Sunday, January 31, 2016

RATINGS RECAP: 1/30/16

ABC
8:00 NBA Countdown
Viewers: 2.0 million, 18-49 demo: 0.5
8:30 NBA Basketball
Viewers: 3.2 million, 18-49 demo: 1.1

CBS
8:00 48 Hours (Repeat)

Viewers: 2.8 million, 18-49 demo: 0.4
9:00 Criminal Minds (Repeat)
Viewers: 2.9 million, 18-49 demo: 0.6
10:00 48 Hours
Viewers: 4.4 million, 18-49 demo: 0.8

NBC
8:00 Dateline NBC
Viewers: 4.8 million, 18-49 demo: 0.9
10:00 Saturday Night Live (Repeat)
Viewers: 3.1 million, 18-49 demo: 0.8

FOX
8:00 UFC Fight Night
Viewers: 2.4 million, 18-49 demo: 0.8

Saturday, January 30, 2016

RATINGS RECAP: 1/29/16

ABC
8:00 Last Man Standing
Viewers: 6.9 million, 18-49 demo: 1.2
8:30 Dr. Ken
Viewers: 5.1 million, 18-49 demo: 1.1
9:00 Shark Tank
Viewers: 6.8 million, 18-49 demo: 1.7
10:00 20/20
Viewers: 5.4 million, 18-49 demo: 1.0

CBS
8:00 Undercover Boss
Viewers: 7.3 million, 18-49 demo: 1.3
9:00 Hawaii Five-0 (Repeat)
Viewers: 6.5 million, 18-49 demo: 1.0
10:00 Blue Bloods (Repeat)
Viewers: 7.8 million, 18-49 demo: 1.0

NBC
8:00 Undateable
Viewers: 2.7 million, 18-49 demo: 0.8
9:00 Grimm
Viewers: 3.8 million, 18-49 demo: 0.8
10:00 Dateline NBC
Viewers: 4.9 million, 18-49 demo: 1.4

FOX
8:00 Masterchef Junior

Viewers: 4.8 million, 18-49 demo: 1.3
9:00 Second Chance
Viewers: 2.2 million, 18-49 demo: 0.7

On Friday night, FOX started with the season finale of Masterchef Junior and it was down a tenth in viewers and two tenths in the demo. It has been a good season for this show but why does FOX keep wasting it on Fridays? At 9pm, Second Chance moved over to the night and collapsed to a 0.7 demo. It was down three tenths in the demo from its last Wednesday airing. Though the swap of Hell's Kitchen and Second Chance was a net loss in numbers for FOX this week, it was still the right call because Wednesdays matter more. On ABC, Last Man Standing was down a tenth in viewers and the demo for its 100th episode. Dr. Ken followed and was down two tenths in viewers but up a tenth in the demo. After troubling retention two weeks ago, it was back to very solid retention out of Last Man. At 9pm, Shark Tank had its best week since November as it was up 1.2 million viewers and three tenths in the demo. At 10pm, 20/20 was up 1.6 million viewers and two tenths in the demo.

On NBC, the one hour season finale of Undateable was down a tenth in viewers and even in the demo with its last episode two weeks ago. This live sitcom experiment has its fans, but I doubt we'll see anymore of this show. It has gotten more than enough chances from NBC and hasn't really broken through. At 9pm, Grimm returned to tie its series low in the demo at a weak 0.8. I have a feeling this might be the final season for Grimm. At 10pm, a Dateline NBC episode about Steven Avery from Making a Murderer was down nine tenths in viewers and up a tenth in the demo. Finally on CBS, Undercover Boss was the only new show and it was down six tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo.

WINNER OF THE NIGHT: Shark Tank (ABC)
LOSER OF THE NIGHT: Second Chance (FOX)

PILOT REVIEW: You, Me, and the Apocalypse

YOU, ME, AND THE APOCALYPSE














Starring: Jenna Fischer, Matthew Baynton, Joel Fry, Gaia Scodellaro, Lloyd Owen, Pauline Quirke, with Megan Mullally, and Rob Lowe

Created by Iain Hollands
Written by Iain Hollands, Directed by Michael Engler

THE PREMISE
You, Me, and the Apocalypse is a new NBC comedy that originally aired in England recently. These types of shows are usually reserved for summer, but it may have been the all star cast that got it on during the season. Apocalypse follows a ragtag group of people who survived an apocalypse in a bunker though the premiere focuses on the events leading up to the apocalypse. Each person has a very separate backstory: Jamie Winton (Matthew Baynton) is a bank manager looking for his missing wife while his evil twin brother, Ariel Conroy (also Baynton) is the leader of a cyber terrorist group. Rhonda McNeil (Jenna Fischer) has recently headed to jail. In jail, a white supremacist, Leanne Parkins (Megan Mullally), befriends Rhonda. Over in Italy, a hard living priest, Father Jude Sutton (Rob Lowe), has recently hired Sister Celine Leonti (Gaia Scodellaro). All three of their worlds collide leading up to the apocalypse, though it's not quite clear how in the pilot.

THE REVIEW
In the first couple minutes, I was very unimpressed by You, Me, and the Apocalypse. I dreaded the fact that this is a whole hour to sit through. But, it slowly started to grow on me and by the end, I was really enjoying it. The strong cast elevates this with Megan Mullally an early standout. Sometimes, Mullally can be too much for me but she's funny and restrained here. Jenna Fischer seems to be heading in an interesting direction with her character that is a far cry from Pam on The Office. And Rob Lowe is being Rob Lowe with his very liberal priest role. But that's not a bad thing.

This shows seems like it could be reminiscent of The Last Man on Earth when it actually gets going, but the pilot felt quite different from Earth. It was so much exposition but that was probably needed for a show like this. The pilot did a nice job of getting the viewer invested in three distinct stories that will obviously intersect. There was a lot that happened in the first episode, but they managed it well.

I guess the question going forward is how will these characters intersect and what will the show look like when they do? Just seeing the flash forward at the very beginning and end of the episode made me think this show is going to be very different in a few episodes and I'm not sure I'll be as into it. As I mentioned, the beginning of the pilot was a big turn-off for me only for it to find its way as the episode went on. But it also seems like there's a real plan here. I know I could probably figure out what happens next since it already aired in the UK, but I'm content to not look it up at the moment.

WILL I WATCH AGAIN?
I'm content to not find out what happens because I do plan to give this at least another episode or two to see if it holds my interest. I'm skeptical, but the pilot did enough to make me want to give it a shot.

RATINGS RECAP: 1/28/16

ABC
8:00 Beyond the Tank
Viewers: 4.0 million, 18-49 demo: 1.1
9:00 My Diet is Better Than Yours
Viewers: 2.1 million, 18-49 demo: 0.7

CBS
8:00 The Big Bang Theory (Repeat)
Viewers: 9.6 million, 18-49 demo: 2.0
8:30 Mom (Repeat)
Viewers: 7.6 million, 18-49 demo: 1.6
9:00 The Big Bang Theory (Repeat)
Viewers: 7.8 million, 18-49 demo: 1.7
9:30 Angel From Hell
Viewers: 6.7 million, 18-49 demo: 1.4
10:00 Elementary
Viewers: 6.1 million, 18-49 demo: 1.1

NBC
8:00 You, Me, and the Apocalypse
Viewers: 5.0 million, 18-49 demo: 1.2
9:00 The Blacklist
Viewers: 7.1 million, 18-49 demo: 1.6
10:00 Shades of Blue
Viewers: 6.5 million, 18-49 demo: 1.3

FOX
8:00 American Idol
Viewers: 8.8 million, 18-49 demo: 2.3

On Thursday night, NBC premiered You, Me, and the Apocalypse (which has already aired in England). It didn't do anything incredible but it also didn't fall completely on its face with five million viewers and a 1.2 demo. It was above recent numbers for Heroes: Reborn in this slot. The problem is, it's sure to drop in the future especially when The Big Bang Theory and Grey's Anatomy are new again. So, I'm sure this will fall below a 1.0 demo very soon. At 9pm, The Blacklist was down three tenths in viewers and even in the demo. Shades of Blue closed things out down four tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo.  On FOX, American Idol was down six tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo

CBS was in repeats for the first hour and a half but airing The Big Bang Theory repeat at 9pm gave Angel From Hell its usual lead-in in terms of numbers and it was down just three tenths in viewers and even in the demo. It's also worth noting that Mom performed similarly to its original episodes by airing at 8:30pm and following a Big Bang repeat. At 10pm, Elementary was down two tenths in viewers and even in the demo. Finally on ABC, Beyond the Tank was down three tenths in viewers and up a tenth in the demo. The season finale of dud My Diet is Better Than Yours was down a tenth in viewers and up a tenth in the demo. I'm sure we'll never hear from this again.

WINNER OF THE NIGHT: The Blacklist (NBC)
LOSER OF THE NIGHT: None

Thursday, January 28, 2016

RATINGS RECAP: 1/27/16

ABC
8:00 The Middle (Repeat)
Viewers: 5.2 million, 18-49 demo: 1.3
8:30 The Goldbergs (Repeat)
Viewers: 4.2 million, 18-49 demo: 1.2
9:00 Modern Family (Repeat)
Viewers: 5.1 million, 18-49 demo: 1.4
9:30 Black-ish (Repeat)
Viewers: 4.2 million, 18-49 demo: 1.2
10:00 American Crime
Viewers: 3.6 million, 18-49 demo: 0.9

CBS
8:00 2 Broke Girls
Viewers: 6.6 million, 18-49 demo: 1.6
8:30 Mike & Molly
Viewers: 6.9 million, 18-49 demo: 1.6
9:00 Criminal Minds
Viewers: 9.2 million, 18-49 demo: 2.0
10:00 Code Black
Viewers: 7.5 million, 18-49 demo: 1.3

NBC
8:00 The Mysteries of Laura (Repeat)
Viewers: 5.1 million, 18-49 demo: 0.8
9:00 Law & Order: SVU (Repeat)
Viewers: 4.5 million, 18-49 demo: 1.0
10:00 Chicago PD (Repeat)
Viewers: 4.7 million, 18-49 demo: 0.9

FOX
8:00 American Idol

Viewers: 9.6 million, 18-49 demo: 2.5
9:00 Hell's Kitchen
Viewers: 4.2 million, 18-49 demo: 1.4

It was only CBS and FOX that were fully new on Wednesday night and they were mostly steady. On FOX, American Idol was up four tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo from last week's two hour edition. Hell's Kitchen swapped places with Second Chance and was a big improvement in this slot but on par with Hell's recent Friday airings. On CBS, 2 Broke Girls was even in viewers and down a tenth in the demo while Mike & Molly was down a tenth in viewers and the demo. At 9pm, Criminal Minds was down a tenth in viewers and even in the demo. Code Black closed things out up two tenths in viewers and down a tenth in the demo. Really not much to report here. Finally on ABC, American Crime followed repeats of the comedies and was down two tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo.

WINNER OF THE NIGHT: American Idol (FOX)
LOSER OF THE NIGHT: American Crime (ABC)

Wednesday, January 27, 2016

RATINGS RECAP: 1/26/16

ABC
8:00 Fresh Off the Boat (Repeat)
Viewers: 3.5 million, 18-49 demo: 0.9
8:30 The Muppets (Repeat)
Viewers: 2.2 million, 18-49 demo: 0.6
9:00 Marvel's Agent Carter
Viewers: 2.9 million, 18-49 demo: 0.9
10:00 What Would You Do?
Viewers: 2.6 million, 18-49 demo: 0.7

CBS
8:00 NCIS (Repeat)

Viewers: 12.0 million, 18-49 demo: 1.4
9:00 NCIS: New Orleans (Repeat)
Viewers: 9.2 million, 18-49 demo: 1.2
10:00 Limitless (Repeat)
Viewers: 4.6 million, 18-49 demo: 0.8

NBC
8:00 Hollywood Game Night
Viewers: 4.5 million, 18-49 demo: 1.2
9:00 Chicago Med
Viewers: 7.6 million, 18-49 demo: 1.7
10:00 Chicago Fire
Viewers: 8.5 million, 18-49 demo: 1.8

FOX
8:00 New Girl

Viewers: 2.8 million, 18-49 demo: 1.2
8:30 Grandfathered
Viewers: 2.5 million, 18-49 demo: 0.9
9:00 Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Viewers: 2.4 million, 18-49 demo: 1.0
9:30 The Grinder
Viewers: 2.0 million, 18-49 demo: 0.7

On Tuesday night, it was all about NBC with CBS in repeats. At 8pm, Hollywood Game Night was down a tenth in viewers and the demo. At 9pm, Chicago Med had a great week as it was up half a million viewers and a tenth in the demo. This show really is proving to be a self-starter and it's helping Chicago Fire out a lot. Fire was up three tenths in viewers and even in the demo. These shows are not just surviving but doing quite well without The Voice. FOX mostly inched down with their comedy lineup. New Girl was down two tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo and Grandfathered was dead even. Brooklyn Nine-Nine and The Grinder were both even in viewers and down a tenth in the demo. For The Grinder, that tied a series low in both categories.

Finally on ABC, Marvel's Agent Carter was down three tenths in viewers and even in the demo from last week's weak premiere. What Would You Do? returned for a short run but it was completely ignored and went lower than any airings last summer. ABC has pretty much run this filler show into the ground. It's worth noting that the repeat of Fresh Off the Boat topped all other ABC as well as all FOX shows in total viewers. Both Boat and The Muppets return next week in reversed timeslots from the fall.

WINNER OF THE NIGHT: Chicago Med (NBC)
LOSER OF THE NIGHT: What Would You Do? (ABC)

PILOT REVIEW: Lucifer

LUCIFER










Starring: Tom Ellis, Lauren German, Kevin Alejandro, DB Woodside, Lesley-Ann Brandt, Scarlett Estevez, and Rachael Harris

Based on the characters created for "Vertigo," Developed by Tom Kapinos
Written by Tom Kapinos, Directed by Len Wiseman

THE PREMISE
Lucifer is a new drama based on a comic book. In the preposterous premise, Lucifer Morningstar (Tom Ellis) is the Lord of Hell but he has gotten bored with his role and ends up in Los Angeles, helping the LAPD catch criminals with new found partner, Detective Chloe Decker (Lauren German). Decker has an ex-husband, Dan (Kevin Alejandro), who is also a detective, and they have a daughter, Trixie (Scarlett Estevez). Rounding out the main cast is a dark-winged angel trying to get Lucifer back to Hell, Amenadiel (DB Woodside), an ally and bartender, Maze (Lesley-Ann Brandt), and Lucifer's therapist, Dr. Linda Martin (Rachael Harris)

THE REVIEW
What even was this? I don't know much about the comic it's based on, but this seemed like a laughably bad premise and the execution was pretty laughable too. Let's start with a general gripe I have. Networks, particularly FOX, have looked at shows like Castle and Bones, dramedy procedurals with lots of cute interplay between a male and female lead. Well that's all fine but now they seem to be carving out procedurals with outlandish premises only to just basically pair up a male and female lead and hope for chemistry. So whether it's Sleepy Hollow, Minority Report, or now Lucifer, they're all basically the same show despite how different their premise might sound.

So as for Lucifer, it is just a silly procedural. I wouldn't say it's taking itself too seriously, it almost seems to know it's ridiculous. Why else would they have such overly dramatic moments done in slow motion? It seems to be a little tongue in cheek and there was a fair amount of comedy (attempts) to make it closer to a dramedy than a straight drama. I sure hope that's what they were aiming for. If they were going for the slow motion moments as real drama, then they failed miserably.

The acting is fine but nothing special. Tom Ellis tried to be charming and devilish in the title role, but he didn't bring anything unique to the role. I enjoyed Lauren German in Chicago Fire, but she's stuck with a boring straight woman role here. I didn't really get the purpose of Rachael Harris or DB Woodside in the pilot. This is a show that needed everything to be executed really well to overcome its odd premise and that wasn't the case here. And then anything unique it might have brought was quickly gone when they went to work on their case of the week.

WILL I WATCH IT AGAIN?
No, I will not.

Tuesday, January 26, 2016

RATINGS RECAP: 1/25/16

ABC
8:00 The Bachelor
Viewers: 7.7 million, 18-49 demo: 2.3
10:00 Bachelor Live
Viewers: 4.0 million, 18-49 demo: 1.0

CBS
8:00 Supergirl
Viewers: 8.0 million, 18-49 demo: 1.8
9:00 Scorpion
Viewers: 10.6 million, 18-49 demo: 1.8
10:00 NCIS: Los Angeles
Viewers: 10.0 million, 18-49 demo: 1.5

NBC
8:00 Superstore
Viewers: 4.9 million, 18-49 demo: 1.4
8:30 Telenovela
Viewers: 3.3 million, 18-49 demo: 0.9
9:00 The Biggest Loser
Viewers: 3.6 million, 18-49 demo: 1.2

FOX
8:00 The X-Files

Viewers: 9.7 million, 18-49 demo: 3.2
9:00 Lucifer
Viewers: 7.2 million, 18-49 demo: 2.4

On Monday night, FOX's new drama lineup for the next couple weeks got off to a sizzling start. Fresh off its huge return on Sunday night after the Championship Game, The X-Files had a strong Monday night performance with a solid 9.7 million viewers and strong 3.2 demo. It skewed young and many loyal viewers came back to night two. With only four more episodes in its very short season, it should hold up well enough to be a big success story. Perhaps even more encouraging was the lead-in it gave to Lucifer. The new drama delivered a very solid 2.4 demo. It could and probably will drop from here but at least it got a decent sampling, which doesn't always happen, especially for shows that have been critically maligned and don't seem to have a ton of buzz. The promotions over football and the big lead-in helped Lucifer get off to a good start but I don't trust that it will stay this way.

The rest of the networks held up pretty well against the new competition. On ABC, The Bachelor was up a tenth in viewers and the demo for a season high while Bachelor Live also was up a tenth in both categories. On CBS, Supergirl was down eight tenths in viewers and even in the demo. This held up extremely well against The X-Files when I thought it might be hit the hardest. At 9pm, Scorpion was down a million viewers and two tenths in the demo. Why did this drop so much when Supergirl didn't? At 10pm, NCIS: Los Angeles was down six tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo. It was the NBC comedies, not Supergirl, that took the biggest hit. After a couple very promising weeks for Superstore, it was down eight tenths in viewers and three tenths in the demo. At 8:30pm, Telenovela was down six tenths in viewers and two tenths in the demo. At 9pm, The Biggest Loser was up a tenth in viewers and two tenths in the demo.

WINNER OF THE NIGHT: The X-Files (FOX)
LOSER OF THE NIGHT: Scorpion (CBS)

WEEKLY RECAP: January 18-24, 2016

Here is my weekly recap for Week #18. Please note this only covers regularly scheduled shows (no sports, specials, repeats, or Saturday shows)

Check out Week #18 from last year

TOP 10 SHOWS (18-49 DEMO)
1. The X-Files (FOX, Sunday 10:24pm) - 6.1    Special Airing (NEW SHOW)
2. NCIS (CBS, Tuesday 8:00pm) - 2.4    9th week
    American Idol (FOX, Wednesday 8:00pm) - 2.4    3rd week
    American Idol (FOX, Thursday 8:00pm) - 2.4    3rd week
5. The Bachelor (ABC, Monday 8:00pm) - 2.2    3rd week
6. Scorpion (CBS, Monday 9:00pm) - 2.0    2nd week
    The Goldbergs (ABC, Wednesday 8:30pm) - 2.0    8th week
    Criminal Minds (CBS, Wednesday 9:00pm) - 2.0    2nd week
    Life in Pieces (CBS, Thursday 8:30pm) - 2.0    5th week
10. Supergirl (CBS, Monday 8:00pm) - 1.8    3rd week
     NCIS: New Orleans (CBS, Tuesday 9:00pm) - 1.8    2nd week
     Chicago Fire (NBC, Tuesday 10:00pm) - 1.8    3rd week
     The Middle (ABC, Wednesday 8:00pm) - 1.8    4th week
     60 Minutes (CBS, Sunday 7:00pm) - 1.8    7th week

TOP 10 SHOWS (TOTAL VIEWERS)
1. NCIS (CBS, Tuesday 8:00pm) - 17.5 million    12th week
2. The X-Files (FOX, Sunday 10:24pm) - 16.2 million    Special Airing (NEW SHOW)
3. NCIS: New Orleans (CBS, Tuesday 9:00pm) - 13.3 million    12th week
4. Scorpion (CBS, Monday 9:00pm) - 11.6 million    7th week
    Blue Bloods (CBS, Friday 10:00pm) - 11.6 million    12th week
6. NCIS: Los Angeles (CBS, Monday 10:00pm) - 10.6 million    3rd week
7. Hawaii Five-0 (CBS, Friday 9:00pm) - 10.1 million    3rd week
8. 60 Minutes (CBS, Sunday 7:00pm) - 9.7 million    13th week
9. American Idol (FOX, Thursday 8:00pm) - 9.4 million    3rd week
10. Criminal Minds (CBS, Wednesday 9:00pm) - 9.3 million    4th week

BOTTOM 10 SHOWS (18-49 DEMO)
1. Galavant (ABC, Sunday 8:00pm) - 0.5    3rd week
2. My Diet is Better Than Yours (ABC, Thursday 9:00pm) - 0.6    3rd week
    Dateline NBC (NBC, Sunday 7:00pm) - 0.6    2nd week
4. The Grinder (FOX, Tuesday 9:30pm) - 0.8    10th week
    20/20 (ABC, Friday 10:00pm) - 0.8    5th week
6. Bachelor Live (ABC, Monday 10:00pm) - 0.9    3rd week
    Marvel's Agent Carter (ABC, Tuesday 9:00pm) - 0.9    1st week (New Season)
    Grandfathered (FOX, Tuesday 8:00pm) - 0.9    6th week
9. The Biggest Loser (NBC, Monday 8:00pm) - 1.0    1st week
    American Crime (ABC, Wednesday 10:00pm) - 1.0    1st week
    Second Chance (FOX, Wednesday 9:00pm) - 1.0    1st week
    Beyond the Tank (ABC, Thursday 8:00pm) - 1.0    3rd week
    Heroes: Reborn (NBC, Thursday 8:00pm) - 1.0    5th week

BOTTOM 10 SHOWS (TOTAL VIEWERS)
1. The Grinder (FOX, Tuesday 9:30pm) - 2.0 million    11th week
2. Galavant (ABC, Sunday 8:00pm) - 2.1 million    3rd week
3. My Diet is Better Than Yours (ABC, Thursday 9:00pm) - 2.2 million    3rd week
4. Brooklyn Nine-Nine (FOX, Tuesday 9:00pm) - 2.4 million    8th week
5. Grandfathered (FOX, Tuesday 8:30pm) - 2.5 million    8th week
6. New Girl (FOX, Tuesday 8:00pm) - 3.0 million    3rd week
7. Marvel's Agent Carter (ABC, Tuesday 9:00pm) - 3.2 million    1st week (New Season)
8. The Biggest Loser (NBC, Monday 9:00pm) - 3.5 million    2nd week
9. Hell's Kitchen (FOX, Friday 9:00pm) - 3.6 million    2nd week
10. American Crime (ABC, Wednesday 10:00pm) - 3.8 million    1st week
    Second Chance (FOX, Wednesday 9:00pm) - 3.8 million    1st week
    Heroes: Reborn (NBC, Thursday 8:00pm) - 3.8 million    4th week
    20/20 (ABC, Friday 10:00pm) - 3.8 million    2nd week

WINNERS OF THE NIGHT
Monday - NCIS: Los Angeles (CBS)    1st week
Tuesday - Chicago Fire (NBC)    3rd week
Wednesday - Criminal Minds (CBS)    2nd week
Thursday - Life in Pieces (CBS)    2nd week
Friday - Blue Bloods (CBS)    2nd week
Sunday - None

LOSERS OF THE NIGHT
Monday - The Biggest Loser (NBC)    2nd week
Tuesday - Marvel's Agent Carter (ABC)    1st week (New Season)
Wednesday - Chicago PD (NBC)    1st week
Thursday - Heroes: Reborn (NBC)    2nd week
Friday - 20/20 (ABC)    2nd week
Sunday - None

MY TOP 5 EPISODES OF THE WEEK
1. The Middle #157 "Floating 50"    6th week
2. Brooklyn Nine-Nine #57 "9 Days"    4th week
3. Chicago Med #6 "Bound"    2nd week
4. New Girl #97 "Jury Duty"    2nd week
5. Law & Order: SVU #378 "A Misunderstanding"    2nd week

RATINGS RECAP: 1/24/16

ABC
7:00 America's Funniest Home Videos (Repeat)
Viewers: 4.5 million, 18-49 demo: 0.8
8:00 Galavant
Viewers: 2.1 million, 18-49 demo: 0.5
9:00 Marvel's Agent Carter (Repeat)
Viewers: 1.4 million, 18-49 demo: 0.4

CBS
7:00 60 Minutes
Viewers: 9.7 million, 18-49 demo: 1.8
8:00 60 Minutes
Viewers: 8.3 million, 18-49 demo: 1.1
9:00 Madam Secretary (Repeat)
Viewers: 5.1 million, 18-49 demo: 0.7
10:00 NCIS (Repeat)
Viewers: 6.0 million, 18-49 demo: 0.8

NBC
7:00 Dateline NBC
Viewers: 3.6 million, 18-49 demo: 0.6
8:00 Movie: Bridesmaids
Viewers: 2.7 million, 18-49 demo: 0.9

FOX
7:00 NFC Championship Game
Viewers: 45.7 million, 18-49 demo: 15.7
9:58 NFL Postgame
Viewers: 26.9 million, 18-49 demo: 10.0
10:24 The X-Files
Viewers: 16.2 million, 18-49 demo: 6.1

On the Championship Game Sunday, FOX dealt with a blowout game but it still delivered a huge 45.7 million viewers and 15.7 demo. This was above the 42.1 million/13.9 demo that last year's primetime game garnered. While the game was predictably huge, FOX had a great night from the return of The X-Files. The anticipation and scheduling lived up to the hype with a big 6.1 demo and 16.2 million viewers. The demo nearly doubled what Scorpion got last year for CBS in the lead-out slot. There was clearly a lot of interest and excitement for the return of one of the most popular shows of the 90s. CBS had a mammoth audience for its afternoon game - the best ratings for an AFC Championship Game since 1986 - but it didn't have any positive impact in their primetime except 60 Minutes got a slight bump perhaps. But most people switched over to Panthers-Cardinals. Finally on ABC, Galavant was their only new programming and it fell two tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo to a pretty pitiful series low.

Sunday, January 24, 2016

RATINGS RECAP: 1/23/16

ABC
8:00 NBA Countdown
Viewers: 2.5 million, 18-49 demo: 0.6
8:30 NBA Basketball
Viewers: 3.7 million, 18-49 demo: 1.4

CBS
8:00 NCIS: Los Angeles (Repeat)

Viewers: 4.9 million, 18-49 demo: 0.6
9:00 48 Hours
Viewers: 5.0 million, 18-49 demo: 0.8
10:00 48 Hours
Viewers: 5.6 million, 18-49 demo: 0.9

NBC
8:00 US Figure Skating Championships
Viewers: 3.7 million, 18-49 demo: 0.6

FOX
8:00 Premier Boxing Champions

Viewers: 2.2 million, 18-49 demo: 0.7

Saturday, January 23, 2016

RATINGS RECAP: 1/22/16

ABC
8:00 Last Man Standing (Repeat)
Viewers: 5.8 million, 18-49 demo: 0.9
8:30 Dr. Ken (Repeat)
Viewers: 4.4 million, 18-49 demo: 0.8
9:00 Shark Tank (Repeat)
Viewers: 4.5 million, 18-49 demo: 1.1
10:00 20/20
Viewers: 3.8 million, 18-49 demo: 0.8

CBS
8:00 Undercover Boss
Viewers: 7.9 million, 18-49 demo: 1.4
9:00 Hawaii Five-0
Viewers: 10.1 million, 18-49 demo: 1.4
10:00 Blue Bloods
Viewers: 11.6 million, 18-49 demo: 1.5

NBC
8:00 Caught on Camera with Nick Cannon
Viewers: 3.7 million, 18-49 demo: 0.9
9:00 Dateline NBC
Viewers: 5.8 million, 18-49 demo: 1.3

FOX
8:00 Masterchef Junior
Viewers: 4.9 million, 18-49 demo: 1.5
9:00 Hell's Kitchen
Viewers: 3.6 million, 18-49 demo: 1.3

On a night where the East Coast was snowed in, many shows with new episodes went up. On CBS, Undercover Boss was up 1.4 million viewers and three tenths in the demo, Hawaii Five-0 was up six tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo, and Blue Bloods was up a million viewers and two tenths in the demo. For the dramas, these are new season highs. On FOX, Masterchef Junior was up three tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo ahead of next week's finale while Hell's Kitchen was up two tenths in viewers and the demo. FOX announced today that Second Chance is being benched to Fridays and Hell's Kitchen will take its place at 9pm Wednesdays, effective immediately. On ABC, 20/20 was down a million viewers and three tenths in the demo. Finally on NBC, Dateline NBC was up four tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo.

WINNER OF THE NIGHT: Blue Bloods (CBS)
LOSER OF THE NIGHT: 20/20 (ABC)

Friday, January 22, 2016

RATINGS RECAP: 1/21/16

ABC
8:00 Beyond the Tank
Viewers: 4.3 million, 18-49 demo: 1.0
9:00 My Diet is Better Than Yours
Viewers: 2.2 million, 18-49 demo: 0.6

CBS
8:00 The Big Bang Theory (Repeat)
Viewers: 11.1 million, 18-49 demo: 2.2
8:30 Life in Pieces
Viewers: 8.8 million, 18-49 demo: 2.0
9:00 Mom
Viewers: 8.5 million, 18-49 demo: 1.7
9:30 Angel From Hell
Viewers: 7.0 million, 18-49 demo: 1.4
10:00 Elementary
Viewers: 6.3 million, 18-49 demo: 1.1

NBC
8:00 Heroes: Reborn
Viewers: 3.8 million, 18-49 demo: 1.0
9:00 The Blacklist
Viewers: 7.4 million, 18-49 demo: 1.6
10:00 Shades of Blue
Viewers: 6.9 million, 18-49 demo: 1.4

FOX
8:00 American Idol
Viewers: 9.4 million, 18-49 demo: 2.4

On Thursday night, CBS had some promising results as a repeat of The Big Bang Theory leading off the night didn't hurt the rest of the lineup much. The most promising result came from Life in Pieces. It was down just four tenths in viewers and even in the demo. All season long, this has looked like a timeslot hit at best and a bomb at worst. But, this was the first week where it looked like it might actually have its own audience and this certainly helps its renewal chances. At 9pm, Mom was up two tenths in viewers and even in the demo. Angel From Hell followed and was even in viewers and actually up a tenth in the demo. I don't think that's going to be enough for this show but it's not a dead show walking yet. At 10pm, Elementary was up three tenths in viewers and even in the demo to cap a surprisingly solid night for CBS.

On NBC, the series finale of Heroes: Reborn was even with last week. One of the big reboots will go out with a whimper and I doubt we'll ever see more Heroes. At 9pm, The Blacklist was down a tenth in viewers and even in the demo. Shades of Blue recovered slightly from last week's dip as it was up three tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo. Not dropping again at least keeps it in the renewal conversation. On ABC, Beyond the Tank was up two tenths in viewers and even in the demo while My Diet is Better Than Yours was up a tenth in viewers and even in the demo. Finally, American Idol had perhaps its most promising night yet this season as it rose seven tenths in viewers and two tenths in the demo.

WINNER OF THE NIGHT: Life in Pieces (CBS)
LOSER OF THE NIGHT: Heroes: Reborn (NBC)

Thursday, January 21, 2016

RATINGS RECAP: 1/20/16

ABC
8:00 The Middle

Viewers: 7.2 million, 18-49 demo: 1.8
8:30 The Goldbergs
Viewers: 6.2 million, 18-49 demo: 2.0
9:00 Modern Family (Repeat)
Viewers: 5.8 million, 18-49 demo: 1.6
9:30 Black-ish
Viewers: 5.7 million, 18-49 demo: 1.7
10:00 American Crime
Viewers: 3.8 million, 18-49 demo: 1.0

CBS
8:00 2 Broke Girls
Viewers: 6.6 million, 18-49 demo: 1.7
8:30 Mike & Molly
Viewers: 7.0 million, 18-49 demo: 1.7
9:00 Criminal Minds
Viewers: 9.3 million, 18-49 demo: 2.0
10:00 Code Black
Viewers: 7.3 million, 18-49 demo: 1.4

NBC
8:00 The Mysteries of Laura
Viewers: 7.0 million, 18-49 demo: 1.2
9:00 Law & Order: SVU
Viewers: 6.9 million, 18-49 demo: 1.7
10:00 Chicago PD
Viewers: 6.5 million, 18-49 demo: 1.5

FOX
8:00 American Idol

Viewers: 9.2 million, 18-49 demo: 2.4
9:00 Second Chance
Viewers: 3.8 million, 18-49 demo: 1.0

On Wednesday night, NBC's crime dramas came back from last week except for The Mysteries of Laura, which was down half a million viewers but even in the demo. At 9pm, Law & Order: SVU was down 1.1 million viewers and three tenths in the demo. Chicago PD wasted away all the good momentum from last week as it tumbled 1.5 million viewers and half a demo point. Meanwhile on CBS, 2 Broke Girls was up a tenth in viewers and even in the demo and Mike & Molly was down a tenth in viewers and up a tenth in the demo. This 8pm comedy block has been quite solid, too bad it can't stay because Survivor is coming back. At 9pm, Criminal Minds was dead even with last week while Code Black had a nice rally as it was up seven tenths in viewers and two tenths in the demo. It's hard to believe that Chicago PD and Code Black were eight tenths apart last week in the demo and just a tenth this week.

Over on ABC, The Middle was down three tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo for a season low. After a very strong fall, this show has been underwhelming in the ratings since the new year. At 8:30pm, The Goldbergs was down a tenth in viewers and even in the demo. A Modern Family repeat at 9pm led to a drop for Black-ish as it fell four tenths in viewers and two tenths in the demo. At 10pm, American Crime was down half a million viewers and another tenth in the demo. Finally on FOX, American Idol seems to be slowing down the dropping, which is good. It was down six tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo. Week two of Second Chance followed and was down nine tenths in viewers and two tenths in the demo. It's not a horrible second week drop but it was so low to begin with, it doesn't really matter.

WINNER OF THE NIGHT: Criminal Minds (CBS)
LOSER OF THE NIGHT: Chicago PD (NBC)

Wednesday, January 20, 2016

RATINGS RECAP: 1/19/15

ABC
8:00 Marvel's Captain America: 75 Heroic Years
Viewers: 3.2 million, 18-49 demo: 0.9
9:00 Marvel's Agent Carter
Viewers: 3.2 million, 18-49 demo: 0.9

CBS
8:00 NCIS
Viewers: 17.5 million, 18-49 demo: 2.4
9:00 NCIS: New Orleans
Viewers: 13.3 million, 18-49 demo: 1.8
10:00 Limitless
Viewers: 6.3 million, 18-49 demo: 1.2

NBC
8:00 Hollywood Game Night
Viewers: 4.6 million, 18-49 demo: 1.3
9:00 Chicago Med
Viewers: 7.1 million, 18-49 demo: 1.6
10:00 Chicago Fire
Viewers: 8.2 million, 18-49 demo: 1.8

FOX
8:00 New Girl

Viewers: 3.0 million, 18-49 demo: 1.3
8:30 Grandfathered
Viewers: 2.5 million, 18-49 demo: 0.9
9:00 Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Viewers: 2.4 million, 18-49 demo: 1.1
9:30 The Grinder
Viewers: 2.0 million, 18-49 demo: 0.8

Tuesday night had the season premiere of Marvel's Agent Carter and the show returned to really disappointing numbers. It was four tenths below its lowest result in the demo last year. Despite this slot being a Marvel slot, it looks like Agent Carter is another limited show that is a season two disaster. ABC didn't put a ton of stock into this show but they had to hope it would do better than that. On FOX, New Girl was down three tenths in viewers and two tenths in the demo. Grandfathered followed and was down tenth in viewers and the demo. The viewer total is a series low and the demo ties a series low. At 9pm, Brooklyn Nine-Nine was down three tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo while The Grinder was even with its last airing. It's going to be a long spring for FOX on Tuesdays.

The CBS and NBC shows came back from their crossover events two weeks ago. On CBS, NCIS was down 1.5 million viewers and three tenths in the demo while NCIS: New Orleans was down a bigger four million viewers and seven tenths in the demo. The result two weeks ago was quite the aberration. At 10pm, Limitless was down a million viewers and two tenths in the demo to a new series low. At this point, this is not really an improvement over Person of Interest despite the early promise. Finally on NBC, Hollywood Game Night started things off up two tenths in viewers and the demo. At 9pm, Chicago Med was down 1.3 million viewers and three tenths in the demo from its last airing, which aired at 10pm. This is not bad at all with the much weaker lead-in. This show seems to be the real deal. At 10pm, Chicago Fire was up eight tenths in viewers and even in the demo from its last airing, which was at 9pm.

WINNER OF THE NIGHT: Chicago Fire (NBC)
LOSER OF THE NIGHT: Marvel's Agent Carter (ABC)

WEEKLY RECAP: January 11-17, 2016

Here is my weekly recap for Week #17. Please note this only covers regularly scheduled shows (no sports, specials, repeats, or Saturday shows)

Check out Week #17 from last year

TOP 10 SHOWS (18-49 DEMO)
1. 60 Minutes (CBS, Sunday 8:00pm) - 4.8    6th week
2. The Big Bang Theory (CBS, Thursday 8:00pm) - 3.8    12th week
3. Modern Family (ABC, Wednesday 9:00pm) - 2.7    11th week
4. American Idol (FOX, Wednesday 8:00pm) - 2.5    2nd week
5. American Idol (FOX, Thursday 8:00pm) - 2.2    2nd week
6. The Bachelor (ABC, Monday 8:00pm) - 2.0    2nd week
    The Goldbergs (ABC, Wednesday, 8:30pm) - 2.0    7th week
    Criminal Minds (CBS, Wednesday 9:00pm) - 2.0    1st week
    Law & Order: SVU (NBC, Wednesday 9:00pm) - 2.0    1st week
    Chicago PD (NBC, Wednesday 10:00pm) - 2.0    1st week
    Madam Secretary (CBS, Sunday 9:00pm) - 2.0    1st week

TOP 10 SHOWS (TOTAL VIEWERS)
1. 60 Minutes (CBS, Sunday 8:00pm) - 20.6 million    12th week
2. The Big Bang Theory (CBS, Thursday 8:00pm) - 15.8 million    12th week
3. Madam Secretary (CBS, Sunday 9:00pm) - 11.9 million    10th week
4. Blue Bloods (CBS, Friday 10:00pm) - 10.6 million    11th week
5. American Idol (FOX, Wednesday 8:00pm) - 9.8 million    2nd week
6. Hawaii Five-0 (CBS, Friday 9:00pm) - 9.5 million    2nd week
7. Criminal Minds (CBS, Wednesday 9:00pm) - 9.3 million    3rd week
8. Life in Pieces (CBS, Thursday 8:30pm) - 9.2 million    3rd week
9. The Good Wife (CBS, Sunday 10:00pm) - 9.0 million    1st week
10. American Idol (FOX, Thursday 8:00pm) - 8.7 million    2nd week

BOTTOM 10 SHOWS (18-49 DEMO)
1. My Diet is Better Than Yours (ABC, Thursday 9:00pm) - 0.6    2nd week
    Galavant (ABC, Sunday 8:00pm) - 0.6    2nd week
3. Undateable (NBC, Friday 8:00pm) - 0.8    10th week
    America's Funniest Home Videos (ABC, Sunday 7:00pm) - 0.8    6th week
    Dateline NBC (NBC, Sunday 7:00pm) - 0.8    1st week
6. Bachelor Live (ABC, Monday 8:00pm) - 1.0    2nd week
    Telenovela (NBC, Monday 8:30pm) - 1.0    2nd week
    Grandfathered (FOX, Tuesday 8:30pm) - 1.0    5th week
    Beyond the Tank (ABC, Thursday 8:00pm) - 1.0    2nd week
    Heroes: Reborn (NBC, Thursday 8:00pm) - 1.0    4th week
    Dr. Ken (ABC, Friday 8:30pm) - 1.0    1st week
    Bob's Burgers (FOX, Sunday 7:30pm) - 1.0    3rd week

BOTTOM 10 SHOWS (TOTAL VIEWERS)
1. My Diet is Better Than Yours (ABC, Thursday 9:00pm) - 2.1 million    2nd week
2. Galavant (ABC, Sunday 8:00pm) - 2.3 million    2nd week
    Bob's Burgers (FOX, Sunday 7:30pm) - 2.3 million    5th week
4. Cooper Barrett's Guide to Surviving Life (FOX, Sunday 8:30pm) - 2.6 million    1st week
    Bordertown (FOX, Sunday 9:30pm) - 2.6 million    2nd week
6. Grandfathered (FOX, Tuesday 8:30pm) - 2.7 million    7th week
7. Undateable (NBC, Friday 8:00pm) - 2.8 million    10th week
8. New Girl (FOX, Tuesday 8:00pm) - 3.3 million    2nd week
9. Hell's Kitchen (FOX, Friday 9:00pm) - 3.4 million    1st week (New Season)
    Family Guy (FOX, Sunday 9:00pm) - 3.4 million    10th week

WINNERS OF THE NIGHT
Monday - The Bachelor (ABC)    1st week
Tuesday - None
Wednesday - Chicago PD (NBC)    2nd week
Thursday - The Big Bang Theory (CBS)    3rd week
Friday - Masterchef Junior (FOX)    3rd week
Sunday - 60 Minutes (CBS)    5th week

LOSERS OF THE NIGHT
Monday - Telenovela (NBC)    2nd week
Tuesday - None
Wednesday - Second Chance (FOX)    1st week (NEW SHOW)
Thursday - Shades of Blue (NBC)    1st week
Friday- Dr. Ken (ABC)    3rd week
Sunday - Galavant (ABC)    1st week

MY TOP 5 EPISODES OF THE WEEK
1. The Goldbergs #59 "Baio and Switch"    7th week
2. Criminal Minds #244 "Entropy"    2nd week
3. Law & Order: SVU #377 "Townhouse Incident"    1st week
4. The Middle #156 "Birds of a Feather"    5th week
5. Blue Bloods #123 "Cursed"    5th week

Tuesday, January 19, 2016

RATINGS RECAP: 1/18/16

ABC
8:00 The Bachelor
Viewers: 7.6 million, 18-49 demo: 2.2
10:00 Bachelor Live
Viewers: 3.9 million, 18-49 demo: 0.9

CBS
8:00 Supergirl

Viewers: 8.8 million, 18-49 demo: 1.8
9:00 Scorpion
Viewers: 11.6 million, 18-49 demo: 2.0
10:00 NCIS: Los Angeles
Viewers: 10.6 million, 18-49 demo: 1.6

NBC
8:00 Superstore
Viewers: 5.7 million, 18-49 demo: 1.7
8:30 Telenovela
Viewers: 3.9 million, 18-49 demo: 1.1
9:00 The Biggest Loser
Viewers: 3.5 million, 18-49 demo: 1.0

FOX
8:00 Masterchef Celebrity Showdown
Viewers: 4.2 million, 18-49 demo: 1.5

On Monday night, NBC had another promising week for Superstore. The new comedy was up three tenths in viewers and a good two tenths in the demo, NBC really has something here but how will they nurture it? Telenovela followed and was up three tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo. At 9pm, The Biggest Loser had another very weak showing as it was even in viewers and down a tenth in the demo. After a week off, CBS came back a bit with Supergirl down a tenth in viewers and the demo and Scorpion down a tenth in viewers and two tenths in the demo. NCIS: Los Angeles is continuing to take advantage of the lack of 10pm competition as it was up a tenth in viewers and even in the demo. On ABC, The Bachelor was up seven tenths in viewers and two tenths in the demo and Bachelor Live was up a tenth in viewers but down a tenth in the demo. Finally, FOX got surprisingly decent mileage out of the Masterchef Celebrity Showdown special.

WINNER OF THE NIGHT: NCIS: Los Angeles (CBS)
LOSER OF THE NIGHT: The Biggest Loser (NBC)

RATINGS RECAP: 1/17/16

ABC
7:00 America's Funniest Home Videos
Viewers: 4.8 million, 18-49 demo: 0.8
8:00 Galavant
Viewers: 2.3 million, 18-49 demo: 0.6
9:00 Quantico (Repeat)
Viewers: 1.5 million, 18-49 demo: 0.4

CBS
7:00 NFL Divisional Playoffs
Viewers: 43.0 million, 18-49 demo: 13.2
8:00 60 Minutes
Viewers: 20.6 million, 18-49 demo: 4.8
9:00 Madam Secretary
Viewers: 11.9 million, 18-49 demo: 2.0
10:00 The Good Wife
Viewers: 9.0 million, 18-49 demo: 1.4

NBC
7:00 Dateline NBC
Viewers: 5.0 million, 18-49 demo: 0.8
9:00 NBC News: Democratic Presidential Debate
Viewers; 10.2 million, 18-49 demo: 2.1

FOX
7:00 The Simpsons (Repeat)
Viewers: 2.0 million, 18-49 demo: 0.8
7:30 Bob's Burgers
Viewers: 2.3 million, 18-49 demo: 1.0
8:00 The Simpsons
Viewers: 4.0 million, 18-49 demo: 1.8
8:30 Cooper Barrett's Guide to Surviving Life
Viewers: 2.6 million, 18-49 demo: 1.2
9:00 Family Guy
Viewers: 3.4 million, 18-49 demo: 1.7
9:30 Bordertown
Viewers: 2.6 million, 18-49 demo: 1.2

Sunday night was CBS's turn to have a massive NFL lead-in and boy, was it massive. The close Broncos-Steelers game delivered a stunning 43.0 million viewers and 13.2 demo in the 7pm hour. This led to a highly publicized 60 Minutes episode featuring an interview with Sean Penn. 60 Minutes delivered 20.6 million viewers and a 4.8 demo. The good news kept rolling at 9pm where Madam Secretary was up 2.9 million viewers and a full demo point, tying its series high set with the series premiere in September 2014. Of course, this is all fool's gold because it won't get much of a lead-in the rest of the way this season. At 10pm, The Good Wife was up 1.3 viewers and three tenths in the demo. After Dateline NBC, NBC aired the Democratic Presidential Debate and it delivered a solid 10.2 million viewers and 2.1 demo.

FOX came back a lot from last week's NFL-fueled lineup but the earlier NFL game. This is probably the new normal for FOX with The Simpsons and Family Guy hovering in the upper 1s and Cooper Barrett's Guide to Surviving Life and Bordertown doing next to nothing. Once again though, Bordertown is looking slightly stronger than Cooper Barrett by delivering the same result but an hour later and with a weaker (albeit more compatible) lead-in. Finally on ABC, America's Funniest Home Videos was up four tenths in viewers and even in the demo while Galavant had another rough week as it was down a tenth in viewers and even in the demo.

WINNER OF THE NIGHT: 60 Minutes (CBS)
LOSER OF THE NIGHT: Galavant (ABC)

Sunday, January 17, 2016

RATINGS RECAP: 1/16/16

ABC
8:00 Movie: The Social Network
Viewers: 1.4 million, 18-49 demo: 0.3
10:30 Fresh Off the Boat (Repeat)
Viewers: 1.0 million, 18-49 demo: 0.2

CBS
8:00 NCIS: New Orleans (Repeat)
Viewers: 7.2 million, 18-49 demo: 1.8
9:00 Criminal Minds (Repeat)
Viewers: 4.5 million, 18-49 demo: 0.9
10:00 48 Hours
Viewers: 4.0 million, 18-49 demo: 0.8

NBC
8:00 NFL Divisional Playoffs
Viewers: 29.3 million, 18-49 demo: 9.2

FOX
8:00 Hell's Kitchen (Repeat)
Viewers: 1.2 million, 18-49 demo: 0.3
9:00 Second Chance (Repeat)
Viewers: 1.1 million, 18-49 demo: 0.3

Saturday, January 16, 2016

RATINGS RECAP: 1/15/16

ABC
8:00 Last Man Standing
Viewers: 7.0 million, 18-49 demo: 1.3
8:30 Dr. Ken
Viewers: 5.3 million, 18-49 demo: 1.0
9:00 Shark Tank
Viewers: 5.6 million, 18-49 demo: 1.4
10:00 20/20
Viewers: 4.8 million, 18-49 demo: 1.1

CBS
8:00 Undercover Boss
Viewers: 6.5 million, 18-49 demo: 1.1
9:00 Hawaii Five-0
Viewers: 9.5 million, 18-49 demo: 1.3
10:00 Blue Bloods
Viewers: 10.6 million, 18-49 demo: 1.3

NBC
8:00 Undateable
Viewers: 2.8 million, 18-49 demo: 0.8
8:30 Superstore (Repeat)
Viewers: 2.2 million, 18-49 demo: 0.6
9:00 Dateline NBC
Viewers: 5.4 million, 18-49 demo: 1.2

FOX
8:00 Masterchef Junior
Viewers: 4.6 million, 18-49 demo: 1.4
9:00 Hell's Kitchen
Viewers: 3.4 million, 18-49 demo: 1.1

On Friday night, FOX had another good week from Masterchef Junior, which was up a tenth in viewers and even in the demo with last week's two hour episode. I don't know why FOX doesn't decide to put this on a weeknight instead of a Friday. It led into the season premiere of Hell's Kitchen, which did passable numbers for Friday at 9pm but nothing great. ABC had a mostly steady night. At 8pm, Last Man Standing was down three tenths in viewers and even in the demo. Dr. Ken was down a tenth in viewers and the demo for a new series low. This is looking weaker by the week. At 9pm, Shark Tank recovered slightly from last week's poor showing. It was down two tenths in viewers but up a tenth in the demo. 20/20 closed out the night up three tenths in viewers and two tenths in the demo. On CBS, everything was down a tenth in the demo. For viewer totals, Undercover Boss was down four tenths, Blue Bloods was down three tenths, and Hawaii Five-0 was up a tenth. Finally on NBC, Undateable was down four tenths in viewers and even in the demo while Dateline NBC was down two tenths in viewers and even in the demo.

WINNER OF THE NIGHT: Masterchef Junior (FOX)
LOSER OF THE NIGHT: Dr. Ken (ABC)

Friday, January 15, 2016

RATINGS RECAP: 1/14/16

ABC
8:00 Beyond the Tank
Viewers: 4.1 million, 18-49 demo: 1.0
9:00 My Diet is Better Than Yours
Viewers: 2.1 million, 18-49 demo: 0.6

CBS
8:00 The Big Bang Theory
Viewers: 15.8 million, 18-49 demo: 3.8
8:30 Life in Pieces
Viewers: 9.2 million, 18-49 demo: 2.0
9:00 Mom
Viewers: 8.3 million, 18-49 demo: 1.7
9:30 Angel From Hell
Viewers: 7.0 million, 18-49 demo: 1.3
10:00 Elementary
Viewers: 6.0 million, 18-49 demo: 1.1

NBC
8:00 Heroes: Reborn
Viewers: 3.8 million, 18-49 demo: 1.0
9:00 The Blacklist
Viewers: 7.5 million, 18-49 demo: 1.6
10:00 Shades of Blue
Viewers: 6.6 million, 18-49 demo: 1.3

FOX
8:00 American Idol
Viewers: 8.7 million, 18-49 demo: 2.2

The new Thursday shows had a rough second week with none of them topping a 1.3. The most disappointing performance came from Shades of Blue. Earlier in the night on NBC, Heroes: Reborn was up a tenth in viewers and even in the demo. The season finale is next week and NBC announced this week it will indeed be a limited series and not see a second season. At 9pm, The Blacklist was dead even with last week. After last week's promising debut, Shades of Blue took a big tumble in week two as it fell two million viewers and half a demo point. This was a pretty rough drop that gets it quickly out of the conversation of being a strong drama pal to the Dick Wolf shows and instead into the bubble conversation. On FOX, the second Thursday of American Idol was down 1.3 million viewers and half a demo point. It's already down to a 2.2 demo on Thursdays which doesn't bode well for the weeks ahead.

Everything was down some on CBS except for The Big Bang Theory, which was up a tenth in viewers and even in the demo. Life in Pieces followed and was down two tenths in viewers and the demo. It seems like Life in Pieces dictates how the rest of the night does and in this case, everything followed suit. At 9pm, Mom was down half a million viewers and a tenth in the demo. Week two of Angel From Hell was down a million viewers and three tenths in the demo. This is not a horrible second week drop but it already started pretty low. At 10pm, Elementary was down seven tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo. Finally on ABC, Beyond the Tank was down two tenths in viewers and even in the demo while My Diet is Better Than Yours was down three tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo from last week's horrible debut.

WINNER OF THE NIGHT: The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
LOSER OF THE NIGHT: Shades of Blue (NBC)

RENEWAL ALERT: Empire, Scream Queens

During their Winter TCA day, FOX announced it has renewed Empire for a third season and Scream Queens for a second season.

A renewal for Empire was never in doubt. Even though it came back down from its unbelievable season one run, it remains the top show on broadcast TV in the demo. It became a sensation soon after its January 2015 premiere and shockingly rose every single week from a strong 3.8 demo debut. This fall, it still stayed above a 4 demo for its fall run. It will be back for a spring run in late March.

More surprising was the renewal of Scream Queens but it's further proof that non-linear viewing is mattering more and more. Scream Queens premiered to weak numbers and hovered around a 1.0 demo for most of its run. But FOX claims only 30% of its audience watches it in the traditional way and it skews towards young female viewers in a big way. It is often the case that the biggest shows in traditional ratings are also the biggest shows in DVR/online viewing. But Scream Queens is an exception. FOX announced that season two of the anthology will be set in a hospital and stars Jamie Lee Curtis and Lea Michele are expected to return.

Empire and Scream Queens join Bob's Burgers and The Simpsons on the FOX renewal list. Sure to join them are Family Guy, Gotham, Masterchef Junior, and most likely New Girl and Brooklyn Nine-Nine. On the bubble are Bones, Bordertown, Cooper Barrett's Guide to Surviving Life, Grandfathered, The Last Man on Earth, and Rosewood. It doesn't look promising for The Grinder, and Second Chance while American Idol is, of course, in its final season.

Thursday, January 14, 2016

PILOT REVIEW: Second Chance

SECOND CHANCE












Starring: Robert Kazinsky, Dilshad Vadsaria, Adhir Kalyan, Ciara Bravo, and Tim DeKay

Created by Rand Ravich
Written by Rand Ravich, Directed by Michael Cuesta

THE PREMISE
Second Chance is a new drama inspired by the story of Frankenstein (which was one of its many different names in development). It centers on Jimmy Pritchard (Robert Kazisnky). At the beginning of the show, he is a 75 year old former sheriff who resigned in disgrace. When he is killed by people associated with his son, Duval (Tim DeKay), he is given a second chance when he is brought back to life by tech geniuses and twins, Mary and Otto Goodwin (Dilshad Vadsaria and Adhir Kalyan). While Pritchard is given a second chance, the twins are using his cell's to slow Mary's cancer. Rounding out the main cast is Duval's daughter (and Jimmy's granddaughter), Gracie (Ciara Bravo).

THE REVIEW
Well, this was about as bad as I expected to be. Which is to say, it wasn't the worst thing I've ever watched but it was utterly boring. There was nothing here to pull viewers in even with an elaborate and long lead-in to the title/first commercial. The premise is nothing new in any respect. Of course it's lifted from the Frankenstein premise, but it also has shades of last year's Forever with elements of the tech gadgetry and futuristic feel that have plagued many genre dramas in recent years.

On top of that, the performances are very wooden. Robert Kazinsky seems too angry to be an appealing leading man. The little bit of his story I was interested in was with Philip Baker Hall as the old Jimmy Pritchard. But that interest quickly dissipated once I met the younger Jimmy Pritchard. Dilshad Vadsaria is OK in her part but I didn't believe anything from Adhir Kalyan or Tim DeKay. If anything, the younger Ciara Bravo was better but not featured much in the pilot. So, it's an unfortunate problem that the best actors are a child and a guest star.

I guess I can see where this show is going, but I don't want to be a part of it. This show has every generic element in the book and no solid performance to rise above it. To me, it is right in the same category as shows like Minority Report. I don't get the sense that the actors believe in the material or think that it's good. And it's not, which makes for double the problems. This might have been better off being a straight Frankenstein story than a pale imitation of one.

WILL I WATCH IT AGAIN?
No, I will not be giving it a second chance. See what I did there?

RATINGS RECAP: 1/13/16

ABC
8:00 The Middle
Viewers: 7.5 million, 18-49 demo: 1.9
8:30 The Goldbergs
Viewers: 6.3 million, 18-49 demo: 2.0
9:00 Modern Family
Viewers: 8.2 million, 18-49 demo: 2.7
9:30 Black-ish
Viewers: 6.1 million, 18-49 demo: 1.9
10:00 American Crime
Viewers: 4.3 million, 18-49 demo: 1.1

CBS
8:00 2 Broke Girls
Viewers: 6.5 million, 18-49 demo: 1.7
8:30 Mike & Molly
Viewers: 7.1 million, 18-49 demo: 1.6
9:00 Criminal Minds
Viewers: 9.3 million, 18-49 demo: 2.0
10:00 Code Black
Viewers: 6.6 million, 18-49 demo: 1.2

NBC
8:00 The Mysteries of Laura
Viewers: 7.5 million, 18-49 demo: 1.2
9:00 Law & Order: SVU
Viewers: 8.0 million, 18-49 demo: 2.0
10:00 Chicago PD
Viewers: 8.0 million, 18-49 demo: 2.0

FOX
8:00 American Idol
Viewers: 9.8 million, 18-49 demo: 2.5
9:00 Second Chance
Viewers: 4.7 million, 18-49 demo: 1.2

On Wednesday night, FOX's Second Chance debuted with a thud. First for FOX, American Idol was down 1.2 million viewers and half a demo point from last week's premiere. We'll see where it lands, but this was an acceptable second week drop. What wasn't acceptable was the series premiere of Second Chance. It delivered an anemic 4.7 million viewers and 1.2 demo. It's scary to think what it would have premiere too without the Idol lead-in. It doesn't seem worth it to FOX to keep Empire off the schedule as long as they are for this show, but they were content to let Minority Report run for all of the fall so we'll see.

Just when it seemed like it might be down for the count, The Mysteries of Laura on NBC got a boost again. This show always seems to spike right when it seems to be working its way out of renewal conversation. It was up seven tenths in viewers and two tenths in the demo. At 9pm, Law & Order: SVU was up two tenths in viewers and two tenths in the demo. Perhaps most impressively, Chicago PD was up despite last week being a crossover. It was down eight tenths in viewers but up a tenth in the demo for its best demo showing since November 2014. A 2.0 demo at 10pm is nothing to scoff at these days, this was an impressive performance.

On CBS, the comedy lineup seems to be working for the most part. 2 Broke Girls was up two tenths in viewers and even in the demo while Mike & Molly was up four tenths in viewers and even in the demo. At 9pm, Criminal Minds continued to prove it was hit harder than Empire than we ever thought. It was even in viewers and up a tenth in the demo for its best performance since the season premiere. It even managed to do that on a good night for SVU. It is odd but true that this show seems to have benefited the most since Empire went on its winter hiatus. However, it didn't help Code Black as the medical drama was down a rough 1.8 million viewers and two tenths in the demo. Now that Chicago PD is back, it is wilting. More proof that timeslots do still matter even in 2016. If it had continued its late fall momentum, it may have had a chance to get in the renewal discussion, but that is not the case.

ABC had an off night with their comedies. At 8pm, The Middle and The Goldbergs both tied season lows in the demo. The Middle was down three tenths in viewers and two tenths in the demo while The Goldbergs was down three tenths in viewers a tenth in the demo. Could the competing CBS comedies, while lower rated than Survivor, be damaging the ABC comedies more? At 9pm, Modern Family was down two tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo while Black-ish finished the block down two tenths in viewers and the demo. At 10pm, American Crime had a decent second week hold. It was down four tenths in viewers and just a tenth in the demo from the season premiere last week.

WINNER OF THE NIGHT: Chicago PD (NBC)
LOSER OF THE NIGHT: Second Chance (FOX)

Wednesday, January 13, 2016

RATINGS RECAP: 1/12/16

ABC
8:00 Fresh Off the Boat (Repeat)
Viewers: 3.5 million, 18-49 demo: 0.8
8:30 The Muppets (Repeat)
Viewers: 2.2 million, 18-49 demo: 0.6
9:00 State of the Union
N/A
10:09 ABC News: State of the Union Analysis
Viewers: 5.0 million, 18-49 demo: 1.1
10:30 The Goldbergs (Repeat)
Viewers: 2.6 million, 18-49 demo: 0.6

CBS
8:00 NCIS (Repeat)
Viewers: 11.0 million, 18-49 demo: 1.4
9:00 State of the Union 
N/A
10:09 CBS News: State of the Union Analysis
Viewers: 6.1 million, 18-49 demo: 1.0
10:30 Mike & Molly (Repeat)
Viewers: 3.9 million, 18-49 demo: 0.6

NBC
8:00 Hollywood Game Night
Viewers: 4.4 million, 18-49 demo: 1.1
9:00 State of the Union
N/A
10:09 NBC News: State of the Union Analysis
Viewers: 5.3 million, 18-49 demo: 1.3

FOX
8:00 New Girl
Viewers: 3.3 million, 18-49 demo: 1.5
8:30 Grandfathered
Viewers: 2.7 million, 18-49 demo: 1.0
9:00 State of the Union
N/A

Tuesday, January 12, 2016

RATINGS RECAP: 1/11/16

ABC
8:00 The Bachelor
Viewers: 6.9 million, 18-49 demo: 2.0
10:00 Bachelor Live
Viewers: 3.8 million, 18-49 demo: 1.0

CBS
8:00 The Big Bang Theory (Repeat)
Viewers: 8.9 million, 18-49 demo: 1.9
8:30 The Big Bang Theory (Repeat)
Viewers: 8.3 million, 18-49 demo: 1.9
9:00 Scorpion (Repeat)
Viewers: 7.5 million, 18-49 demo: 1.4
10:00 NCIS: Los Angeles (Repeat)
Viewers: 6.9 million, 18-49 demo: 1.0

NBC
8:00 Superstore
Viewers: 5.4 million, 18-49 demo: 1.5
8:30 Telenovela
Viewers: 3.6 million, 18-49 demo: 1.0
9:00 The Biggest Loser
Viewers: 3.5 million, 18-49 demo: 1.1

FOX
8:00 Masterchef Junior (Repeat)

Viewers: 2.5 million, 18-49 demo: 0.9

On Monday night, the college football championship on ESPN was down from recent years despite a close game, but it still dominated with 25.7 million viewers and an 8.3 demo. Only ABC and NBC competed against the game. On ABC, The Bachelor was down seven tenths in viewers and two tenths in the demo from last week's premiere. It only got a 1.8 demo against the college championship last week. The after show, Bachelor Live, was down four tenths in viewers and even in the demo. On NBC, the second week in the regular timeslot for Superstore was down six tenths in viewers and three tenths in the demo. It's a drop, but there's still something to work with here. It's not looking as promising for Telenovela, as it was down a million viewers and three tenths in the demo to a weak 1.0. At 9pm, The Biggest Loser was down four tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo from last week's premiere. The viewer total was a series low.

WINNER OF THE NIGHT: The Bachelor (ABC)
LOSER OF THE NIGHT: Telenovela (NBC)