PILOT REVIEW: Weird Loners

WEIRD LONERS

Starring: Becki Newton, Zachary Knighton, Meera Rohit Kumbhani, Nate Torrence

Created by Michael J. Weithorn
Written by Michael J. Weithorn, Directed by Jake Kasdan

THE PREMISE: Weird Loners is a new ensemble sitcom about a group of people in their mid-30s who can't seem to grow up and settle down for various reasons. Caryn (Becki Newton) is a type A dental hygenist stuck in a relationship with someone she doesn't want to be with. Stosh (Zachary Knighton) is a recently fired playboy and Caryn's neighbor. Eric (Nate Torrence) is Stosh's brother who has never lived on his own until now. Zara (Meera Rohit Kumbhani) is a free spirit who recently left her live-in boyfriend.

THE GOOD: This show was definitely going for a New Girl vibe and it may well succeed in getting there thanks to its likable cast. All four leads are playing "types" at the moment, but they seem to be enjoying each other and there's decent chemistry between the four of them. The final wedding scene where they were lipsynching the vows was one of the funniest things I've seen in a comedy pilot in awhile. I could see this becoming a quirky but funny ensemble comedy focusing more on relational observations that major plots.

THE BAD: I think Weird Loners was a very bad title for this show and it doesn't really capture what it is all about. Yes, it's focused on people who haven't settled down, but they're not particularly "weird" or "lonely." I think it gives an impression that it might be closer to The Big Bang Theory than New Girl. After a solid start and before a very funny ending, the middle of the episode dragged a lot as they got bogged down in the story line with Caryn's boyfriend. That's why I hope they will be less plot-driven and more relationship-driven in their writing.

BOTTOM LINE: I liked this show more than I thought it would. The title and promos were off-putting but it ended up being a pretty decent show. I'm definitely willing to give it a couple more episodes to see if it can find the funny ensemble vibe New Girl has. I think it's already closer to that than New Girl was during its own pilot.

RATINGS RECAP: 3/30/15

ABC
8:00 Dancing with the Stars
Viewers: 13.8 million, 18-49 demo: 2.1
10:00 Castle
Viewers: 8.2 million, 18-49 demo: 1.5

CBS
8:00 2 Broke Girls
Viewers: 7.1 million, 18-49 demo: 1.8
8:30 Mike & Molly
Viewers: 7.7 million, 18-49 demo: 1.8
9:00 Scorpion
Viewers: 9.4 million, 18-49 demo: 2.0
10:00 NCIS: Los Angeles
Viewers: 9.2 million, 18-49 demo: 1.5

NBC
8:00 The Voice
Viewers: 11.9 million, 18-49 demo: 3.2
10:00 The Night Shift
Viewers: 5.0 million, 18-49 demo: 1.2

FOX
8:00 Gotham (Repeat)
Viewers: 1.9 million, 18-49 demo: 0.5
9:00 The Following
Viewers: 3.3 million, 18-49 demo: 1.1

Monday night was a pretty typical evening for the ratings. On ABC, Dancing with the Stars had a good week as it was down a tenth in viewers but up a tenth in the demo. Though it had a rough start, it has been steady through the first three weeks of this edition. At 10pm, Castle was up two tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo. On NBC, The Voice was down another three tenths in viewers and two tenths in the demo for a Monday low. It seems very likely it will dip into the 2s regularly before the season is over. At 10pm, The Night Shift was down four tenths in viewers and a rough three tenths in the demo for a season low in its regular slot. There's no question that this has been a big disappointment for NBC. The question is will it just get cancelled or will NBC try to salvage it by bringing it back as a summer series like it originally was when it surprised in the ratings with lower expectations?

Over on CBS, 2 Broke Girls started things off down two tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo while Mike & Molly was down a tenth in viewers and the demo. These comedies have been suffering the past couple weeks, probably a one-two punch of The Voice and Daylight Savings. They might be pretty meek for the rest of the season. At 9pm, Scorpion was down three tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo. NCIS: Los Angeles finished out the night down two tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo. Finally on FOX, The Following had to follow another Gotham repeat and it was down half a million viewers and a tenth in the demo from last week's 9pm edition. It has to do this one more week before it gets a new Gotham as a lead-in again, but I'm not sure it's going to help that much.

WINNER OF THE NIGHT: Dancing with the Stars (ABC)
LOSER OF THE NIGHT: The Night Shift (NBC)

WEEKLY RECAP: March 23-29, 2015

Here's my weekly recap for Week #27. Please note this only covers regularly scheduled shows (no sports, specials, repeats, or Saturday shows)

TOP 10 SHOWS (18-49 DEMO)
1. The Voice (NBC, Monday 8:00pm) - 3.4    18th week
2. Modern Family (ABC, Wednesday 9:00pm) - 2.9    18th week
3. The Voice (NBC, Tuesday 8:00pm) - 2.8    17th week
4. Survivor (CBS, Wednesday 8:00pm) - 2.3    9th week
    Scandal (ABC, Thursday 9:00pm) - 2.3    17th week
    60 Minutes (CBS, Sunday 7:17pm) - 2.3    6th week
7. NCIS (CBS, Tuesday 8:00pm) - 2.2    14th week
    Grey's Anatomy (ABC, Thursday 8:00pm) - 2.2    7th week
9. Scorpion (CBS, Monday 9:00pm) - 2.1    6th week
    The Goldbergs (ABC, Wednesday 8:30pm) - 2.1    6th week
    Black-ish (ABC, Wednesday 9:30pm) - 2.1    10th week
    Criminal Minds (CBS, Wednesday 9:00pm) - 2.1    4th week

TOP 10 SHOWS (TOTAL VIEWERS)
1. NCIS (CBS, Tuesday 8:00pm) - 16.2 million    18th week
2. NCIS: New Orleans (CBS, Tuesday 9:00pm) - 14.4 million    18th week
3. Dancing with the Stars (ABC, Monday 8:00pm) - 13.9 million    12th week
4. 60 Minutes (CBS, Sunday 7:17pm) - 13.8 million    17th week
5. The Voice (NBC, Monday 8:00pm) - 12.2 million    18th week
6. The Voice (NBC, Tuesday 8:00pm) - 11.6 million    15th week
7. Madam Secretary (CBS, Sunday 8:17pm) - 11.5 million    16th week
8. Criminal Minds (CBS, Wednesday 9:00pm) - 10.1 million    11th week
9. Scorpion (CBS, Monday 9:00pm) - 9.7 million    13th week
10. Survivor (CBS, Wednesday 8:00pm) - 9.6 million    5th week

BOTTOM 10 SHOWS (18-49 DEMO)
1. The Slap (NBC, Thursday 10:00pm) - 0.7    7th week
2. Cristela (ABC, Friday 8:00pm) - 0.8    Special Airing
    Cristela (ABC, Friday 8:30pm) - 0.8    14th week
    Battle Creek (CBS, Sunday 10:17pm) - 0.8    5th week
5. Forever (ABC, Tuesday 10:00pm) - 0.9    10th week
    The Mindy Project (FOX, Tuesday 9:30pm) - 0.9    15th week
    Backstrom (FOX, Thursday 9:00pm) - 0.9    5th week
8. Repeat After Me (ABC, Tuesday 8:30pm) - 1.0    2nd week
    The Night Shift (NBC, Tuesday 10:00pm) - 1.0    Special Airing
    The Mysteries of Laura (NBC, Wednesday 8:00pm) - 1.0    2nd week
    Dateline NBC (NBC, Thursday 8:00pm) - 1.0    1st week
    Grimm (NBC, Friday 8:00pm) - 1.0    5th week
    Revenge (ABC, Sunday 10:00pm) - 1.0    11th week
    The Good Wife (CBS, Sunday 9:17pm) - 1.0    6th week

BOTTOM 10 SHOWS (TOTAL VIEWERS)
1. The Mindy Project (FOX, Tuesday 9:30pm) - 2.1 million    20th week
2. The Slap (NBC, Thursday 10:00pm) - 3.2 million    5th week
3. The Last Man on Earth (FOX, Sunday 9:00pm) - 3.4 million    2nd week
4. Repeat After Me (ABC, Tuesday 8:30pm) - 3.5 million    3rd week
5. Backstrom (FOX, Thursday 9:00pm) - 3.6 million    4th week
6. The Following (FOX, Monday 9:00pm) - 3.8 million    3rd week
    One Big Happy (NBC, Tuesday 9:30pm) - 3.8 million    2nd week
    Hell's Kitchen (FOX, Tuesday 8:00pm) - 3.8 million    12th week
9. The Following (FOX, Monday 8:00pm) - 3.9 million    Special Airing
10. The Night Shift (NBC, Tuesday 10:00pm) - 4.0 million    Special Airing

WINNERS OF THE NIGHT
Monday - Scorpion (CBS)    3rd week
Tuesday - NCIS (CBS)    3rd week
Wednesday - Survivor (CBS)    3rd week
Thursday - Grey's Anatomy (ABC)    4th week
Friday - NONE
Sunday - 60 Minutes (CBS)    2nd week

LOSERS OF THE NIGHT
Monday - Castle (ABC)    4th week
Tuesday - The Night Shift (NBC)    Special Airing
Wednesday - American Idol (FOX)    2nd week
Thursday - Scandal (ABC)    1st week
Friday - Cristela (ABC)    6th week
Sunday - The Good Wife (CBS)    3rd week

TOP 5 EPISODES OF THE WEEK
1. The Goldbergs #39 "The Lost Boy"    9th week
2. Law & Order: SVU #360 "Parole Violations"    4th week
3. The Middle #137 "The Waiting Game"    8th week
4. The Night Shift #13 "Ghosts"    4th week
5. Scandal #64 "Put a Ring On It"    11th week

RATINGS RECAP: 3/29/15

ABC
7:00 America's Funniest Home Videos (Repeat)
Viewers: 5.6 million, 18-49 demo: 1.1
8:00 Once Upon a Time
Viewers: 5.5 million, 18-49 demo: 1.7
9:00 Secrets and Lies
Viewers: 5.2 million, 18-49 demo: 1.3
10:00 Revenge
Viewers: 4.2 million, 18-49 demo: 1.0

CBS
7:00 NCAA Basketball Overrun
Viewers: 14.8 million, 18-49 demo: 4.3
7:17 60 Minutes
Viewers: 13.8 million, 18-49 demo: 2.3
8:17 Madam Secretary
Viewers: 11.5 million, 18-49 demo: 1.4
9:17 The Good Wife
Viewers: 8.9 million, 18-49 demo: 1.0
10:17 Battle Creek
Viewers: 6.0 million, 18-49 demo: 0.8

NBC
7:00 The Voice (Repeat)
Viewers: 2.7 million, 18-49 demo: 0.5
8:00 iHeartRadio Music Awards
Viewers: 5.5 million, 18-49 demo: 1.7

FOX
7:00 The Simpsons (Repeat)
Viewers: 1.6 million, 18-49 demo: 0.6
7:30 Bob's Burgers (Repeat)
Viewers: 2.0 million, 18-49 demo: 0.8
8:00 The Simpsons (Repeat)
Viewers: 2.6 million, 18-49 demo: 1.0
8:30 Family Guy (Repeat)
Viewers: 2.8 million, 18-49 demo: 1.2
9:00 The Last Man on Earth
Viewers: 3.4 million, 18-49 demo: 1.3

On Sunday night, NBC had the iHeartRadio Music Awards, which did decently in the demo. CBS had a March Madness overrun and that helped 60 Minutes rise a nice 2.2 million viewers and six tenths in the demo. Madam Secretary had a bit of a halo effect from it as it was up seven tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo. The halo effect ended after that, The Good Wife was up half a million viewers but even in the demo for a fourth straight week. It's been a brutal spring for this show. Battle Creek closed out the night down a tenth in viewers and even in the demo. On ABC, Once Upon a Time was down three tenths in viewers and two tenths in the demo, tying a series low. At 9pm, Secrets and Lies reversed some of last week's momentum by dropping four tenths in viewers and two tenths in the demo for a series low. I still wouldn't count this show out yet. At 10pm, Revenge was down two tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo. If this show gets anything more than a shortened final season next year, ABC is foolish. Finally on FOX, The Last Man on Earth took a troubling drop of a million viewers and four tenths in the demo. Not a great showing for a bubble show, but it's probably built up enough good will.

WINNER OF THE NIGHT: 60 Minutes (CBS)
LOSER OF THE NIGHT: The Good Wife (CBS)

RENEWAL ALERT: New Girl

Ahead of tonight's return to new episodes (with new comedy Weird Loners), FOX announced today that New Girl has been renewed for a fifth season. The show has had an interesting ride on the FOX schedule. It was an early breakout hit when it premiered in 2011 but it has been on a downward trend for awhile. It completely crashed during its critically maligned third season in 2013-14, but has been more steady in the ratings and more critically appreciated this season. Series regular Damon Wayans Jr. has already announced he won't be back next season.

New Girl joins Bob's Burgers, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Empire, Gotham, Masterchef Junior, The Simpsons, and Sleepy Hollow on the renewal list for next week. Family Guy is sure to join that list and its looking good for Bones, Hell's Kitchen, The Last Man on Earth, and The Mindy Project. I think it's not looking as good for The Following and Backstrom appears to be dead.

RATINGS RECAP: 3/28/15

ABC
8:00 Shark Tank (Repeat)
Viewers: 2.7 million, 18-49 demo: 0.5
9:00 In an Instant
Viewers: 3.4 million, 18-49 demo: 0.7

CBS
8:00 NCIS: New Orleans (Repeat)
Viewers: 3.7 million, 18-49 demo: 0.4
9:00 Criminal Minds (Repeat)
Viewers: 4.1 million, 18-49 demo: 0.7
10:00 48 Hours (Repeat)
Viewers: 4.7 million, 18-49 demo: 0.7

NBC
8:00 Figure Skating World Championships
Viewers: 2.2 million, 18-49 demo: 0.3
10:00 Saturday Night Live (Repeat)
Viewers: 2.2 million, 18-49 demo: 0.6

FOX
8:00 Backstrom (Repeat)
Viewers: 1.4 million, 18-49 demo: 0.4
9:00 Hell's Kitchen (Repeat)
Viewers: 1.0 million, 18-49 demo: 0.3

RATINGS RECAP: 3/27/15

ABC

8:00 Cristela

Viewers: 4.4 million, 18-49 demo: 0.8

8:30 Cristela

Viewers: 4.1 million, 18-49 demo: 0.8

9:00 Shark Tank (Repeat)

Viewers: 5.2 million, 18-49 demo: 1.1

10:00 20/20

Viewers: 4.9 million, 18-49 demo: 1.1

CBS

8:00 NCAA Basketball Tournament

Viewers: 6.7 million, 18-49 demo: 2.1

NBC

8:00 Grimm

Viewers: 4.9 million, 18-49 demo: 1.0

9:00 Dateline NBC (Repeat)

Viewers: 5.7 million, 18-49 demo: 1.0

FOX

8:00 Movie: Grown-Ups

Viewers: 3.0 million, 18-49 demo: 0.9

On a quiet Friday night, CBS was on top with another night of March Madness. On ABC, Cristela flopped when it had to lead-off the night. With no Last Man Standing lead-in, it tied its series low in the demo in both half hours and hit an outright series low in viewers at 8:30pm. This was probably the final nail in the coffin for a show that's been hanging on by a thread all year. After a Shark Tank repeat, 20/20 was down a tenth in viewers and even in the demo. On NBC, Grimm was up a tenth in viewers but down a tenth in the demo for a series low. It's already renewed for next season but NBC has yet to find a good partner for it despite many attempts.

WINNER OF THE NIGHT: NONE
LOSER OF THE NIGHT: Cristela (ABC)

RATINGS RECAP: 3/26/15

ABC
8:00 Grey's Anatomy
Viewers: 8.2 million, 18-49 demo: 2.2
9:00 Scandal
Viewers: 8.1 million, 18-49 demo: 2.3
10:00 American Crime
Viewers: 5.6 million, 18-49 demo: 1.3

CBS
8:00 NCAA Basketball Tournament
Viewers: 7.5 million, 18-49 demo: 2.3

NBC
8:00 Dateline NBC
Viewers: 6.2 million, 18-49 demo: 1.0
9:00 The Blacklist
Viewers: 8.1 million, 18-49 demo: 1.6
10:00 The Slap
Viewers: 3.2 million, 18-49 demo: 0.7

FOX
8:00 Bones
Viewers: 5.8 million, 18-49 demo: 1.3
9:00 Backstrom
Viewers: 3.6 million, 18-49 demo: 0.9

Thursday night had more basketball on CBS and it delivered similar numbers to last year at this time. ABC started things out with Grey's Anatomy, which was up half a million viewers and a tenth in the demo. The good news did not continue at 9pm where something is wrong with Scandal. Though it was still the top demo among broadcast series and was up three tenths in viewers, it was down another tenth in the demo for its worst performance since November 2012. This is especially troubling since Grey's has been doing just fine. It actually beat Scandal in viewers and was just a tenth behind it in the demo. ABC better hope this is a weird blip for a couple weeks, but it's starting to look like a troubling trend. Despite the lead-in being down, American Crime was up a tenth in viewers and the demo at 10pm.

FOX had the return of Bones after several months off. It was up slightly from its last airing in December. It was a weaker lead-in for Backstrom, however, and that show was down three tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo, tying a series low. Finally on NBC, a Dateline NBC at 8pm didn't capture the same audience as last week's Robert Durst special. At 9pm, The Blacklist was down half a million viewers and two tenths in the demo to a series low. It's been holding pretty steady on Thursdays so this was its first step back in awhile. At 10pm, The Slap was dead even with last week.

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

RATINGS RECAP: 3/25/15

ABC
8:00 The Middle
Viewers: 7.3 million, 18-49 demo: 1.9
8:30 The Goldbergs
Viewers: 6.8 million, 18-49 demo: 2.1
9:00 Modern Family
Viewers: 8.7 million, 18-49 demo: 2.9
9:30 Black-ish
Viewers: 6.4 million, 18-49 demo: 2.1
10:00 Nashville: On the Record 2
Viewers: 4.0 million, 18-49 demo: 0.8

CBS
8:00 Survivor
Viewers: 9.6 million, 18-49 demo: 2.3
9:00 Criminal Minds
Viewers: 10.1 million, 18-49 demo: 2.1
10:00 CSI: Cyber
Viewers: 8.2 million, 18-49 demo: 1.4

NBC
8:00 The Mysteries of Laura
Viewers: 6.4 million, 18-49 demo: 1.0
9:00 Law & Order: SVU
Viewers: 5.9 million, 18-49 demo: 1.3
10:00 Chicago PD
Viewers: 6.3 million, 18-49 demo: 1.5

FOX
8:00 American Idol
Viewers: 8.5 million, 18-49 demo: 1.7

It was a disappointing Wednesday night as Empire left the night but nothing was able to capitalize. In fact, almost everything was down from their last airing. On ABC, The Middle started things off down nine tenths in viewers and three tenths in the demo. It seems like this show always comes back weak after a couple weeks of repeats. At 8:30pm, The Goldbergs was down 1.1 million viewers and four tenths in the demo. At 9pm, Modern Family was down nine tenths in viewers and half a demo point. I have no idea what happened here, this should have been one of the shows to capitalize in a big way from no Empire at 9pm. Black-ish closed out the sitcom lineup down three tenths in viewers and two tenths in the demo. The Empire network (FOX) saw a terrible showing from American Idol without Empire as a lead-out. It was down 1.2 million viewers and a terrible seven tenths in the demo. Who would have thought we'd see the day where a different show was holding up American Idol?

CBS was the only network not to drop in the demo. Survivor was dead even with last week's two hour edition. At 9pm, Criminal Minds was down two tenths in viewers and even in the demo from its last airing two weeks ago. CSI: Cyber closed out the night up two tenths in viewers and even in the demo despite a more compatible lead-in. This show is looking like a dud. Finally on NBC, The Mysteries of Laura was down 1.2 million viewers and a rough four tenths in the demo from its last airing a month ago. This was a weak return after its promising showing in its last airing. Law & Order: SVU was down 1.8 million viewers and three tenths in the demo. Both Laura and SVU tied series lows in the demo. At 10pm, Chicago PD was down 1.1 million viewers but even in the demo, which is not a horrible showing.

WINNER OF THE NIGHT: Survivor (CBS)
LOSER OF THE NIGHT: American Idol (FOX)

RATINGS RECAP: 3/24/15

ABC
8:00 Fresh Off the Boat
Viewers: 4.9 million, 18-49 demo: 1.4
8:30 Repeat After Me
Viewers: 3.5 million, 18-49 demo: 1.0
9:00 Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Viewers: 4.3 million, 18-49 demo: 1.5
10:00 Forever
Viewers: 4.4 million, 18-49 demo: 0.9

CBS
8:00 NCIS
Viewers: 16.2 million, 18-49 demo: 2.2
9:00 NCIS: New Orleans
Viewers: 14.4 million, 18-49 demo: 1.8
10:00 Person of Interest
Viewers: 9.2 million, 18-49 demo: 1.5

NBC
8:00 The Voice
Viewers: 11.6 million, 18-49 demo: 2.8
9:00 Undateable
Viewers: 5.2 million, 18-49 demo: 1.5
9:30 One Big Happy
Viewers: 3.8 million, 18-49 demo: 1.2
10:00 The Night Shift
Viewers: 4.0 million, 18-49 demo: 1.0

FOX
8:00 Hell's Kitchen
Viewers: 3.8 million, 18-49 demo: 1.3
9:00 New Girl (Repeat)
Viewers: 1.6 million, 18-49 demo: 0.6
9:30 The Mindy Project
Viewers: 2.1 million, 18-49 demo: 0.9

It was a rough second week for NBC's new Tuesday lineup. The Voice got things off to a rough start as it was down 1.2 million viewers and four tenths in the demo, dipping below a 3 in the demo awfully early in this edition's run. The new Tuesday comedies fell off a cliff in their second week. Undateable was down 1.2 million viewers and four tenths in the demo from last week's premiere. That does mirror The Voice's drop, but it's still troubling. Week two of One Big Happy was down 1.7 million viewers and four tenths in the demo from last week's series premiere. This show can pretty much be counted out at this point but Undateable still has a chance. NBC gave The Night Shift a special Tuesday airing and it had disastrous results. The show crashed to a new series low without The Voice lead-in. Any goodwill it may have gotten Monday from a growth is wiped out by this. On FOX, Hell's Kitchen was even with last week while the season finale of The Mindy Project was up a tenth in viewers and even in the demo for a third straight week. Mindy is on the bubble and I could see it going either way but my gut tells me it gets renewed.

On ABC, everything hit or tied a series low in the demo. Fresh Off the Boat started things out down two tenths in viewers and the demo. This has been looking safe but the drops keep happening. ABC will probably still renew this show, but they need to give it a good comedy partner next year. It's performed admirably in a difficult situation. At 8:30pm, Repeat After Me was even in viewers and down a tenth in the demo. Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. followed at 9pm and was even in viewers and down a tenth in the demo. Forever ended the night also even in viewers and down a tenth in the demo. Finally on CBS, NCIS started things dead even with its last airing two weeks ago. NCIS: New Orleans rebounded a bit from its horrible showing two weeks ago as it was up 1.8 million viewers and two tenths in the demo. This is still its second worst demo ever. At 10pm, Person of Interest was up half a million viewers and even in the demo.

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

RATINGS RECAP: 3/23/15

ABC
8:00 Dancing with the Stars
Viewers: 13.9 million, 18-49 demo: 2.0
10:00 Castle
Viewers: 8.0 million, 18-49 demo: 1.4

CBS
8:00 2 Broke Girls
Viewers: 7.3 million, 18-49 demo: 1.9
8:30 Mike & Molly
Viewers: 7.8 million, 18-49 demo: 1.9
9:00 Scorpion
Viewers: 9.7 million, 18-49 demo: 2.1
10:00 NCIS: Los Angeles
Viewers: 9.4 million, 18-49 demo: 1.6

NBC
8:00 The Voice
Viewers: 12.2 million, 18-49 demo: 3.4
10:00 The Night Shift
Viewers: 5.4 million, 18-49 demo: 1.5

FOX
8:00 The Following
Viewers: 3.9 million, 18-49 demo: 1.3
9:00 The Following
Viewers: 3.8 million, 18-49 demo: 1.2

It was a busy Monday night on the networks. On ABC, week two of Dancing with the Stars went pretty well as it was down just three tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo. Things did not go as well for Castle as it was down nine tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo, finishing third in an underwhelming time period. According to other sources, it's not a sure thing that this show will come back. On NBC, The Voice was down four tenths in viewers and even in the demo while The Night Shift was even in viewers but up two tenths in the demo to tie its season premiere demo. It also beat Castle for the time period. It's still not enough, but it's not continuing to drop so that's good.

Over on CBS, the comedies had a weak showing. 2 Broke Girls was down a million viewers and two tenths in the demo while Mike & Molly was down eight tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo. At 9pm, Scorpion continued to do well. It was down nine tenths in viewers but up a tenth in the demo. At a 2.1 demo, it had the second best demo of the night. At 10pm, NCIS: Los Angeles was down 1.3 million viewers and two tenths in the demo from its surprisingly strong showing two weeks ago. Finally, FOX had two episodes of The Following and they were up from recent weeks, but still pretty low.

WINNER OF THE NIGHT: Scorpion (CBS)
LOSER OF THE NIGHT: Castle (ABC)

WEEKLY RECAP: March 16-22, 2015

Here's my weekly recap for Week #26. 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) - 6.9    11th week 
2. Empire (FOX, Wednesday 8:00pm) - 6.1    Special Airing
3. The Voice (NBC, Monday 8:00pm) - 3.4    17th week
4. The Voice (NBC, Tuesday 8:00pm) - 3.2    16th week
5. Scandal (ABC, Thursday 9:00pm) - 2.4    16th week
6. Survivor (CBS, Wednesday 8:00pm) - 2.3    8th week
7. Dancing with the Stars (ABC, Monday 8:00pm) - 2.1    2nd week
    Grey's Anatomy (ABC, Thursday 8:00pm) - 2.1    6th week
9. Mike & Molly (CBS, Monday 8:30pm) - 2.0    2nd week
10. Undateable (NBC, Tuesday 9:00pm) - 1.9    1st week (New Season)

TOP 10 SHOWS (TOTAL VIEWERS)
1. Empire (FOX, Wednesday 9:00pm) - 17.6 million    11th week 
2. Empire (FOX, Wednesday 8:00pm) - 15.8 million    Special Airing
3. Dancing with the Stars (ABC, Monday 8:00pm) - 14.2 million    11th week 
4. The Voice (NBC, Tuesday 8:00pm) - 12.8 million    14th week 
5. The Voice (NBC, Monday 8:00pm) - 12.6 million    17th week 
6. 60 Minutes (CBS, Sunday 7:30pm) - 11.6 million    16th week 
7. Madam Secretary (CBS, Sunday 8:30pm) - 10.8 million    15th week 
8. Survivor (CBS, Wednesday 8:00pm) - 9.6 million    4th week 
9. Castle (ABC, Monday 10:00pm) - 8.9 million    3rd week 
10. Mike & Molly (CBS, Monday 8:30pm) - 8.6 million    2nd week 

BOTTOM 10 SHOWS (18-49 DEMO)
1. The Slap (NBC, Thursday 10;00pm) - 0.7    6th week 
    Glee (FOX, Friday 9:00pm) - 0.7    11th week 
3. Glee (FOX, Friday 8:00pm) - 0.8    Special Airing 
    Battle Creek (CBS, Sunday 10:30pm) - 0.8    4th week 
5. The Mindy Project (FOX, Tuesday 9:30pm) - 0.9    14th week 
6. Cristela (ABC, Friday 8:30pm) - 1.0    13th week 
    The Good Wife (CBS, Sunday 9:30pm) - 1.0    5th week 
    Bob's Burgers (FOX, Sunday 7:30pm) - 1.0    6th week 
9. The Following (FOX, Monday 9:00pm) - 1.1    2nd week 
    20/20 (ABC, Friday 10:00pm) - 1.1    7th week 
    Grimm (NBC, Friday 8:00pm) - 1.1    4th week 
    Revenge (ABC, Sunday 10:00pm) - 1.1    10th week 

BOTTOM 10 SHOWS (TOTAL VIEWERS)
1. The Mindy Project (FOX, Tuesday 9:30pm) - 2.0 million    19th week 
2. Bob's Burgers (FOX, Sunday 7:30pm) - 2.2 million    14th week 
3. Glee (FOX, Friday 9:00pm) - 2.5 million    11th week 
4. Glee (FOX, Friday 8:00pm) - 2.7 million    Special Airing
5. The Slap (NBC, Thursday 10:00pm) - 3.2 million    4th week 
6. The Following (FOX, Monday 9:00pm) - 3.5 million    2nd week 
7. Hell's Kitchen (FOX, Tuesday 8:00pm) - 3.8 million    11th week 
8. Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (ABC, Tuesday 8:00pm) - 4.3 million    2nd week 
9. Revenge (ABC, Sunday 10:00pm) - 4.4 million    3rd week 
    The Last Man on Earth (FOX, Sunday 9:00pm) - 4.4 million    1st week 

WINNERS OF THE NIGHT
Monday - Mike & Molly (CBS)    4th week 
Tuesday - Undateable (NBC)    1st week (New Season)
Wednesday - Empire (FOX)    10th week 
Thursday - The Blacklist (NBC)    2nd week 
Friday - Last Man Standing (ABC)    5th week 
Sunday - Secrets and Lies (ABC)    1st week 

LOSERS OF THE NIGHT
Monday - The Following (FOX)    3rd week 
Tuesday - Chicago Fire (NBC)    1st week 
Wednesday - CSI: Cyber (CBS)    2nd week 
Thursday - American Crime (ABC)    2nd week 
Friday - Glee (FOX)    3rd week 
Sunday - Battle Creek (CBS)    2nd week 

TOP 5 EPISODES OF THE WEEK
1. The Last Man on Earth #6 "Some Friggin' Fat Guy"    2nd week 
2. Scandal #63 "It's Good to Be Kink"    10th week 
3. The Night Shift #12 "Shock to the Heart"    3rd week 
4. Cristela #17 "Fifteen-Something"    1st week 
5. Chicago Fire #64 "Forgiving, Relentless, Unconditional"    7th week 

RATINGS RECAP: 3/22/15

ABC

7:00 America's Funniest Home Videos

Viewers: 6.5 million, 18-49 demo: 1.4

8:00 Once Upon a Time

Viewers: 5.8 million, 18-49 demo: 1.9

9:00 Secrets and Lies

Viewers: 5.6 million, 18-49 demo: 1.5

10:00 Revenge

Viewers: 4.4 million, 18-49 demo: 1.1

CBS

7:00 NCAA Basketball Overrun

Viewers: 13.3 million, 18-49 demo: 3.3

7:30 60 Minutes

Viewers: 11.6 million, 18-49 demo: 1.7

8:30 Madam Secretary

Viewers: 10.8 million, 18-49 demo: 1.3

9:30 The Good Wife

Viewers: 8.4 million, 18-49 demo: 1.0

10:30 Battle Creek

Viewers: 6.1 million, 18-49 demo: 0.8

NBC

7:00 The Voice (Repeat)

Viewers: 3.6 million, 18-49 demo: 0.8

9:00 Dateline NBC: Escape

Viewers: 5.4 million, 18-49 demo: 1.2

FOX
7:00 The Simpsons (Repeat)

Viewers: 2.3 million, 18-49 demo: 0.8

7:30 Bob's Burgers

Viewers: 2.2 million, 18-49 demo: 1.0

8:00 Family Guy (Repeat)

Viewers: 3.1 million, 18-49 demo: 1.3

9:00 The Last Man on Earth

Viewers: 4.4 million, 18-49 demo: 1.7

On Sunday night, CBS had a March Madness tournament overrun which set the lineup half an hour late but it did help 60 Minutes rise a tenth in viewers and two tenths in the demo. At 8:30pm, Madam Secretary was down half a million viewers and up a tenth in the demo. The Good Wife followed and was down half a million viewers and even in the demo. I think CBS should consider letting The Good Wife and CSI share a timeslot (Sunday at 10?) with each show getting 13 episode final seasons next year. At 10pm, Battle Creek was down seven tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo. CBS is leaving this on because it's not doing damage to the rest of the lineup and also CBS doesn't have anything else to air except reruns. This probably would have been pulled already had it been the fall.

Over on ABC, America's Funniest Home Videos was up half a million viewers and a tenth in the demo. At 8pm, Once Upon a Time was down a tenth in viewers and up a tenth in the demo. Secrets and Lies is quietly surviving as it was up a tenth in viewers and the demo, returning to its premiere demo number from three weeks ago. I think this show actually has a chance to return at this point which seemed very unlikely after its premiere. At 10pm, Revenge was down four tenths in viewers and even in the demo. Finally on FOX, Bob's Burgers was even with last week. Two episodes of The Last Man on Earth aired at 9pm and it was up six tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo. After some alarming drops, this was a nice fourth week performance that certainly helps its renewal chances.

WINNER OF THE NIGHT: Secrets and Lies (ABC)

LOSER OF THE NIGHT: Battle Creek (CBS)

RATINGS RECAP: 3/21/15

ABC
8:00 Secrets and Lies (Repeat)
Viewers: 1.9 million, 18-49 demo: 0.2
9:00 In an Instant
Viewers: 4.4 million, 18-49 demo: 0.6

CBS
8:00 NCAA Basketball
Viewers: 4.3 million, 18-49 demo: 1.4
10:00 48 Hours
Viewers: 3.7 million, 18-49 demo: 1.0

NBC
8:00 Movie: Fast Five
Viewers: 2.9 million, 18-49 demo: 0.7

FOX
8:00 Backstrom (Repeat)
Viewers: 1.5 million, 18-49 demo: 0.4
9:00 Sleepy Hollow (Repeat)
Viewers: 1.0 million, 18-49 demo: 0.2

RATINGS RECAP: 3/20/15

ABC
8:00 Last Man Standing
Viewers: 7.0 million, 18-49 demo: 1.3
8:30 Cristela
Viewers: 5.3 million, 18-49 demo: 1.0
9:00 Shark Tank
Viewers: 7.5 million, 18-49 demo: 1.8
10:00 20/20
Viewers: 5.0 million, 18-49 demo: 1.1

CBS
8:00 NCAA Basketball Tournament
Viewers: 3.7 million, 18-49 demo: 1.2

NBC
8:00 Grimm
Viewers: 4.8 million, 18-49 demo: 1.1
9:00 Dateline NBC
Viewers: 6.8 million, 18-49 demo: 1.3

FOX
8:00 Glee
Viewers: 2.7 million, 18-49 demo: 0.8
9:00 Glee
Viewers: 2.5 million, 18-49 demo: 0.7

Friday night had the series finale of FOX's one time phenomenon, Glee. The show had a meteoric rise and epic decline during its six year run. Its series finale went out with a whimper as the 8pm episode had a 0.8 demo and the 9pm finale actually dropped a tenth from that. It was a far cry from the series high it posted early in its second season (a 5.9 demo on September 28, 2010). Glee was certainly an iconic cultural show but it was a flash in the pan and not an endearing series as most "gleeks" had long since given up on the show. ABC had a pretty steady night. Last Man Standing was up a tenth in viewers and the demo while Cristela was up three tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo. Shark Tank followed and was up three tenths in viewers and even in the demo. 20/20 is continuing to suffer now that it has to face Dateline NBC again. It was up a tenth in viewers but even in the demo with a low 1.1. Finally, NBC had the return of Grimm but at 8pm where it tied a series low. At 9pm, Dateline NBC was up 1.2 million viewers and a tenth in the demo.

WINNER OF THE NIGHT: Last Man Standing (ABC)
LOSER OF THE NIGHT: Glee (FOX)

RATINGS RECAP: 3/19/15

ABC
8:00 Grey's Anatomy
Viewers: 7.7 million, 18-49 demo: 2.1
9:00 Scandal
Viewers: 7.8 million, 18-49 demo: 2.4
10:00 American Crime
Viewers: 5.5 million, 18-49 demo: 1.2

CBS
8:00 NCAA Basketball Tournament
Viewers: 5.5 million, 18-49 demo: 1.7

NBC
8:00 Dateline: The Real Blacklist
Viewers: 6.5 million, 18-49 demo: 1.2
9:00 The Blacklist
Viewers: 8.6 million, 18-49 demo: 1.8
10:00 The Slap
Viewers: 3.2 million, 18-49 demo: 0.7

FOX
8:00 American Idol
Viewers: 8.5 million, 18-49 demo: 1.8

On Thursday night, CBS had basketball which was well below its normal numbers, but up from last year's tournament. It doesn't do the numbers it used to since there are games on several networks. NBC had a pretty steady night. After a strong Dateline special, The Blacklist was up 1.1 million viewers and a tenth in the demo while The Slap was up half a million viewers and a tenth in the demo. Over on ABC, Grey's Anatomy started things off up three tenths in viewers and even in the demo. Scandal has been on a troubling trend lately. It fell four tenths in viewers and three tenths in the demo. It has come down nearly a full demo point in three episodes and posted its worst numbers since December 13, 2012. It seems to be really suffering without How to Get Away with Murder, which is odd since it seemed to be the driving force of the TGIT night. American Crime continued to slip. It was down three tenths in viewers and two tenths in the demo to a weak 1.2. Finally on FOX, American Idol was up two tenths in viewers and even in the demo.

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

RATINGS RECAP: 3/18/15

ABC
8:00 The Middle (Repeat)
Viewers: 5.1 million, 18-49 demo: 1.2
8:30 The Goldbergs (Repeat)
Viewers: 4.5 million, 18-49 demo: 1.3
9:00 Modern Family (Repeat)
Viewers: 5.5 million, 18-49 demo: 1.5
9:30 Black-ish (Repeat)
Viewers: 4.4 million, 18-49 demo: 1.3
10:00 20/20: The Untold Story of The Sound of Music
Viewers: 7.3 million, 18-49 demo: 1.4

CBS
8:00 Survivor
Viewers: 9.6 million, 18-49 demo: 2.3
10:00 CSI: Cyber
Viewers: 8.0 million, 18-49 demo: 1.4

NBC
8:00 The Mysteries of Laura (Repeat)
Viewers: 4.4 million, 18-49 demo: 0.6
9:00 Law & Order: SVU (Repeat)
Viewers: 4.8 million, 18-49 demo: 0.8
10:00 Chicago PD (Repeat)
Viewers: 4.3 million, 18-49 demo: 0.9

FOX
8:00 Empire
Viewers: 15.8 million, 18-49 demo: 6.1
9:00 Empire
Viewers: 17.6 million, 18-49 demo: 6.9

The phenomenon that was Empire's first season came to an end on Wednesday night with one final night of unbelievable growth. The 8pm episode was strong and then the 9pm episode was up a whopping 2.7 million viewers and 1.1 demo points. Remember when its premiere was considered a huge success with 9.9 million viewers and a 3.8 demo? Well, it's season finale just got 17.6 million viewers and a 6.9 demo. This is, without question, the biggest show to hit broadcast TV in years... maybe since the 2004 explosion of Lost and Desperate Housewives in ABC when you consider it compared to the rest of the TV landscape. The question now is, will it be able to sustain itself in season two and how will FOX schedule it? Regardless of what happens, this show has single-handedly saved FOX from a disastrous season. On CBS, a two hour episode of Survivor performed well despite the Empire competition. It was up three tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo from last week's one hour episode. The news was not as good at 10pm where CSI: Cyber fell 1.7 million viewers and three tenths in the demo. It had a better lead-in and limited competition, so this was very disappointing. An ABC 20/20 special on The Sound of Music made some noise in the total viewer count at 10pm. It skewed old but tied CSI: Cyber for a demo win in the hour.

WINNER OF THE NIGHT: Empire (FOX)
LOSER OF THE NIGHT: CSI: Cyber (CBS)

RATINGS RECAP: 3/17/15

ABC
8:00 Fresh Off the Boat (Repeat)
Viewers: 3.8 million, 18-49 demo: 1.0
8:30 Repeat After Me (Repeat)
Viewers: 2.5 million, 18-49 demo: 0.7
9:00 Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Viewers: 4.3 million, 18-49 demo: 1.6
10:00 Forever (Repeat)
Viewers: 2.8 million, 18-49 demo: 0.7

CBS
8:00 NCIS (Repeat)
Viewers: 10.0 million, 18-49 demo: 1.1
9:00 NCIS: New Orleans (Repeat)
Viewers: 9.5 million, 18-49 demo: 1.1
10:00 Person of Interest (Repeat)
Viewers: 5.7 million, 18-49 demo: 0.9

NBC
8:00 The Voice
Viewers: 12.8 million, 18-49 demo: 3.2
9:00 Undateable
Viewers: 6.4 million, 18-49 demo: 1.9
9:30 One Big Happy
Viewers: 5.5 million, 18-49 demo: 1.6
10:00 Chicago Fire
Viewers: 7.0 million, 18-49 demo: 1.6

FOX
8:00 Hell's Kitchen
Viewers: 3.8 million, 18-49 demo: 1.3
9:00 New Girl (Repeat)
Viewers: 1.6 million, 18-49 demo: 0.6
9:30 The Mindy Project
Viewers: 2.0 million, 18-49 demo: 0.9

On St. Patrick's Day, NBC premiered its new comedy block after The Voice. First at 8pm, The Voice was down nine tenths in viewers and six tenths in the demo from last week's two hour edition. Then at 9pm, a new multi-camera sitcom block premiered. Undateable hit a series high at 9pm and did an OK 1.9 demo. It was weaker than Marry Me's premiere in the fall but solid considering how the other summer series, The Night Shift, is doing after The Voice on Mondays. At 9:30pm, the series premiere of One Big Happy was modest at best. It wasn't a colossal flop but not very promising. At 10pm, Chicago Fire came crashing back without the lead-in from The Voice. It was down 1.6 million viewers and half a demo point. This doesn't bode well for the rest of its season as it should have done better with no competition. Over on ABC, only Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. was new and it was up half a million viewers and a tenth in the demo. Finally on FOX, Hell's Kitchen was up three tenths in viewers and even in the demo while The Mindy Project was up two tenths in viewers and even in the demo.

WINNER OF THE NIGHT: Undateable (NBC)
LOSER OF THE NIGHT: Chicago Fire (NBC)

RENEWAL ALERT: Sleepy Hollow

FOX announced today that it has renewed Sleepy Hollow for an 18 episode third season. The show was a fresh, out of the gate hit in its first year (which was only a 13 episode fall season). It got an early renewal for season two, but hit a wall in the ratings this year (as well as creatively from what I hear). FOX was non-committal about the show in its winter TCA press tour which led me to think its chances were diminishing. But they got a new showrunner in Clifton Campbell and will try again. I think this is an irreversible decline, but I guess we'll see.

Sleepy Hollow joins Bob's Burgers, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Empire, Gotham, and Masterchef Junior as renewals for next year. Sure to join them are American Idol, The Simpsons, Family Guy, and New Girl. I'd say it's a pretty good bet that Bones, Hell's Kitchen, The Mindy Project, maybe World's Funniest Fails, and probably The Last Man on Earth join that list, while it's looking dicey for The Following and not looking good for Backstrom.

PILOT REVIEW: One Big Happy

ONE BIG HAPPY

Starring: Elisha Cuthbert, Nick Zano, Kelly Brook, Rebecca Corry, Chris Williams, Brandon Smith

Created by Liz Feldman
Written by Liz Feldman, Directed by Scott Ellis

THE PREMISE: One Big Happy is a new multi-camera sitcom on NBC with a new twist on the family sitcom but a traditional approach. Uptight Lizzy (Elisha Cuthbert) is a lesbian who is trying to get pregnant and raise a baby with her straight best friend, the laid-back Luke (Nick Zano). This plan is thrown for a curve when Luke falls in love with and marries a free spirited British girl, Prudence (Kelly Brook). It's a little bit Will & Grace meets The Odd Couple meets Three's Company.

THE GOOD: The three leads are likable enough and the chemistry between Zano and Cuthbert improved as the episode went on. On the surface, this is a premise that has a lot of stories to tell and it's an interesting spin on a common type of sitcom.

THE BAD: The problem is it doesn't bring anything new to the table in terms of quality. It joins the long line of lame multi-camera sitcoms and that continues to make me sad. It seems like a show feels like "broad" means stupid and that's too bad because the well-written multi-camera sitcoms are few and far-between. There were way too many obvious jokes and punchlines in this one and everyone was trying too hard. I'm all for giving casts time to gel together, especially in this format, but if the writing isn't there, that's going to be a problem. I also found Kelly Brook's character pretty grating early on although she got a little better as the episode went on. The supporting cast was instantly forgettable and could have been plugged into any sitcom.

BOTTOM LINE: When this show inevitably fails, people will lament the fact another NBC sitcom can't find an audience. But the problem has been bad shows - from their Thursday newbies last year to this one, NBC has had horrible sitcoms in recent years. Only About a Boy was watchable. The problem is not the genre or the type of sitcom. They need to find better written sitcoms that can appeal to the masses. Mom on CBS is a good recent example. This is not.

RATINGS RECAP: 3/16/15

ABC
8:00 Dancing with the Stars
Viewers: 14.2 million, 18-49 demo: 2.1
10:00 Castle
Viewers: 8.9 million, 18-49 demo: 1.5

CBS
8:00 The Big Bang Theory (Repeat)
Viewers: 8.4 million, 18-49 demo: 1.7
8:30 Mike & Molly
Viewers: 8.6 million, 18-49 demo: 2.0
9:00 Scorpion (Repeat)
Viewers: 6.5 million, 18-49 demo: 1.3
10:00 NCIS: Los Angeles (Repeat)
Viewers: 6.2 million, 18-49 demo: 1.1

NBC
8:00 The Voice
Viewers: 12.6 million, 18-49 demo: 3.4
10:00 The Night Shift
Viewers: 5.4 million, 18-49 demo: 1.3

FOX
8:00 Gotham (Repeat)
Viewers: 2.4 million, 18-49 demo: 0.6
9:00 The Following
Viewers: 3.5 million, 18-49 demo: 1.1

Monday night had the return of Dancing with the Stars on ABC. Though the total viewer count was strong, the demo was the lowest ever for the premiere. This show is still a force but it's skewing older than ever. At 10pm, Castle was up 1.3 million viewers and down a tenth in the demo. Like its lead-in, it skewed much older. Dancing took a bite out of The Voice. It was down 1.4 million viewers and four tenths in the demo. The Night Shift followed on NBC and was down a tenth in viewers and even in the demo. On CBS, Mike & Molly was surrounded by repeats but it was down two tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo. Finally on FOX, The Following was dead even with last week's weak performance.

WINNER OF THE NIGHT: Mike & Molly (CBS)
LOSER OF THE NIGHT: The Following (FOX)

WEEKLY RECAP: March 9-15, 2015

Here's my weekly recap for Week #25. 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) - 5.8    10th week
2. The Big Bang Theory (CBS, Thursday 8:00pm) - 4.4    17th week
3. The Voice (NBC, Monday 8:00pm) - 3.8    16th week
    The Voice (NBC, Tuesday 8:00pm) - 3.8    15th week
5. The Bachelor (ABC, Monday 8:00pm) - 2.8    7th week
6. Scandal (ABC, Thursday 10:00pm) - 2.7    15th week
7. The Odd Couple (CBS, Thursday 8:30pm) - 2.5    4th week
8. American Idol (FOX, Wednesday 8:00pm) - 2.4    9th week
9. NCIS (CBS, Tuesday 8:00pm) - 2.2    13th week
    Survivor (CBS, Wednesday 8:00pm) - 2.2    7th week
    Mom (CBS, Thursday 9:30pm) - 2.2    12th week

TOP 10 SHOWS (TOTAL VIEWERS)
1. NCIS (CBS, Tuesday 8:00pm) - 16.2 million    17th week
2. The Big Bang Theory (CBS, Thursday 8:00pm) - 16.1 million    17th week
3. Empire (FOX, Wednesday 9:00pm) - 14.9 million    10th week
4. The Voice (NBC, Monday 8:00pm) - 14.0 million    16th week
5. The Voice (NBC, Tuesday 8:00pm) - 13.7 million    13th week
6. NCIS: New Orleans (CBS, Tuesday 9:00pm) - 12.6 million    17th week
7. 60 Minutes (CBS, Sunday 7:00pm) - 11.5 million    15th week
8. Madam Secretary (CBS, Sunday 8:00pm) - 11.3 million    14th week
9. Blue Bloods (CBS, Friday 10:00pm) - 11.1 million    14th week
10. NCIS: Los Angeles (CBS, Monday 10:00pm) - 10.7 million    12th week

BOTTOM 10 SHOWS (18-49 DEMO)
1. The Slap (NBC, Thursday 10:00pm) - 0.6    5th week
2. Glee (FOX, Friday 9:00pm) - 0.7    10th week
3. World's Funniest Fails (FOX, Friday 8:00pm) - 0.8    8th week
4. The Mindy Project (FOX, Tuesday 9:30pm) - 0.9    13th week
    Cristela (ABC, Friday 8:30pm) - 0.9    12th week
    Battle Creek (CBS, Sunday 10:00pm) - 0.9    3rd week
7. The Good Wife (CBS, Sunday 9:00pm) - 1.0    4th week
    Bob's Burgers (FOX, Sunday 7:30pm) - 1.0    5th week
9. The Following (FOX, Monday 9:00pm) - 1.1    1st week
    Repeat After Me (ABC, Tuesday 8:30pm) - 1.1    1st week
    20/20 (ABC, Friday 10:00pm) - 1.1    6th week
    Revenge (ABC, Sunday 10:00pm) - 1.1    9th week

BOTTOM 10 SHOWS (TOTAL VIEWERS)
1. The Mindy Project (FOX, Tuesday 9:30pm) - 1.8 million    18th week
2. Glee (FOX, Friday 9:00pm) - 2.0 million    10th week
3. Bob's Burgers (FOX, Sunday 7:30pm) - 2.2 million    13th week
4. The Slap (NBC, Thursday 10:00pm) - 2.7 million    3rd week
    World's Funniest Fails (FOX, Friday 8:00pm) - 2.7 million    9th week
6. Brooklyn Nine-Nine (FOX, Sunday 8:30pm) - 3.0 million    11th week
7. The Following (FOX, Monday 9:00pm) - 3.5 million    1st week
    Repeat After Me (ABC, Tuesday 8:30pm) - 3.5 million    2nd week
    Hell's Kitchen (FOX, Tuesday 8:00pm) - 3.5 million    10th week
    The Simpsons (FOX, Sunday 8:00pm) - 3.5 million    7th week

WINNERS OF THE NIGHT
Monday - The Bachelor (ABC)    4th week
Tuesday - Chicago Fire (NBC)    5th week
Wednesday - Empire (FOX)    9th week
Thursday - Elementary (CBS)    1st week
Friday - Blue Bloods (CBS)    3rd week
Sunday - Madam Secretary (CBS)    4th week

LOSERS OF THE NIGHT
Monday - The Following (FOX)    2nd week
Tuesday - NCIS: New Orleans (CBS)    2nd week
Wednesday - CSI: Cyber (CBS)    1st week
Thursday - American Crime (ABC)    1st week
Friday - Cristela (ABC)    5th week
Sunday - The Last Man on Earth (FOX)    1st week

TOP 5 EPISODES OF THE WEEK
1. Blue Bloods #107 "Bad Company"    12th week
2. Scandal #62 "The Testimony of Diego Munoz"    9th week
3. Criminal Minds #227 "Breath Play"    4th week
4. The Night Shift #11 "Eyes Look at Your Last"    2nd week
5. Fresh Off the Boat #8 "Phillip Goldstein"    3rd week

RATINGS RECAP: 3/15/15

ABC
7:00 America's Funniest Home Videos
Viewers: 6.0 million, 18-49 demo: 1.3
8:00 Once Upon a Time
Viewers: 5.9 million, 18-49 demo: 1.8
9:00 Secrets and Lies
Viewers: 5.5 million, 18-49 demo: 1.4
10:00 Revenge
Viewers: 4.8 million, 18-49 demo: 1.1

CBS
7:00 60 Minutes
Viewers: 11.5 million, 18-49 demo: 1.5
8:00 Madam Secretary
Viewers: 11.3 million, 18-49 demo: 1.2
9:00 The Good Wife
Viewers: 8.9 million, 18-49 demo: 1.0
10:00 Battle Creek
Viewers: 6.8 million, 18-49 demo: 0.9

NBC
7:00 The Voice (Repeat)
Viewers: 3.4 million, 18-49 demo: 0.8
9:00 Dateline NBC: Escape
Viewers: 5.1 million, 18-49 demo: 0.9

FOX
7:00 The Simpsons (Repeat)
Viewers: 2.2 million, 18-49 demo: 0.7
7:30 Bob's Burgers
Viewers: 2.2 million, 18-49 demo: 1.0
8:00 The Simpsons
Viewers: 3.6 million, 18-49 demo: 1.5
8:30 Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Viewers: 3.0 million, 18-49 demo: 1.4
9:00 Family Guy
Viewers: 3.5 million, 18-49 demo: 1.7
9:30 The Last Man on Earth
Viewers: 3.8 million, 18-49 demo: 1.6

It was a quiet Sunday as nothing topped a 1.8 in the demo. On ABC, America's Funniest Home Videos started things off down six tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo. Not bad for a 7pm show in Daylight Savings. At 8pm, Once Upon a Time had that 1.8 demo, but it was down a rough eight tenths in viewers and three tenths in the demo. At 9pm, week three of Secrets and Lies was down half a million viewers and even in the demo. Though the overall numbers are pretty weak, this has held up better than I thought it would. At 10pm, Revenge was down a tenth in viewers and even in the demo. Over on CBS, 60 Minutes started things up a million viewers and half a demo point. Madam Secretary also experienced a bit of a rebound as it was up half a million viewers and a tenth in the demo. The Good Wife was down two tenths in viewers and even in the demo while Battle Creek was down a tenth in viewers and up a tenth in the demo.

Everything was down on FOX. At 7:30pm, Bob's Burgers was down two tenths in viewers and two tenths in the demo. So far, it's still holding up a little better than it did last year in its 7:30pm airings. At 8pm, The Simpsons was down two tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo while Brooklyn Nine-Nine was down a tenth in viewers and the demo. At 9pm, Family Guy took a tumble. It was down half a million viewers and four tenths in the demo. It's looking less and less promising by the week for the new The Last Man on Earth. It fell another six tenths in viewers and three tenths in the demo. It's now lost nearly a full demo point since it's surprising premiere numbers two weeks ago and that doesn't bode well. It'll have to stabilize fast and these types of drops make me think it's not done yet.

WINNER OF THE NIGHT: Madam Secretary (CBS)
LOSER OF THE NIGHT: The Last Man on Earth (FOX)

RATINGS RECAP: 3/14/15

ABC
8:00 20/20
Viewers: 3.2 million, 18-49 demo: 0.6
9:00 In an Instant
Viewers: 3.6 million, 18-49 demo: 0.6

CBS
8:00 NCIS: Los Angeles (Repeat)
Viewers: 3.5 million, 18-49 demo: 0.6
9:00 48 Hours (Repeat)
Viewers: 3.7 million, 18-49 demo: 0.7
10:00 48 Hours
Viewers: 5.0 million, 18-49 demo: 0.9

NBC
8:00 Dateline NBC
Viewers: 4.4 million, 18-49 demo: 0.8
10:00 Saturday Night Live (Repeat)
Viewers: 3.1 million, 18-49 demo: 0.8

FOX
8:00 Brooklyn Nine-Nine (Repeat)
Viewers: 1.1 million, 18-49 demo: 0.3
8:30 The Last Man on Earth (Repeat)
Viewers: 1.2 million, 18-49 demo: 0.3
9:00 Sleepy Hollow (Repeat)
Viewers: 1.0 million, 18-49 demo: 0.3

RATINGS RECAP: 3/13/15

ABC
8:00 Last Man Standing
Viewers: 6.9 million, 18-49 demo: 1.2
8:30 Cristela
Viewers: 5.0 million, 18-49 demo: 0.9
9:00 Shark Tank
Viewers: 7.2 million, 18-49 demo: 1.8
10:00 20/20
Viewers: 4.9 million, 18-49 demo: 1.1

CBS
8:00 The Amazing Race
Viewers: 6.3 million, 18-49 demo: 1.3
9:00 Hawaii Five-0
Viewers: 9.4 million, 18-49 demo: 1.2
10:00 Blue Bloods
Viewers: 11.1 million, 18-49 demo: 1.4

NBC
8:00 Grimm (Repeat)
Viewers: 2.5 million, 18-49 demo: 0.5
9:00 Dateline NBC
Viewers: 5.6 million, 18-49 demo: 1.2

FOX
8:00 World's Funniest Fails
Viewers: 2.7 million, 18-49 demo: 0.8
9:00 Glee
Viewers: 2.0 million, 18-49 demo: 0.7

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

RATINGS RECAP: 3/12/15

ABC
8:00 Grey's Anatomy
Viewers: 7.4 million, 18-49 demo: 2.1
9:00 Scandal
Viewers: 8.2 million, 18-49 demo: 2.7
10:00 American Crime
Viewers: 5.8 million, 18-49 demo: 1.4

CBS
8:00 The Big Bang Theory
Viewers: 16.1 million, 18-49 demo: 4.4
8:30 The Odd Couple
Viewers: 10.2 million, 18-49 demo: 2.5
9:00 The Big Bang Theory (Repeat)
Viewers: 9.4 million, 18-49 demo: 2.2
9:30 Mom
Viewers: 9.1 million, 18-49 demo: 2.2
10:00 Elementary
Viewers: 7.6 million, 18-49 demo: 1.4

NBC
8:00 Dateline NBC: The Real Blacklist
Viewers: 4.5 million, 18-49 demo: 0.9
9:00 The Blacklist
Viewers: 7.5 million, 18-49 demo: 1.7
10:00 The Slap
Viewers: 2.7 million, 18-49 demo: 0.6

FOX
8:00 American Idol
Viewers: 8.3 million, 18-49 demo: 1.8

It was a bit of a bloodbath on Thursday night with nearly every show taking heavy drops and many seeing or tying series lows. On ABC, Grey's Anatomy started things out down seven tenths in viewers and three tenths in the demo for a series low. Scandal was down 1.4 million viewers and three tenths in the demo for a season low. But the worst news for ABC came at 10pm as week two of American Crime tumbled 2.6 million viewers and six tenths in the demo. This was a devastating drop from a weak premiere, it's hard to imagine this show lasting beyond a season despite critical acclaim with that kind of rejection. On CBS, The Big Bang Theory was down 2.1 million viewers and four tenths in the demo while The Odd Couple was down a worse 2.2 million viewers and half a demo point. It's interesting how Daylight Savings seems to just kill certain shows while others don't feel much of an effect. At 9:30pm, Mom was up six tenths in viewers and even in the demo. Elementary was the only show of the night to rise week to week as it maybe got some of American Crime's audience back. It was down a tenth in viewers but up a tenth in the demo.

NBC shuffled its lineup after cancelling Allegiance. A Dateline special was an ever-so-slight improvement from what The Slap was doing at 8pm while The Slap was actually worse at 10pm than Allegiance had been. So basically, not much different for NBC. In-between, The Blacklist was down seven tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo. I actually think The Blacklist has been quite impressive here because it's literally having to do these numbers with no help. FOX had an alarming performance from American Idol as a two hour episode was down 1.1 million viewers and four tenths in the demo from last week. It would have been even worse if it had just aired in the 8pm hour. This is not a good sign of things to come this spring for Idol.

WINNER OF THE NIGHT: Elementary (CBS)
LOSER OF THE NIGHT: American Crime (ABC)

RATINGS RECAP: 3/11/15

ABC
8:00 The Goldbergs (Repeat)
Viewers: 4.6 million, 18-49 demo: 1.2
8:30 The Goldbergs (Repeat)
Viewers: 4.3 million, 18-49 demo: 1.2
9:00 Modern Family (Repeat)
Viewers: 5.2 million, 18-49 demo: 1.5
9:30 Black-ish: Bloop-ish
Viewers: 4.6 million, 18-49 demo: 1.5
10:00 American Crime (Repeat)
Viewers: 2.6 million, 18-49 demo: 0.6

CBS
8:00 Survivor
Viewers: 9.3 million, 18-49 demo: 2.2
9:00 Criminal Minds
Viewers: 10.3 million, 18-49 demo: 2.1
10:00 CSI: Cyber
Viewers: 9.7 million, 18-49 demo: 1.7

NBC
8:00 The Mysteries of Laura (Repeat)
Viewers: 4.8 million, 18-49 demo: 0.8
9:00 Law & Order: SVU (Repeat)
Viewers: 3.7 million, 18-49 demo: 0.7
10:00 Chicago PD (Repeat)
Viewers: 4.8 million, 18-49 demo: 0.9

FOX
8:00 American Idol
Viewers: 9.7 million, 18-49 demo: 2.4
9:00 Empire
Viewers: 14.9 million, 18-49 demo: 5.8

Wednesday night had new episodes on CBS and FOX only. On CBS, Survivor started things off down half a million viewers and a tenth in the demo. At 9pm, Criminal Minds was down a tenth in viewers but up two tenths in the demo after a couple rough weeks. At 10pm, week two of CSI: Cyber was down eight tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo. While that's a good hold from the premiere, the competition was light and the lead-in was up so I'm not overly impressed. On FOX, American Idol was up eight tenths in viewers and three tenths in the demo. For the first time, Empire didn't rise in the demo. But it stayed exactly where it was at a mammoth 5.8. It also rose six tenths in viewers for another series high. The two hour season finale is next week and it could easily hit a 6.0 demo.

WINNER OF THE NIGHT: Empire (FOX)
LOSER OF THE NIGHT: CSI: Cyber (CBS)

RENEWAL ALERT: 2 Broke Girls

In addition to the Mom & Mike & Molly pickups by CBS posted the other day, they also announced that 2 Broke Girls has been renewed for a fifth season next fall. Although it never became the huge show that CBS hoped it might be during its breakout first season, it is a solid lead-off on Monday nights.

RENEWAL ALERT: Mom, Mike & Molly

CBS renewed two successful comedies for another season: Mom for a third season and Mike & Molly for a sixth season.

After initially being planned for a second season on Mondays, Mom got an upgrade in September to the post-Big Bang slot on Thursday. It did quite well there and is up nicely year to year. It recently moved to 9:30pm, but has held up well there. It's been a true success story in its second season. Mike & Molly has become to go-to rescue show. Last year, it replaced the quickly cancelled We Are Men to stabilize Monday nights. This year, it replaced the quickly cancelled second season of The Millers and has once again stabilized Monday nights. It seems under-appreciated by CBS but this is a vote of confidence for the veteran utility player.

Mike & Molly joins Madam Secretary, NCIS: New Orleans, Scorpion, and The Big Bang Theory as earl renewals. Sure to join them are 2 Broke Girls, Blue Bloods, Criminal Minds, Hawaii Five-0, NCIS, NCIS: Los Angeles, Person of Interest, Survivor, and Undercover Boss. It looks pretty good for The Odd Couple, The Good Wife, Elementary, and probably The Amazing Race. It's not looking so good for CSI (unless it gets a shortened final season), Stalker, and CSI: Cyber while Battle Creek and The McCarthys are as good as gone.