00 Movie: Shrek the Third
Viewers: 3.4 million, 18-49 demo: 1.1

CBS
8:00 How I Met Your Mother (Repeat)
Viewers: 3.3 million, 18-49 demo: 0.9
8:30 How I Met Your Mother (Repeat)
Viewers: 3.2 million, 18-49 demo: 1.0
9:00 2 Broke Girls (Repeat)
Viewers: 4.3 million, 18-49 demo: 1.2
9:30 Mike & Molly (Repeat)
Viewers: 4.5 million, 18-49 demo: 1.2
10:00 Hawaii Five-0 (Repeat)
Viewers: 4.8 million, 18-49 demo: 1.0

NBC
8:00 Movie: It's a Wonderful Life
Viewers: 5.6 million, 18-49 demo: 1.5

FOX
8:00 Raising Hope (Repeat)
Viewers: 1.9 million, 18-49 demo: 0.7
8:30 Raising Hope (Repeat)
Viewers: 1.4 million, 18-49 demo: 0.5
9:00 Raising Hope (Repeat)
Viewers: 1.5 million, 18-49 demo: 0.6
9:30 Raising Hope (Repeat)
Viewers: 1.7 million, 18-49 demo: 0.6 

RATINGS RECAP: 12/23/12

ABC
7:00 Movie: The Sound of Music
Viewers: 5.3 million, 18-49 demo: 1.1

CBS
7:00 60 Minutes
Viewers: 8.9 million, 18-49 demo: 1.2
8:00 Blue Bloods (Repeat)
Viewers: 6.2 million, 18-49 demo: 0.7
9:00 The Good Wife (Repeat)
Viewers: 4.9 million, 18-49 demo: 0.6
10:00 The Mentalist (Repeat)
Viewers: 5.5 million, 18-49 demo: 0.9

NBC
7:00 Football Night in America
Viewers: 5.7 million, 18-49 demo: 1.8
8:00 NFL Pregame
Viewers: 10.2 million, 18-49 demo: 3.4
8:30 Sunday Night Football
Viewers: 19.5 million, 18-49 demo: 6.7

FOX 
7:00 NFL Overrun
Viewers: 24.2 million, 18-49 demo: 7.8
7:38 The OT
Viewers: 10.9 million, 18-49 demo: 4.0
8:00 The Simpsons (Repeat)
Viewers: 5.5 million, 18-49 demo: 2.4
8:30 The Simpsons (Repeat)
Viewers: 4.9 million, 18-49 demo: 2.1
9:00 Family Guy
Viewers: 5.5 million, 18-49 demo: 2.5
9:30 American Dad! 
Viewers: 4.2 million, 18-49 demo: 2.0

Monday, December 24, 2012

RATINGS RECAP: 12/22/12

ABC 
8:00 Prep & Landing: Naughty vs. Nice
Viewers: 2.3 million, 18-49 demo: 0.6
8:30 A Chipmunk Christmas
Viewers: 2.8 million, 18-49 demo: 0.7
9:00 CMA Country Christmas
Viewers: 3.9 million, 18-49 demo: 0.9

CBS
8:00 Made in Jersey
Viewers: 2.5 million, 18-49 demo: 0.3
9:00 Made in Jersey
Viewers: 3.0 million, 18-49 demo: 0.3
10:00 48 Hours
Viewers: 4.4 million, 18-49 demo: 0.7

NBC
8:00 Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol
Viewers: 2.0 million, 18-49 demo: 0.4
9:00 WWE Tribute to the Troops
Viewers: 1.3 million, 18-49 demo: 0.3
10:00 Saturday Night Live (Repeat)
Viewers: 2.7 million, 18-49 demo: 0.9

FOX
8:00 Cops
Viewers: 3.0 million, 18-49 demo: 0.9
8:30 Cops (Repeat)
Viewers: 3.1 million, 18-49 demo: 0.9
9:00 Kitchen Nightmares (Repeat)
Viewers: 1.9 million, 18-49 demo: 0.7 

Saturday, December 22, 2012

RENEWAL ALERT: How I Met Your Mother

Reports are out today that CBS has finalized a deal to renew How I Met Your Mother for a ninth season. The deal was held up for awhile because one the stars, Jason Segel, wanted to leave and focus on his film career. However, Segel relented and decided to come back for another year in what will likely be the show's final season.

How I Met Your Mother remains a cornerstone to CBS's comedies as the lead-off Monday show. In a year that has seen lots of problems on Monday for CBS, it has been a priority of the network to get this show renewed. Still, both this show and Two and a Half Men are very old and CBS needs to find some adequate replacements very soon. Mother is the first CBS show to get renewed for 2013-14 and it joins NBC's The Voice as well as American Dad!, Bob's Burgers, Family Guy, The Simpsons, and The X Factor on FOX as the official renewals.

RATINGS RECAP: 12/21/12

ABC
8:00 Last Man Standing (Repeat)
Viewers: 4.2 million, 18-49 demo: 0.9
8:30 Malibu Country (Repeat)
Viewers: 3.8 million, 18-49 demo: 0.8
9:00 Back to the Beginning with Christiane Armanpour
Viewers: 5.3 million, 18-49 demo: 1.1

CBS
8:00 The Good Wife (Repeat)
Viewers: 4.1 million, 18-49 demo: 0.5
9:00 The Good Wife (Repeat)
Viewers: 3.9 million, 18-49 demo: 0.6
10:00 The Good Wife (Repeat)
Viewers: 4.0 million, 18-49 demo: 0.7

NBC
8:00 Blake Shelton's Not-So Family Christmas
Viewers: 5.0 million, 18-49 demo: 0.9
9:00 Michael Buble: Home for the Holidays
Viewers: 4.4 million, 18-49 demo: 0.8
10:00 Dateline NBC
Viewers: 3.8 million, 18-49 demo: 0.8

FOX
8:00 Kitchen Nightmares (Repeat)
Viewers: 2.3 million, 18-49 demo: 0.9
9:00 Fringe
Viewers: 3.0 million, 18-49 demo: 1.0 

RATINGS RECAP: 12/20/12

ABC
8:00 I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown
Viewers: 5.0 million, 18-49 demo: 1.4
9:00 CMA Country Christmas
Viewers: 7.2 million, 18-49 demo: 1.4

CBS
8:00 The Big Bang Theory (Repeat)
Viewers: 11.0 million, 18-49 demo: 2.9
8:30 Two and a Half Men (Repeat)
Viewers: 8.7 million, 18-49 demo: 2.3
9:00 Person of Interest (Repeat)
Viewers: 9.4 million, 18-49 demo: 1.7
10:00 Elementary (Repeat)
Viewers: 6.8 million, 18-49 demo: 1.3

NBC
8:00 A White House Christmas
Viewers: 8.3 million, 18-49 demo: 1.6
9:00 The Office (Repeat)
Viewers: 2.9 million, 18-49 demo: 1.0
9:30 Parks and Recreation (Repeat)
Viewers: 2.0 million, 18-49 demo: 0.8
10:00 Rock Center with Brian Williams
Viewers: 3.5 million, 18-49 demo: 0.8

FOX
8:00 The X Factor
Viewers: 9.7 million, 18-49 demo: 3.1 

RATINGS RECAP: 12/19/12

ABC
8:00 The Middle (Repeat)
Viewers: 5.0 million, 18-49 demo: 1.3
8:30 The Neighbors (Repeat)
Viewers: 3.9 million, 18-49 demo: 1.0
9:00 Modern Family (Repeat)
Viewers: 5.7 million, 18-49 demo: 1.8
9:30 The Year with Katie Couric
Viewers: 5.4 million, 18-49 demo: 1.6

CBS
8:00 A Home for the Holidays with Rascal Flatts
Viewers: 4.9 million, 18-49 demo: 0.8
9:00 Criminal Minds (Repeat)
Viewers: 6.4 million, 18-49 demo: 1.4 
10:00 CSI (Repeat)
Viewers: 5.8 million, 18-49 demo: 1.1

NBC
8:00 2012 Miss Universe Competition
Viewers: 6.1 million, 18-49 demo: 1.8
10:00 Chicago Fire
Viewers: 6.8 million, 18-49 demo: 1.9 

FOX
8:00 The X Factor
Viewers: 8.4 million, 18-49 demo: 2.7 

Wednesday night was mostly filled with specials and repeats but there was some new programming. On FOX, the final performance night of The X Factor was up seven tenths in viewers and even in the demo. What a disappointing performance for this show was the competition was very weak. Over on NBC, the Miss Universe competition delivered decent ratings and helped Chicago Fire rebound nicely as it was up a big 1.9 million viewers and half a demo point. This show does decently when the competition is limited but it crashed last week against tough competition. Elsewhere, a Katie Couric special was well below last week's Barbara Walters special but it was up slightly year-to-year and a Rascal Flatts special did nothing for CBS.

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

RATINGS RECAP: 12/18/12

ABC
8:00 A Charlie Brown Christmas
Viewers: 5.8 million, 18-49 demo: 1.7
9:00 Happy Endings
Viewers: 3.2 million, 18-49 demo: 1.3
9:30 Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23
Viewers: 2.5 million, 18-49 demo: 1.1
10:00 Private Practice
Viewers: 3.8 million, 18-49 demo: 1.2

CBS 
8:00 NCIS
Viewers: 19.6 million, 18-49 demo: 3.3
9:00 NCIS: Los Angeles
Viewers: 15.5 million, 18-49 demo: 3.0
10:00 Vegas
Viewers: 9.8 million, 18-49 demo: 1.6

NBC
8:00 The Voice (Repeat)
Viewers: 8.1 million, 18-49 demo: 2.4
9:00 The Voice
Viewers: 14.1 million, 18-49 demo: 4.9

FOX
8:00 Raising Hope (Repeat)
Viewers: 2.5 million, 18-49 demo: 1.0
8:30 Ben and Kate (Repeat)
Viewers: 1.8 million, 18-49 demo: 0.8
9:00 New Girl (Repeat)
Viewers: 1.7 million, 18-49 demo: 0.8
9:30 The Mindy Project (Repeat)
Viewers: 1.5 million, 18-49 demo: 0.6

On NBC, The Voice aired its fall edition finale and it was up a big 2.6 million viewers and 1.3 demo points. This show has been the major powerhouse of the fall and didn't show big declines as it had in the past. It returns March 25 with Shakira and Usher taking over the chairs for Christina Aguilera and Cee Lo Green. Until then, NBC may have a rough go of it without the show that really carries the network. ABC had another low evening starting with the second airing of A Charlie Brown Christmas which wasn't as strong as the first airing, understandably. At 9pm, Happy Endings was even in viewers and up a tenth in the demo while Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23 was up the same. At 10pm, Private Practice was down a tenth in viewers and even in the demo. 

Over on CBS, every show was up despite the competition from The Voice. At 8pm, NCIS didn't compete directly with the new programming on NBC and was up a big 1.9 million viewers and half a demo point from last week's troubling drop. At 9pm, NCIS: Los Angeles was up four tenths in viewers and four tenths in the demo despite tougher competition on NBC. At 10pm, Vegas was down half a million viewers but up a tenth in the demo. Still, a 1.6 demo is not acceptable for this timeslot. It will be interesting to see if Golden Boy can do any better when it gets a two week trial run in the spring before heading to Fridays.

RATINGS RECAP: 12/17/12

ABC
8:00 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
Viewers: 4.2 million, 18-49 demo: 1.0
9:00 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
Viewers: 4.7 million, 18-49 demo: 1.2
10:00 Castle (Repeat)
Viewers: 5.2 million, 18-49 demo: 1.1

CBS
8:00 How I Met Your Mother
Viewers: 8.7 million, 18-49 demo: 3.4
9:00 2 Broke Girls
Viewers: 10.2 million, 18-49 demo: 3.5
9:30 Mike & Molly
Viewers: 10.8 million, 18-49 demo: 3.3
10:00 Hawaii Five-0
Viewers: 10.5 million, 18-49 demo: 2.4 

NBC
8:00 The Voice
Viewers: 13.4 million, 18-49 demo: 4.2
9:30 1600 Penn
Viewers: 6.9 million, 18-49 demo: 2.2
10:00 Take it All
Viewers: 4.5 million, 18-49 demo: 1.5

FOX
8:00 Dreamworks Dragons: Gift of the Night Fury
Viewers: 3.9 million, 18-49 demo: 1.5
8:30 Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas
Viewers: 4.0 million, 18-49 demo: 1.5
9:00 Happiness is a Warm Blanket, Charlie Brown
Viewers: 2.6 million, 18-49 demo: 0.9 

On Monday night, NBC had the final performance night of The Voice. It was up 1.1 million viewers and four tenths in the demo. The good news is that its barely below where it was at the beginning of the season and it never saw the big drops it saw in its first two editions. It was followed by a sneak preview of upcoming Thursday comedy 1600 Penn. Given the huge lead-in, the sampling was pretty weak and now it will air on a night that NBC has major difficulty. I don't think the outlook is great for this show when it joins the regular schedule on January 10. At 10pm, the final night of Take it All was slightly up from the weaker nights at the end of last week. 

On CBS, a one hour episode of How I Met Your Mother was down a tenth in viewers but up two tenths in the demo for its best demo performance since the season premiere. At 9pm, 2 Broke Girls was down eight tenths in viewers and two tenths in the demo from last week's 9pm episode. It had a slightly better lead-in this week but seems to do best when it has The Big Bang Theory as a lead-in. At 9:30pm, Mike & Molly was up six tenths in viewers and two tenths in the demo from its last airing two weeks ago. To round off the night, Hawaii Five-0 was up seven tenths in viewers but down a tenth in the demo. ABC mailed it in with the fourth week of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition specials which haven't done well at all. 

RATINGS RECAP: 12/16/12

The networks cut into programming to broadcast President Obama's speech at the Sandy Hook Vigil so the numbers were slightly skewed. This is how it basically shook out though.

ABC
7:00 America's Funniest Home Videos (Repeat)
Viewers: 6.2 million, 18-49 demo: 1.4
8:00 Wipeout (Repeat)
Viewers: 3.7 million, 18-49 demo: 1.2
9:00 Wipeout (Repeat)
Viewers: 2.1 million, 18-49 demo: 0.6
9:30 The Bachelorette: Ashley and JP's Wedding
Viewers: 4.0 million, 18-49 demo: 1.0

CBS
7:00 NFL Overrun
Viewers: 26.9 million, 18-49 demo: 9.0
8:00 60 Minutes
Viewers: 19.6 million, 18-49 demo: 4.9
9:00 Survivor
Viewers: 11.5 million, 18-49 demo: 3.2

NBC
7:00 Football Night in America
Viewers: 3.0 million, 18-49 demo: 1.0
8:00 NFL Pregame
Viewers: 10.5 million, 18-49 demo: 4.0
8:30 Sunday Night Football
Viewers: 23.2 million, 18-49 demo: 8.7

FOX
7:00 The Cleveland Show (Repeat)
Viewers: 2.1 million, 18-49 demo: 0.9
7:30 The Cleveland Show
Viewers: 3.1 million, 18-49 demo: 1.4
8:00 The Simpsons
Viewers: 3.8 million, 18-49 demo: 1.7
8:30 Bob's Burgers
Viewers: 3.1 million, 18-49 demo: 1.5
9:00 Family Guy (Repeat)
Viewers: 3.5 million, 18-49 demo: 1.7
9:30 American Dad! (Repeat)
Viewers: 3.5 million, 18-49 demo: 1.5

Monday, December 17, 2012

PILOT REVIEW: 1600 Penn

1600 PENN










Starring: Josh Gad, Jenna Elfman, Martha MacIsaac, Andre Holland, Amara Miller, Benjamin Stockham, and Bill Pullman

Created by Josh Gad, John Lovett, and Jason Winer
Written by Josh Gad & Jon Lovett, Directed by Jason Winer

1600 Penn is a comedy about a dysfunctional family... only this family is living in the most famous address in the USA - the White House. The show centers on the family of fictional US President Dale Gilchrist (Bill Pullman). In his family is his second "trophy" wife, the independent minded Emily Nash Gilchrist (Jenna Elfman), screw-up son Skip (Josh Gad), and goody two-shoes daughter Becca (Martha MacIsaac) who finds out she's pregnant in the opener. Rounding out the family is the younger children Marigold and Xander (Amara Miller and Benjamin Stockham).

THE GOOD: There are good people involved with this show and the casting seems like it was solid. Bill Pullman is certainly believable as the leader of the free world even though he wasn't given much to do in the pilot. Jenna Elfman has a lot of sitcom experience and is always likable on screen. Josh Gad is playing a Jonah Hill type role but does it well for the most part and Amara Miller seems decent as the daughter. Sitcoms sometimes take awhile to gel so a likable cast is so important in the pilot to encourage people to come back and this one has a solid cast that might be worth sticking with as they iron out the kinks.

THE BAD: The problem is that there are a lot of kinks to iron out because this episode felt sort of all over the place. Josh Gad is funny but his character could border on annoying real quickly and he sort of already did in the pilot. He needs to not be too juvenile. Plus the fact that he had a major impact on foreign affairs seemed a little far fetched even for a show that is supposed to be a broad comedy. The show also felt like it didn't want to stick with a storyline and did a lot of jumping around. There's a lot of potential comedy to be developed here but it needs to be executed better.

BOTTOM LINE: NBC has been promoting this show as their answer to Modern Family but I don't see it ever reaching that level. At best, it can be a quirky family comedy with a strong cast. At worst, it can be a sophomoric and silly sitcom that squanders a potentially good premise. The pilot made me think it could go either way so I'll watch episode two. I think if I find Josh Gad's character endearing instead of annoying, that will go a long way.

Sunday, December 16, 2012

RATINGS RECAP: 12/15/12

ABC 
8:00 Movie: Transformers
Viewers: 2.9 million, 18-49 demo: 1.0

CBS 
8:00 Movie: Elf
Viewers: 5.1 million, 18-49 demo: 1.5
10:00 48 Hours
Viewers: 6.4 million, 18-49 demo: 1.5

NBC
8:00 Chicago Fire (Repeat)
Viewers: 2.4 million, 18-49 demo: 0.4
9:00 Chicago Fire (Repeat)
Viewers: 2.7 million, 18-49 demo: 0.5
10:00 Chicago Fire (Repeat)
Viewers: 3.0 million, 18-49 demo: 0.7

FOX
8:00 Cops
Viewers: 2.6 million, 18-49 demo: 0.8
8:30 Cops (Repeat)
Viewers: 2.8 million, 18-49 demo: 0.8
9:00 Kitchen Nightmares (Repeat)
Viewers: 1.6 million, 18-49 demo: 0.6 

RATINGS RECAP: 12/15/12

ABC 
8:00 Last Man Standing
Viewers: 6.8 million, 18-49 demo: 1.5
8:30 Malibu Country
Viewers: 6.4 million, 18-49 demo: 1.5
9:00 Shark Tank (Repeat)
Viewers: 4.3 million, 18-49 demo: 1.2
10:00 20/20
Viewers: 6.3 million, 18-49 demo: 1.6

CBS
8:00 Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer
Viewers: 6.6 million, 18-49 demo: 1.9
9:00 Yes, Virginia
Viewers: 5.8 million, 18-49 demo: 1.6
9:30 Elf on a Shelf
Viewers: 6.0 million, 18-49 demo: 1.6
10:00 CBS News Special Edition
Viewers: 5.7 million, 18-49 demo: 1.2

NBC
8:00 Michael Buble: Home for the Holidays
Viewers: 4.1 million, 18-49 demo: 0.9
9:00 Take it All
Viewers: 4.8 million, 18-49 demo: 1.1 
10:00 Dateline NBC
Viewers: 6.8 million, 18-49 demo: 2.0

FOX 
8:00 Kitchen Nightmares
Viewers: 3.0 million, 18-49 demo: 1.1
9:00 Fringe
Viewers: 3.1 million, 18-49 demo: 1.1 

It was a quiet Friday night on the broadcast networks. In light of the horrible tragedy in Connecticut, both 20/20 and Dateline were up big with special coverage. Elsewhere on ABC, Christmas episodes of their comedies were in the 8pm hour. Last Man Standing was up three tenths in viewers and even in the demo while Malibu Country was up four tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo. Take it All was down slightly from its Thursday installment on NBC. On FOX, Kitchen Nightmares was even in viewers and down a tenth in the demo while Fringe was up four tenths in viewers and two tenths in the demo.

Friday, December 14, 2012

RATINGS RECAP: 12/13/12

ABC
8:00 Last Resort
Viewers: 4.9 million, 18-49 demo: 1.0
9:00 Grey's Anatomy
Viewers: 8.2 million, 18-49 demo: 2.9
10:00 Scandal
Viewers: 7.1 million, 18-49 demo: 2.4

CBS
8:00 The Big Bang Theory
Viewers: 16.8 million, 18-49 demo: 5.4
8:30 Two and a Half Men
Viewers: 13.3 million, 18-49 demo: 4.1
9:00 Person of Interest
Viewers: 14.1 million, 18-49 demo: 2.9
10:00 Elementary
Viewers: 10.5 million, 18-49 demo: 2.3

NBC
8:00 Up All Night
Viewers: 2.9 million, 18-49 demo: 0.9
8:30 Up All Night
Viewers: 2.7 million, 18-49 demo: 1.1
9:00 Take it All
Viewers: 3.9 million, 18-49 demo: 1.2
10:00 Rock Center with Brian Williams
Viewers: 3.4 million, 18-49 demo: 0.9

FOX
8:00 The X Factor
Viewers: 7.7 million, 18-49 demo: 2.4
9:00 Glee
Viewers: 5.3 million, 18-49 demo: 2.0 
 
On Thursday night, the broadcast networks had a down night for the most part. On ABC, Last Resort started off down half a million viewers and two tenths in the demo, tying a series low. At 9pm, Grey's Anatomy was down nine tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo for a season low. Scandal was down three tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo from last week's series high but it held up well and this was its second highest rating ever. 

CBS had a pretty good night as three of their four shows were up in the demo. The Big Bang Theory was down a tenth in viewers but up two tenths in the demo. It's a full demo point ahead of any other show on broadcast TV at this point. At 8:30pm, Two and a Half Men was down two tenths in viewers and up a tenth in the demo. At 9pm, Person of Interest was down a tenth in viewers and even in the demo. Though it was the only CBS show to not rise, it did manage to tie Grey's Anatomy for first in the demo. At 10pm, Elementary was up two tenths in viewers and the demo, narrowing the gap with Scandal from last week. 

NBC had a horribly low night where its best demo was 1.2. A double airing of Up All Night were both down from last week's episode. Will this show get any boost when it switches to multi-camera? At 9pm, night four of Take it All was slightly up from Wednesday's episode but still way down from Monday and Tuesday. Looks like this completely depends on its lead-in. At 10pm, Rock Center with Brian Williams was down two tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo. On FOX, The X Factor was down a tenth in viewers and the demo despite revealing the finalists. At 9pm, Glee was down a tenth in viewers and two tenths in the demo.

Thursday, December 13, 2012

RATINGS RECAP: 12/12/12

ABC
8:00 The Middle
Viewers: 7.3 million, 18-49 demo: 2.1
8:30 The Neighbors
Viewers: 5.4 million, 18-49 demo: 1.6
9:00 Modern Family
Viewers: 10.9 million, 18-49 demo: 4.2
9:30 Barbara Walters: 10 Most Fascinating People of 2012
Viewers: 7.6 million, 18-49 demo: 2.1

CBS
8:00 Survivor
Viewers: 10.4 million, 18-49 demo: 2.8
9:00 Criminal Minds
Viewers: 12.0 million, 18-49 demo: 3.1
10:00 CSI
Viewers: 9.6 million, 18-49 demo: 2.2

NBC
8:00 Whitney
Viewers: 3.8 million, 18-49 demo: 1.4
8:30 Guys with Kids (Repeat)
Viewers: 2.7 million, 18-49 demo: 1.0
9:00 Take it All
Viewers: 3.4 million, 18-49 demo: 1.1
10:00 Chicago Fire
Viewers: 4.9 million, 18-49 demo: 1.4

FOX 
8:00 The X Factor
Viewers: 7.8 million, 18-49 demo: 2.7


It was a rough night for the broadcast networks on 12/12/12 as nearly everything was down. On ABC, The Middle started things off down seven tenths in viewers and two tenths in the demo for a season low. It was followed by The Neighbors which was down a million viewers and three tenths in the demo. This is the first big drop it's taken since the second episode so it'll be interesting to see how it returns in January. At 9pm, Modern Family was down 1.1 million viewers and half a demo point from its last airing, tying a season low. The night concluded with the annual Barbara Walters 10 Most Fascinating People special which was slightly below last year.

Over on CBS, Survivor started down two tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo. Criminal Minds was one of the few shows to rise as it was up seven tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo for its best performance since October 24. At 10pm, CSI was down a huge 2.5 million viewers and four tenths in the demo from its last airing two weeks ago. It's closer to Christmas so that might explain some of it but this was a mammoth drop and it was coming when Chicago Fire was down big on NBC too. 

On NBC, Whitney was another one of the few shows to go up. It was down a tenth in viewers but up a tenth in the demo. It earned three additional episodes today. Night three of Take it All did not air after The Voice and took a major nosedive as it was down a full demo point from Monday and Tuesday. Guess it's not the next great holiday game show. At 10pm, Chicago Fire was hit hard as it tumbled a huge 2.3 million viewers and half a demo point. The 10pm hour was hurt a lot this week. On FOX, The X Factor was down half a million viewers and a tenth in the demo.
 

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

RATINGS RECAP: 12/11/12

ABC
8:00 Santa Claus is Comin' to Town
Viewers: 5.6 million, 18-49 demo: 1.7
9:00 Happy Endings
Viewers: 3.2 million, 18-49 demo: 1.2
9:30 Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23
Viewers: 2.5 million, 18-49 demo: 1.0
10:00 Private Practice
Viewers: 3.9 million, 18-49 demo: 1.2

CBS 
8:00 NCIS
Viewers: 17.7 million, 18-49 demo: 2.8
9:00 NCIS: Los Angeles
Viewers: 15.1 million, 18-49 demo: 2.6
10:00 Vegas
Viewers: 10.3 million, 18-49 demo: 1.5

NBC
8:00 The Voice
Viewers: 11.5 million, 18-49 demo: 3.6
9:00 Take it All
Viewers: 7.2 million, 18-49 demo: 2.2
10:00 Parenthood
Viewers: 5.7 million, 18-49 demo: 2.0 

FOX
8:00 Raising Hope
Viewers: 4.0 million, 18-49 demo: 1.7
8:30 Ben and Kate (Repeat)
Viewers: 2.2 million, 18-49 demo: 0.8
9:00 New Girl
Viewers: 4.2 million, 18-49 demo: 2.0
9:30 The Mindy Project
Viewers: 3.1 million, 18-49 demo: 1.5 

On Tuesday night, NBC was all new starting with The Voice which revealed the final three. It was even in viewers and up a tenth in the demo as it has been much more steady this year. At 9pm, night two of Take it All was even in the demo from the first night which is a positive sign for the holiday show. We'll see how it does Wednesday night airing after a repeat of Guys with Kids. At 10pm, Parenthood was up seven tenths in viewers and two tenths in the demo, tying a season high. This show has really done well against weak competition on ABC and CBS this fall. It's a shame that it's ending its season in January.

CBS had a rough night as everything was down to season lows. NCIS was down 2.1 million viewers and a huge eight tenths in the demo. This is a rough tumble for NCIS which spiked up in its last airing. At 9pm, NCIS: Los Angeles was up six tenths in viewers but down three tenths in the demo. Finally at 10pm, Vegas was up nine tenths in viewers but down a tenth in the demo. Boy does this show skew old. FOX had three new episodes in its comedy lineup. At 8pm, Raising Hope bounced back some as it was up three tenths in viewers and the demo. After a repeat of Ben and Kate, New Girl was up a tenth in viewers and even in the demo while The Mindy Project was up four tenths in viewers and two tenths in the demo.

ABC had a terrible night. It started with an airing of annual special Santa Claus is Comin' to Town which was down big year-to-year. It was followed by the extremely weak Tuesday lineup. Happy Endings was down two tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo and Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23 was down half a million viewers and two tenths in the demo. This comedy lineup is really pathetic yet it doesn't seem like its going to change until March. At 10pm, Private Practice was down half a million viewers and even in the demo. It announced its series finale will be January 22. 

PILOT REVIEW: Take It All

TAKE IT ALL











Hosted by Howie Mandel
Directed by Michael Dimich

Take it All is a new game show that's a high cash rewards spin on the classic Christmas game White Elephant (or Yankee Swap, Thief of the Presents, etc). Five contestants start the game and then play with traditional White Elephant rules only they can't be the one who ends up with the prize with the lowest cash value. When it gets down to two people, they must decide whether they want to keep what they have or risk taking it all but if both pick take it all, no one gets anything.

THE GOOD: Here's what drives me crazy about games like this and myself. There's so much I hate about it (and I'll get into that momentarily) yet I get completely sucked into it. I spent most of the episode hating the show only to find myself interested in finding out what happened next and who won. That's something shows like this do really well and this is no exception. It really does a good job of making each round interesting and then the final moment where you have to see people's true colors is actually quite interesting.

THE BAD: Everything I hate about most current game shows is present here. First of all, it's way overproduced. No more in prime time do we have simple games like Wheel of Fortune or Jeopardy. Instead, everything is SO high stakes. Howie Mandel treats the reveals of the cost of a prize like he's announcing the winner of American Idol. He also said with a serious face that this was "bigger, crazier television than you've ever seen before." Really? The contestants were super annoying too. Either they found people who just had that way about them or they were highly coached and I think it's more of the latter especially with personal sob stories like they were on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. Perhaps most annoying of all was the crowd reactions as some faces looked like someone had just killed somebody rather than stolen a present.

BOTTOM LINE: Despite all my anger towards shows like this, I still get sucked into them and I still wanted to see who won. I won't spoil the ending but it was very interesting to see the way it was played and not what I expected. I probably shouldn't even turn this show on again because then I'll get sucked in again and be mad at myself after for letting that happen.

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

RATINGS RECAP: 12/10/12

ABC
8:00 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
Viewers: 4.5 million, 18-49 demo: 1.1
9:00 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
Viewers: 4.7 million, 18-49 demo: 1.2
10:00 Castle (Repeat)
Viewers: 5.1 million, 18-49 demo: 1.1

CBS
8:00 How I Met Your Mother
Viewers: 8.8 million, 18-49 demo: 3.2
8:30 The Big Bang Theory (Repeat)
Viewers: 9.8 million, 18-49 demo: 3.0
9:00 2 Broke Girls
Viewers: 11.0 million, 18-49 demo: 3.7
9:30 2 Broke Girls
Viewers: 10.8 million, 18-49 demo: 3.8
10:00 Hawaii Five-0
Viewers: 9.8 million, 18-49 demo: 2.5 

NBC
8:00 The Voice
Viewers: 12.3 million, 18-49 demo: 3.8
9:00 Take It All
Viewers: 7.1 million, 18-49 demo: 2.2
10:00 Michael Buble: Home for the Holidays
Viewers: 5.7 million, 18-49 demo: 1.4

FOX 
8:00 American Country Awards
Viewers: 5.1 million, 18-49 demo: 1.4


On Monday night, NBC started with the final performance night of The Voice which was up two tenths in viewers and down a tenth in the demo. Though it slipped slightly, it held on a lot better this season than it did last spring. The series premiere of the December run of Take it All did ok but it was nothing special. It will be serviceable enough for the holiday season and if it can hold in these numbers in coming nights it might return again next December. If it drops a lot though, that won't happen. A Michael Buble special was weak at 10pm for NBC.

CBS was mostly new except for a repeat of The Big Bang Theory, which should just repeat every week since it does better in repeats than lots of shows do in their first run. First up, How I Met Your Mother was up half a million viewers and a tenth in the demo. After the Big Bang repeat, CBS aired two straight new episodes of 2 Broke Girls. Both were up from last week but down from the last time Broke followed a Big Bang repeat. The numbers are good but I think it should have done a little better with limited competition. At 10pm against very little competition, Hawaii Five-0 was up half a million viewers and two tenths in the demo for a season high. Over on ABC, another two specials of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition were low. I'm not sure ABC will bring this back again next December. FOX got low numbers for the American Country Awards, which pale to the CMA Awards.

RATINGS RECAP: 12/9/12

ABC 
7:00 America's Funniest Home Videos
Viewers: 6.5 million, 18-49 demo: 1.4
8:00 Disney's Prep & Landing
Viewers: 4.9 million, 18-49 demo: 1.4
8:30 Prep & Landing: Naughty or Nice
Viewers: 4.7 million, 18-49 demo: 1.4
9:00 Movie: Christmas with Holly
Viewers: 7.7 million, 18-49 demo: 1.8

CBS
7:00 60 Minutes
Viewers: 11.9 million, 18-49 demo: 1.9
8:00 The Amazing Race
Viewers: 9.4 million, 18-49 demo: 2.6
10:00 The Mentalist
Viewers: 7.9 million, 18-49 demo: 1.6

NBC 
7:00 Football Night in America
Viewers: 5.4 million, 18-49 demo: 1.8
8:00 NFL Pregame
Viewers: 12.1 million, 18-49 demo: 4.0
8:30 Sunday Night Football
Viewers: 21.4 million, 18-49 demo: 7.8 

FOX
7:00 NFL Overrun/The OT
Viewers: 24.5 million, 18-49 demo: 8.3
8:00 The Simpsons
Viewers: 7.4 million, 18-49 demo: 3.4
8:30 Bob's Burgers
Viewers: 4.6 million, 18-49 demo: 2.1
9:00 Family Guy
Viewers: 5.6 million, 18-49 demo: 2.8
9:30 American Dad!
Viewers: 4.7 million, 18-49 demo: 2.3 

On Sunday night, CBS was all new with less than stellar numbers. At 7pm, 60 Minutes was down 4.3 million viewers and 1.4 demo points from last week when it had a direct football lead-in. At 8pm, the two hour finale of The Amazing Race was actually DOWN from last week for its lowest finale ever. The competition was weaker than usual on ABC too so this is a really disappointing showing. I've said it before and I'll say it again - CBS should consider having The Amazing Race and Survivor share a timeslot with one cycle a year. NBC had a Packers-Lions game that delivered the best ratings in a month for the Sunday night game.

The only regular show on ABC's lineup was America's Funniest Home Videos which was down nine tenths in viewers and two tenths in the demo. Christmas specials and movies filled the rest of the night and did OK. Over on FOX, an NFL overrun powered The Simpsons and it was up from the last time it had an NFL lead-in. Bob's Burgers and American Dad were both up from last week when they followed repeats. Family Guy was slightly down from its last new airing.

Sunday, December 9, 2012

RATINGS RECAP: 12/8/12

ABC 
8:00 Movie: The Borrowers
Viewers: 2.4 million, 18-49 demo: 0.5
10:00 Castle (Repeat)
Viewers: 3.0 million, 18-49 demo: 0.6

CBS
8:00 Frosty the Snowman
Viewers: 4.2 million, 18-49 demo: 1.1
8:30 Frosty Returns
Viewers: 4.1 million, 18-49 demo: 1.1
9:00 The Flight Before Christmas
Viewers: 3.9 million, 18-49 demo: 1.0
10:00 48 Hours
Viewers: 5.4 million, 18-49 demo: 1.2


NBC
8:00 The American Giving Awards
Viewers: 1.6 million, 18-49 demo: 0.3
10:00 Law & Order: SVU (Repeat)
Viewers: 2.9 million, 18-49 demo: 0.6


FOX 
8:00 UFC Fight Night
Viewers: 4.4 million, 18-49 demo: 2.1

RATINGS RECAP: 12/7/12

ABC 
8:00 Last Man Standing
Viewers: 6.5 million, 18-49 demo: 1.5
8:30 Malibu Country
Viewers: 6.0 million, 18-49 demo: 1.4
9:00 Shark Tank (Repeat)
Viewers: 5.6 million, 18-49 demo: 1.5
10:00 20/20
Viewers: 4.6 million, 18-49 demo: 1.2

CBS
8:00 Undercover Boss
Viewers: 8.0 million, 18-49 demo: 1.6
9:00 CSI: NY
Viewers: 10.0 million, 18-49 demo: 1.5
10:00 Blue Bloods
Viewers: 11.2 million, 18-49 demo: 1.4

NBC
8:00 SNL Christmas (Repeat)
Viewers: 4.4 million, 18-49 demo: 1.5
10:00 Dateline NBC
Viewers: 5.7 million, 18-49 demo: 1.7 

FOX 
8:00 Kitchen Nightmares
Viewers: 3.0 million, 18-49 demo: 1.2
9:00 Fringe
Viewers: 2.7 million, 18-49 demo: 0.9 

It was a rough Friday night for the broadcast networks as the highest demo all night was a 1.7. Starting with ABC, the 8pm comedies dropped back to their season lows as Last Man Standing was down two tenths in viewers and a tenth the demo and Malibu Country was down three tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo. After a Shark Tank repeat, 20/20 was down a big 1.1 million viewers and half a demo point as Dateline took a turn spiking this week. Speaking of Dateline, it was up a big 1.4 million viewers and six tenths in the demo after following solid repeat numbers for the SNL Christmas special.

Over on CBS, the entire lineup was down in the demo just like on ABC. Undercover Boss was down seven tenths in viewers and two tenths in the demo. CSI: NY was up a tenth in viewers and even in the demo and Blue Bloods was down a tenth in viewers and a tenth in the demo. Will Golden Boy fare any better on this night when it gets here in March? Finally FOX's lineup returned for the first time in three weeks and Kitchen Nightmares was down four tenths in viewers and even in the demo while Fringe was even in viewers and the demo.

RATINGS RECAP: 12/6/12

ABC
8:00 Last Resort
Viewers: 5.4 million, 18-49 demo: 1.2
9:00 Grey's Anatomy
Viewers: 9.1 million, 18-49 demo: 3.0
10:00 Scandal
Viewers: 7.4 million, 18-49 demo: 2.5

CBS
8:00 The Big Bang Theory
Viewers: 16.9 million, 18-49 demo: 5.2
8:30 Two and a Half Men
Viewers: 13.5 million, 18-49 demo: 4.0
9:00 Person of Interest
Viewers: 14.2 million, 18-49 demo: 2.9
10:00 Elementary
Viewers: 10.3 million, 18-49 demo: 2.1 

NBC
8:00 30 Rock
Viewers: 3.2 million, 18-49 demo: 1.1
8:30 Up All Night
Viewers: 2.9 million, 18-49 demo: 1.2
9:00 The Office
Viewers: 4.2 million, 18-49 demo: 2.1
9:30 Parks and Recreation
Viewers: 3.3 million, 18-49 demo: 1.5
10:00 Rock Center with Brian Williams
Viewers: 3.6 million, 18-49 demo: 1.0

FOX 
8:00 The X Factor
Viewers: 7.8 million, 18-49 demo: 2.5
9:00 Glee
Viewers: 5.4 million, 18-49 demo: 2.2

Despite being the first week of December, every network was all new with their regular lineup on Thursday night. First on ABC, Last Resort was up two tenths in viewers and the demo from last week's series low. Zero Hour will take the place of this cancelled show in February but I'm skeptical that it will be a better ratings option. At 9pm, Grey's Anatomy was up a tenth in viewers but down a tenth in the demo as it narrowly beat Person of Interest in the demo. The great news for ABC came at 10pm though where Scandal was up eight tenths in viewers and three tenths in the demo for a series high. It also had the best retention out of Grey's ever as this show seems to be catching fire as it rose for the third straight episode. 

On CBS, The Big Bang Theory was down four tenths in viewers and three tenths in the demo. Maybe that 5.7 demo it hit a couple weeks ago was its peak for the season but it's still far and away the top scripted demo on TV. At 8:30pm, Two and a Half Men was down two tenths in viewers but even in the demo, showing better retention. At 9pm, Person of Interest was down two tenths in viewers and even in the demo as well. At 10pm, Elementary was down two tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo for a series low. This came as Scandal started soaring and there was a big four tenths in the demo separating the two shows after Elementary started the season with a wide lead over the competing ABC drama. 

Over on NBC, 30 Rock started down four tenths in viewers and two tenths in the demo for a series low. How low can this show go before its series finale at the end of January? At 8:30pm, Up All Night was down a tenth in viewers and even in the demo. At 9pm, The Office recovered some from last week's series low as it was up three tenths in viewers and two tenths in the demo. I have a feeling we haven't seen the last of the series lows for this show though. At 9:30pm, Parks and Recreation was up three tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo. I'm still surprised this loses so much of The Office's audience. Finally at 10pm, Rock Center was up a tenth in viewers and the demo.

Finally on FOX, The X Factor was down half a million viewers and two tenths in the demo. What disappointing numbers this show is getting. Yes, it's against The Big Bang Theory but there is almost NO competition from ABC and NBC in the hour and yet it can't break out. At 9pm, Glee was even in viewers and the demo from last week. This show has of course faded but it's the least of FOX's concerns right now with how many holes and underperformers they have in the schedule.