PILOT REVIEW: The McCarthys

THE MCCARTHYS

Starring: Tyler Ritter, Joey McIntyre, Kelen Coleman, Jimmy Dunn, with Jack McGee, and Laurie Metcalf

Created by Brian Gallivan
Written by Brian Gallivan, Directed by Andy Ackerman

THE PREMISE: The McCarthys is a new family sitcom centered on a very close Boston family that loves their sports. When gay son Ronny (Tyler Ritter) wants to move to Rhode Island, the family bands together to try to keep him in Boston. Leading the charge is his mother, Marjorie (Laurie Metcalf), and father, Arthur (Jack McGee). Rounding out the main cast are Arthur's brothers Sean and Gerard (Jimmy Dunn and Joey McIntyre) and sister Jackie (Kelen Coleman).

THE GOOD: There were a few decent performances in a very formulaic sitcom. It's good to see Laurie Metcalf again and she can sometimes rise above the tired writing. The funniest part of the pilot was the scene where she was claiming to be sick as a reason why her son couldn't move to Providence. Tyler Ritter was likable in the lead role and it's easy to tell that he's a Ritter. He has the same charm and humor that his father did and brother does. And I know it was a stereotype, but the line from the gay man at the party "it's a struggle" made me laugh. You have to see it in context.

THE BAD: This show is one of the broadest new sitcoms that I have seen in my time doing this blog, and that is not a complement. It further perpetuates the idea that multi-cam sitcoms can't be witty or well-written. There were far to many set-up-joke, set-up-joke moment and there were too many punch lines broadly delivered to the studio audience without even realistically being a part of the scene. The jokes were tired too. A Dynasty reference in 2014?! I also think the writers of the show think that repeating a line makes it funnier because they did it multiple times throughout the pilot. I'm here to say that is not the case. As usual with shows like this, the quick flashbacks added next to nothing to the plot or humor.

BOTTOM LINE: Despite my many misgivings, I actually may give The McCarthys another chance. It was bland and broad, but there was something in there that I liked a little bit - most of it coming from Metcalf and Ritter. It's on a short leash with me, but I'm not done with it yet. CBS may make that decision sooner rather than later for me though.

CANCELLATION ALERT: Bad Judge, A to Z

Two more comedies have bit the dust today with NBC cancelling their low-rated Thursday night pair Bad Judge and A to Z. Both shows seemed like dead shows walking when they got the slot that NBC has planned for The Blacklist's big move in February. They will be able to finish their order because NBC doesn't want to start something new there with their spring plans.

With mediocre to bad reviews, both shows had trouble getting any traction. At least initially, it looked like Bad Judge might do OK as it had a surprisingly solid premiere and then dipped just a bit and held for the next weeks. But things have gone south in the past two weeks as it fell to a 0.9 demo last night. A to Z has been pretty much doomed from the start with significantly weaker numbers than Judge. It fell to the dreaded 0.7 demo last night, which almost always is the end of the line for a struggling show.

These two comedies join ABC's Manhattan Love Story on the cancellation pile. NBC gave The Mysteries of Laura a full season while Marry Me is struggling and it's too early to tell for Constantine. State of Affairs premieres November 17.

RATINGS RECAP: 10/30/14

ABC
8:00 It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown
Viewers: 6.3 million, 18-49 demo: 1.7
9:00 Scandal
Viewers: 9.3 million, 18-49 demo: 3.1
10:00 How to Get Away with Murder
Viewers: 8.7 million, 18-49 demo: 2.7

CBS
8:00 The Big Bang Theory
Viewers: 16.3 million, 18-49 demo: 4.1
8:30 Mom
Viewers: 11.1 million, 18-49 demo: 2.5
9:00 Two and a Half Men
Viewers: 10.3 million, 18-49 demo: 2.4
9:30 The McCarthys
Viewers: 8.1 million, 18-49 demo: 1.7
10:00 Elementary
Viewers: 7.6 million, 18-49 demo: 1.2

NBC
8:00 The Biggest Loser
Viewers: 4.4 million, 18-49 demo: 1.1
9:00 Bad Judge
Viewers: 3.9 million, 18-49 demo: 0.9
9:30 A to Z
Viewers: 2.5 million, 18-49 demo: 0.7
10:00 Parenthood
Viewers: 3.9 million, 18-49 demo: 1.1

FOX
8:00 Bones
Viewers: 5.6 million, 18-49 demo: 1.3
9:00 Gracepoint
Viewers: 3.3 million, 18-49 demo: 0.8

Thursday night had the first Thursday of the season without football on CBS, allowing them to premiere their regular lineup. The first half went alright while the second half was a disaster. At 8pm, The Big Bang Theory was down half a demo point from its Monday airing over a week ago but it had very similar total viewers. I'm not sure what happened here, but I wouldn't be surprised if it goes up next week. At 8:30pm, the season premiere of Mom easily hit a series high in total viewers and tied a high in the demo. Retention was better out of Big Bang than The Millers, but it wasn't great. I would still call this a promising performance. Two and a Half Men had a pretty good night at 9pm, falling just a tenth behind Mom. The news turned for the worse at 9:30pm where there was very little interest in The McCarthys. The new comedy was a big disappointment and I can't see CBS keeping it here too long when it has Mike & Molly and the new The Odd Couple on the bench. At 10pm, Elementary collapsed to a new series low with no interest. This show has been trending downward, but it returned pretty terribly even by the low CBS 10pm standards.

Over on ABC, the annual Charlie Brown special did alright but wasn't as strong as Grey's Anatomy in the hour. It didn't impact Scandal though as that show was down seven tenths in viewers but up a tenth in the demo. The news wasn't as good for How to Get Away with Murder, which was down 1.3 million viewers and three tenths in the demo, easily hitting series lows. This was a definite disappointment but it is still TV's top 10pm show. NBC hit or tied series lows across the board with The Biggest Loser down two tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo, Bad Judge down half a million viewers and a tenth in the demo, A to Z down six tenths in viewers and two tenths in the demo, and Parenthood down a tenth in viewers and the demo. The carnage was enough to get Bad Judge and A to Z cancelled, but they will finish their initial orders. Finally on FOX, Bones was down a million viewers and four tenths in the demo for a rough showing. Gracepoint was down two tenths in viewers and even in the demo. A pretty rough night for a lot of shows.

WINNER OF THE NIGHT: Scandal (ABC)
LOSER OF THE NIGHT: Elementary (CBS)

RATINGS RECAP: 10/29/14

ABC
8:00 The Middle
Viewers: 7.0 million, 18-49 demo: 1.8
8:30 The Goldbergs
Viewers: 6.9 million, 18-49 demo: 2.2
9:00 Modern Family
Viewers: 9.9 million, 18-49 demo: 3.5
9:30 Black-ish
Viewers: 7.7 million, 18-49 demo: 2.7
10:00 Nashville
Viewers: 5.6 million, 18-49 demo: 1.4

CBS
8:00 Survivor
Viewers: 9.1 million, 18-49 demo: 2.2
9:00 Criminal Minds
Viewers: 10.5 million, 18-49 demo: 2.3
10:00 Stalker
Viewers: 7.4 million, 18-49 demo: 1.6

NBC
8:00 The Mysteries of Laura
Viewers: 7.5 million, 18-49 demo: 1.2
9:00 Law & Order: SVU (Repeat)
Viewers: 4.3 million, 18-49 demo: 0.8
10:00 Chicago PD (Repeat)
Viewers: 4.0 million, 18-49 demo: 0.8

FOX
8:00 MLB World Series Game 7
Viewers: 23.5 million, 18-49 demo: 6.6

A close and compelling Game 7 of the World Series gave it a huge boost over the rest of the series and helped FOX to completely dominate Wednesday night. But now the World Series is over and FOX must go back to its regular programming. It seemed like ABC would get a boost from its Halloween sitcom lineup as it has in the past, but the World Series probably prevented that. At 8pm, The Middle was down three tenths in viewers and the demo for a season low. This show seems to be under-performing so far this year. At 8:30pm, The Goldbergs was down two tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo. It built on The Middle by a strong four tenths in the demo, the most yet. At 9pm, Modern Family was down three tenths in viewers and up a tenth in the demo. Black-ish was down three tenths in viewers but up a strong three tenths in the demo despite the World Series competition. Finally, Nashville was up two tenths in viewers and even in the demo.

CBS had Halloween episodes of its drama but first up, Survivor was down a tenth in viewers and even in the demo. The creepy dramas gave some Halloween offerings but were down in the ratings. At 9pm, Criminal Minds was up six tenths in viewers but down two tenths in the demo. Stalker closed out the night even in viewers and down a tenth in the demo after holding at a 1.7 for three straight weeks. NBC only had The Mysteries of Laura at 8pm as the rest of the night was in repeats. It was down eight tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo for a series low. It'll be interesting to see if it can pop back up next week when it has the full lineup new again.

WINNER OF THE NIGHT: Black-ish (ABC)
LOSER OF THE NIGHT: The Middle (ABC)

RATINGS RECAP: 10/28/14

ABC
8:00 The Great Halloween Fright Fight
Viewers: 3.8 million, 18-49 demo: 1.1
9:00 Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Viewers: 4.4 million, 18-49 demo: 1.7
10:00 Forever
Viewers: 5.0 million, 18-49 demo: 1.1

CBS
8:00 NCIS
Viewers: 17.5 million, 18-49 demo: 2.6
9:00 NCIS: New Orleans
Viewers: 16.1 million, 18-49 demo: 2.3
10:00 Person of Interest
Viewers: 9.7 million, 18-49 demo: 1.7

NBC
8:00 The Voice
Viewers: 11.4 million, 18-49 demo: 2.9
9:00 Marry Me
Viewers: 5.1 million, 18-49 demo: 1.5
9:30 About a Boy
Viewers: 4.1 million, 18-49 demo: 1.2
10:00 Chicago Fire
Viewers: 7.2 million, 18-49 demo: 1.7

FOX
8:00 MLB World Series Game 6
Viewers: 13.4 million, 18-49 demo: 3.5

Tuesday night had Game 6 of the World Series. It was a blowout though and World Series numbers are very disappointing, but it was still a huge improvement over FOX's regular programming. Over on NBC, The Voice started things off down six tenths in viewers and four tenths in the demo. Monday's episode was up nicely from last week while Tuesday's dropped a lot... odd. Things are getting pretty bad pretty quickly for Marry Me at 9pm. It was down half a million viewers and another three tenths in the demo. It's looking pretty weak for a post-Voice comedy and I shudder to think what would happen without the lead-in. It's looking like we're going to see something else after The Voice in the spring. At 9:30pm, About a Boy was down half a million viewers and two tenths in the demo for another series low. This show was one of the least buzzed sophomores and it's proving that now. To close out the night, Chicago Fire was down three tenths in viewers and two tenths in the demo. This show has its own audience, but NBC is not doing it any favors with such weak entries in front of it.

On ABC, a new special The Great Halloween Fright Fight did not get much attention, but it was an improvement over their weak 8pm comedy hour that usually airs. At 9pm, Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. was even in viewers and up a tenth in the demo. Forever closed out the night even in viewers and down a tenth in the demo. It's still an improvement on this troubled timeslot. Finally on CBS, NCIS was up four tenths in viewers and two tenths in the demo. NCIS: New Orleans was even in viewers and down a tenth in the demo. After tying last week, New Orleans was three tenths behind the parent show this week in the demo. At 10pm, Person of Interest was up three tenths in viewers and two tenths in the demo for its best performance in a month.

WINNER OF THE NIGHT: NCIS (CBS)
LOSER OF THE NIGHT: Marry Me (NBC)

RATINGS RECAP: 10/27/14

ABC
8:00 Dancing with the Stars
Viewers: 12.6 million, 18-49 demo: 1.9
10:00 Castle
Viewers: 8.8 million, 18-49 demo: 1.6

CBS
8:00 2 Broke Girls
Viewers: 8.4 million, 18-49 demo: 2.4
8:30 The Millers
Viewers: 6.9 million, 18-49 demo: 1.7
9:00 Scorpion
Viewers: 10.4 million, 18-49 demo: 2.3
10:00 NCIS: Los Angeles
Viewers: 8.7 million, 18-49 demo: 1.6

NBC
8:00 The Voice
Viewers: 12.5 million, 18-49 demo: 3.7
10:00 The Blacklist
Viewers: 9.6 million, 18-49 demo: 2.5

FOX
8:00 Gotham
Viewers: 5.9 million, 18-49 demo: 2.2
9:00 Sleepy Hollow
Viewers: 4.6 million, 18-49 demo: 1.6

On a night where ESPN's Monday Night Football delivered its best viewership since 2010 and best demo since 2011, the broadcast networks held up pretty well. CBS had the season premiere of 2 Broke Girls at 8pm. While it was understandably down big from what The Big Bang Theory was getting recently, it topped anything it was doing in the spring. I think this was actually a very solid performance for a show that many think can't lead things off at 8pm. The bigger problem was at 8:30pm where The Millers fell 2 million viewers and four tenths in the demo. Of course, the lead-in was way down but its retention out of Girls was pretty bad in an of itself. It's hard to imagine CBS keeping this here when they have a show like Mike & Molly on the bench. At 9pm, Scorpion was barely affected by the increasingly bad lead-in so that's a great thing. It was down just four tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo. NCIS: Los Angeles closed things out down a tenth in viewers and the demo to tie series lows.

NBC was on the upswing with The Voice up six tenths in viewers and three tenths in the demo and The Blacklist up three tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo. On ABC, Dancing with the Stars was even in viewers and down a tenth in the demo while Castle was even in viewers and up a tenth in the demo. I don't know what happened to Castle these last couple weeks. Finally, FOX had Gotham down two tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo. While its only going down slightly every week, it is a problem that it's still going down six weeks in. At 9pm, Sleepy Hollow was down four tenths in viewers and two tenths in the demo for a new series low.

WINNER OF THE NIGHT: 2 Broke Girls (CBS)
LOSER OF THE NIGHT: The Millers (CBS)

FULL SEASON ALERT: The Mysteries of Laura

NBC has handed out its first full season order this year to dramedy The Mysteries of Laura. The Debra Messing show got a sneak preview after America's Got Talent and was sampled well. Since moving to the difficult 8pm slot, it has skewed old but held up pretty well. It also seems to fit nicely with Law & Order: SVU, which follows it. It does similar demo numbers to Revolution last year, but the total viewer count is much higher. With this news and the full season for Madam Secretary on CBS, it seems as though total viewer counts are more of a factor than they've been in recent years. Both those shows skew old but have been pretty solid and consistent with viewers.

None of the other NBC newbies are lighting the world on fire. A to Z is as good as dead on Thursdays and Bad Judge is not faring much better. Marry Me has done OK, but it seems very likely that it's due to its timeslot. It's too early to tell about Constantine yet. NBC has a big priority in State of Affairs premiering on Mondays in a couple weeks.

WEEKLY RECAP: October 20-26, 2014

Here's my weekly recap for Week #5. Please note this only covers regularly scheduled shows (no sports, specials, repeats, or Saturday shows)

TOP 10 SHOWS (18-49 DEMO)
1. The Big Bang Theory (CBS, Monday 8:00pm) - 4.6    5th week
2. The Voice (NBC, Monday 8:00pm) - 3.4    5th week
    Modern Family (ABC, Wednesday 9:00pm) - 3.4    5th week
4. The Voice (NBC, Tuesday 8:00pm) - 3.3    4th week
5. Scandal (ABC, Thursday 9:00pm) - 3.0    5th week
    How to Get Away with Murder (ABC, Thursday 10:00pm) - 3.0    5th week
7. Criminal Minds (CBS, Wednesday 9:00pm) - 2.5    1st week
    Grey's Anatomy (ABC, Thursday 8:00pm) - 2.5    1st week
9. Scorpion (CBS, Monday 9:00pm) - 2.4    2nd week
    The Blacklist (NBC, Monday 10:00pm) - 2.4    4th week
    NCIS (CBS, Tuesday 8:00pm) - 2.4    3rd week
    NCIS: New Orleans (CBS, Tuesday 9:00pm) - 2.4    1st week
    Black-ish (ABC, Wednesday 9:30pm) - 2.4    3rd week
    Once Upon a Time (ABC, Sunday 8:00pm) - 2.4    5th week

TOP 10 SHOWS (TOTAL VIEWERS)
1. NCIS (CBS, Tuesday 8:00pm) - 17.1 million    5th week
2. NCIS: New Orleans (CBS, Tuesday 9:00pm) - 16.1 million    5th week
3. The Big Bang Theory (CBS, Monday 8:00pm) - 16.0 million    5th week
4. 60 Minutes (CBS, Sunday 8:00pm) - 13.2 million    3rd week
5. Dancing with the Stars (ABC, Monday 8:00pm) - 12.6 million    5th week
6. The Voice (NBC, Tuesday 9:00pm) - 12.0 million    4th week
7. The Voice (NBC, Monday 8:00pm) - 11.9 million    5th week
8. Madam Secretary (CBS, Sunday 9:00pm) - 11.7 million    5th week
9. Blue Bloods (CBS, Friday 10:00pm) - 11.4 million    2nd week
10. Scorpion (CBS, Monday 9:00pm) - 10.8 million    5th week

BOTTOM 10 SHOWS (18-49 DEMO)
1. Manhattan Love Story (ABC, Tuesday 8:30pm) - 0.7    3rd week
2. Gracepoint (FOX, Thursday 9:00pm) - 0.8    4th week
3. A to Z (NBC, Thursday 9:30pm) - 0.9    4th week
4. Bad Judge (NBC, Thursday 9:00pm) - 1.0    1st week
    Cristela (ABC, Friday 8:30pm) - 1.0    1st week
    The Amazing Race (CBS, Friday 8:00pm) - 1.0    4th week
7. Selfie (ABC, Tuesday 8:00pm) - 1.1    3rd week
    Last Man Standing (ABC, Friday 8:00pm) - 1.1    2nd week
    Hawaii Five-0 (CBS, Friday 9:00pm) - 1.1    3rd week
    Revenge (ABC, Sunday 10:00pm) - 1.1    3rd week

BOTTOM 10 SHOWS (TOTAL VIEWERS)
1. Manhattan Love Story (ABC, Tuesday 8:30pm) - 2.6 million    3rd week
2. A to Z (NBC, Thursday 9:30pm) - 3.1 million    3rd week
3. Gracepoint (FOX, Thursday 9:00pm) - 3.5 million    3rd week
4. Selfie (ABC, Tuesday 8:00pm) - 3.8 million    3rd week
5. Parenthood (NBC, Thursday 10:00pm) - 4.0 million    2nd week
6. Constantine (NBC, Friday 10:00pm) - 4.3 million    1st week (NEW SHOW)
    Revenge (ABC, Sunday 10:00pm) - 4.3 million    2nd week
8. Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (ABC, Tuesday 9:00pm) - 4.4 million    1st week
    Bad Judge (NBC, Thursday 9:00pm) - 4.4 million    1st week
    Resurrection (ABC, Sunday 9:00pm) - 4.4 million    1st week

WINNERS OF THE NIGHT
Monday - Scorpion (CBS)    2nd week
Tuesday - NCIS: New Orleans (CBS)    1st week
Wednesday - The Goldbergs (ABC)    1st week
Thursday - Grey's Anatomy (ABC)    3rd week
Friday - Blue Bloods (CBS)    1st week
Sunday - The Good Wife (CBS)    1st week

LOSERS OF THE NIGHT
Monday - The Millers (CBS)    1st week
Tuesday - Manhattan Love Story (ABC)    2nd week
Wednesday - Survivor (CBS)    1st week
Thursday - Bad Judge (NBC)    1st week
Friday - The Amazing Race (CBS)    2nd week
Sunday - Resurrection (ABC)    2nd week

MY TOP 5 EPISODES OF THE WEEK
1. Modern Family #125 "Won't You Be Our Neighbor?"    2nd week
2. Black-ish #5 "Crime and Punishment"    2nd week
3. Gotham #5 "Viper"    4th week
4. How to Get Away with Murder #5 "We're Not Friends"    2nd week
5. Blue Bloods #94 "Loose Lips"    5th week

RATINGS RECAP: 10/26/14

ABC
7:00 Star Wars Rebels
Viewers: 2.4 million, 18-49 demo: 0.6
8:00 Once Upon a Time
Viewers: 6.9 million, 18-49 demo: 2.4
9:00 Resurrection
Viewers: 4.4 million, 18-49 demo: 1.2
10:00 Revenge
Viewers: 4.3 million, 18-49 demo: 1.1

CBS
7:00 NFL Overrun
Viewers: 20.7 million, 18-49 demo: 6.6
8:00 60 Minutes
Viewers: 13.2 million, 18-49 demo: 2.3
9:00 Madam Secretary
Viewers: 11.7 million, 18-49 demo: 1.5
10:00 The Good Wife
Viewers: 10.2 million, 18-49 demo: 1.5

NBC
7:00 Football Night in America
Viewers: 2.9 million, 18-49 demo: 0.8
8:00 NFL Pregame
Viewers: 9.8 million, 18-49 demo: 3.4
8:30 Sunday Night Football
Viewers: 18.8 million, 18-49 demo: 7.1

FOX
7:00 World Series Pregame
Viewers: 1.4 million, 18-49 demo: 0.3
8:00 MLB World Series Game 5
Viewers: 12.6 million, 18-49 demo: 3.3

It was a sports Sunday night with Game 5 of the World Series and a Saints-Packers Sunday Night Football matchup drawing over 30 million viewers combined. CBS had sports as well thanks to a one hour NFL overrun, preempting CSI. 60 Minutes was down 1.1 million viewers and two tenths in the demo from the last time it had an NFL lead-in. At 9pm, Madam Secretary was down six tenths in viewers and even in the demo for a third straight week. It earned a full season order on Monday. At 10pm, The Good Wife was down seven tenths in viewers but up a tenth in the demo for its best demo since the season premiere. ABC got pummeled against the sports competition. After a very weak 7pm special, Once Upon a Time fell 1.2 million viewers and seven tenths in the demo. It got worse after that. Resurrection was down seven tenths in viewers and two tenths in the demo for a series low. It keeps getting worse for this show. Revenge was down seven tenths in viewers and two tenths in the demo, also hitting a series low.

WINNER OF THE NIGHT: The Good Wife (CBS)
LOSER OF THE NIGHT: Resurrection (ABC)

FULL SEASON ALERT: NCIS: New Orleans, Madam Secretary, Scorpion, Stalker

CBS handed out full seasons today to four strong freshman dramas, all of the shows they've premiered so far this season (comedy The McCarthys arrives on Thursday).

The sure thing came for NCIS: New Orleans, the most watched new show on any network. While it skews older like NCIS itself, it has consistently done very well in the cozy 9pm slot after its parent show. In fact, it tied NCIS in the demo this past week, an impressive feat. Speaking of old skewing shows, Madam Secretary is one of the oldest skewing shows on TV. But it has been remarkably consistent, hovering around 12 million viewers and a 1.5 demo. This has been the case when it has had a huge post-football 60 Minutes lead-in and a very small 60 Minutes lead-in, so it definitely has its own audience. It seems to be a great pair with The Good Wife and I would guess it's getting a lot of upscale viewers.

Scorpion has been a pleasant surprise on Mondays. I thought this show was doomed, but it came roaring out of the gate and has held up pretty well. It doesn't have The Big Bang Theory as a lead-in anymore, but the signs were promising in its first week with that situation last Monday. Stalker was the least impressive premiere of these four, but it has been incredibly steady - holding at a 1.7 demo for three straight weeks. That might not sound great, but it's the top demo 10pm show for CBS so far this season.

This is great news for the CBS freshmen, but where are they going to put all their shows they have on the bench? They have The Mentalist, CSI: Cyber, Battle Creek, The Odd Couple, and Mike & Molly waiting on the bench and very little space. We'll have to see.

RATINGS RECAP: 10/25/14

ABC
8:00 College Football
Viewers: 4.1 million, 18-49 demo: 1.1

CBS
8:00 Elementary (Repeat)
Viewers: 2.8 million, 18-49 demo: 0.5
9:00 48 Hours (Repeat)
Viewers: 3.9 million, 18-49 demo: 0.6
10:00 48 Hours
Viewers: 5.0 million, 18-49 demo: 0.7

NBC
8:00 The Mysteries of Laura (Repeat)
Viewers: 2.1 million, 18-49 demo: 0.3
9:00 Constantine (Repeat)
Viewers: 1.5 million, 18-49 demo: 0.4
10:00 Saturday Night Live (Repeat)
Viewers: 1.8 million, 18-49 demo: 0.5

FOX
8:00 MLB World Series Game 4
Viewers: 9.8 million, 18-49 demo: 2.3

PILOT REVIEW: Constantine

CONSTANTINE

Starring: Matt Ryan, Charles Halford, and Harold Perrineau

Based on Characters from DC Comics, Developed by Daniel Cerone and David S. Goyer
Written by Daniel Cerone & David S. Goyer, Directed by Neil Marshall

THE PREMISE: Constantine is a new drama based on characters from the "Hellblazer" comics. John Constantine (Matt Ryan) is a supernatural detective who fights for good, and also works as an exorcist. He is trying to deal with his murky past while protecting the world from growing dark threats. Rounding out the main cast is his longtime friend Chas Chandler (Charles Halford) and Manny (Harold Perrineau), an angel assigned to watch over Constantine. Lucy Griffiths was also prominent in the pilot as Liv Aberdeen, but she was dropped from the show over the summer.

THE GOOD: Nothing. This show is the opposite of anything I'm interested in.

THE BAD: That being said, I do feel like show that I may not be otherwise interested in can suck me in if they are quality. The Dracula pilot did that last year as did Grimm a couple years ago (though I didn't end up sticking with either show). I can't comment on how good or bad this show was to people who are familiar with the comics/movie, but I can say there was nothing there to draw a casual observer in. It was hard for me to pay attention the whole time, but it seemed like it was just a bunch of demon-possessed peoples and really intense exorcisms followed by the players involved "recovering" from it. That's about all I got from this show. The mood was dark, but I didn't think the cinematography captured the intended mood as well as a show like Gotham has. Also, voice-overs are over-used in dramas as well as comedies.

BOTTOM LINE: I'm glad the one hour I spent watching Constantine is over with, and I'll never give it another look. I don't know if it's one of the worst shows to come through in recent years, because it's the show I've been least interested in that's come out recently. It's hard for me to get a gauge on quality considering how disinterested I was, but I feel safe saying I don't think it's a real quality show either.

RATINGS RECAP: 10/24/14

ABC
8:00 Last Man Standing
Viewers: 6.2 million, 18-49 demo: 1.1
8:30 Cristela
Viewers: 5.0 million, 18-49 demo: 1.0
9:00 Shark Tank
Viewers: 6.9 million, 18-49 demo: 1.8
10:00 20/20
Viewers: 5.8 million, 18-49 demo: 1.5

CBS
8:00 The Amazing Race
Viewers: 5.5 million, 18-49 demo: 1.0
9:00 Hawaii Five-0
Viewers: 8.9 million, 18-49 demo: 1.1
10:00 Blue Bloods
Viewers: 11.4 million, 18-49 demo: 1.3

NBC
8:00 Dateline NBC
Viewers: 6.3 million, 18-49 demo: 1.1
9:00 Grimm
Viewers: 5.3 million, 18-49 demo: 1.4
10:00 Constantine
Viewers: 4.3 million, 18-49 demo: 1.4

FOX
8:00 MLB World Series Game 3
Viewers: 12.1 million, 18-49 demo: 3.1

Friday night had premieres on NBC as they waited until October to premiere Grimm, as they have most years, and paired it with the new Constantine. First up, Dateline NBC moved to 8pm and was up half a million viewers and down a tenth in the demo. Grimm returned down four tenths in the demo from last year's premiere this same weekend, but it was up from what it was getting in the spring. The premiere of Constantine was even with Grimm, but much lower than last year's Dracula premiere. What really matters, however, is where it ends up. If it can stay close to Grimm in numbers, it will be fine. The problem with Dracula was the audience evaporated over time. I'd call it a neutral start for Constantine... could have been worse, could have been better. FOX had decent numbers from Game 3 of the World Series.

The other two networks felt the heat from the NBC premieres and the World Series. On ABC, Last Man Standing was down six tenths in viewers and two tenths in the demo for a series low. Cristela was down a million viewers and two tenths in the demo. I don't think it'll get better next week on Halloween, but these shows might rebound in November. Shark Tank was down four tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo at 9pm while 20/20 benefited from no Dateline in the hour, and was up 1.2 million viewers and four tenths in the demo. CBS also saw series lows to start out its night with both The Amazing Race and Hawaii Five-0. Race was down 1.1 million viewers and four tenths in the demo while Hawaii was down three tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo. Despite those lead-in drops and stronger competition, Blue Bloods was up seven tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo.

WINNER OF THE NIGHT: Blue Bloods (CBS)
LOSER OF THE NIGHT: The Amazing Race (CBS)

CANCELLATION ALERT: Manhattan Love Story

We're over a month into the season and we finally have our first cancellation. ABC has cancelled Manhattan Love Story after four episodes. One of the least-buzzed shows coming into the season, Manhattan premiered to a weak 4.7 million viewers and 1.5 demo. While pretty low, it was better than some expected. It stumbled to a 0.9 demo for its second and third week and then it was all the way down to a 0.7 demo this week. Through four episodes, it averaged 3.4 million viewers and a 1.0 demo. A big factor, too, was very little DVR attention, indicating this isn't a show people are watching live or later. The show was already preempted for next week. On November 4, ABC will double pump struggling 8pm comedy Selfie. It's not doing much better than Love Story, but it's got a little higher raw numbers, buzz, and DVR ratings.

This is the first cancellation and it's from the same network that has renewed two shows for full seasons. Networks are slower this year, perhaps because shows have been stable for the most part and networks are waiting for DVR numbers. ABC gave Black-ish and How to Get Away with Murder full seasons. As for their other newbies, it's looking positive so far for Cristela on Fridays while Forever and Selfie are struggling, though Forever has been an improvement in a tough timeslot for ABC.

Manhattan Love Story is now the first official cancellation of the season (yes, Mulaney had its episodes cut but it hasn't been officially given its walking papers). Manhattan joins a dubious list including Lucky 7 (2013), Made in Jersey (2012), The Playboy Club (2011), and Lone Star (2010).

RATINGS RECAP: 10/23/14

ABC
8:00 Grey's Anatomy
Viewers: 8.6 million, 18-49 demo: 2.5
9:00 Scandal
Viewers: 10.0 million, 18-49 demo: 3.0
10:00 How to Get Away with Murder
Viewers: 10.0 million, 18-49 demo: 3.0

CBS
8:00 Thursday Night Football Kickoff
Viewers: 8.9 million, 18-49 demo: 2.4
8:30 Thursday Night Football
Viewers: 20.2 million, 18-49 demo: 6.7

NBC
8:00 The Biggest Loser
Viewers: 4.6 million, 18-49 demo: 1.2
9:00 Bad Judge
Viewers: 4.4 million, 18-49 demo: 1.0
9:30 A to Z
Viewers: 3.1 million, 18-49 demo: 0.9
10:00 Parenthood
Viewers: 4.0 million, 18-49 demo: 1.2

FOX
8:00 Bones (Repeat)
Viewers: 4.4 million, 18-49 demo: 0.9
9:00 Gracepoint
Viewers: 3.5 million, 18-49 demo: 0.8

Thursday night had the final Thursday Night Football of the season for CBS (it will continue on NFL Network). The Broncos-Chargers tilt delivered the best numbers since the first CBS game before the TV season officially started. Football on broadcast networks on Thursday was successful, but it didn't get the numbers the networks get on Sunday. The regular CBS Thursday lineup including The Big Bang Theory and the new series The McCarthys premieres next Thursday. ABC had a pretty strong night with everything going up from last week. At 8pm, Grey's Anatomy was up two tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo. It will have to face The Big Bang Theory for the first time next week. At 9pm, Scandal was up a tenth in viewers and the demo. How to Get Away with Murder closed out the night with a nice rebound as it was up two tenths in viewers and the demo, tying Scandal exactly. This is a hit lineup for sure. We'll see what happens with CBS next week, but the only show I see potentially being affected is Grey's.

Over on NBC, The Biggest Loser started things out down a tenth in viewers and the demo, tying a series low. After a couple surprisingly steady weeks, Bad Judge was down three tenths in viewers and two tenths in the demo to a weak 1.0. At 9:30pm, A to Z was down three tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo. These shows could go even lower next week when they have to face comedies in the hour. At 10pm, Parenthood was down two tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo for a season low. FOX started with a repeat Bones. Considering how things have been for them, Bones pulled pretty good repeat numbers (better than some FOX shows' originals). At 9pm, Gracepoint was down two tenths in viewers and even in the demo.

WINNER OF THE NIGHT: Grey's Anatomy (ABC)
LOSER OF THE NIGHT: Bad Judge (NBC)

RATINGS RECAP: 10/22/14

ABC
8:00 The Middle
Viewers: 7.3 million, 18-49 demo: 2.1
8:30 The Goldbergs
Viewers: 7.1 million, 18-49 demo: 2.3
9:00 Modern Family
Viewers: 10.2 million, 18-49 demo: 3.4
9:30 Black-ish
Viewers: 8.0 million, 18-49 demo: 2.4
10:00 Nashville
Viewers: 5.4 million, 18-49 demo: 1.4

CBS
8:00 Survivor
Viewers: 9.2 million, 18-49 demo: 2.2
9:00 Criminal Minds
Viewers: 9.9 million, 18-49 demo: 2.5
10:00 Stalker
Viewers: 7.4 million, 18-49 demo: 1.7

NBC
8:00 The Mysteries of Laura
Viewers: 8.3 million, 18-49 demo: 1.3
9:00 Law & Order: SVU
Viewers: 7.2 million, 18-49 demo: 1.6
10:00 Chicago PD
Viewers: 6.9 million, 18-49 demo: 1.5

FOX
8:00 MLB World Series Game 2
Viewers: 12.9 million, 18-49 demo: 3.4

Wednesday night had Game 2 of the World Series still down year to year, but not nearly as dramatically as Game 1. It was down just two tenths from last year's Game 2, which aired on a Thursday. Everything else on all four networks was pretty stable. On ABC, The Middle and The Goldbergs picked up where they left off two years ago. The Middle was down four tenths in viewers and even in the demo while The Goldbergs was down two tenths in viewers and even in the demo. It was also only a tenth away from Black-ish... very impressive. At 9pm, Modern Family was up half a million viewers and even in the demo while Black-ish was up 1.1 million viewers but down a tenth in the demo. For some reason, it skewed much older this week. All four comedies just got two extra episodes ordered from ABC as they are clearly happy with how things are going on this night. At 10pm, Nashville was up four tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo.

On CBS, Survivor was down a tenth in viewers and the demo, tying a series low. This show ebbs and flows even with a downward trickle year-to-year, so I wouldn't worry too much. At 9pm, Criminal Minds was down a million viewers but up a tenth in the demo. It skewed much younger this week. At 10pm, Stalker was down half a million viewers and even in the demo for a third straight week. Finally on NBC, The Mysteries of Laura was down four tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo. Law & Order: SVU was even in viewers and down a tenth in the demo and Chicago PD closed out the night up a tenth in viewers and down a tenth in the demo. All in all, a solid night for everyone.

WINNER OF THE NIGHT: The Goldbergs (ABC)
LOSER OF THE NIGHT: Survivor (CBS)

RATINGS RECAP: 10/21/14

ABC
8:00 Selfie
Viewers: 3.8 million, 18-49 demo: 1.1
8:30 Manhattan Love Story
Viewers: 2.6 million, 18-49 demo: 0.7
9:00 Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Viewers: 4.4 million, 18-49 demo: 1.6
10:00 Forever
Viewers: 5.0 million, 18-49 demo: 1.2

CBS
8:00 NCIS
Viewers: 17.1 million, 18-49 demo: 2.4
9:00 NCIS: New Orleans
Viewers: 16.1 million, 18-49 demo: 2.4
10:00 Person of Interest
Viewers: 9.4 million, 18-49 demo: 1.5

NBC
8:00 The Voice
Viewers: 12.0 million, 18-49 demo: 3.3
9:00 Marry Me
Viewers: 5.6 million, 18-49 demo: 1.8
9:30 About a Boy
Viewers: 4.6 million, 18-49 demo: 1.4
10:00 Chicago Fire
Viewers: 7.5 million, 18-49 demo: 1.9

FOX
8:00 MLB World Series Game 1
Viewers: 12.2 million, 18-49 demo: 3.4

Tuesday night had Game 1 of the World Series on FOX. While it was the lowest rated Game 1 ever, it was a huge improvement over FOX's regular lineup. Both those trends will probably continue as the World Series continues. On NBC, The Voice was down three tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo from last week. The battle rounds on Tuesday held up a lot better in week two than on Monday. The news was not good for the comedies at 9pm. Marry Me was down a rough 1.9 million viewers and half a demo point from its series premiere. That's a pretty steep drop even for a new show, and especially with the lead-in relatively steady. It's looking weaker than previous Voice lead-out comedies, and none of those worked in the long run. At 9:30pm, About a Boy was down 1.2 million viewers and three tenths in the demo for a series low. Despite the 9pm problems, Chicago Fire was up four tenths in viewers and even in the demo for an impressive showing.

Over on ABC, Selfie started things off up four tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo. Things got worse for Manhattan Love Story as it was down three tenths in viewers and two tenths in the demo to a terrible 0.7 demo. It is preempted next week, but will ABC really continue to air this show in November? I doubt it. At 9pm, Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. was down three tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo for a series low. Forever closed out the night up two tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo. Finally on CBS, NCIS was down two tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo. The best news for the Eye Network came at 9pm where NCIS: New Orleans was even in viewers and up two tenths in the demo. It posted its best demo since the series premiere and tied NCIS in the demo, which is pretty impressive. At 10pm, Person of Interest was down three tenths in viewers and even in the demo.

WINNER OF THE NIGHT: NCIS: New Orleans (CBS)
LOSER OF THE NIGHT: Manhattan Love Story (ABC)

RATINGS RECAP: 10/20/14

ABC
8:00 Dancing with the Stars
Viewers: 12.6 million, 18-49 demo: 2.0
10:00 Castle
Viewers: 8.8 million, 18-49 demo: 1.5

CBS
8:00 The Big Bang Theory
Viewers: 16.0 million, 18-49 demo: 4.6
8:30 The Millers
Viewers: 8.9 million, 18-49 demo: 2.1
9:00 Scorpion
Viewers: 10.8 million, 18-49 demo: 2.4
10:00 NCIS: Los Angeles
Viewers: 8.8 million, 18-49 demo: 1.7

NBC
8:00 The Voice
Viewers: 11.9 million, 18-49 demo: 3.4
10:00 The Blacklist
Viewers: 9.3 million, 18-49 demo: 2.4

FOX
8:00 Gotham
Viewers: 6.1 million, 18-49 demo: 2.3
9:00 Sleepy Hollow
Viewers: 5.0 million, 18-49 demo: 1.8

Monday night had a season premiere for CBS and it did not go well. First up, The Big Bang Theory was up seven tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo from last week in its final Monday airing. It will return to Thursdays next week as Thursday Night Football will be over. At 8:30pm was the season premiere of The Millers and it retained a pretty horrible 44% of its lead-in. The viewer total was a series low and the demo was close. It's only going to get uglier for this show next week when it has 2 Broke Girls as a lead-in instead. Last year, it seemed like a timeslot hit and now it can't even do that with a big lead-in. It couldn't even come close to what Big Bang repeats were getting the last couple weeks. The best news for CBS was that Scorpion was not negatively impacted. It was down seven tenths in viewers and even in the demo despite a much lower (and perhaps more incompatible) lead-in. At 10pm, NCIS: Los Angeles was down four tenths in viewers and up a tenth in the demo. It beat Castle for the first time in the hour, but that says more about what happened to Castle (more on that below).

The Voice appears headed for its regular late season dive as it fell 1.4 million viewers and six tenths in the demo. This was a pretty steep drop for still being the Battle Rounds. At 10pm, The Blacklist followed its lead-in down as it fell half a million viewers and four tenths in the demo. Not the best night for the NBC duo. Over on ABC, Dancing with the Stars was down a tenth in viewers and even in the demo. Things were odd at 10pm where Castle plunged four tenths in viewers and the demo for a demo series low. I don't really understand what happened here as the lead-in and the competition were the same. ABC has to be hoping this was just a blip, we'll see next week. Finally on FOX, Gotham inched down another three tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo while Sleepy Hollow was up two tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo for its best performance since the season premiere.

WINNER OF THE NIGHT: Scorpion (CBS)
LOSER OF THE NIGHT: The Millers (CBS)

WEEKLY RECAP: October 13-19, 2014

Here's my weekly recap for Week #4. Please note this only covers regularly scheduled shows (no sports, specials, repeats, or Saturday shows)

TOP 10 SHOWS (18-49 DEMO)
1. The Big Bang Theory (CBS, Monday 8:00pm) - 4.5    4th week
2. The Voice (NBC, Monday 8:00pm) - 4.0    4th week
3. The Simpsons (FOX, Sunday 8:00pm) - 3.6    3rd week
4. The Voice (NBC, Tuesday 8:00pm) - 3.4    3rd week
    Modern Family (ABC, Wednesday 9:00pm) - 3.4    4th week
6. Scandal (ABC, Thursday 10:00pm) - 2.9    4th week
7. The Blacklist (NBC, Monday 10:00pm) - 2.8    3rd week
    How to Get Away with Murder (ABC, Thursday 10:00pm) - 2.8    4th week
9. Once Upon a Time (ABC, Sunday 8:00pm) - 2.7    4th week
10. NCIS (CBS, Tuesday 8:00pm) - 2.5    2nd week
     Black-ish (ABC, Wednesday 9:30pm) - 2.5    2nd week
     Brooklyn Nine-Nine (FOX, Sunday 8:30pm) - 2.5    1st week
     Family Guy (FOX, Sunday 9:00pm) - 2.5    2nd week

TOP 10 SHOWS (TOTAL VIEWERS)
1. NCIS (CBS, Tuesday 8:00pm) - 17.3 million    4th week
2. NCIS: New Orleans (CBS, Tuesday 9:00pm) - 16.1 million    4th week
3. The Big Bang Theory (CBS, Monday 8:00pm) - 15.3 million    4th week
4. The Voice (NBC, Monday 8:00pm) - 13.3 million    4th week
5. Dancing with the Stars (ABC, Monday 8:00pm) - 12.7 million    4th week
6. The Voice (NBC, Tuesday 8:00pm) - 12.3 million    3rd week
    Madam Secretary (CBS, Sunday 8:00pm) - 12.3 million   4th week
8. Scorpion (CBS, Monday 9:00pm) - 11.5 million    4th week
9. 60 Minutes (CBS, Sunday 7:00pm) - 11.4 million    2nd week
10. Criminal Minds (CBS, Wednesday 9:00pm) - 10.9 million    1st week

BOTTOM 10 SHOWS (18-49 DEMO)
1. Utopia (FOX, Friday 8:00pm) - 0.7    4th week
2. Gracepoint (FOX, Thursday 9:00pm) - 0.8    3rd week
3. Manhattan Love Story (ABC, Tuesday 8:30pm) - 0.9    2nd week
4. Selfie (ABC, Tuesday 8:00pm) - 1.0    2nd week
    Red Band Society (FOX, Wednesday 9:00pm) - 1.0    4th week
    A to Z (ABC, Thursday 9:30pm) - 1.0    3rd week
    Mulaney (FOX, Sunday 9:30pm) - 1.0    3rd week
8. The Mindy Project (FOX, Tuesday 9:30pm) - 1.1    4th week
    Forever (ABC, Tuesday 10:00pm) - 1.1    1st week
    20/20 (ABC, Friday 10:00pm) - 1.1    3rd week
    America's Funniest Home Videos (ABC, Sunday 7:00pm) - 1.1    2nd week

BOTTOM 10 SHOWS (TOTAL VIEWERS)
1. Utopia (FOX, Friday 8:00pm) - 1.8 million    4th week
2. The Mindy Project (FOX, Tuesday 9:30pm) - 2.2 million    4th week
3. New Girl (FOX, Tuesday 9:00pm) - 2.3 million    4th week
    Mulaney (FOX, Sunday 9:30pm) - 2.3 million    3rd week
5. Manhattan Love Story (ABC, Tuesday 8:30pm) - 2.9 million    2nd week
6. Red Band Society (FOX, Wednesday 9:00pm) - 3.2 million    4th week
7. Selfie (ABC, Tuesday 8:00pm) - 3.4 million    2nd week
    A to Z (NBC, Thursday 9:30pm) - 3.4 million    2nd week
9. Hell's Kitchen (FOX, Wednesday 8:00pm) - 3.7 million    4th week
    Gracepoint (FOX, Thursday 9:00pm) - 3.7 million    2nd week

WINNERS OF THE NIGHT
Monday - The Voice (NBC)    1st week
Tuesday - Chicago Fire (NBC)    2nd week
Wednesday - Criminal Minds (CBS)    2nd week
Thursday - Grey's Anatomy (ABC)    2nd week
Friday - The Amazing Race (CBS)    1st week
Sunday - Madam Secretary (CBS)    1st week

LOSERS OF THE NIGHT
Monday - NCIS: Los Angeles (CBS)    2nd week
Tuesday - Person of Interest (CBS)    1st week
Wednesday - Hell's Kitchen (FOX)    1st week
Thursday - Gracepoint (FOX)    2nd week
Friday - 20/20 (ABC)    1st week
Sunday - Mulaney (FOX)    2nd week

MY TOP 5 EPISODES OF THE WEEK
1. Brooklyn Nine-Nine #26 "Halloween II"    1st week
2. Scandal #51 "Like Father, Like Daughter"    3rd week
3. Gotham #4 "Arkham"    3rd week
4. About a Boy #14 "About a Vasectomy"    1st week
5. Blue Bloods #93 "Excessive Snooping"    4th week

RATINGS RECAP: 10/19/14

ABC
7:00 America's Funniest Home Videos
Viewers: 5.3 million, 18-49 demo: 1.1
8:00 Once Upon a Time
Viewers: 8.1 million, 18-49 demo: 2.7
9:00 Resurrection
Viewers: 5.1 million, 18-49 demo: 1.4
10:00 Revenge
Viewers: 5.0 million, 18-49 demo: 1.3

CBS
7:00 60 Minutes
Viewers: 11.4 million, 18-49 demo: 1.2
8:00 Madam Secretary
Viewers: 12.3 million, 18-49 demo: 1.5
9:00 The Good Wife
Viewers: 10.9 million, 18-49 demo: 1.4
10:00 CSI
Viewers: 8.9 million, 18-49 demo: 1.4

NBC
7:00 Football Night in America
Viewers: 6.1 million, 18-49 demo: 2.0
8:00 NFL Pregame
Viewers: 12.6 million, 18-49 demo: 4.1
8:30 Sunday Night Football
Viewers: 23.8 million, 18-49 demo: 8.2

FOX
7:00 NFL Overrun
Viewers: 27.0 million, 18-49 demo: 8.8
7:30 The OT
Viewers: 13.8 million, 18-49 demo: 5.1
8:00 The Simpsons
Viewers: 7.8 million, 18-49 demo: 3.6
8:30 Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Viewers: 5.2 million, 18-49 demo: 2.5
9:00 Family Guy
Viewers: 4.7 million, 18-49 demo: 2.5
9:30 Mulaney
Viewers: 2.3 million, 18-49 demo: 1.0

Sunday night had a big NFL overrun for FOX, which of course helped their lineup. It also helped that The Simpsons was airing its annual "Treehouse of Horror" episode, as it was up half a million viewers and three tenths in the demo to a strong 3.6. Brooklyn Nine-Nine followed with a Halloween episode of its own and it performed admirably. It was up seven tenths in viewers and three tenths in the demo. This show really seems to be a nice fit for FOX's Sunday night lineup and that has to be a pleasant surprise. At 9pm, Family Guy was up 1.1 million viewers and six tenths in the demo from its last new episode two weeks ago (not on an NFL lead-in night). The news was pretty terrible for Mulaney though as it was up a tenth in viewers but down a tenth in the demo, despite a new lead-in this week. It retained just 40% of its Family Guy lead-in. FOX already cut Mulaney's episode order. How long until Bob's Burgers comes to 9:30pm?

On CBS, 60 Minutes started things off up 1.2 million viewers but down a tenth in the demo. At 8pm, Madam Secretary was up eight tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo. The fact that this show's total viewership has stayed steady through its first six episodes, even when it doesn't have an NFL lead-in, has been remarkable. I think this show has been an over-performer and I think it'll get a full season very soon from CBS. At 9pm, The Good Wife was up half a million viewers and a tenth in the demo. The total viewership from Madam seems to be helping Wife. At 10pm, CSI was up a tenth in viewers and even in the demo. CBS is just going to have to be OK with these high viewership, low demo results on Sundays just as they are on Fridays. They are probably upscale viewers so that helps and I think CBS will be OK with this lineup.

ABC was off the map except for the 8pm hour. First up, America's Funniest Home Videos was down two tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo from last week's season premiere. At 8pm, Once Upon a Time was up two tenths in viewers and even in the demo. It's still showing lots of growth year-to-year. Things are getting bad for Resurrection. It was down half a million viewers and a tenth in the demo for another series low. The signs were all there and it appears that The Walking Dead put the final nail in the coffin for this show. At 10pm, Revenge was up three tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo despite the lead-in being down. NBC had Peyton Manning's record setting night in a Broncos-49ers game. Despite a blow-out, it delivered the best numbers for Sunday night in four weeks.

WINNER OF THE NIGHT: Madam Secretary (CBS)
LOSER OF THE NIGHT: Mulaney (FOX)

RATINGS RECAP: 10/18/14

ABC
8:00 College Football
Viewers: 12.0 million, 18-49 demo: 3.7

CBS
8:00 Hawaii Five-0 (Repeat)
Viewers: 3.2 million, 18-49 demo: 0.4
9:00 NCIS: Los Angeles (Repeat)
Viewers: 3.8 million, 18-49 demo: 0.6
10:00 48 Hours
Viewers: 4.6 million, 18-49 demo: 0.8

NBC
8:00 The Mysteries of Laura (Repeat)
Viewers: 2.4 million, 18-49 demo: 0.5
9:00 Law & Order: SVU (Repeat)
Viewers: 2.3 million, 18-49 demo: 0.4
10:00 Saturday Night Live (Repeat)
Viewers: 2.6 million, 18-49 demo: 0.7

FOX
8:00 Gracepoint (Repeat)
Viewers: 1.4 million, 18-49 demo: 0.3
9:00 Gracepoint (Repeat)
Viewers: 1.3 million, 18-49 demo: 0.2

RATINGS RECAP: 10/17/14

ABC
8:00 Last Man Standing
Viewers: 6.8 million, 18-49 demo: 1.3
8:30 Cristela
Viewers: 6.0 million, 18-49 demo: 1.2
9:00 Shark Tank
Viewers: 7.3 million, 18-49 demo: 1.9
10:00 20/20
Viewers: 4.6 million, 18-49 demo: 1.1

CBS
8:00 The Amazing Race
Viewers: 6.6 million, 18-49 demo: 1.4
9:00 Hawaii Five-0
Viewers: 9.2 million, 18-49 demo: 1.2
10:00 Blue Bloods
Viewers: 10.7 million, 18-49 demo: 1.2

NBC
8:00 Marry Me (Repeat)
Viewers; 2.8 million, 18-49 demo: 0.6
8:30 About a Boy (Repeat)
Viewers: 2.4 million, 18-49 demo: 0.6
9:00 Dateline NBC
Viewers: 5.8 million, 18-49 demo: 1.2

FOX
8:00 Utopia
Viewers: 1.8 million, 18-49 demo: 0.7
9:00 Gotham (Repeat)
Viewers: 1.5 million, 18-49 demo: 0.5

On Friday night, ABC had a pretty solid second week with its full regular lineup. At 8pm, Last Man Standing was up two tenths in viewers and a tenth the demo while week two of Cristela was down half a million viewers and a tenth in the demo from last week's series premiere. So far, this two shows seem to fit like a glove with each other. So far, Cristela seems like a much better 8:30pm option than The Neighbors was. At 9pm, Shark Tank was even in viewers and down a tenth in the demo. 20/20 closed out the night down four tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo. Maybe it will do better next week when it's not competing with Dateline NBC.

On CBS, The Amazing Race was up seven tenths in viewers and three tenths in the demo for a season high. This is a better performance for a show that has been disappointing on Fridays so far. At 9pm, Hawaii Five-0 was dead even with last week. Blue Bloods closed out the night down four tenths in viewers and even in the demo. On NBC, Dateline NBC was up six tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo. It will move to 8pm next week to make room for Grimm and Constantine. Finally on FOX, Utopia was down a tenth in viewers and even in the demo.

WINNER OF THE NIGHT: The Amazing Race (CBS)
LOSER OF THE NIGHT: 20/20 (ABC)

RATINGS RECAP: 10/16/14

ABC
8:00 Grey's Anatomy
Viewers: 8.4 million, 18-49 demo: 2.4
9:00 Scandal
Viewers: 9.9 million, 18-49 demo: 2.9
10:00 How to Get Away with Murder
Viewers: 9.8 million, 18-49 demo: 2.8

CBS
8:00 NFL Thursday Night Kickoff
Viewers: 7.2 million, 18-49 demo: 2.2
8:30 Thursday Night Football
Viewers: 16.1 million, 18-49 demo: 5.4

NBC
8:00 The Biggest Loser
Viewers: 4.7 million, 18-49 demo: 1.3
9:00 Bad Judge
Viewers: 4.7 million, 18-49 demo: 1.2
9:30 A to Z
Viewers: 3.4 million, 18-49 demo: 1.0
10:00 Parenthood
Viewers: 4.2 million, 18-49 demo: 1.3

FOX
8:00 Bones
Viewers: 6.6 million, 18-49 demo: 1.7
9:00 Gracepoint
Viewers: 3.7 million, 18-49 demo: 0.8

On Thursday night, ABC was still strong but their powerhouses dropped below a 3.0 demo. First up, Grey's Anatomy was down a tenth in viewers and even in the demo with last week. This show has transitioned to 8pm extremely well. At 9pm, Scandal was up four tenths in viewers and down a tenth in the demo. How to Get Away with Murder was down a million viewers and three tenths in the demo for a much steeper drop. After beating Scandal in the demo last week, it dropped behind it. It also fell behind Scandal in total viewers for the first time. Hopefully, this isn't a bad sign. It's still been such a beast in DVR ratings. On CBS, a good Jets-Patriots game was pretty much exactly on par with last week's Colts-Texans game. This was surprising since NYC and Boston are much bigger markets.

NBC was low, but pretty steady. At 8pm, The Biggest Loser was up a tenth in viewers and the demo from last week's series low. Bad Judge continues to hold on pretty well. It was down half a million viewers and just a tenth in the demo in week three. It's far from impressive, but I thought this show would fall flat on its face more than it has. At 9:30pm, A to Z was down two tenths in viewers and even in the demo. These comedies aren't big players, but their stable performances are probably enough for them to stay around until The Blacklist arrives on the night. At 10pm, Parenthood was down a tenth in viewers and even in the demo. Finally on FOX, Bones was up two tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo for a season high. Gracepoint is continuing to draw no interest. It was down a tenth in viewers and the demo. Even for FOX, this is getting pretty bad, but they'll probably stick with it since it's a limited series.

WINNER OF THE NIGHT: Grey's Anatomy (ABC)
LOSER OF THE NIGHT: Gracepoint (FOX)

RATINGS RECAP: 10/15/14

Please note I am comparing week to week results with the revised Nielsen numbers. I will update my weekly recaps (already did for week one), but I'm not going back to every ratings recap since day one of the season and revising the statistics. That information is readily available in other places if you want it!

ABC
8:00 Toy Story of Terror
Viewers: 6.2 million, 18-49 demo: 1.8
8:30 It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown
Viewers: 6.2 million, 18-49 demo: 2.2
9:00 Modern Family
Viewers: 9.7 million, 18-49 demo: 3.4
9:30 Black-ish
Viewers: 6.9 million, 18-49 demo: 2.5
10:00 Nashville
Viewers: 5.0 million, 18-49 demo: 1.3

CBS
8:00 Survivor
Viewers: 9.3 million, 18-49 demo: 2.3
9:00 Criminal Minds
Viewers: 10.9 million, 18-49 demo: 2.4
10:00 Stalker
Viewers: 7.9 million, 18-49 demo: 1.7

NBC
8:00 The Mysteries of Laura
Viewers: 8.7 million, 18-49 demo: 1.4
9:00 Law & Order: SVU
Viewers: 7.2 million, 18-49 demo: 1.7
10:00 Chicago PD
Viewers: 6.8 million, 18-49 demo: 1.6

FOX
8:00 Hell's Kitchen
Viewers: 3.7 million, 18-49 demo: 1.2
9:00 Red Band Society
Viewers: 3.2 million, 18-49 demo: 1.0

Wednesday night had Halloween specials at 8pm on ABC and they did pretty well, but I think they would have done better if they had aired the week of Halloween. Why not preempt the Tuesday comedies on Halloween week? At 9pm, Modern Family was down six tenths in viewers and a just tenth in the demo while Black-ish was down a million viewers and four tenths in the demo. It's been up and down for this show which had a great premiere, big week two drop, week three climb, and then big week four drop. I still think it's going to level off in a pretty good place. At 10pm, Nashville was down four tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo for a season low. On FOX, Hell's Kitchen was down a tenth in viewers and two tenths in the demo for a series low. The news was a little better for embattled newbie Red Band Society as it was up three tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo, despite the lead-in being down.

On CBS, Survivor was down four tenths in viewers and two tenths in the demo for a season low. Criminal Minds was up four tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo for a good showing. Stalker continues to hold on well. It was down three tenths in viewers and even in the demo. With a 1.7 demo, it's CBS's highest rated 10pm show yet this week. Finally, NBC had a pretty decent night. At 8pm, The Mysteries of Laura was down a tenth in viewers but up a tenth in the demo. I think a full season pickup is very likely for this show. At 9pm, Law & Order: SVU was down four tenths in viewers and even in the demo. At 10pm, Chicago PD inched up as it was up a tenth in viewers and the demo. Overall, a pretty stable night.

WINNER OF THE NIGHT: Criminal Minds (CBS)
LOSER OF THE NIGHT: Hell's Kitchen (FOX)

RATINGS RECAP: 10/14/14

ABC
8:00 Selfie
Viewers: 3.4 million, 18-49 demo: 1.0
8:30 Manhattan Love Story
Viewers: 2.9 million, 18-49 demo: 0.9
9:00 Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Viewers: 4.7 million, 18-49 demo: 1.7
10:00 Forever
Viewers: 4.8 million, 18-49 demo: 1.1

CBS
8:00 NCIS
Viewers: 17.3 million, 18-49 demo: 2.5
9:00 NCIS: New Orleans
Viewers: 16.1 million, 18-49 demo: 2.2
10:00 Person of Interest
Viewers: 9.7 million, 18-49 demo: 1.5

NBC
8:00 The Voice
Viewers: 12.3 million, 18-49 demo: 3.4
9:00 Marry Me
Viewers: 7.5 million, 18-49 demo: 2.3
9:30 About a Boy
Viewers: 5.8 million, 18-49 demo: 1.7
10:00 Chicago Fire
Viewers: 7.1 million, 18-49 demo: 1.9

FOX
8:00 The Simpsons (Repeat)
Viewers: 1.9 million, 18-49 demo: 0.8
8:30 Bob's Burgers (Repeat)
Viewers: 1.4 million, 18-49 demo: 0.6
9:00 New Girl
Viewers: 2.3 million, 18-49 demo: 1.2
9:30 The Mindy Project
Viewers: 2.2 million, 18-49 demo: 1.1

Tuesday night had a series premiere, but everything was pretty blah on the night as shows didn't hold up as well as they did on Monday night. At 8pm, The Voice returned to an hour and it was down 1.4 million viewers and seven tenths in the demo from its last regular Tuesday episode. It seems like it could have been a little stronger. At 9pm was the series premiere of Marry Me. It did OK, but I was expecting a stronger debut (I was also expecting The Voice to be stronger, though). It has the best chance of any NBC comedy to succeed and it shouldn't drop too far as long as it has its lead-in. If it airs without The Voice in front of it though, it might show its true colors. At 9:30pm, the season premiere of About a Boy delivered OK numbers. It was up from where it ended in the spring and it did better than previous 9:30pm occupant Growing Up Fisher. But it wasn't overly promising. At 10pm, Chicago Fire performed pretty well without its Voice lead-in. It was down 1.3 million viewers and just two tenths in the demo.

On ABC, Selfie took another drop in week three as it was down six tenths in viewers and two tenths in the demo. Any small chance this show may have had after a decent week two hold is evaporated now. At 8:30pm, Manhattan Love Story was down four tenths in viewers and even in the demo. It held on better than Selfie, but these shows are both dead. The fact that Manhattan didn't drop again may buy it another week, but that's just delaying the inevitable. At 9pm, Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. was dead even with last week, meaning it tied its series low. It also was tied with the second week of CW's new hit The Flash. Perhaps the worst news came at 10pm where the wheels came out under Forever. It was down six tenths in viewers and two tenths in the demo. Things aren't looking as rosy for this show, which has dropped each week, but it's still a timeslot improvement over most entries last year.

On CBS, NCIS was even in viewers and down a tenth in the demo. At 9pm, NCIS: New Orleans was up seven tenths in viewers and down a tenth in the demo. This show is holding up very well, but is it a timeslot hit like NCIS: Los Angeles was for so many years? At 10pm, things are getting bleak for Person of Interest. It was up a tenth in viewers but down another tenth in the demo for a series low. It's a toss-up over what 10pm problem show CBS will deal with first. Finally on FOX, New Girl was down three tenths in viewers and two tenths in the demo for a season low. The Mindy Project was even in viewers and up a tenth in the demo.

WINNER OF THE NIGHT: Chicago Fire (NBC)
LOSER OF THE NIGHT: Person of Interest (CBS)