RATINGS RECAP: 10/30/12

ABC
8:00 Dancing with the Stars
Viewers: 11.5 million, 18-49 demo: 1.8
9:00 Happy Endings
Viewers: 4.3 million, 18-49 demo: 1.4
9:30 Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23
Viewers: 3.3 million, 18-49 demo: 1.2
10:00 20/20 Special: Hurricane Sandy
Viewers: 4.8 million, 18-49 demo: 1.3

CBS
8:00 NCIS
Viewers: 18.8 million, 18-49 demo: 3.4
9:00 NCIS: Los Angeles
Viewers: 16.3 million, 18-49 demo: 2.8
10:00 Vegas
Viewers: 10.8 million, 18-49 demo: 1.7

NBC
8:00 The Voice
Viewers: 12.1 million, 18-49 demo: 4.6
10:00 NBC News Special: Hurricane Sandy
Viewers: 8.3 million, 18-49 demo: 2.9

FOX
8:00 Raising Hope
Viewers: 4.1 million, 18-49 demo: 1.7
8:30 Ben and Kate
Viewers: 3.0 million, 18-49 demo: 1.4
9:00 New Girl
Viewers: 4.8 million, 18-49 demo: 2.3
9:30 The Mindy Project
Viewers: 3.1 million, 18-49 demo: 1.5

Hurricane Sandy continued to alter lineups on Tuesday night but CBS was actually up in two of the three hours. At 8pm, NCIS was up a million viewers and two tenths in the demo. NCIS: Los Angeles was down two tenths in viewers and even in the demo. Vegas recovered ever so slightly as it was even in viewers and up a tenth in the demo. The bad news is that it proves that last week's big drop wasn't really a fluke and this show is one of the oldest skewing on TV. NBC had a two hour edition of The Voice which was up nine tenths in viewers and three tenths in the demo from last week's one hour episode. An NBC news special replaced a planned special airing of Go On and The New Normal and did quite well.

ABC had a rough night. Some of it can be blamed on the storm but I don't think things will look much better next week for this lineup. At 8pm, Dancing with the Stars slipped 1.4 million viewers and a big half a demo point for a season low. The worst news came at 9pm though where the comedies took a nosedive. Happy Endings was down 1.3 million viewers and four tenths in the demo while Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23 was down nine tenths in viewers and half a demo point. I'm willing to give some slack because of the weirdness of the week with the hurricane and scheduling, but I also don't think the picture is going to look that much prettier next week. After all, the other networks weren't down as much. This comedy lineup is not going to work. A last-minute 20/20 special replaced the scheduled Private Practice at 10pm. 

FOX's comedy lineup took a hit in the 9pm hour but the 8pm combo of Raising Hope and Ben and Kate remained exactly the same week to week. It's worth noting that in light of how much trouble FOX has had across the board this season, Raising Hope has been remarkably consistent in a difficult timeslot. At 9pm, New Girl took a hit (maybe from The Voice?) as it was down four tenths in viewers and the demo for a season low. The Mindy Project was on for the first time in three weeks but it returned down half a million viewers and four tenths in the demo. It could barely out-rate Ben and Kate despite having a much better lead-in.

RATINGS RECAP: 10/29/12

ABC
8:00 Dancing with the Stars
Viewers: 13.9 million, 18-49 demo: 2.3
10:00 Castle
Viewers: 10.8 million, 18-49 demo: 2.2

CBS
8:00 How I Met Your Mother (Repeat)
Viewers: 6.8 million, 18-49 demo: 2.3
8:30 Partners (Repeat)
Viewers: 5.2 million, 18-49 demo: 1.8
9:00 2 Broke Girls (Repeat)
Viewers: 7.5 million, 18-49 demo: 2.5
9:30 Mike & Molly (Repeat)
Viewers: 7.0 million, 18-49 demo: 2.2
10:00 CBS News Special: Hurricane Sandy
Viewers: 7.9 million, 18-49 demo: 2.1

NBC
8:00 The Voice
Viewers: 12.4 million, 18-49 demo: 4.8
10:00 Revolution
Viewers: 7.9 million, 18-49 demo: 3.0 

FOX
8:00 The X Factor (Repeat)
Viewers: 2.0 million, 18-49 demo: 0.7 

Monday night had preemptions due to Hurricane Sandy. CBS bagged its original programming and aired repeats instead but the shows that were new actually didn't seem too impacted by the storm. On NBC, The Voice bounced back a healthy four tenths in viewers and half a demo point from last week's one hour episode. At 10pm, Revolution was down seven tenths in viewers and three tenths in the demo from its last airing two weeks ago. Considering all that was going on and the fact that it was off last week, this is not a bad drop. On ABC, Dancing with the Stars started off the night up six tenths in viewers and down a tenth in the demo from its one hour airing last week. Castle was down a tenth in viewers but up two tenths in the demo from its last airing two weeks ago. The demo ties a season high. 

RATINGS RECAP: 10/28/12

ABC
7:00 America's Funniest Home Videos
Viewers: 5.6 million, 18-49 demo: 1.3
8:00 Once Upon a Time
Viewers: 9.9 million, 18-49 demo: 3.4
9:00 Revenge
Viewers: 8.2 million, 18-49 demo: 2.7
10:00 666 Park Avenue
Viewers: 4.6 million, 18-49 demo: 1.6

CBS
7:00 60 Minutes
Viewers: 11.2 million, 18-49 demo: 1.7
8:00 The Amazing Race
Viewers: 9.4 million, 18-49 demo: 2.5
9:00 The Good Wife
Viewers: 9.5 million, 18-49 demo: 1.8
10:00 The Mentalist
Viewers: 10.2 million, 18-49 demo: 1.8

NBC
7:00 Football Night in America
Viewers: 3.1 million, 18-49 demo: 1.2
8:00 NFL Pregame
Viewers: 9.7 million, 18-49 demo: 3.8
8:30 Sunday Night Football
Viewers: 17.7 million, 18-49 demo: 7.0

FOX
7:00 NFL Overrun
Viewers: 26.9 million, 18-49 demo: 9.5
8:00 MLB World Series Pregame
Viewers: 15.1 million, 18-49 demo: 4.9
8:30 MLB World Series Game 4
Viewers: 15.5 million, 18-49 demo: 4.7 

On a night with football and the final game of the World Series, it was just ABC and CBS airing regular shows. CBS had a low evening. Without a direct football lead-in, 60 Minutes was down a big 4.7 million viewers and 1.9 demo points. At 8pm, The Amazing Race was down a tenth in viewers and the demo but was the only CBS show to get above a 2 demo. At 9pm, The Good Wife was down half a million viewers and a tenth in the demo from last week when it started at 9:56pm. Maybe it should move to 10pm like many think t should? At 10pm, The Mentalist was up 2.1 million viewers and three tenths in the demo from last week when it started at 10:56pm. However, it was its lowest rated 10pm start episode this year. 

Over on ABC, America's Funniest Home Videos was down two tenths in viewers and even in the demo. Once Upon a Time was even in viewers and up a tenth in the demo, making it the top demo drama of the week. At 9pm, Revenge was down half a million viewers and a tenth in the demo. 666 Park Avenue closed out the night down two tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo even on Halloween weekend for this spooky show. I don't see this show getting a full season, what will ABC do with this slot in the spring? 

FULL SEASON ALERT: The Neighbors

The Neighbors became the first new ABC show to earn a full season with an announcement today. The much maligned show with the very offbeat alien premise was originally slated for 9:30pm on Wednesdays but switched slots with Suburgatory over the summer before it even premiered and has been airing at 8:30pm. It had a promising preview after Modern Family followed by a big second week drop when it moved to 8:30pm. Since then however, the show has stabilized as it has gotten a 1.9 or 2.0 demo every week since episode two.

This has to be considered one of the bigger surprises as The Neighbors had a horrible pilot and was one of the worst reviewed shows of the new season. I'll be honest, I haven't given it a second chance but some have said it's gotten better. It's not getting spectacular ratings but none of ABC's new shows are and ABC is showing a commitment to a show that actually seems like a pretty good fit with The Middle so far. ABC's other new shows - Last Resort, 666 Park Avenue, and Nashville have yet to get a full season or a cancellation. Nashville seems the most likely to get a full season of the three while Resort and Park have additional script orders. With this news, ABC also announced that second year series Scandal has been given a full season.

QUICK HITS: Sunday, October 28

As I did previously, I will offer Quick Hits once every so often when I have enough quick thoughts to post on the quality of the shows I'm currently watching...

-- The show that's winning the Conspiracy Contest is... Scandal over Revenge. Don't get me wrong, I am still really enjoying Revenge but the bigger the conspiracies get and the more convoluted the plots intertwine, the less interested I become. The simple Revenge driven plot of season 1 was so interesting but it can't go on forever. So while I understand why they have to twist more plots, I just don't know if I care as much. On the other hand, the plot twists and conspiracies in Scandal continue to shock me. Maybe it's because the conspiracies are more realistic with high level DC power players than the rich folks of the Hamptons, but I just love every new twist in Scandal, particularly the final scene of the most recent episode.

-- My feelings on the new shows I'm still watching in 5 words...
Go On - Sweet but not appointment viewing
Ben and Kate - Get rid of British girl
The Mindy Project - I'm about to give up
Vegas - I wish it was better
Nashville - My favorite. Love Connie Britton
Guys with Kids - Better than you would think
Chicago Fire - I haven't given up yet
Elementary - Just can't get into it

-- The best Halloween episode of the season belonged to... Parks and Recreation. I love Halloween episodes in general but this year's best was easily thanks to the (SPOILER ALERT) sweet and surprising engagement of Leslie and Ben. The scene was so masterfully played by Amy Poehler that it further proved why it is consistently the best sitcom on TV today. It's a shame that more people don't watch.

-- I wish networks would... air more busted pilots. I ultimately ended up feeling the same way about Mockingbird Lane as NBC did but it was really interesting to watch. I wish networks would still air their pilots that they don't pick up like they used to way back when. Every pilot season there are shows that I'm so interested to see that don't get picked up. It wouldn't hurt them to dump it somewhere... even a Saturday in the summer. After all, they did already pay for it.

RATINGS RECAP: 10/27/12

ABC 
8:00 College Football
Viewers: 8.6 million, 18-49 demo: 2.9

CBS
8:00 Hawaii Five-0 (Repeat)
Viewers: 3.4 million, 18-49 demo: 0.6
9:00 Criminal Minds (Repeat)
Viewers: 4.7 million, 18-49 demo: 0.9
10:00 48 Hours
Viewers: 5.1 million, 18-49 demo: 1.0

NBC
8:00 Revolution (Repeat)
Viewers: 1.9 million, 18-49 demo: 0.4
9:00 Chicago Fire (Repeat)
Viewers: 2.4 million, 18-49 demo: 0.5
10:00 Law & Order: SVU (Repeat)
Viewers: 3.1 million, 18-49 demo: 0.7

FOX 
8:00 MLB World Series Game 3
Viewers: 10.5 million, 18-49 demo: 2.8

GOOD WEEK/BAD WEEK: 2012-13 Week 5

GOOD WEEK: TV'S TOP TWO COMEDIES
Last fall was dubbed the "year of the comedy" as the veteran shows were up and new shows such as New Girl, Suburgatory, and 2 Broke Girls were breaking out. This year hasn't been as strong. None of the new comedies are mass hits and second year shows are not soaring. But there are two shows that just continue to dominate the ratings - ABC's Modern Family and CBS' The Big Bang Theory are far and away the biggest hits on TV. Big Bang had a 5.0 demo this week and Modern had a 4.9. By comparison, no drama was above a 3.4 last week and the next closest show was The Voice at a 4.3. Two comedies continue to fly high even as broadcast networks are having tough sledding this season.

BAD WEEK: "VEGAS"
Vegas' week started on a good note. It's most recent episode had stabilized even though it was skewing old and then it got a full season renewal alongside Elementary. But then Tuesday night happened. Vegas stumbled badly as it fell to a very troubling 1.6 demo and the old skew continued to skew older. Period dramas have such a tough time on broadcast networks and it's looking like Vegas might go the way of The Playboy Club and Pan Am with those numbers. A 1.6 demo is by far CBS's lowest rated show outside of Friday and Saturday and I have to wonder if they are regretting the full season renewal. At the same time, they don't really have anything else to air at the moment with only Golden Boy on the bench. Still, Vegas is already well behind the lowest episodes of Unforgettable last year.

RATINGS RECAP: 10/26/12

ABC 
8:00 Shark Tank
Viewers: 6.8 million, 18-49 demo: 1.8
9:00 20/20: All Access Nashville with Katie Couric
Viewers: 5.3 million, 18-49 demo: 1.3
10:00 20/20
Viewers: 5.9 million, 18-49 demo: 1.4

CBS 
8:00 NCIS (Repeat)
Viewers: 7.2 million, 18-49 demo: 0.9
9:00 CSI: NY
Viewers: 10.1 million, 18-49 demo: 1.5
10:00 Blue Bloods
Viewers: 11.1 million, 18-49 demo: 1.5

NBC 
8:00 Mockingbird Lane
Viewers: 5.5 million, 18-49 demo: 1.5
9:00 Grimm
Viewers: 6.1 million, 18-49 demo: 2.0
10:00 Dateline NBC
Viewers: 4.5 million, 18-49 demo: 1.4

FOX 
8:00 Kitchen Nightmares
Viewers: 2.7 million, 18-49 demo: 0.9
9:00 Fringe
Viewers: 2.6 million, 18-49 demo: 0.9

On Friday night, NBC offered up the pilot to planned series Mockingbird Lane, a reboot of The Munsters. The special airing did better than NBC has done in the slot in quite awhile but I don't think it did enough to make NBC decide to pick it up as a series. I do wish networks would show "busted" pilots like this more often. The good news was that the better lead-in propped up Grimm as it was up 1.1 million viewers and a big half a demo point for its best Friday demo since the series premiere a year ago. This show needs an 8pm companion even if that's not Mockingbird Lane. On ABC, Shark Tank was down a bit from its series high last week as it dropped three tenths in viewers and two tenths in the demo. The show moves to 9pm next week to make room for Last Man Standing and Malibu Country. At 9pm was a 20/20 special with Katie Couric which did ok. A regular 20/20 followed with similar numbers to the special as it was up four tenths in viewers and even in the demo.

FOX had the season premiere of Kitchen Nightmares and it was way down from last year's season premiere. This used to be a viable Friday option for FOX but it got clobbered last night. Maybe viewers didn't know it was back? We'll see if it goes up in weeks to come. At 9pm, Fringe was even in viewers and down a tenth in the demo. Finally on CBS, CSI: NY was up six tenths in viewers and three tenths in the demo as it seems to be perking up at 9pm. Blue Bloods followed and was up a good eight tenths viewers and two tenths in the demo.

RATINGS RECAP: 10/25/12

ABC
8:00 Last Resort
Viewers: 6.5 million, 18-49 demo: 1.3
9:00 Grey's Anatomy
Viewers: 8.8 million, 18-49 demo: 3.0
10:00 Scandal
Viewers: 6.1 million, 18-49 demo: 2.0

CBS
8:00 The Big Bang Theory
Viewers: 15.8 million, 18-49 demo: 5.0
8:30 Two and a Half Men
Viewers: 12.9 million, 18-49 demo: 3.7
9:00 Person of Interest
Viewers: 14.0 million, 18-49 demo: 2.9
10:00 Elementary
Viewers: 10.3 million, 18-49 demo: 2.2

NBC
8:00 30 Rock
Viewers: 3.1 million, 18-49 demo: 1.2
8:30 Up All Night
Viewers: 3.2 million, 18-49 demo: 1.4
9:00 The Office
Viewers: 4.0 million, 18-49 demo: 1.9
9:30 Parks and Recreation
Viewers: 3.3 million, 18-49 demo: 1.7
10:00 Rock Center with Brian Williams
Viewers: 3.7 million, 18-49 demo: 1.1

FOX
8:00 MLB World Series Game 2
Viewers: 12.3 million, 18-49 demo: 3.5 

CBS had good and bad news on Thursday night. The good news started at 8pm where The Big Bang Theory was up a tenth in viewers and two tenths in the demo from last week for a season high in viewers and a tie in series high in the demo. It also managed to sneak past Modern Family to be the #1 show in the 18-49 demo for the week. However, Two and a Half Men followed and was down seven tenths in viewers and three tenths in the demo. Does Miley Cyrus make that much of a difference? The good news came back at 9pm where Person of Interest was up a tenth in viewers and the demo. It came within a tenth of Grey's Anatomy for the demo win after starting the season down 1.4 demo points down in the hour. But the good news didn't continue to 10pm where Elementary was down another six tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo. The show is starting to stabilize but it still doesn't seem to be dropping and saw another big second half drop.

ABC saw troubling signs at 8pm where Last Resort was down six tenths in viewers and a rough four tenths in the demo for a series low. The show was doing alright before last night for a timeslot that has been nearly impossible for ABC but a 1.3 is not a good number and it has fallen behind 666 Park Avenue as ABC's lowest rated new show. I think they'll see out the 13 episodes and maybe an extra episode or two like Pan Am last year but I'd be surprised to see this get a full season. Some are blaming the World Series but this show just doesn't seem to be able to keep the audience's attention. At 9pm, Grey's Anatomy was down another nine tenths in viewers and four tenths in the demo. It has now fallen 1.4 demo points since its big 4.4 premiere and that is a bit unsettling. It managed to squeak by Person of Interest in the time period once finals were released but the gap is much much smaller. The best news for ABC came at 10pm though where Scandal was down just a tenth in viewers and even in the demo despite the big drop for the lead-in. This is the best retention it has had out of Grey's this year and shows that it has its own audience.

NBC had another pathetic Thursday as every show was below a 2 demo. At 8pm, 30 Rock was up a tenth in viewers and even in the demo while Up All Night was up two tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo. The good news for Up All Night is that it routinely builds on its lead-in. At 9pm, The Office was down three tenths in viewers and two tenths in the demo for a series low. This one time demo powerhouse has lost so much of its luster and it's a real good thing that it's the final season. At 9:30pm, Parks and Recreation was down two tenths in viewers but up a tenth in the demo. Rock Center with Brian Williams closed out the night up two tenths in viewers and the demo for a season high. Sad, isn't it? FOX aired Game 2 of the World Series and it continued to be down big year to year. 

RATINGS RECAP: 10/24/12

ABC
8:00 The Middle
Viewers: 8.8 million, 18-49 demo: 2.6
8:30 The Neighbors
Viewers: 7.0 million, 18-49 demo: 2.0
9:00 Modern Family
Viewers: 12.5 million, 18-49 demo: 4.9
9:30 Suburgatory
Viewers: 7.4 million, 18-49 demo: 2.7
10:00 Nashville
Viewers: 6.5 million, 18-49 demo: 2.0

CBS
8:00 Survivor
Viewers: 10.2 million, 18-49 demo: 2.8
9:00 Criminal Minds
Viewers: 11.6 million, 18-49 demo: 3.1
10:00 CSI
Viewers: 10.0 million, 18-49 demo: 2.4

NBC
8:00 Animal Practice
Viewers: 3.7 million, 18-49 demo: 1.2
8:30 Guys with Kids
Viewers: 3.8 million, 18-49 demo: 1.4
9:00 Law & Order: SVU
Viewers: 6.8 million, 18-49 demo: 1.9
10:00 Chicago Fire
Viewers: 6.4 million, 18-49 demo: 1.8

FOX 
8:00 MLB World Series Game 1
Viewers: 12.2 million, 18-49 demo: 3.6

On Wednesday night, ABC was mostly up with its lineup of Halloween themed sitcoms and Nashville. At 8pm, The Middle was up four tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo for its best numbers since the season premiere. At 8:30pm, The Neighbors was up half a million viewers and a tenth in the demo. This show is holding better than anticipated though it's not as compatible with The Middle as Suburgatory was. At 9pm, Modern Family was up two tenths in viewers and the demo. The Halloween episodes for this show have spiked more in the past but this is still a good uptick as it will fight again with The Big Bang Theory for being the top demo draw of the week. At 9:30pm, Suburgatory was down a tenth in viewers and the demo from its season premiere last week. This is one of the bigger disappointments this fall as it's not holding on to the Modern Family audience than the seemingly less compatible Cougar Town and Happy Endings did. I thought this show would be doing much better in this slot. At 10pm, Nashville stabilized after last week's second week plummet. It was down two tenths in viewers and even in the demo which has to be a sigh of relief for ABC. 

On NBC, the cancelled Animal Practice was down two tenths in viewers but even in the demo. It's too little, too late for this show though. At 8:30pm, Guys with Kids was down six tenths in viewers but even in the demo for the third week in a row. At 9pm, the 300th episode of Law & Order: SVU was up half a million viewers and three tenths in the demo. Congrats to this show for reaching #300 but it's well past its prime and probably should call it a day soon. Good news followed at 10pm where Chicago Fire recovered half a million viewers and three tenths in the demo as well from  last week's second week drop. This is a promising sign for a show that NBC would love to groom as a successor to SVU.  

CBS was mostly steady with its reliable lineup. Survivor and Criminal Minds were both down two tenths in viewers and even in the demo from their performances last week. At 10pm, CSI was down six tenths in viewers and up a tenth in the demo. FOX aired Game 1 of the World Series but a less intriguing matchup was down six tenths in viewers from last year's Game 1.

RATINGS RECAP: 10/23/12

ABC
8:00 Dancing with the Stars
Viewers: 12.9 million, 18-49 demo: 2.3
9:00 Happy Endings
Viewers: 5.6 million, 18-49 demo: 1.8
9:30 Don't Trust the B--- in Apartment 23
Viewers: 4.2 million, 18-49 demo: 1.7
10:00 Private Practice
Viewers: 4.6 million, 18-49 demo: 1.4

CBS
8:00 NCIS
Viewers: 17.8 million, 18-49 demo: 3.2
9:00 NCIS: Los Angeles
Viewers: 16.5 million, 18-49 demo: 2.8
10:00 Vegas
Viewers: 10.8 million, 18-49 demo: 1.6

NBC
8:00 The Voice
Viewers: 11.2 million, 18-49 demo: 4.3
9:00 Go On
Viewers: 6.1 million, 18-49 demo: 2.4
9:30 The New Normal
Viewers: 4.3 million, 18-49 demo: 1.7
10:00 Parenthood
Viewers: 4.9 million, 18-49 demo: 1.9

FOX
8:00 Raising Hope
Viewers: 4.1 million, 18-49 demo: 1.7
8:30 Ben and Kate
Viewers: 3.0 million, 18-49 demo: 1.4
9:00 New Girl
Viewers: 5.2 million, 18-49 demo: 2.7
9:30 The X Factor
Viewers: 5.7 million, 18-49 demo: 2.3

On Tuesday night, ABC finally had its 9pm comedies premiere to compete with comedies on NBC and FOX but the results were not positive. At 8pm, Dancing with the Stars was even in viewers but up three tenths in the demo for its best Tuesday demo this season. It seems to be rallying a bit after a real disappointing start. At 9pm was the season premieres of Happy Endings and Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23. Both shows came in last in the demo as they showed they can't survive without a Modern Family lead-in. None of this is surprising though because the young adult comedies don't fit after Dancing with the Stars and they don't have a large enough fan base to survive on their own. I think ABC will be much more patient with Endings than Apartment though. At 10pm, Private Practice had a lower lead-in and fell 1.4 million viewers and two tenths in the demo, tying a season low. This show definitely should end this season so it's good that it is. 

CBS' drama lineup was down across the board for season lows from the last time they aired two weeks ago. At 8pm, NCIS was down seven tenths in viewers and two tenths in the demo while NCIS: Los Angeles was up 1.3 million viewers but down two tenths in the demo. But the real bad news came at 10pm where Vegas, which was just given a full season, plummeted a million viewers and four tenths in the demo to a real low 1.6. This is lower than any results for Unforgettable in this slot last year and it's not acceptable for a Tuesday slot even with over 10 million viewers. It just seems as though period dramas can't find mass audiences and this has to have CBS thinking twice about that full season renewal.

On NBC, everything was down some as well though not as much as CBS. The Voice was down a million viewers and three tenths in the demo from last week. Is it finally starting to drift back to the pack? We'll see next week. At 9pm, Go On was down six tenths in viewers and two tenths in the demo as it maybe took a hit from the ABC comedies. It still is the highest rated comedy on NBC. At 9:30pm, The New Normal was down six tenths in viewers and three tenths in the demo, tying a series low in the demo. This show just isn't doing enough right now but it has a full season so NBC will be patient. At 10pm, Parenthood was down a tenth in viewers and the demo but that was good enough for it to win the demo in the hour outright for the first time this season. NBC shouldn't mess with this show in this slot. It's viewer total is low but it skews quite young especially against Vegas and Private Practice.  

On FOX, Raising Hope started off the night down a tenth in viewers and even in the demo while Ben and Kate rallied a bit as it was up three tenths in viewers and two tenths in the demo. It may have benefited by having New Girl back after it instead of the presidential debate. At 9pm, New Girl was up three tenths in viewers and even in the demo. It won the comedy battle against Go On and Happy Endings and nearly toppled NCIS: Los Angeles to win in the demo. At 9:30pm, a special recut airing of The X Factor didn't do too much but it was an improvement over The Mindy Project.

FULL SEASON ALERT: Vegas, Elementary

As the full season renewals keep coming for freshman, CBS has picked up two of its dramas after axing their third new one (Made in Jersey).

New Tuesday period drama Vegas was given a full season meaning it will last longer than last year's 1960s set dramas, The Playboy Club and Pan Am. Vegas was highly touted leading up to the season thanks to the star power of Dennis Quaid, Michael Chiklis, and Carrie-Anne Moss. The show has delivered solid total viewer numbers but has skewed really old and hasn't been a better option for Tuesday at 10pm than last year's occupant, Unforgettable. Still, CBS will be patient with the show and it might be a future Friday contender considering its audience is so old. I thought CBS should have put their new Tuesday drama at 9pm and split the NCIS twins but they did not do that and 10pm is a tough time to launch a drama.

A full season was also given to the new Thursday Sherlock Holmes drama Elementary. Like Vegas, Elementary was a highly anticipated new show in the summer with its fresh take on the Sherlock Holmes story and the creative casting of Lucy Liu as Watson. The show delivered one of the best drama premieres of the fall and it has remained one of the top new dramas even though it has had heavy drops in its first couple episodes. Right now it doesn't seem like a much better option than The Mentalist in the slot but CBS is doing the right thing in being patient with these shows because they might find an audience the way Person of Interest grew during the year last year.

RATINGS RECAP: 10/22/12

ABC
8:00 Dancing with the Stars
Viewers: 13.3 million, 18-49 demo: 2.4
9:00 ABC News: Presidential Debate
N/A
10:30 ABC News: Post Debate Analysis
Viewers: 8.1 million, 18-49 demo: 2.1

CBS
8:00 The Big Bang Theory (Repeat)
Viewers: 7.7 million, 18-49 demo: 2.2
8:30 2 Broke Girls (Repeat)
Viewers: 6.8 million, 18-49 demo: 2.1
9:00 CBS News: Presidential Debate
N/A
10:30 CBS News: Post Debate Analysis
Viewers: 6.2 million, 18-49 demo: 1.8 

NBC
8:00 The Voice
Viewers: 12.0 million, 18-49 demo: 4.3
9:00 NBC News: Presidential Debate
N/A
10:30 NBC News: Post Debate Analysis
Viewers: 9.3 million, 18-49 demo: 3.2

FOX 
8:00 MLB NLCS Playoffs Game 7
Viewers: 8.1 million, 18-49 demo: 2.4

The third and final presidential debate caused more change among broadcast networks. It's not worth going into too much ratings detail on a night like this but a few things to note: Dancing with the Stars was down three tenths in viewers but up three tenths in the demo to its best numbers since the season premiere. The Voice was down a million viewers and half a demo point. We'll see how it does next week when it's back to two hours. And a repeat of 2 Broke Girls did as well as a new Partners last week in the 8:30pm slot.

RATINGS RECAP: 10/21/12

ABC
7:00 America's Funniest Home Videos
Viewers: 5.8 million, 18-49 demo: 1.3
8:00 Once Upon a Time
Viewers: 9.9 million, 18-49 demo: 3.3
9:00 Revenge
Viewers: 8.7 million, 18-49 demo: 2.8
10:00 666 Park Avenue
Viewers: 4.8 million, 18-49 demo: 1.7

CBS
7:00 NFL Overrun
Viewers: 23.0 million, 18-49 demo: 8.2
7:56 60 Minutes
Viewers: 15.9 million, 18-49 demo: 3.6
8:56 The Amazing Race
Viewers: 9.5 million, 18-49 demo: 2.6
9:56 The Good Wife
Viewers: 10.0 million, 18-49 demo: 1.9
10:56 The Mentalist
Viewers: 8.1 million, 18-49 demo: 1.5 

NBC
7:00 Football Night in America
Viewers: 3.2 million, 18-49 demo: 1.1
8:00 NFL Pregame
Viewers: 9.5 million, 18-49 demo: 3.6
8:30 Sunday Night Football
Viewers: 17.5 million, 18-49 demo: 6.7

FOX
7:00 MLB Pregame
Viewers: 2.3 million, 18-49 demo: 0.7
7:30 MLB NLCS Game 6
Viewers: 7.6 million, 18-49 demo: 2.2

On a night when NBC and FOX both carried sports, ABC had a good night as all three of their dramas were up. At 7pm though America's Funniest Home Videos was even in viewers but down a tenth in the demo. The news was better at 8pm where Once Upon a Time recovered some from last week's fall as it was up four tenths in viewers and a good three tenths in the demo. That was good enough to tie Revolution for the second best drama demo performance of the week (a tenth behind leader Grey's Anatomy). At 9pm, Revenge was up four tenths in viewers and two tenths in the demo for the best performance since the season premiere. The good news even extended to 10pm where 666 Park Avenue was even in viewers and up two tenths in the demo. The show got additional scripts but this is still entirely too low.

CBS's lineup was thrown for a loop as the NFL overrun which is scheduled until 7:30pm lasted all the way until 7:56pm with an overtime Patriots-Jets game. This meant the shows started nearly half an hour later than scheduled and The Mentalist didn't start until nearly 11pm. Still, the news was good for shows except for The Mentalist. 60 Minutes was up a huge 4.3 million viewers and 1.6 demo points with a football lead-in this week. The Amazing Race was up four tenths in viewers and even in the demo while The Good Wife rebounded some as it was up nine tenths in viewers and two tenths in the demo. The only drop came from The Mentalist which was down 2.6 million viewers and six tenths in the demo. That's not really concerning though considering it started 56 minutes later than last week.

RENEWAL ALERT: The X Factor

In an unsurprising move, FOX has renewed competition series The X Factor for a third season that will air next fall. Featuring former American Idol judge Simon Cowell, The X Factor was FOX's "next big thing" when it launched last fall. Simon Cowell predicted 20 million viewers for the show. Though it vastly improved FOX's fall numbers, it came in well below expectations and seemed like the third option behind Idol and The Voice. The show was retooled as Britney Spears and Demi Lovato were brought on as judges this season. The show has continued to do well but not spectacular and it isn't getting the numbers The Voice. But again, FOX would be in dire straits without it. The positive side is that it boosts FOX's numbers. The downside is that FOX has limited space to launch new shows without it taking up three hours and the ones they are launching aren't working.

The X Factor joins FOX's cartoons American Dad!, Bob's Burgers, The Simpsons, and Family Guy as well as NBC's The Voice for early renewals for the 2013-14 season.

RATINGS RECAP: 10/20/12

ABC 
8:00 College Football
Viewers: 4.8 million, 18-49 demo: 1.8

CBS
8:00 CSI (Repeat)
Viewers: 4.5 million, 18-49 demo: 0.6
9:00 Person of Interest (Repeat)
Viewers: 4.4 million, 18-49 demo: 0.6
10:00 48 Hours
Viewers: 5.5 million, 18-49 demo: 1.0

NBC
8:00 Revolution (Repeat)
Viewers: 1.9 million, 18-49 demo: 0.5
9:00 Chicago Fire (Repeat)
Viewers: 2.8 million, 18-49 demo: 0.7
10:00 Law & Order: SVU (Repeat)
Viewers: 3.7 million, 18-49 demo: 0.9

FOX 
8:00 College Football
Viewers: 2.5 million, 18-49 demo: 0.8

GOOD WEEK/BAD WEEK: 2012-13 Week 4

GOOD WEEK: "REVOLUTION"
NBC placed all its major marketing muscle behind Revolution this summer and it paid off with the best drama debut in years. Still, most people thought it would drop quickly even with the big lead-in of The Voice. After all, Smash couldn't keep the ratings going with the same huge lead-in. And for awhile it looked like the critics were right. Revolution went dropped in weeks two, three, and four. But then in week five, it suddenly popped back up three tenths in the demo to a very impressive 3.3. This was in spite of the lead-in staying the same. Revolution has definitely won fans over on NBC, I did not think it would be anywhere close to a 3.3 demo by episode five and to be honest, I don't quite see the appeal of the show as I've gotten bored with it. But it's NBC's best hope in the drama department in years. This week, it was second only to Grey's Anatomy among drama demos. It is off this week for a debate which will be a test but right now, I wouldn't bet against Revolution.

BAD WEEK: THE OTHER NEW 10PM DRAMAS
10pm is tough on many nights of the week for the broadcast networks and it has been particularly glaring this season with so many new shows in the hour. Yes, Revolution has been rocking the slot with a 3.3 demo this week but a quick look at the other new 10pm dramas reveals problems: Vegas skews ancient, Elementary has underperformed, Nashville and Chicago Fire took huge second week falls, and 666 Park Avenue is dead despite an additional script order. In my opinion, the networks needed to launch more 9pm dramas because that's where shows really break out. I know they don't want to move some of their hits but it would be worth it in the long run.

CANCELLATION ALERT: Private Practice

In an unsurprising move, series creator Shonda Rhimes announced that the sixth and current season of Private Practice will be the last for the veteran medical drama. The show narrowly snagged a 13 episode renewal for this season as the ratings were declining and series star Kate Walsh announced that she would leave the show after the 13 episodes regardless of whether or not the season was extended. They made the decision to end the show after the half season which will put the grand total of episodes at 113.

A spinoff of Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice premiered in Fall 2007 in a completely new Wednesday drama lineup that also included Pushing Daisies and Dirty Sexy Money. The lineup was doing well but then the writer's strike hit which severely impacted the new drama lineup. All three shows aired less than 10 episodes that season and ABC made the decision to not continue the season when the long strike ended and instead start fresh in Fall 2008. The lineup returned that September but Daisies and Money did not do well and ABC bagged the night, moving Practice to Thursdays. There it flourished with its big and compatible lead-in. It always was lead-in dependent though and that showed when it finally moved to Tuesdays this past spring and saw a big drop in ratings. By announcing the end now, fans of the series will get to see a final arc and planned series finale which is always a nice thing.

RATINGS RECAP: 10/19/12

ABC 
8:00 Shark Tank
Viewers: 7.1 million, 18-49 demo: 2.0
9:00 Primetime: What Would You Do?
Viewers: 4.7 million, 18-49 demo: 1.5
10:00 20/20
Viewers: 5.5 million, 18-49 demo: 1.4

CBS
8:00 Hawaii Five-0 (Repeat)
Viewers: 5.9 million, 18-49 demo: 0.8
9:00 CSI: NY
Viewers: 9.5 million, 18-49 demo: 1.2
10:00 Blue Bloods
Viewers: 10.3 million, 18-49 demo: 1.3

NBC
8:00 Grimm (Repeat)
Viewers: 2.6 million, 18-49 demo: 0.6
9:00 Grimm
Viewers: 5.0 million, 18-49 demo: 1.5
10:00 Dateline NBC
Viewers: 5.0 million, 18-49 demo: 1.3

FOX 
8:00 MLB NLCS Playoffs
Viewers: 7.1 million, 18-49 demo: 2.0

On Friday night, ABC's Shark Tank continued its Friday dominance as it was up six tenths in viewers and two tenths in the demo for a series high. This show is continuing to go up on a night where series have a real hard time gaining steam. Later in the night for ABC, Primetime: What Would You Do was up a tenth in viewers and a tenth in the demo while 20/20 was up eight tenths in viewers and even in the demo. FOX aired baseball but it looked better against other networks than it did during the week.

On CBS, CSI: NY was even in viewers and down two tenths in the demo while Blue Bloods was down two tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo. Things are not soaring much higher without Made in Jersey in the mix as this lineup is skewing much older than last year. On NBC, Grimm fell for the first time on Fridays this season as it was even in viewers but down two tenths in the demo. At 10pm, Dateline NBC was up three tenths in viewers and even in the demo.

RATINGS RECAP: 10/18/12

ABC
8:00 Last Resort
Viewers: 7.1 million, 18-49 demo: 1.7
9:00 Grey's Anatomy
Viewers: 9.7 million, 18-49 demo: 3.4
10:00 Scandal
Viewers: 6.2 million, 18-49 demo: 1.9

CBS
8:00 The Big Bang Theory
Viewers: 15.7 million, 18-49 demo: 4.8
8:30 Two and a Half Men
Viewers: 13.6 million, 18-49 demo: 4.0
9:00 Person of Interest
Viewers: 13.9 million, 18-49 demo: 2.8
10:00 Elementary
Viewers: 10.9 million, 18-49 demo: 2.3

NBC
8:00 30 Rock
Viewers: 3.0 million, 18-49 demo: 1.2
8:30 Up All Night
Viewers: 3.0 million, 18-49 demo: 1.3
9:00 The Office
Viewers: 4.3 million, 18-49 demo: 2.1
9:30 Parks and Recreation
Viewers: 3.5 million, 18-49 demo: 1.6
10:00 Rock Center with Brian Williams
Viewers: 3.5 million, 18-49 demo: 0.9 

The 8pm hour was kind to CBS on Thursday night as The Big Bang Theory was up 1.5 million viewers and three tenths in the demo while Two and a Half Men featuring guest star Miley Cyrus was up a big 2.2 million viewers and four tenths in the demo for a season high. These are the ratings CBS was hoping for from their "power hour." At 9pm though Person of Interest was down seven tenths in viewers and two tenths in the demo despite its lead-in being up. The ratings for season two of Interest have been somewhat underwhelming. At 10pm, Elementary was down two tenths in viewers and the demo. It doesn't seem like any better of an option than The Mentalist at this point. 

On ABC, Last Resort was up two tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo from last week when it aired before the vice presidential debate. Despite the low ratings, ABC has given the series of vote of confidence by picking up two additional scripts. At 9pm, Grey's Anatomy was down 1.1 million viewers and four tenths in the demo from its last airing two weeks ago. It has dropped a full demo point from its huge 4.4 season premiere but right now it's the top drama demo of the week. At 10pm, Scandal was down four tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo, tying a series low. With Private Practice now ending, Scandal's chances for continuing in this slot go up.

NBC had another terrible Thursday night. At 8pm, 30 Rock was down four tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo to a terrible 1.2. Up All Night was up a tenth in viewers and two tenths in the demo. The positive note is that it grew out of 30 Rock. At 9pm, The Office was up two tenths in viewers but down a tenth in the demo, tying a series low. Parks and Recreation was even in viewers but down three tenths in the demo from its surprising jump two weeks ago. What will NBC do with this lineup at midseason? At 10pm, Rock Center with Brian Williams was up a tenth in viewers and down a tenth in the demo. FOX aired baseball again but it didn't do much.

CANCELLATION ALERT: Animal Practice

The second cancellation of the season has happened and it is NBC's Animal Practice. The odd comedy, set in a veterinary hospital was the subject of criticism when NBC interrupted the Closing Ceremonies of the 2012 London Olympics to air a commercial free preview episode. The numbers were ok then given the huge lead-in but it was DOA when it returned in September to 5.2 million viewers and a 1.4 demo. The show was critically panned and the ratings only dropped from the timeslot premiere numbers. As many, including me, predicted, Animal Practice will be replaced by season two of Whitney which was originally slotted for Friday nights. That gives the Wednesday companion Guys with Kids a multicam comedy as a lead-in. Guys hasn't been getting good ratings but it has built on Animal Practice every week so NBC is giving it some more time. Whitney won't premiere until November 14 though so the fans of Animal Practice (wherever you are) can see three more episodes. I hated the pilot (read my review) so I'm not sad to see this one go. Animal Practice joins Made in Jersey on the instant flops list.

RATINGS RECAP: 10/17/12

ABC
8:00 The Middle
Viewers: 8.4 million, 18-49 demo: 2.5
8:30 The Neighbors
Viewers: 6.5 million, 18-49 demo: 1.9
9:00 Modern Family
Viewers: 12.3 million, 18-49 demo: 4.7
9:30 Suburgatory
Viewers: 7.5 million, 18-49 demo: 2.8
10:00 Nashville
Viewers: 6.7 million, 18-49 demo: 2.0

CBS 
8:00 Survivor
Viewers: 10.4 million, 18-49 demo: 2.8
9:00 Criminal Minds
Viewers: 11.8 million, 18-49 demo: 3.1
10:00 CSI
Viewers: 10.6 million, 18-49 demo: 2.3

NBC
8:00 Animal Practice
Viewers: 3.9 million, 18-49 demo: 1.1
8:30 Guys with Kids
Viewers: 4.4 million, 18-49 demo: 1.4
9:00 Law & Order: SVU
Viewers: 6.3 million, 18-49 demo: 1.6
10:00 Chicago Fire
Viewers: 5.9 million, 18-49 demo: 1.5

FOX
8:02 Ben and Kate (Repeat)
Viewers: 3.5 million, 18-49 demo: 1.2
8:40 The X Factor
Viewers: 6.3 million, 18-49 demo: 2.3
9:47 The Mindy Project (Repeat)
Viewers: 4.7 million, 18-49 demo: 1.7

Wednesday night was not kind to the newest shows but more on that in a minute. ABC started with The Middle which was up half a million viewers and a tenth in the demo while The Neighbors was up a tenth in viewers but down a tenth in the demo. Though this hasn't completely tanked, it's not a positive sign that it was down when its lead-in was up. At 9pm, Modern Family was up two tenths in viewers and down a tenth in the demo from last week's 9pm episode. The season premiere of Suburgatory in its new time underwhelmed at 9:30pm. Though it was up from its spring episodes, it didn't come close to the 3.3 series premiere it had last year. It also didn't seem to take advantage of the huge lead-in as well as it should. ABC had to be hoping for more in this slot with a more compatible companion than Family usually has. At 10pm, the second episode of Nashville had a mammoth 2.2 million viewer and eight tenth in the demo drop. This is one of the biggest week two drops which is concerning for ABC's showcase freshman. To be fair, the lead in was 2.1 demo points lower so that makes things a little more understandable but ABC had to be hoping for more. Revenge only went this low once last year in the same slot.

Over on NBC, the now cancelled Animal Practice was up a tenth in viewers and even in the demo. It will air three more episodes before Whitney takes over. Guys with Kids built on its lead-in again as it was up two tenths in viewers and even in the demo from last week. It will be getting a more compatible companion in a few weeks so NBC is likely going to see how it does then before any decisions are made. At 9pm, Law & Order: SVU was up a tenth in viewers but down two tenths in the demo. It's time to call this a day for the long running show. This should be the final season. At 10pm, week two of Chicago Fire was down seven tenths in viewers and four tenths in the demo. The drop is not as severe as Nashville but it started much lower so already being down to a 1.5 demo in week two is not a positive sign.

On CBS, Survivor started off up six tenths in viewers and even in the demo. Criminal Minds was up three tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo. This still seems to be underperforming this year. At 10pm, CSI was down a tenth in viewers and three tenths in the demo but it managed to win the hour over the newbies on ABC and NBC and it squeaked by the huge 2.2 demo premiere for FX's American Horror Story. FOX was a mess with rain delayed baseball cutting in and out among repeats and The X Factor all night. It's not even worth analyzing those ratings.

RATINGS RECAP: 10/16/12

ABC
8:00 Dancing with the Stars
Viewers: 12.9 million, 18-49 demo: 2.0
9:00 ABC News: Presidential Debate
N/A
10:30 ABC News: Post Debate Analysis
Viewers: 9.5 million, 18-49 demo: 2.5

CBS
8:00 NCIS: Los Angeles (Repeat)
Viewers: 8.1 million, 18-49 demo: 1.4
9:00 CBS News: Presidential Debate
N/A
10:30 CBS News: Post Debate Analysis
Viewers: 7.0 million, 18-49 demo: 1.9

NBC
8:00 The Voice
Viewers: 12.0 million, 18-49 demo: 4.6
9:00 NBC News: Presidential Debate
N/A
10:30 NBC News: Post Debate Analysis
Viewers: 11.4 million, 18-49 demo: 4.0

FOX
8:00 Raising Hope
Viewers: 4.2 million, 18-49 demo: 1.7
8:30 Ben and Kate
Viewers: 2.7 million, 18-49 demo: 1.2
9:00 FOX News: Presidential Debate
N/A 

NBC had the best results of the night as The Voice was down two tenths in viewers but up a tenth in the demo and led into many eyeballs to their coverage of the debates. On ABC, Dancing with the Stars was down four tenths in viewers and two tenths in the demo from last week's results at 9pm. Next week brings Happy Endings and Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23 at 9pm. FOX had some trouble with its one hour of sitcoms. Raising Hope was up two tenths in viewers and down a tenth in the demo which is not bad but Ben and Kate fell another half a million viewers and three tenths in the demo to another series low. Remind me why FOX gave 6 additional episodes to a show that can't get 3 million viewers and above a 1.2 in the demo? Maybe no New Girl had something to do with it but these are real bad numbers no matter what.

RENEWAL ALERT: Bob's Burgers

FOX has renewed Bob's Burgers for a fourth season. As is the case with all of FOX's animated sitcoms, decisions need to be made early to have seasons ready on time with the massive time it takes to produce them. So, FOX has added Burgers to the already renewed toons The Simpsons, Family Guy, and American Dad! FOX launched Bob's Burgers at midseason 2010 and it did so-so in the ratings but it got a boost when it returned last spring for a second season after Allen Gregory bombed and Napoleon Dynamite did nearly as bad. When FOX made the decision to cancel both those shows, Bob's gained some traction and now it appears headed to a healthy run like the others. The only cartoon with the jury still out is The Cleveland Show but I wouldn't be shocked to hear an announcement for a renewal within a couple weeks.

RATINGS RECAP: 10/15/12

ABC
8:00 Dancing with the Stars
Viewers: 13.6 million, 18-49 demo: 2.1
10:00 Castle
Viewers: 10.9 million, 18-49 demo: 2.0

CBS
8:00 How I Met Your Mother
Viewers: 7.9 million, 18-49 demo: 3.2
8:30 Partners
Viewers: 6.1 million, 18-49 demo: 2.1
9:00 2 Broke Girls
Viewers: 9.3 million, 18-49 demo: 3.4
9:30 Mike & Molly
Viewers: 9.1 million, 18-49 demo: 3.0
10:00 Hawaii Five-0
Viewers: 8.7 million, 18-49 demo: 2.1

NBC
8:00 The Voice
Viewers: 13.0 million, 18-49 demo: 4.8
10:00 Revolution
Viewers: 8.6 million, 18-49 demo: 3.3 

FOX
8:00 MLB Playoffs NLCS Game 2
Viewers: 5.6 million, 18-49 demo: 1.6

Monday night saw growth from CBS but nothing spectacular for its once dominating lineup. At 8pm, How I Met Your Mother was up a tenth in both viewers and the demo while Partners grew for the first time as it was up four tenths in viewers and two tenths in the demo. That surely buys it some time but I don't think it's a long term answer by any means. At 9pm, 2 Broke Girls was down a tenth in viewers and even in the demo while Mike & Molly was up four tenths in viewers and two tenths in the demo, showing good retention. At 10pm, Hawaii Five-0 was up three tenths in viewers and two tenths in the demo for a season high in the demo. Of course a 2.1 demo would be super low last year but it's a different ballgame this season. FOX had baseball again but it was weaker than Sunday night.

NBC had another winning night as The Voice was up a tenth in viewers and even in the demo for a dominating 4.8. But the best news came at 10pm where Revolution grew for the first time as it was up six tenths in viewers and three tenths in the demo despite its lead-in being steady. This is a tremendous showing for a show that is NBC's first real scripted hit in years. Yes, the lead-in is one of the best on TV but all you have to do is look at how far Smash had fallen by this point. Revolution has not shown signs of slowing down yet for a network that desperately needs a hit. On ABC, Dancing with the Stars was even in viewers and down a tenth in the demo while Castle was up three tenths in viewers but down two tenths in the demo as it fell to third in the latter category. Revolution is really pounding Castle and Hawaii this year. 

RATINGS RECAP: 10/14/12

ABC
7:00 America's Funniest Home Videos
Viewers: 5.8 million, 18-49 demo: 1.4
8:00 Once Upon a Time
Viewers: 9.5 million, 18-49 demo: 3.0
9:00 Revenge
Viewers: 8.3 million, 18-49 demo: 2.6
10:00 666 Park Avenue
Viewers: 4.8 million, 18-49 demo: 1.5

CBS
7:00 60 Minutes
Viewers: 11.6 million, 18-49 demo: 2.0
8:00 The Amazing Race
Viewers: 9.1 million, 18-49 demo: 2.6
9:00 The Good Wife
Viewers: 9.1 million, 18-49 demo: 1.7
10:00 The Mentalist
Viewers: 10.7 million, 18-49 demo: 2.1 

NBC
7:00 Football Night in America
Viewers: 6.3 million, 18-49 demo: 2.3
8:00 NFL Pregame
Viewers: 11.8 million, 18-49 demo: 4.5
8:30 Sunday Night Football
Viewers: 19.9 million, 18-49 demo: 7.7

FOX
7:00 NFL Overrun
Viewers: 22.3 million, 18-49 demo: 8.2
7:30 The OT
Viewers: 11.0 million, 18-49 demo: 4.4
8:00 MLB Playoffs: NLCS Game 1
Viewers: 6.8 million, 18-49 demo: 2.1

On Sunday night, baseball and football occupied two of the four broadcast networks and saw good results. ABC and CBS were the only networks with scripted programming saw mixed results. On ABC, America's Funniest Home Videos was down seven tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo. It will do better in the spring without football. At 8pm, Once Upon a Time was down three tenths in viewers and four tenths in the demo. It has taken a substantial drop from its 3.9 demo premiere two weeks ago which is concerning for a second year show. At 9pm, Revenge was down a tenth in viewers and even in the demo. It showed much better retention this week which is good. At 10pm, the news continued to be bad as 666 Park Avenue was down two tenths in viewers and the demo. This show is dead and could easily be the first cancellation for ABC.

CBS started with 60 Minutes but with no direct football lead-in, it was down 4.4 million viewers and 1.6 demo points. It was rise and fall this dramatically throughout the fall depending on its lead-in. At 8pm, The Amazing Race was down six tenths in viewers and even in the demo. At 9pm, The Good Wife was up a tenth in viewers and even in the demo. The best news came at 10pm where The Mentalist rebounded from last week's 10:30pm start and was up a strong 1.7 million viewers and half a demo point. This show should switch with The Good Wife because it could strengthen 9pm in a big way and I don't think Wife would suffer much moving back an hour.

RATINGS RECAP: 10/13/12

ABC
8:00 College Football
Viewers: 5.1 million, 18-49 demo: 1.3

CBS 
8:00 NCIS: Los Angeles (Repeat)
Viewers: 3.7 million, 18-49 demo: 0.6
9:00 Hawaii Five-0 (Repeat)
Viewers: 3.8 million, 18-49 demo: 0.6
10:00 48 Hours
Viewers: 5.0 million, 18-49 demo: 1.0

NBC
8:00 Revolution (Repeat)
Viewers: 2.3 million, 18-49 demo: 0.5
9:00 Chicago Fire (Repeat)
Viewers: 3.2 million, 18-49 demo: 0.7
10:00 Law & Order: SVU (Repeat)
Viewers: 3.8 million, 18-49 demo: 0.9

FOX
8:00 College Football
Viewers: 2.5 million, 18-49 demo: 0.8

RATINGS RECAP: 10/7/12

I realized I never put up a ratings recap for last Sunday! My apologies - here it is briefly (sorry, no commentary)

ABC
7:00 America's Funniest Home Videos
Viewers: 6.5 million, 18-49 demo: 1.5
8:00 Once Upon a Time
Viewers: 9.8 million, 18-49 demo: 3.4
9:00 Revenge
Viewers: 8.4 million, 18-49 demo: 2.6
10:00 666 Park Avenue
Viewers: 5.0 million, 18-49 demo: 1.7

CBS
7:00 NFL Overrun
Viewers: 24.5 million, 18-49 demo: 8.8
7:30 60 Minutes
Viewers: 16.0 million, 18-49 demo: 3.6
8:30 The Amazing Race
Viewers: 9.7 million, 18-49 demo: 2.6
9:30 The Good Wife
Viewers: 9.0 million, 18-49 demo: 1.7
10:30 The Mentalist
Viewers: 9.0 million, 18-49 demo: 1.6

NBC
7:00 Football Night in America
Viewers: 7.2 million, 18-49 demo: 2.9
8:00 NFL Pregame
Viewers: 10.4 million, 18-49 demo: 4.2
8:30 Sunday Night Football
Viewers: 18.3 million, 18-49 demo: 7.2

FOX
7:00 The Simpsons (Repeat)
Viewers: 2.7 million, 18-49 demo: 1.3
7:30 The Cleveland Show
Viewers: 4.5 million, 18-49 demo: 2.2
8:00 The Simpsons
Viewers: 6.6 million, 18-49 demo: 3.1
8:30 Bob's Burgers
Viewers: 4.9 million, 18-49 demo: 2.3
9:00 Family Guy
Viewers: 6.7 million, 18-49 demo: 3.4
9:30 American Dad!
Viewers: 5.2 million, 18-49 demo: 2.6

GOOD WEEK/BAD WEEK: 2012-13 Week 3

GOOD WEEK: NBC AT 10PM
Many networks have gone with new shows at 10pm this year and that might be one reason that ratings have been underwhelming as 10pm is a hard time to launch a new show in general. But this week has been pretty kind to NBC at 10pm. Though it has dropped, Revolution continues to dominate the 10pm Monday hour against established veterans Hawaii Five-0 and Castle. The biggest surprise came on Tuesday where Parenthood made a big week-to-week jump and tied the new but slumping Vegas on CBS for a demo win in the hour. Even on Wednesday, the series premiere of Chicago Fire did not do too badly and held up well across the hour. It might narrow the gap with ABC's Nashville this coming week if it doesn't take a big second week dive. If NBC can continue to make 10pm strong, it will help their overall revitalization.

BAD WEEK: "ANIMAL PRACTICE"
With the cancellation of Made in Jersey, all eyes are turned to what will be the next cancelled show. Many think it will be The Mob Doctor which is getting terrible ratings for FOX on Monday nights and preempted for the next couple weeks. In fact, I don't think we'll ever see it on Monday again. But if it's not The Mob Doctor, it surely will be Animal Practice. The show is floundering on Wednesday nights as it dipped to a terrible 3.8 million viewers and 1.1 demo. It also is bringing down Guys with Kids which routinely builds on its lead-in. With Community and Whitney not premiering on Friday, Oct 19 as planned, NBC can easily swap out Animal for Whitney. While Whitney is not a big hit, it has experience in the Weds 8pm slot and would be a better companion for Guys with Kids. None of these shows may ultimately work but that move gives NBC a better chance.

RATINGS RECAP: 10/12/12

ABC
8:00 Shark Tank
Viewers: 6.5 million, 18-49 demo: 1.8
9:00 Primetime: What Would You Do?
Viewers: 4.6 million, 18-49 demo: 1.4
10:00 20/20
Viewers: 4.7 million, 18-49 demo: 1.4

CBS 
8:00 NCIS (Repeat)
Viewers: 7.5 million, 18-49 demo: 1.1
9:00 CSI: NY
Viewers: 9.5 million, 18-49 demo: 1.4
10:00 Blue Bloods
Viewers: 10.5 million, 18-49 demo: 1.4

NBC
8:00 The Voice (Repeat)
Viewers: 3.4 million, 18-49 demo: 1.1
9:00 Grimm
Viewers: 5.0 million, 18-49 demo: 1.6
10:00 Dateline NBC
Viewers: 4.7 million, 18-49 demo: 1.3 

FOX
8:00 The X Factor
Viewers: 2.4 million, 18-49 demo: 0.8
9:00 Fringe
Viewers: 2.6 million, 18-49 demo: 1.0 

The first CBS Friday without the cancelled Made in Jersey was a positive one. A repeat of NCIS at 8pm did about what a new CSI: NY did in the same slot last week. But at 9pm, CSI: NY was up 1.1 million viewers and two tenths in the demo from its performance last week and way up from Made in Jersey's numbers a week ago. This also helped Blue Bloods recover some as it was up seven tenths in viewers and two tenths in the demo. All in all, a positive night for CBS but these dramas could still be doing better in the demo. On NBC, Grimm was down three tenths in viewers and even in the demo for a third straight week while Dateline NBC was up four tenths in viewers and even in the demo.

On ABC, Shark Tank was up three tenths in viewers and even in the demo. People still think ABC will not move this to 9pm in November as planned and they really shouldn't. A 1.8 at 8pm Friday is really good and I have a hard time believing Last Man Standing and Malibu Country could do anything like that. They would be better suited at 9pm with the strong Shark Tank lead-in. At 9pm, Primetime: What Would You Do? was up two tenths in viewers and even in the demo. At 10pm, 20/20 was up six tenths in viewers and two tenths in the demo. On FOX, Fringe was down four tenths in viewers and even in the demo.

RATINGS RECAP: 10/11/12

ABC
8:00 Last Resort
Viewers: 6.9 million, 18-49 demo: 1.6
9:00 ABC News: 2012 Vice Presidential Debate
N/A
10:30 ABC News: Post Debate Coverage
Viewers: 6.1 million, 18-49 demo: 1.4

CBS
8:00 The Big Bang Theory
Viewers: 14.2 million, 18-49 demo: 4.5
8:30 Two and a Half Men
Viewers: 11.4 million, 18-49 demo: 3.5
9:00 CBS News: 2012 Vice Presidential Debate
N/A
10:30 CBS News: Post Debate Coverage
Viewers: 5.9 million, 18-49 demo: 1.6 

NBC
8:00 30 Rock
Viewers: 3.4 million, 18-49 demo: 1.3
8:30 Up All Night
Viewers: 2.9 million, 18-49 demo: 1.1
9:00 NBC News: 2012 Vice Presidential Debate
N/A
10:30 NBC News: Post Debate Coverage
Viewers: 6.7 million, 18-49 demo: 2.0

FOX
8:00 The X Factor
Viewers: 8.4 million, 18-49 demo: 2.9
9:00 FOX News: 2012 Vice Presidential Debate
N/A

On Thursday night, the Vice Presidential debate took over the 9-11pm hours so it was only the 8pm shows that were around but CBS was on top as usual as The Big Bang Theory was down a million viewers and four tenths in the demo and Two and a Half Men was down nine tenths in viewers and just a tenth in the demo as it had better retention this week. Over on ABC, Last Resort was down a substantial 1.1 million viewers and three tenths in the demo. Was this because it was by itself and didn't have Grey's Anatomy following it? Or is it a sign of worse things to come? We'll know more next week. On NBC, 30 Rock was down a tenth in viewers and the demo from its terrible premiere last week while Up All Night was down two tenths in viewers and three tenths in the demo for a series low in the demo. How soon does Community come here with the announcement that it was pushed back from its planned Friday debut? On FOX, The X Factor was down nine tenths in viewers and three tenths in the demo for a series low.