RATINGS RECAP: 4/22/11

ABC
8:00 Shark Tank
Viewers: 4.8 million, 18-49 demo: 1.4
9:00 Primetime: What Would You Do? 
Viewers: 4.0 million, 18-49 demo: 1.2
10:00 20/20
Viewers: 4.5 million, 18-49 demo: 1.2

CBS
8:00 CSI: NY (Repeat)
Viewers: 6.0 million, 18-49 demo: 1.0
9:00 Girls Night Out: Superstar Women of Country
Viewers: 8.4 million, 18-49 demo: 1.6

NBC
8:00 Friday Night Lights
Viewers: 3.4 million, 18-49 demo: 0.9
9:00 Dateline NBC
Viewers: 5.8 million, 18-49 demo: 1.3

FOX
8:00 Kitchen Nightmares (Repeat)
Viewers: 2.6 million, 18-49 demo: 1.0
9:00 Fringe
Viewers: 3.3 million, 18-49 demo: 1.2

ABC was all new on Friday night with middling results. At 8pm, Shark Tank was down half a million viewers and a tenth in the demo but was the high point of ABC's evening. While not overly impressive, it is doing better than Supernanny and will probably earn a third season with these numbers. At 9pm, Primetime: What Would You Do? was down two tenths in viewers and two tenths in the demo which is well below the 1.7-1.9 it was getting back in November as this concept is wearing thin. At 10pm, 20/20 was down six tenths in viewers and three tenths in the demo. CBS started things off with a repeat of CSI: NY which pulled roughly the same numbers as the now-pulled Chaos which aired in this time period last week. A country music special followed and delivered decent numbers for a sleepy Friday.

NBC was all new starting with Friday Night Lights which was down two tenths in viewers and even in the demo. It was followed by Dateline NBC which was down a tenth in viewers and the demo. Dateline will probably stay put next season but what will NBC air at 8pm? FOX aired a low-rated repeat of Kitchen Nightmares at 8pm followed by a new Fringe which was down four tenths in viewers and two tenths in the demo for series lows. Why did this get renewed?