RATINGS RECAP: 2/26/15

ABC
8:00 Grey's Anatomy
Viewers: 7.6 million, 18-49 demo: 2.2
9:00 How to Get Away with Murder
Viewers: 9.0 million, 18-49 demo: 2.8

CBS
8:00 The Big Bang Theory
Viewers: 16.7 million, 18-49 demo: 4.5
8:30 The Odd Couple
Viewers: 11.1 million, 18-49 demo: 2.8
9:00 The Big Bang Theory (Repeat)
Viewers: 9.0 million, 18-49 demo: 2.2
9:30 Mom
Viewers: 8.3 million, 18-49 demo: 2.1
10:00 Victoria's Secret Swim Special
Viewers: 4.1 million, 18-49 demo: 1.0

NBC
8:00 The Slap
Viewers: 3.7 million, 18-49 demo: 0.7
9:00 The Blacklist
Viewers: 8.0 million, 18-49 demo: 1.9
10:00 Allegiance
Viewers: 3.5 million, 18-49 demo: 0.8

FOX
8:00 American Idol
Viewers: 9.4 million, 18-49 demo: 2.2
9:00 Backstrom
Viewers: 3.8 million, 18-49 demo: 0.9

Thursday night had a two hour season finale of How to Get Away with Murder on ABC. First up though, Grey's Anatomy was down half a million viewers and three tenths in the demo for a series low. Murder followed and was up a tenth in viewers and down a tenth in the demo. It might have had a better chance to spike for the finale if it had just aired at 10pm and had the stronger Scandal as a lead-in. On NBC, The Blacklist had to be on an island as it was surrounded by duds. At 8pm, The Slap was down three tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo while Allegiance closed things out up two tenths in viewers and down a tenth in the demo. Both shows were below a 1.0. In-between, The Blacklist was up three tenths in viewers and two tenths in the demo. It could have been the lack of Scandal in the hour but this was an encouraging performance.

Over on CBS, The Big Bang Theory started things off down eight tenths in viewers and even in the demo. Week two of The Odd Couple went pretty well. It was down 2.5 million viewers and three tenths in the demo from its series premiere which isn't a horrible drop. It also tied Mom's high in the same slot. We'll see where it settles, but this was encouraging. After a Big Bang repeat, Mom settled into its new slot. It was down 1.9 million viewers but even in the demo from its last airing at 8:30 (also after a Big Bang repeat). It skewed younger in its new slot. Finally on FOX, American Idol was up four tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo while Backstrom was up three tenths in viewers and even in the demo.

WINNER OF THE NIGHT: The Blacklist (NBC)
LOSER OF THE NIGHT: The Slap (NBC)

RATINGS RECAP: 2/25/15

ABC
8:00 The Middle
Viewers: 7.5 million, 18-49 demo: 2.0
8:30 The Goldbergs
Viewers: 7.6 million, 18-49 demo: 2.5
9:00 Modern Family
Viewers: 9.3 million, 18-49 demo: 3.4
9:30 Black-ish
Viewers: 6.6 million, 18-49 demo: 2.2
10:00 Nashville
Viewers: 4.9 million, 18-49 demo: 1.3

CBS
8:00 Survivor
Viewers: 10.0 million, 18-49 demo: 2.4
9:30 The Amazing Race
Viewers: 6.2 million, 18-49 demo: 1.5

NBC
8:00 The Mysteries of Laura
Viewers: 7.6 million, 18-49 demo: 1.4
9:00 Law & Order: SVU
Viewers: 7.7 million, 18-49 demo: 1.6
10:00 Chicago PD
Viewers: 7.4 million, 18-49 demo: 1.5

FOX
8:00 American Idol
Viewers: 10.4 million, 18-49 demo: 2.7
9:00 Empire
Viewers: 13.9 million, 18-49 demo: 5.4

Another Wednesday, another rise for Empire. First up, American Idol was down three tenths in viewers and two tenths in the demo for a Wednesday low. Then the good times kept rolling for the hottest new network drama in years. Empire was up nine tenths in viewers and two tenths in the demo to a stunning 5.4. Could a 6.0 demo be in its reach for its finale in a couple weeks? I wouldn't put it past this show considering the incredible trajectory it's been on. CBS had the return of Survivor and The Amazing Race and things went pretty well for Survivor. It was down significantly from the fall premiere but on par with last spring's premiere. It didn't go as well for The Amazing Race, but it did fare better than on Fridays. I don't think these numbers indicate the Friday run will go any better in the spring, though.

Over on ABC, The Middle started things out down two tenths in viewers and the demo for its worst performance since December 3. At 8:30pm, The Goldbergs benefited from its "Ferris Bueller" stunt that got an Oscars promo. It was up eight tenths in viewers and three tenths in the demo to tie its second highest demo ever. It also built on The Middle more than ever before. At 9pm, Modern Family was up half a million viewers and three tenths in the demo while Black-ish was up two tenths in viewers and even in the demo. Nashville closed out the night up two tenths in viewers and even in the demo. Finally, NBC had a surprising rebound from The Mysteries of Laura. It was up 1.7 million viewers and three tenths in the demo for its best performance since November 19. Considering how it's going for the new NBC dramas, this could go a long way. At 9pm, Law & Order: SVU was up 1.2 million viewers and a tenth in the demo. Chicago PD closed things out up three tenths in viewers but down two tenths in the demo.

WINNER OF THE NIGHT: The Goldbergs (ABC)
LOSER OF THE NIGHT: Nashville (ABC)

RATINGS RECAP: 2/24/15

ABC
8:00 Fresh Off the Boat
Viewers: 5.8 million, 18-49 demo: 1.8
8:30 Repeat After Me
Viewers: 3.9 million, 18-49 demo: 1.3
9:00 Marvel's Agent Carter
Viewers: 4.0 million, 18-49 demo: 1.3
10:00 Forever
Viewers: 4.7 million, 18-49 demo: 1.0

CBS
8:00 NCIS
Viewers: 17.4 million, 18-49 demo: 2.3
9:00 NCIS: New Orleans
Viewers: 13.7 million, 18-49 demo: 1.9
10:00 Person of Interest
Viewers: 9.6 million, 18-49 demo: 1.7

NBC
8:00 The Voice
Viewers: 14.1 million, 18-49 demo: 3.9
10:00 Parks and Recreation
Viewers: 4.2 million, 18-49 demo: 1.6

FOX
8:00 Masterchef Junior
Viewers: 4.8 million, 18-49 demo: 1.6
9:00 New Girl
Viewers: 2.9 million, 18-49 demo: 1.3
9:30 The Mindy Project
Viewers: 2.3 million, 18-49 demo: 1.1

Tuesday night had a series finale on NBC but first, night two of The Voice was close to its Monday premiere numbers for a strong Tuesday start. Then at 10pm was the series finale of Parks and Recreation. While its demo was the best since May 2013 and the viewer total was the best since January 2012, it still didn't go out on much of a high note. This was true to form for the show that always had a loyal following but never broke out to a mass audience. CBS took a bit of a hit from The Voice. At 8pm, NCIS was down seven tenths in viewers and three tenths in the demo while NCIS: New Orleans was down a million viewers and a tenth in the demo to tie a series low. The NCIS shows always have a tough time with The Voice. At 10pm, Person of Interest was up four tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo despite the lower lead-in.

ABC had more good news from Fresh Off the Boat as its new show held up very well against The Voice. It was down just four tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo. At 8;30pm, Repeat After Me was down half a million viewers and a tenth in the demo from last week's series premiere. At 9pm, the season finale of Marvel's Agent Carter was down two tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo. The viewer total was a series low. I don't think this will be back, but I wouldn't completely count it out. At 10pm, Forever was up a tenth in viewers and down a tenth in the demo from its last airing. Finally on FOX, Masterchef Junior was down seven tenths in viewers and two tenths in the demo for its season finale. It will surely be back in the fall as it has been a pleasant surprise on Tuesdays this year. At 9pm, New Girl was down two tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo while The Mindy Project was down two tenths in viewers and even in the demo.

WINNER OF THE NIGHT: The Voice (NBC)
LOSER OF THE NIGHT: Marvel's Agent Carter (ABC)

RATINGS RECAP: 2/23/15

ABC
8:00 The Bachelor
Viewers: 9.0 million, 18-49 demo: 2.6
10:00 Castle
Viewers: 7.6 million, 18-49 demo: 1.6

CBS
8:00 2 Broke Girls
Viewers: 8.5 million, 18-49 demo: 2.1
8:30 Mike & Molly
Viewers: 8.9 million, 18-49 demo: 2.0
9:00 Scorpion
Viewers: 10.7 million, 18-49 demo: 2.1
10:00 NCIS: Los Angeles
Viewers: 9.8 million, 18-49 demo: 1.6

NBC
8:00 The Voice
Viewers: 14.0 million, 18-49 demo: 4.1
10:00 The Night Shift
Viewers: 5.5 million, 18-49 demo: 1.5

FOX
8:00 Gotham
Viewers: 6.5 million, 18-49 demo: 2.3
9:00 Sleepy Hollow
Viewers: 4.4 million, 18-49 demo: 1.4

Monday night had the return of The Voice to NBC and it went quite well. It tied last fall's premiere which is pretty impressive since it didn't have a huge launching pad this time around like a new fall season, the Olympics, or the Super Bowl. Another good start for TV's top reality franchise. The good news did not extend to 10pm as The Night Shift premiered to very disappointing numbers. It was worse than State of Affairs was doing with a weaker Voice lead-in in late fall. It was a series low in total viewers. I'm pretty surprised by this as I thought it was the type of show that could find a nice audience with the lead-in. I think this is a more shocking disappointment than State of Affairs. Over on ABC, The Bachelor was impressive as it didn't take a hit at all from The Voice and was even with last week. At 10pm, Castle was down nine tenths in viewers and even in the demo.

CBS took a slight hit, but nothing too bad considering how much more competition there was on NBC. 2 Broke Girls was down two tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo and Mike & Molly was down four tenths in viewers and two tenths in the demo to start things off. At 9pm, Scorpion was down 1.2 million viewers but just two tenths in the demo. At 10pm, NCIS: Los Angeles was down six tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo. At a 1.6 demo, it tied Castle to top the hour. Finally on FOX, Gotham has rebounded in a big way in the past two weeks. It was up another three tenths in viewers and two tenths in the demo. The season finale of Sleepy Hollow followed at 9pm and was down a tenth in viewers and even in the demo. We'll see if this show comes back. I think it's 50/50 at this point because FOX seems to have soured a bit on it.

WINNER OF THE NIGHT: The Voice (NBC)
LOSER OF THE NIGHT: The Night Shift (NBC)

WEEKLY RECAP: February 16-22, 2015

Here's my weekly recap for Week #22. Please note this only covers regularly scheduled shows (no sports, specials, repeats, or Saturday shows)

TOP 10 SHOWS (18-49 DEMO)
1. Empire (FOX, Wednesday 9:00pm) - 5.2    7th week
2. The Big Bang Theory (CBS, Thursday 8:00pm) - 4.5    14th week
3. Scandal (ABC, Thursday 9:00pm) - 3.3    13th week
4. Two and a Half Men (CBS, Thursday 9:00pm) - 3.2    5th week
5. Modern Family (ABC, Wednesday 9:00pm) - 3.1    15th week
    The Odd Couple (CBS, Thursday 8:30pm) - 3.1    1st week (NEW SHOW)
7. How to Get Away with Murder (ABC, Thursday 10:00pm) - 2.9    13th week
8. American Idol (FOX, Wednesday 8:00pm) - 2.8    7th week
9. The Bachelor (ABC, Monday 8:00pm) - 2.6    5th week
    NCIS (CBS, Tuesday 8:00pm) - 2.6    12th week

TOP 10 SHOWS (TOTAL VIEWERS)
1. NCIS (CBS, Tuesday 8:00pm) - 18.1 million    15th week
2. The Big Bang Theory (CBS, Thursday 8:00pm) - 17.5 million    14th week
3. NCIS: New Orleans (CBS, Tuesday 9:00pm) - 14.7 million    15th week
4. The Odd Couple (CBS, Thursday 8:30pm) - 13.6 million    1st week (NEW SHOW)
5. Two and a Half Men (CBS, Thursday 9:00pm) - 13.5 million    3rd week
6. Empire (FOX, Wednesday 9:00pm) - 13.0 million    7th week
7. Blue Bloods (CBS, Friday 10:00pm) - 11.6 million    12th week
8. American Idol (FOX, Wednesday 8:00pm) - 10.7 million    6th week
    Hawaii Five-0 (CBS, Friday 9:00pm) - 10.7 million    6th week
10. The Mentalist (CBS, Wednesday 8:00pm) - 10.1 million    4th week

BOTTOM 10 SHOWS (18-49 DEMO)
1. Glee (FOX, Friday 9:00pm) - 0.6    7th week
2. About a Boy (NBC, Tuesday 9:30pm) - 0.7    10th week
3. Marry Me (NBC, Tuesday 9:00pm) - 0.8    7th week
    The Slap (NBC, Thursday 8:00pm) - 0.8    2nd week
    World's Funniest Fails (FOX, Friday 9:00pm) - 0.8    5th week
    60 Minutes (CBS, Sunday 7:00pm) - 0.8    2nd week
7. Allegiance (NBC, Thursday 10:00pm) - 0.9    2nd week
    Backstrom (FOX, Thursday 9:00pm) - 0.9    2nd week
    Cristela (ABC, Friday 8:30pm) - 0.9    10th week
10. State of Affairs (NBC, Monday 10:00pm) - 1.0    5th week

BOTTOM 10 SHOWS (TOTAL VIEWERS)
1. Glee (FOX, Friday 9:00pm) - 1.9 million    7th week
2. Marry Me (NBC, Tuesday 9:00pm) - 2.1 million    7th week
3. About a Boy (NBC, Tuesday 9:30pm) - 2.4 million    11th week
4. Parks and Recreation (NBC, Tuesday 8:30pm) - 2.5 million    3rd week
    The Mindy Project (FOX, Tuesday 9:30pm) - 2.5 million    15th week
6. World's Funniest Fails (FOX, Friday 8:00pm) - 2.6 million    6th week
7. Parks and Recreation (NBC, Tuesday 8:00pm) - 2.9 million    2nd week
8. New Girl (FOX, Tuesday 9:00pm) - 3.1 million    14th week
9. Allegiance (NBC, Thursday 10:00pm) - 3.3 million    1st week
10. Backstrom (FOX, Thursday 9:00pm) - 3.5 million    1st week

WINNERS OF THE NIGHT
Monday - Gotham (FOX)    3rd week
Tuesday - Masterchef Junior (FOX)    5th week
Wednesday - Empire (FOX)    7th week
Thursday - Two and a Half Men (CBS)    1st week
Friday - Shark Tank (ABC)    6th week

LOSERS OF THE NIGHT
Monday - State of Affairs (NBC)    5th week
Tuesday - About a Boy (NBC)    4th week
Wednesday - Stalker (CBS)    2nd week
Thursday - The Slap (NBC)    1st week
Friday - Cristela (ABC)    4th week

TOP 5 EPISODES OF THE WEEK
1. Blue Bloods #105 "Only in New York"    10th week
2. The Goldbergs #36 "Van People"    7th week
3. The Middle #134 "The Answer"     7th week
4. Parks and Recreation #122 "The Johnny Karate Super Awesome Musical Explosion Show"    4th week
5. Fresh Off the Boat #5 "Persistent Romeo"    2nd week

RATINGS RECAP: 2/22/15

ABC
7:00 Countdown to the Oscars
Viewers: 17.9 million, 18-49 demo: 4.4
8:30 87th Annual Academy Awards
Viewers: 37.3 million, 18-49 demo: 11.0

CBS
7:00 60 Minutes
Viewers: 6.4 million, 18-49 demo: 0.8
8:30 Movie: Act of Valor
Viewers: 3.2 million, 18-49 demo: 0.6

NBC
7:00 Dateline NBC (Repeat)
Viewers: 5.4 million, 18-49 demo: 0.9
8:00 Chicago Fire (Repeat)
Viewers: 2.4 million, 18-49 demo: 0.4
9:00 Law & Order: SVU (Repeat)
Viewers: 2.4 million, 18-49 demo: 0.5
10:00 Chicago PD (Repeat)
Viewers: 2.8 million, 18-49 demo: 0.6

FOX
7:00 Bob's Burgers (Repeat)
Viewers: 2.0 million, 18-49 demo: 0.8
7:30 The Simpsons (Repeat)
Viewers: 2.2 million, 18-49 demo: 1.0
8:00 The Simpsons (Repeat)
Viewers: 2.9 million, 18-49 demo: 1.2
8:30 Brooklyn Nine-Nine (Repeat)
Viewers: 1.7 million, 18-49 demo: 0.8
9:00 Family Guy (Repeat)
Viewers: 1.9 million, 18-49 demo: 0.9
9:30 Bob's Burgers (Repeat)
Viewers: 1.9 million, 18-49 demo: 0.9

Sunday night was Oscar night and it continued the trend of a down season for awards shows. At 37.3 million viewers and an 11.0 demo was down 6.4 million viewers and 2.1 demo points from last year's. The 18-49 demo came close to an all-time low. With these numbers and his reviews, it looks like Neil Patrick Harris will not be asked back as host.

SPECIAL COMMENTARY: An Appreciation of "Parks and Recreation"

Parks and Recreation ends tonight after seven seasons and 125 episodes. The friendly folks of Pawnee, Indiana never found a mass audience but had a very loyal audience of people who adored the show - myself included.

Parks and Recreation premiered in spring 2009 and was immediately dismissed by many (including me) as a less funny version of The Office. Amy Poehler's Leslie Knope seemed like an obvious ripoff of Michael Scott and the show couldn't really find its footing. After a short first season, it came back with a vengeance in season two and had a much better vision of the show it wanted to be. And it just got better from there.

So what made Parks and Rec so great? Well, first and foremost was the sunny optimism of the show led by a truly great lead character in Leslie Knope. In today's sitcom world, most sitcoms are cynical, sarcastic, or even dark at times. Many of my favorite sitcoms including The Office and Modern Family fit into at least one of these categories. But Parks was always a "glass half full" type of show. It always saw the best in people because it saw the world through the eyes of Leslie Knope. A government-loving, binder-making, super-organized woman, she could have easily been an annoying character but Poehler brought so much warmth and humanity to the role. There was nothing ironic about her character: no dark side, no sinister motives. Just sheer optimism.

But this was far from just a star vehicle. From the series regulars to the wacky guest stars, the show had one of the deepest rosters I have ever seen. There was one Ron Swanson (Nick Offerman), a truly great character who never wavered from his convictions. He was the anti-Leslie Knope and yet they were the best of pals. There was Andy Dwyer, the biggest goofball with the biggest heart. There was April Ludgate (Aubrey Plaza), the darkest member of the crew who somehow fell in love with Andy's buffoonery. There was Chris Traeger (Rob Lowe), whose optimism even eclipsed Leslie's as he was "literally" the happiest person ever. There was Jerry/Larry/Gary (Jim O'Heir), the office punchline. There was Tom Haverford (Aziz Ansari), the most entreprenuing entrepreneur there ever was. There were siblings Jean-Ralphio and Mona Lisa (Ben Schwartz and Jenny Slate), who were my favorite recurring characters ever with their delightful weirdness. There was helpless newsman Perd Hapley (Jay Jackson), Ron's evil ex-wife, Tammy (Megan Mullally), and a hilarious guest arc by Paul Rudd as the dim-witted Bobby Newport. And that's just naming a few of the colorful characters.

If The West Wing showed us what we wish our national government would be like, Parks and Recreation showed us what we wish local government could be like. With Leslie Knope and her team, anything was possible. I'll miss all the characters of Pawnee and the sharp writing. Most of all, I'll miss having new episodes to watch of the happiest show on TV.

RATINGS RECAP: 2/21/15

ABC

8:00 Countdown to the Oscars: An Insiders Guide

Viewers: 2.9 million, 18-49 demo: 0.5

8:30 Movie: The Social Network

Viewers: 1.8 million, 18-49 demo: 0.5

CBS

8:00 Hawaii Five-0 (Repeat)

Viewers: 4.0 million, 18-49 demo: 0.5

9:00 Scorpion (Repeat)

Viewers: 4.4 million, 18-49 demo: 0.6

10:00 48 Hours

Viewers: 5.2 million, 18-49 demo: 0.8

NBC

8:00 Dateline Mystery

Viewers: 5.7 million, 18-49 demo: 1.0

10:00 Saturday Night Live (Repeat)

Viewers: 4.3 million, 18-49 demo: 1.0

FOX
8:00 Backstrom (Repeat)

Viewers: 1.4 million, 18-49 demo: 0.4

9:00 Daytona 500 Bash at the Beach

Viewers: 1.0 million, 18-49 demo: 0.3

RATINGS RECAP: 2/20/15

ABC
8:00 Last Man Standing
Viewers: 6.6 million, 18-49 demo: 1.3
8:30 Cristela
Viewers: 5.1 million, 18-49 demo: 0.9
9:00 Shark Tank
Viewers: 8.4 million, 18-49 demo: 2.2
10:00 20/20
Viewers: 7.1 million, 18-49 demo: 1.6

CBS
8:00 Undercover Boss
Viewers: 7.9 million, 18-49 demo: 1.3
9:00 Hawaii Five-0
Viewers: 10.7 million, 18-49 demo: 1.4
10:00 Blue Bloods
Viewers: 11.6 million, 18-49 demo: 1.5

NBC
8:00 Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary (Repeat)
Viewers: 5.1 million, 18-49 demo: 1.6

FOX
8:00 World's Funniest Fails
Viewers: 2.6 million, 18-49 demo: 0.8
9:00 Glee
Viewers: 1.9 million, 18-49 demo: 0.6

Most Friday shows had a good night. NBC continued to reap the rewards of the SNL special with a decently rated repeat of the special. CBS was up across the board. At 8pm, Undercvoer Boss was down six tenths in viewers but up a tenth in the demo. Hawaii Five-0 followed and was up nine tenths in viewers and two tenths in the demo. Blue Bloods was up a tenth in viewers and two tenths in the demo for a season high. Over on ABC, Last Man Standing was down six tenths in viewers and even in the demo. At 8:30pm, Cristela was probably the most disappointing of any show. It was down four tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo. Every time it looks a little promising for this show, it takes a dip. At 9pm, Shark Tank was up seven tenths in viewers and a big four tenths in the demo to tie a season high. 20/20 closed things out up 1.7 million viewers and four tenths in the demo for its best performance since November 21. Finally on FOX, World's Funniest Fails was up two tenths in viewers and even in the demo while Glee was up a tenth in viewers and even in the demo.

WINNER OF THE NIGHT: Shark Tank (ABC)
LOSER OF THE NIGHT: Cristela (ABC)

PILOT REVIEW: The Odd Couple

THE ODD COUPLE

Starring: Matthew Perry, Thomas Lennon, Lindsay Sloane, Yvette Nicole Brown, and Wendell Pierce

Based on the play by Neil Simon
Developed for television by Matthew Perry, Danny Jacobson, and Joe Keenan
Teleplay by Matthew Perry, Danny Jacobson, & Joe Keenan, Directed by Mark Cendrowski

THE PREMISE: Well, everyone should know the premise of The Odd Couple. A reboot of the play, movie, and 1970s TV series of the same, the show centers on two roommates with very opposite personalities. Oscar Madison (Matthew Perry) is a complete slob while Felix Unger (Thomas Lennon) is about as neat and stuffy as they come. Rounding out the main cast is Oscar's assistant, Dani (Yvette Nicole Brown), Oscar's friend, Teddy (Wendell Pierce), and a neighbor, Emily (Lindsay Sloane).

THE GOOD: The cast is likable. I said when Matthew Perry's Mr. Sunshine and Go On failed that he needed to have a live audience to work with it. Well, he has it here so maybe he'll grow into having the same comic timing he did for so many years on Friends. Thomas Lennon fits the Felix part quite well and is reminiscent of Tony Randall. The supporting cast is solid and it takes place in one of the best apartments I've seen. I want it!

THE BAD: Everything feels pretty stale here which is unfortunate because it has good people and I don't want every multi-camera sitcom to feel that way. The "odd couple" premise has been done to death with many shows, the last thing we need is a reboot of the show itself. There were way too many set-up/joke moments (the most obvious one being when Oscar talked about all the women they could meet in the city before an angry woman beeped at them). That's just lazy writing. As much as I like Perry and want him to succeed, he was doing a whole lot of over-acting. Every line was delivered with the same incredulous tone.

BOTTOM LINE: I saw Matthew Perry being interviewed on Letterman the other night and he talked about the best line from this episode - the "FU" bit - and said it was lifted directly from the play. That's the exact problem with this show. It's not bringing anything new to the genre much less the title itself. Making Oscar Madison a sports radio host instead of a sportswriter is about as innovative as this show got compared to the original.

RATINGS RECAP: 2/19/15

ABC
8:00 Grey's Anatomy
Viewers: 8.1 million, 18-49 demo: 2.5
9:00 Scandal
Viewers: 9.6 million, 18-49 demo: 3.3
10:00 How to Get Away with Murder
Viewers: 8.9 million, 18-49 demo: 2.9

CBS
8:00 The Big Bang Theory
Viewers: 17.5 million, 18-49 demo: 4.5
8:30 The Odd Couple
Viewers: 13.6 million, 18-49 demo: 3.1
9:00 Two and a Half Men
Viewers: 13.5 million, 18-49 demo: 3.2
10:00 Elementary
Viewers: 8.2 million, 18-49 demo: 1.5

NBC
8:00 The Slap
Viewers: 4.0 million, 18-49 demo: 0.8
9:00 The Blacklist
Viewers: 7.7 million, 18-49 demo: 1.7
10:00 Allegiance
Viewers: 3.3 million, 18-49 demo: 0.9

FOX
8:00 American Idol
Viewers: 9.0 million, 18-49 demo: 2.1
9:00 Backstrom
Viewers: 3.5 million, 18-49 demo: 0.9

Thursday night had a series premiere and finale on CBS. First up though was The Big Bang Theory, which was up four tenths in viewers and down a tenth in the demo from its last airing two weeks ago. Then, the reboot of The Odd Couple premiered to solid numbers. It was better than anything Mom has gotten in this timeslot, but it also seemed like the sampling could have been a bit higher. We'll see how it does in the weeks to come, especially when it has to follow a Big Bang repeat (something Mom has shined during). At 9pm was the one hour series finale of Two and a Half Men. It delivered the show's best numbers since May 2013, but it didn't have a mammoth spike. This was a show that probably stayed a year or two too long and it didn't bring back all its old fans like How I Met Your Mother did last year. The big lead-ins didn't help Elementary much as it was up just three tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo.

ABC's TGIT lineup had a great night with every show rising despite the increased competition on CBS. Grey's Anatomy and Scandal were both up three tenths in viewers and two tenths in the demo while How to Get Away with Murder was up half a million viewers and two tenths in the demo ahead of next week's two hour season finale. NBC started things off with week two of The Slap down a big 1.1 million viewers and three tenths in the demo from its series premiere last week. No surprise there. The best news for NBC came at 9pm where The Blacklist didn't fall again against more competition. It was down half a million viewers but even in the demo. This is still way too low, but another drop would have been devastating. At 10pm, Allegiance was down four tenths in viewers but up two tenths in the demo, which probably bought it another week. Finally on FOX, American Idol was down six tenths in viewers and two tenths in the demo for a season low while Backstrom was down nine tenths in viewers and three tenths in the demo for a series low.

WINNER OF THE NIGHT: Two and a Half Men (CBS)
LOSER OF THE NIGHT: The Slap (NBC)

RATINGS RECAP: 2/18/15

ABC
8:00 The Middle
Viewers: 7.7 million, 18-49 demo: 2.2
8:30 The Goldbergs
Viewers: 6.8 million, 18-49 demo: 2.2
9:00 Modern Family
Viewers: 8.8 million, 18-49 demo: 3.1
9:30 Black-ish
Viewers: 6.4 million, 18-49 demo: 2.2
10:00 Nashville
Viewers: 4.7 million, 18-49 demo: 1.3

CBS
8:00 The Mentalist
Viewers: 10.1 million, 18-49 demo: 1.3
10:00 Stalker
Viewers: 6.7 million, 18-49 demo: 1.2

NBC
8:00 The Mysteries of Laura
Viewers: 5.9 million, 18-49 demo: 1.1
9:00 Law & Order: SVU
Viewers: 6.5 million, 18-49 demo: 1.6
10:00 Chicago PD
Viewers: 7.1 million, 18-49 demo: 1.7

FOX
8:00 American Idol
Viewers: 10.7 million, 18-49 demo: 2.8
9:00 Empire
Viewers: 13.0 million, 18-49 demo: 5.2

Well, it's done it again. The phenomenon that is Empire continued to steamroll the competition. First up on FOX, American Idol was even with last week. Then Empire was up a million viewers and another four tenths int he demo. This is unlike anything we have seen in a very long time. It is truly taking over primetime TV and it seems to me like more and more people are talking about it. When will it slow down? It doesn't show any sign of it yet. Over on ABC, The Middle started things off down a tenth in viewers and up a tenth in the demo while The Goldbergs was down a tenth in viewers and even in the demo. Modern Family was awfully low in the total viewer count as it was down a million viewers and two tenths in the demo. The good news was that Black-ish was not negatively affected. It was down four tenths in viewers and up a tenth in the demo. It seems to be stabilizing itself against the Empire train. At 10pm, Nashville was down half a million viewers and a tenth in the demo.

CBS said goodbye to The Mentalist after seven seasons but it went out with a whimper. It had a decent total viewer count for its final two hours, but it skewed ancient which was always the problem with this show after a fast start. I don't think CBS will miss this one, but it did have its loyal fans. The lower demo lead-in hurt Stalker as it was down nine tenths in viewers and two tenths in the demo for a series low. NBC benefited from the weaker CBS showing as all three dramas were up from last week. The Mysteries of Laura was up a tenth in viewers and the demo while Law & Order: SVU was up four tenths in viewers and two tenths in the demo. Chicago PD was up half a million viewers and three tenths in the demo, easily winning the 10pm hour.

WINNER OF THE NIGHT: Empire (FOX)
LOSER OF THE NIGHT: Stalker (CBS)

RATINGS RECAP: 2/17/15

ABC
8:00 Fresh Off the Boat
Viewers: 6.2 million, 18-49 demo: 1.9
8:30 Repeat After Me
Viewers: 4.4 million, 18-49 demo: 1.4
9:00 Marvel's Agent Carter
Viewers: 4.2 million, 18-49 demo: 1.4
10:00 Countdown to the Oscars
Viewers: 3.1 million, 18-49 demo: 0.8

CBS
8:00 NCIS
Viewers: 18.1 million, 18-49 demo: 2.6
9:00 NCIS: New Orleans
Viewers: 14.7 million, 18-49 demo: 2.0
10:00 Person of Interest
Viewers: 9.2 million, 18-49 demo: 1.6

NBC
8:00 Parks and Recreation
Viewers: 2.9 million, 18-49 demo: 1.2
8:30 Parks and Recreation
Viewers: 2.5 million, 18-49 demo: 1.1
9:00 Marry Me
Viewers: 2.1 million, 18-49 demo: 0.8
9:30 About a Boy
Viewers: 2.4 million, 18-49 demo: 0.7
10:00 Chicago Fire
Viewers: 6.3 million, 18-49 demo: 1.4

FOX
8:00 Masterchef Junior
Viewers: 5.5 million, 18-49 demo: 1.8
9:00 New Girl
Viewers: 3.1 million, 18-49 demo: 1.4
9:30 The Mindy Project
Viewers: 2.5 million, 18-49 demo: 1.1

Tuesday night had a nice surprise for ABC with another strong week from Fresh Off the Boat. In its second week in its regular timeslot, the comedy was up a tenth in viewers and two tenths in the demo from last week's 8:00 episode. This is definitely a show that should be nurtured because ABC has something here. A cheap filler followed with the series premiere of new unscripted comedy series Repeat After Me. It did well enough for what it is. At 9pm, Marvel's Agent Carter was down a tenth in viewers and even in the demo. Over on CBS, NCIS was down seven tenths in viewers and three tenths in the demo. NCIS: New Orleans followed down 1.5 million viewers and three tenths in the demo for its worst performance since December. Person of Interest didn't take the hit the NCIS twins did. It was down just four tenths in viewers and even in the demo.

On the final Tuesday before The Voice, NBC saw a slight rebound for Parks and Recreation in the 8pm hour as each episode was up a tenth in the demo. The series finale is next week. At 9pm, Marry Me was down a tenth in viewers and even in the demo while About a Boy was down three tenths in viewers and two tenths in the demo for a series low. Chicago Fire was dead even with last week, but still low. It probably won't have as bad a lead-in again this season, so that should help. Finally, FOX had a big rebound for Masterchef Junior. It was up nine tenths in viewers and four tenths in the demo to tie a series high. I'm not sure what happened last week, but this was a good bounce back. At 9pm, New Girl was up four tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo while The Mindy Project was up two tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo.

WINNER OF THE NIGHT: Masterchef Junior (FOX)
LOSER OF THE NIGHT: About a Boy (NBC)

WEEKLY RECAP: February 9-15, 2015

Here's my weekly recap for Week #21. Please note this only covers regularly scheduled shows (no sports, specials, repeats, or Saturday shows)

TOP 10 SHOWS (18-49 DEMO)
1. Empire (FOX, Wednesday 9:00pm) - 4.8    6th week
2. Modern Family (ABC, Wednesday 9:00pm) - 3.3    14th week
3. Scandal (ABC, Thursday 9:00pm) - 3.1    12th week
4. NCIS (CBS, Tuesday 8:00pm) - 2.9    11th week
5. American Idol (FOX, Wednesday 8:00pm) - 2.8    6th week
6. The Bachelor (ABC, Monday 8:00pm) - 2.7    4th week
    How to Get Away with Murder (ABC, Thursday 10:00pm) - 2.7    12th week
8. 2 Broke Girls (CBS, Monday 8:00pm) - 2.3    3rd week
    Scorpion (CBS, Monday 9:00pm) - 2.3    5th week
    NCIS: New Orleans (CBS, Tuesday 9:00pm) - 2.3    6th week
    Grey's Anatomy (ABC, Thursday 8:00pm) - 2.3    4th week
    American Idol (FOX, Thursday 8:00pm) - 2.3    4th week

TOP 10 SHOWS (TOTAL VIEWERS)
1. NCIS (CBS, Tuesday 8:00pm) - 18.8 million    14th week
2. NCIS: New Orleans (CBS, Tuesday 9:00pm) - 16.2 million    14th week
3. Empire (FOX, Wednesday 9:00pm) - 12.0 million    6th week
4. Scorpion (CBS, Monday 9:00pm) - 11.9 million    11th week
5. Blue Bloods (CBS, Friday 10:00pm) - 11.5 million    11th week
6. American Idol (FOX, Wednesday 8:00pm) - 10.7 million    5th week
7. NCIS: Los Angeles (CBS, Monday 10:00pm) - 10.4 million    11th week
8. Mom (CBS, Thursday 8:30pm) - 10.2 million    4th week
9. Criminal Minds (CBS, Wednesday 9:00pm) - 9.9 million    9th week
10. Modern Family (ABC, Wednesday 9:00pm) - 9.8 million    5th week
     Hawaii Five-0 (CBS, Friday 9:00pm) - 9.8 million    5th week

BOTTOM 10 SHOWS (18-49 DEMO)
1. Mulaney (FOX, Sunday 7:00pm) - 0.4    12th week
2. Glee (FOX, Friday 9:00pm) - 0.6    6th week
3. Allegiance (NBC, Thursday 10:00pm) - 0.7    1st week
4. Marry Me (NBC, Tuesday 9:00pm) - 0.8    6th week
    Constantine (NBC, Friday 8:00pm) - 0.8    11th week
    World's Funniest Fails (FOX, Friday 8:00pm) - 0.8    4th week
7. About a Boy (NBC, Tuesday 9:30pm) - 0.9    9th week
    Undercover Boss (CBS, Sunday 8:00pm) - 0.9    Special Airing
    Brooklyn Nine-Nine (FOX, Sunday 8:30pm) - 0.9    1st week
    Bob's Burgers (FOX, Sunday 9:30pm) - 0.9    4th week

BOTTOM 10 SHOWS (TOTAL VIEWERS)
1. Mulaney (FOX, Sunday 7:00pm) - 1.1 million    12th week
2. Glee (FOX, Friday 9:00pm) - 1.8 million    6th week
3, Bob's Burgers (FOX, Sunday 9:30pm) - 2.0 million    10th week
4. Brooklyn Nine-Nine (FOX, Sunday 8:30pm) - 2.1 million    8th week
5. Marry Me (NBC, Tuesday 9:00pm) - 2.2 million    6th week
6. The Mindy Project (FOX, Tuesday 9:30pm) - 2.3 million    14th week
7. World's Funniest Fails (FOX, Friday 8:00pm) - 2.4 million    5th week
8. Parks and Recreation (NBC, Tuesday 8:30pm) - 2.5 million    2nd week
    Family Guy (FOX, Sunday 9:00pm) - 2.5 million    5th week
10. New Girl (FOX, Tuesday 9:00pm) - 2.7 million    13th week
     About a Boy (NBC, Tuesday 9:30pm) - 2.7 million    10th week
     The Simpsons (FOX, Sunday 8:30pm) - 2.7 million    4th week

WINNERS OF THE NIGHT
Monday - The Bachelor (ABC)    3rd week
Tuesday - Fresh Off the Boat (ABC)    1st week
Wednesday - Empire (FOX)    6th week
Thursday - Scandal (ABC)    4th week
Friday - Blue Bloods (CBS)    2nd week
Sunday - SNL 40th Anniversary Special (NBC)    Special Airing

LOSERS OF THE NIGHT
Monday - Sleepy Hollow (FOX)    5th week
Tuesday - Parks and Recreation (NBC)    1st week
Wednesday - Criminal Minds (CBS)    2nd week
Thursday - The Blacklist (NBC)    1st week
Friday - Grimm (NBC)    1st week
Sunday - CSI (CBS)    1st week

TOP 5 EPISODES OF THE WEEK
1. Parks and Recreation #120 "Ms. Ludgate-Dwyer Goes to Washington"    3rd week
2. Chicago Fire #60 "Call It Paradise"    5th week
3. The Goldbergs #35 "Cowboy Country"    6th week
4. How to Get Away with Murder #12 "She's a Murderer"    6th week
5. Fresh Off the Boat #4 "Success Perm"    1st week

RATINGS RECAP: 2/16/15

ABC
8:00 The Bachelor
Viewers: 9.0 million, 18-49 demo: 2.6
10:00 Castle
Viewers: 8.5 million, 18-49 demo: 1.6

CBS
8:00 2 Broke Girls
Viewers: 8.7 million, 18-49 demo: 2.2
8:30 Mike & Molly
Viewers: 9.3 million, 18-49 demo: 2.2
9:00 Stevie Wonder: An All-Star Grammy Salute
Viewers: 7.6 million, 18-49 demo: 1.4

NBC
8:00 Celebrity Apprentice
Viewers: 6.1 million, 18-49 demo: 1.7
10:00 State of Affairs
Viewers: 4.5 million, 18-49 demo: 1.0

FOX
8:00 Gotham
Viewers: 6.2 million, 18-49 demo: 2.1
9:00 Sleepy Hollow
Viewers: 4.5 million, 18-49 demo: 1.4

Monday night had the season finale of the just-renewed Celebrity Apprentice. It was up 1.1 million viewers and three tenths in the demo from last week's one hour episode. It faded a bit down the stretch but it was up from the last edition two years ago. At 10pm, the season finale of State of Affairs was up half a million viewers and even in the demo. This show has no shot of returning next season, but nothing has been made official. Next week, The Voice and The Night Shift take over Mondays. Over on ABC, The Bachelor was up three tenths in viewers and down a tenth in the demo. The viewer total was a season high. At 10pm, Castle was up 1.1 million viewers and even in the demo as it skewed much older this week for whatever reason.

Things went pretty well for FOX after some bad weeks. Gotham was up six tenths in viewers and three tenths in the demo for a nice rebound. The trajectory was looking bad so this was an important recovery. At 9pm, Sleepy Hollow was up six tenths in viewers and two tenths in the demo. Its season finale is next week before The Following returns to the timeslot. Finally, CBS started with 2 Broke Girls down four tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo while Mike & Molly was dead even with last week. A Stevie Wonder Grammy special did alright in total viewers, but skewed pretty old with a low 1.4 demo.

WINNER OF THE NIGHT: Gotham (FOX)
LOSER OF THE NIGHT: State of Affairs (NBC)

RENEWAL ALERT: Celebrity Apprentice

During the live Monday finale, Donald Trump announced that Celebrity Apprentice has been renewed for a 15th season. So far, there have been seven regular editions and seven celebrity editions. It was not official, but I'm reading between the lines that it'll be a celebrity edition because the regular one doesn't do nearly as well anymore. The show returned this season after a season off and the results have been quite positive with the show up from its last regular edition. I wouldn't be surprised to see it brought back in the exact same format next season (airing on Monday as a bridge between The Voice editions).

RATINGS RECAP: 2/15/15

ABC

7:00 America's Funniest Home Videos

Viewers: 6.6 million, 18-49 demo: 1.4

8:00 The Bachelor: Chris Tells All

Viewers: 5.7 million, 18-49 demo: 1.5

9:00 The Bachelor

Viewers: 6.1 million, 18-49 demo: 1.5

CBS

7:00 60 Minutes

Viewers: 10.5 million, 18-49 demo: 1.2

8:00 Undercover Boss

Viewers: 6.5 million, 18-49 demo: 0.9

9:00 CSI

Viewers: 7.1 million, 18-49 demo: 1.1

10:00 CSI

Viewers: 7.1 million, 18-49 demo: 1.1

NBC

7:00 SNL 40th Red Carpet Special

Viewers: 11.3 million, 18-49 demo: 3.0

8:00 SNL 40th Anniversary Special

Viewers: 23.1 million, 18-49 demo: 7.8

FOX
7:00 Mulaney

Viewers: 1.1 million, 18-49 demo: 0.4

7:30 The Simpsons (Repeat)

Viewers: 1.5 million, 18-49 demo: 0.6

8:00 The Simpsons

Viewers: 2.7 million, 18-49 demo: 1.1

8:30 Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Viewers: 2.1 million, 18-49 demo: 0.9

9:00 Family Guy

Viewers: 2.5 million, 18-49 demo: 1.2

9:30 Bob's Burgers

Viewers: 2.0 million, 18-49 demo: 0.9

It might have been a Sunday, but Saturday Night Live ruled the ratings. The iconic show celebrated its 40th anniversary with a much talked-about event and the results were astonishing. The special pulled an incredible number that was on par with Sunday Night Football numbers. SNL has become such a part of our culture through its good times and bad (as well as ours) so we probably should have seen this coming. It was one of those major events like The Sound of Music Live last year where everyone seemed to be talking about it. There aren't too many of those shared experiences on TV anymore so it's fun to see. There was actually another anniversary special on the night. America's Funniest Home Videos celebrated its 25th anniversary but the special just got regular results. Still, 25 years is quite an accomplishment especially for this show in the era of digital videos ready at any time. A special episode of The Bachelor and the "tells all" edition was well below typical Monday numbers. In fact, it was a series low for the show but the special night and competition surely played a factor.

CBS and FOX were off the map. On CBS, Undercover Boss saw a series low at 8pm and then it was a possible series ending for CSI hitting a series low in the 9pm and 10pm hours. CBS seemed in a hurry to finish this show's season and they have several new hits for the first time in a couple years so it doesn't look good. It's a little sad that it went out with such a whimper. I'm no CSI fan, but I think the show deserves a short final season next year. It is getting really ugly for FOX on Sundays against these big events like the Grammys and now the SNL special. The Simpsons, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and Family Guy all hit series lows while Mulaney went out with a whimper and Bob's Burgers didn't do anything. It is like night and day with FOX in the fall and spring with this lineup. Maybe it'll perk up a bit when all these specials are over as competition.

WINNER OF THE NIGHT: SNL's 40th Anniversary Special (NBC)
LOSER OF THE NIGHT: CSI (CBS)

RATINGS RECAP: 2/14/15

ABC
8:00 Movie: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Viewers: 2.4 million, 18-49 demo: 0.6

CBS
8:00 NCIS: Los Angeles (Repeat)
Viewers: 4.7 million, 18-49 demo: 0.5
9:00 Criminal Minds (Repeat)
Viewers: 3.7 million, 18-49 demo: 0.4
10:00 48 Hours
Viewers: 5.5 million, 18-49 demo: 0.7

NBC
8:00 Dateline NBC
Viewers: 5.6 million, 18-49 demo: 0.8
10:00 An SNL Valentine
Viewers: 5.1 million, 18-49 demo: 1.3

FOX
8:00 NASCAR Sprint Cup
Viewers: 4.7 million, 18-49 demo: 1.0

RATINGS RECAP: 2/13/15

ABC
8:00 Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown
Viewers: 4.5 million, 18-49 demo: 1.0
9:00 Shark Tank
Viewers: 7.7 million, 18-49 demo: 1.8
10:00 20/20
Viewers: 5.4 million, 18-49 demo: 1.2

CBS
8:00 Undercover Boss
Viewers: 8.5 million, 18-49 demo: 1.2
9:00 Hawaii Five-0
Viewers: 9.8 million, 18-49 demo: 1.2
10:00 Blue Bloods
Viewers: 11.5 million, 18-49 demo: 1.3

NBC
8:00 Constantine
Viewers: 3.3 million, 18-49 demo: 0.8
9:00 Grimm
Viewers: 4.9 million, 18-49 demo: 1.1
10:00 Dateline NBC
Viewers: 4.7 million, 18-49 demo: 1.0

FOX
8:00 World's Funniest Fails
Viewers: 2.4 million, 18-49 demo: 0.8
9:00 Glee
Viewers: 1.8 million, 18-49 demo: 0.6

It was a quiet Friday night as usual. On NBC, the season finale of Constantine started things off up three tenths in viewers and even in the demo. I'd be shocked if this came back for a second season. At 9pm, Grimm was up two tenths in viewers and down a tenth in the demo, tying a series low. At 10pm, Dateline NBC was also up two tenths in viewers in viewers and down a tenth in the demo. Over on ABC, a Charlie Brown special was mostly ignored at 8pm. Shark Tank followed at 9pm and was even in viewers and down two tenths in the demo while 20/20 was dead even with last week. On CBS, Undercover Boss was up seven tenths in viewers and down a tenth in the demo. Hawaii Five-0 was down three tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo. At 10pm, Blue Bloods was up two tenths in viewers and even in the demo. Finally on FOX, World's Funniest Fails was down three tenths in viewers and even in the demo while Glee was up two tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo.

WINNER OF THE NIGHT: Blue Bloods (CBS)
LOSER OF THE NIGHT: Grimm (NBC)

PILOT REVIEW: The Slap

THE SLAP

Starring: Brian Cox, Melissa George, Lucas Hedges, Marin Ireland, Makenzie Leigh, Thandie Newton, Zachary Quinto, Thomas Sadoski, Peter Sarsgaard, Uma Thurman, Maria Tucci

Based on the Australian series of the same name
Developed for Television by Jon Robin Baitz
Teleplay by Jon Robin Baitz, Directed by Lisa Cholodenko

THE PREMISE: The Slap is a new limited series on NBC based on the novel and Australian series of the same name. The show centers on the specific incident of a man slapping another person's child and the way the dominoes fall and lives change based on one single incident. The large ensemble drama will seemingly focus on one person's story a week. This week was Hector (Peter Sarsgaard).

THE GOOD: This show just wasn't for me so I don't have much to say. It wasn't terrible and the performances were fine. I feel like I write really short "good" sections when I hate the show completely. I didn't hate this, it just wasn't my type of show and I can't pinpoint anything that stood out. Not interesting, but that's just how it is.

THE BAD: I think the topic raised in interesting but probably more-so for a book or movie. Even a limited series seems like it's making too much out of one incident, however serious that incident might be. I thought the narration was particularly weird. It seemed too lighthearted and more for an ABC dramedy than a show like this. I also feel like this is way too sprawling an ensemble for the show and I'm very uninterested in all the characters. It's like they had this "slap" incident just to tie an otherwise boring story together. I was completely bored by what was happening and the painfully long lead-up to the "slap." Also, terrible title for a show.

BOTTOM LINE: I truly don't understand why anyone would like a show like this yet it's getting mixed reviews so some people are. I just don't see the appeal at all. I don't think it's daring in structure or topic, even though it tries to be. I also just find it boring, but that's just me. I won't be back for more.

RATINGS RECAP: 2/12/15

ABC
8:00 Grey's Anatomy
Viewers: 7.8 million, 18-49 demo: 2.3
9:00 Scandal
Viewers: 9.3 million, 18-49 demo: 3.1
10:00 How to Get Away with Murder
Viewers: 8.4 million, 18-49 demo: 2.7

CBS
8:00 The Big Bang Theory (Repeat)
Viewers: 11.4 million, 18-49 demo: 2.1
8:30 Mom
Viewers: 10.2 million, 18-49 demo: 2.1
9:00 Two and a Half Men
Viewers: 9.3 million, 18-49 demo: 2.1
9:30 The Big Bang Theory (Repeat)
Viewers: 7.8 million, 18-49 demo: 1.7
10:00 Elementary
Viewers: 7.9 million, 18-49 demo: 1.4

NBC
8:00 The Slap
Viewers: 5.1 million, 18-49 demo: 1.1
9:00 The Blacklist
Viewers: 8.2 million, 18-49 demo: 1.7
10:00 Allegiance
Viewers: 3.7 million, 18-49 demo: 0.7

FOX
8:00 American Idol
Viewers: 9.6 million, 18-49 demo: 2.3
9:00 Backstrom
Viewers: 4.4 million, 18-49 demo: 1.2

The second week of NBC's new Thursday lineup really couldn't have gone worse. First up, The Slap was DOA as expected. The only positive news was it did pretty much exactly what Allegiance did a week ago with a big lead-in. But that's more an indictment of Allegiance than praise for The Slap. Things got pretty ugly at 9pm where The Blacklist took a terrible drop on its second Thursday airing. It tumbled 1.9 million viewers and seven tenths in the demo, easily hitting a series low (the previously low was a 2.3 demo back in January 2014). While I thought last week's result was promising for The Blacklist, nothing good can be said about this performance. It was supposed to be the anchor of a new night for NBC and it can't even sniff a 2.0 demo? Yikes. Keep in mind, perennially low-rated Parenthood ended with a 1.5 demo just two weeks ago. Then at 10pm, Allegiance was completely off the map as it fell 1.3 million viewers and four tenths in the demo. Even though State of Affairs dipped this low, NBC may make a decision sooner rather than later on this flop.

ABC's TGIT lineup held up well even as almost everything else was falling. At 8pm, Grey's Anatomy was down two tenths in viewers and even in the demo. Scandal was down three tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo at 9pm. How to Get Away with Murder closed things out up a tenth in viewers and even in the demo. CBS had a repeat of The Big Bang Theory at 8pm and it brought down Mom with it this week. more than usual. Mom was down 1.5 million viewers and a rough seven tenths in the demo. When it returns in two weeks, it will be airing at 9:30pm as The Odd Couple will take the 8:30 slot. At 9pm, the penultimate episode of Two and a Half Men was down a tenth in viewers and two tenths in the demo. Of course, it'll rise next week for the series finale, but I don't think it'll be a huge series finale number. At 10pm, Elementary was even in viewers and down a tenth in the demo. Finally on FOX, American Idol was down a tenth in viewers and the demo while Backstrom had a surprising rally and was up eight tenths in viewers and two tenths in the demo. I don't see this helping its overall cause, but it was a surprise.

WINNER OF THE NIGHT: Scandal (ABC)
LOSER OF THE NIGHT: The Blacklist (NBC)

RATINGS RECAP: 2/11/15

ABC
8:00 The Middle
Viewers: 7.8 million, 18-49 demo: 2.1
8:30 The Goldbergs
Viewers: 6.9 million, 18-49 demo: 2.2
9:00 Modern Family
Viewers: 9.8 million, 18-49 demo: 3.3
9:30 Black-ish
Viewers: 6.8 million, 18-49 demo: 2.1
10:00 Nashville
Viewers: 5.2 million, 18-49 demo: 1.4

CBS
8:00 The Mentalist
Viewers: 9.1 million, 18-49 demo: 1.4
9:00 Criminal Minds
Viewers: 9.9 million, 18-49 demo: 1.9
10:00 Stalker
Viewers: 7.6 million, 18-49 demo: 1.4

NBC
8:00 The Mysteries of Laura
Viewers: 5.8 million, 18-49 demo: 1.0
9:00 Law & Order: SVU
Viewers: 6.1 million, 18-49 demo: 1.4
10:00 Chicago PD
Viewers: 6.6 million, 18-49 demo: 1.4

FOX
8:00 American Idol
Viewers: 10.7 million, 18-49 demo: 2.8
9:00 Empire
Viewers: 12.0 million, 18-49 demo: 4.8

Well, it's done it again. Another week and another rise from the biggest show to hit broadcast TV in years - Empire. Before that, American Idol was down half a million viewers and three tenths in the demo. Then, incredibly, Empire was up half a million viewers and two tenths in the demo. Remember when it was impressive that it premiered to a 3.8 demo? Well, it's now a full demo point above that. This is really quite the story and it's the real deal - the biggest broadcast network hit out of the gate in years. CBS started things off with The Mentalist up a tenth in viewers and two tenths in the demo. Criminal Minds fell below a 2.0 demo for the first time ever as it was down six tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo. Without Survivor as a lead-in and with Empire as competition, this show has been looking pretty weak lately. At 10pm, Stalker was up two tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo.

On ABC, The Middle started things out down half a million viewers and a tenth in the demo. The Goldbergs was down three tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo from its last new airing back on January 14. At 9pm, Modern Family was down a tenth in viewers and the demo. Black-ish recovered a bit despite the Empire competition as it was up three tenths in viewers and two tenths in the demo from its last airing, also on January 14. At 10pm, Nashville was up a tenth in viewers and the demo. Finally on NBC, The Mysteries of Laura started things out down six tenths in viewers and even in the demo. At 9pm, Law & Order: SVU was down a tenth in viewers but up a tenth in the demo. Chicago PD didn't get a bump from the Chicago Fire crossover this week and it was down a million viewers and two tenths in the demo. PD, Nashville, and Stalker were all tied at a 1.4 demo in the 10pm hour this week.

WINNER OF THE NIGHT: Empire (FOX)
LOSER OF THE NIGHT: Criminal Minds (CBS)

RATINGS RECAP: 2/10/15

ABC
8:00 Fresh Off the Boat
Viewers: 6.1 million, 18-49 demo: 1.7
8:30 Fresh Off the Boat
Viewers: 5.9 million, 18-49 demo: 1.8
9:00 Marvel's Agent Carter
Viewers: 4.3 million, 18-49 demo: 1.4
10:00 Forever
Viewers: 4.6 million, 18-49 demo: 1.1

CBS
8:00 NCIS
Viewers: 18.8 million, 18-49 demo: 2.9
9:00 NCIS: New Orleans
Viewers: 16.2 million, 18-49 demo: 2.3
10:00 Person of Interest
Viewers: 9.5 million, 18-49 demo: 1.6

NBC
8:00 Parks and Recreation
Viewers: 3.1 million, 18-49 demo: 1.1
8:30 Parks and Recreation
Viewers: 2.5 million, 18-49 demo: 1.0
9:00 Marry Me
Viewers: 2.2 million, 18-49 demo: 0.8
9:30 About a Boy
Viewers: 2.7 million, 18-49 demo: 0.9
10:00 Chicago Fire
Viewers: 6.3 million, 18-49 demo: 1.4

FOX
8:00 Masterchef Junior
Viewers: 4.6 million, 18-49 demo: 1.4
9:00 New Girl
Viewers: 2.7 million, 18-49 demo: 1.3
9:30 The Mindy Project
Viewers: 2.3 million, 18-49 demo: 1.0

Tuesday night had the time period premiere for Fresh Off the Boat on ABC and the results were very promising with a two episode night. Understandably, it dropped big from last week's Wednesday numbers, but it was significantly better than anything Selfie or Manhattan Love Story got in the fall. People sought this show out and that's a win for a tough timeslot on ABC. It also seemed to help the rest of the night a bit. Marvel's Agent Carter was up a tenth in viewers and the demo while Forever was up two tenths in viewers and the demo. Over on FOX, Masterchef Junior fell four tenths in viewers and two tenths in the demo. Maybe it was the one-two punch of Boat and a stronger NCIS? At 9pm, New Girl was down three tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo while The Mindy Project was up a tenth in viewers and even in the demo.

CBS was up across the board. At 8pm, NCIS was up two tenths in viewers and three tenths in the demo for its best performance since the season premiere. At 9pm, NCIS: New Orleans was down three tenths in viewers but up a tenth in the demo. Person of Interest closed out the night up two tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo. Finally, NBC was barely on the map. Parks and Recreation saw season lows at 8pm as the comedy competition from ABC may have hurt. At 9pm, Marry Me was up a tenth in viewers and even in the demo while About a Boy was down two tenths in viewers and even in the demo. Chicago Fire is getting no favors from this horrible comedy lineup. It was down two tenths in viewers and the demo. The demo is the lowest since December 2012. If I was NBC, I would just let a repeat air next week and bring this back when The Voice returns to the night. It has a built-in audience but it can only do so much.

WINNER OF THE NIGHT: Fresh Off the Boat (ABC)
LOSER OF THE NIGHT: Parks and Recreation (NBC)

RATINGS RECAP: 2/9/15

ABC
8:00 The Bachelor
Viewers: 8.7 million, 18-49 demo: 2.7
10:00 Castle
Viewers: 7.4 million, 18-49 demo: 1.6

CBS
8:00 2 Broke Girls
Viewers: 9.1 million, 18-49 demo: 2.3
8:30 Mike & Molly
Viewers: 9.3 million, 18-49 demo: 2.2
9:00 Scorpion
Viewers: 11.9 million, 18-49 demo: 2.3
10:00 NCIS: Los Angeles
Viewers: 10.4 million, 18-49 demo: 1.7

NBC
8:00 Celebrity Apprentice Clip Show
Viewers: 4.6 million, 18-49 demo: 1.2
9:00 Celebrity Apprentice
Viewers: 5.0 million, 18-49 demo: 1.4
10:00 State of Affairs
Viewers: 4.0 million, 18-49 demo: 1.0

FOX
8:00 Gotham
Viewers: 5.6 million, 18-49 demo: 1.8
9:00 Sleepy Hollow
Viewers: 3.9 million, 18-49 demo: 1.2

On Monday night, ABC saw The Bachelor continue to recover nicely after its early season struggles. It was up two tenths in viewers and the demo for another season high. This may be its peak with the finale of Celebrity Apprentice against it next week and The Voice after that. At 10pm, Castle was helped a bit from the lead-in. It was even in viewers and up two tenths in the demo. It was another bad Monday for FOX where Gotham was down two tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo, hitting a series low for a third straight week. This show is moving in the wrong direction. Sleepy Hollow was down half a million viewers and two tenths in the demo for a series low. I think this show's renewal chances are iffy with this ever dropping number and the lack of support at the winter TCA tour.

Over on CBS, 2 Broke Girls was down two tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo while Mike & Molly was down six tenths in viewers and even in the demo. At 9pm, Scorpion was down two tenths in viewers and even in the demo from its last airing three weeks ago. It has been very consistent for CBS. At 10pm, NCIS: Los Angeles was up six tenths in viewers and even in the demo. Finally, NBC aired a Celebrity Apprentice clip show at 8pm and that seemed to hurt the 9pm episode. It fell a big two million viewers and seven tenths in the demo from last week's two hour edition. In retrospect, it seems like a pretty bad idea for NBC to have aired the clip show. At 10pm, State of Affairs was down seven tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo.

WINNER OF THE NIGHT: The Bachelor (ABC)
LOSER OF THE NIGHT: Sleepy Hollow (FOX)

WEEKLY RECAP: February 2-8, 2015

Here's my weekly recap for Week #20. Please note this only covers regularly scheduled shows (no sports, specials, repeats, or Saturday shows)

TOP 10 SHOWS (18-49 DEMO)
1. Empire (FOX, Wednesday 9:00pm) - 4.6    5th week
    The Big Bang Theory (CBS, Thursday 8:00pm) - 4.6    13th week
3. Modern Family (ABC, Wednesday 9:00pm) - 3.4    13th week
4. Scandal (ABC, Thursday 9:00pm) - 3.2    11th week
5. American Idol (FOX, Wednesday 8:00pm) - 3.1    5th week
6. Mom (CBS, Thursday 8:30pm) - 2.8    11th week
7. How to Get Away with Murder (ABC, Thursday 10:00pm) - 2.7    11th week
8. NCIS (CBS, Tuesday 8:00pm) - 2.6    10th week
9. The Bachelor (ABC, Monday 8:00pm) - 2.5    3rd week
    Fresh Off the Boat (ABC, Wednesday 8:30pm) - 2.5    Special Airing (NEW SHOW)

TOP 10 SHOWS (TOTAL VIEWERS)
1. NCIS (CBS, Tuesday 8:00pm) - 18.6 million    13th week
2. The Big Bang Theory (CBS, Thursday 8:00pm) - 17.1 million    13th week
3. NCIS: New Orleans (CBS, Tuesday 9:00pm) - 16.5 million    13th week
4. Mom (CBS, Thursday 8:30pm) - 11.7 million    11th week
5. Empire (FOX, Wednesday 9:00pm) - 11.5 million    5th week
6. Blue Bloods (CBS, Friday 10:00pm) - 11.3 million    10th week
7. American Idol (FOX, Wednesday 8:00pm) - 11.2 million    4th week
8. Criminal Minds (CBS, Wednesday 9:00pm) - 10.5 million    8th week
9. The Blacklist (NBC, Thursday 9:00pm) - 10.1 million    2nd week
    Hawaii Five-0 (CBS, Friday 9:00pm) - 10.1 million    4th week

BOTTOM 10 SHOWS (18-49 DEMO)
1. Glee (FOX, Friday 9:00pm) - 0.5    5th week
    Mulaney (FOX, Sunday 7:00pm) - 0.5    11th week
3. Marry Me (NBC, Tuesday 9:00pm) - 0.8    5th week
    Constantine (NBC, Friday 8:00pm) - 0.8    10th week
    World's Funniest Fails (FOX, Friday 8:00pm) - 0.8    3rd week
6. Forever (ABC, Tuesday 10:00pm) - 0.9    7th week
   About a Boy (NBC, Tuesday 9:30pm) - 0.9    8th week
8. The Mindy Project (FOX, Tuesday 9:30pm) - 1.0    10th week
    The Mysteries of Laura (NBC, Wednesday 8:00pm) - 1.0    1st week
    Backstrom (FOX, Thursday 9:00pm) - 1.0    1st week
    Cristela (ABC, Friday 8:30pm) - 1.0    9th week
    Bob's Burgers (FOX, Sunday 9:30pm) - 1.0    3rd week

BOTTOM 10 SHOWS (TOTAL VIEWERS)
1. Mulaney (FOX, Sunday 7:00pm) - 1.2 million    11th week
2. Glee (FOX, Friday 9:00pm) - 1.6 million    5th week
3. Bob's Burgers (FOX, Sunday 9:30pm) - 1.9 million    9th week
4. Marry Me (NBC, Tuesday 9:00pm) - 2.1 million    5th week
5. The Mindy Project (FOX, Tuesday 9:30pm) - 2.2 million    13th week
6. Brooklyn Nine-Nine (FOX, Sunday 8:30pm) - 2.6 million    7th week
7. World's Funniest Fails (FOX, Friday 8:00pm) - 2.7 million    4th week
8. The Simpsons (FOX, Sunday 8:00pm) - 2.8 million    3rd week
    Family Guy (FOX, Sunday 9:00pm) - 2.8 million    4th week
10. About a Boy (NBC, Tuesday 9:30pm) - 2.9 million    9th week

WINNERS OF THE NIGHT
Monday - The Bachelor (ABC)    2nd week
Tuesday - NCIS: New Orleans (CBS)    3rd week
Wednesday - Empire (FOX)    5th week
Thursday - The Big Bang Theory (CBS)    3rd week
Friday - Shark Tank (ABC)    5th week

LOSERS OF THE NIGHT
Monday - Castle (ABC)    3rd week
Tuesday - Person of Interest (CBS)    3rd week
Wednesday - The Mysteries of Laura (NBC)    3rd week
Thursday - Allegiance (NBC)    1st week (NEW SHOW)
Friday - Glee (FOX)    2nd week

TOP 5 EPISODES OF THE WEEK
1. Chicago PD #28 "A Little Devil Complex"    2nd week
2. Scandal #58 "Where's the Black Lady?"    7th week
3. The Middle #132 "Hecks on a Train"    6th week
4. How to Get Away with Murder #11 "Best Christmas Ever"    5th week
5. Blue Bloods #104 "Power Players"    9th week