Benjamonster's TV

ABC 8:00 Grey's Anatomy Viewers: 8.4 million, 18-49 demo: 2.4 9:00 Notorious Viewers: 4.5 million, 18-49 demo: 1.1 10:00 How to Get Away with Murder Viewers: 4.3 million, 18-49 demo: 1.3 CBS 8:00 The Big Bang Theory (Repeat) Viewers: 6.5 million, 18-49 demo: 1.3 8:30 Kevin Can Wait (Repeat) Viewers: 4.9 million, 18-49 demo: 1.1 9:00 The Big Bang Theory (Repeat) Viewers: 5.4 million, 18-49 demo: 1.3 9:30 Kevin Can Wait (Repeat) Viewers: 4.3 million, 18-49 demo: 1.1 10:00 Bull (Repeat) Viewers: 3.9 million, 18-49 demo: 0.8 NBC 8:00 Superstore Viewers: 4.4 million, 18-49 demo: 1.3 8:30 The Good Place Viewers: 4.5 million, 18-49 demo: 1.3 9:00 Chicago Med Viewers: 6.8 million, 18-49 demo: 1.3 10:00 The Blacklist Viewers: 6.0 million, 18-49 demo: 1.1 FOX 8:00 Rosewood Viewers: 3.6 million, 18-49 demo: 0.8 9:00 Pitch Viewers: 3.7 million, 18-49 demo: 1.0 CW 8:00 The Flash (Repeat) Viewers: 1.2 million, 18-49 demo: 0.3 9:00 Supernatural (Repeat) View...

ABC handed out full seasons to their successful new Wednesday freshmen: comedy Speechless and Designated Survivor . Both had solid debuts last week. Speechless had a very solid week two hold while Designated Survivor held up OK in week two and had a major DVR lift for its premiere episode. Wednesdays is working best for ABC right now with unknown quantities coming up on Mondays ( Conviction ) and Tuesdays (comedy lineup). a major weakness on Thursdays ( Notorious ) and all around weakness on Fridays and Sundays.

ABC 8:00 The Goldbergs Viewers: 6.6 million, 18-49 demo: 1.9 8:30 Speechless Viewers: 6.4 million, 18-49 demo: 1.8 9:00 Modern Family Viewers: 7.4 million, 18-49 demo: 2.3 9:30 Black-ish Viewers: 5.6 million, 18-49 demo: 1.6 10:00 Designated Survivor Viewers: 8.0 million, 18-49 demo: 1.8 CBS 8:00 Survivor Viewers: 9.2 million, 18-49 demo: 2.1 9:00 Criminal Minds Viewers: 8.9 million, 18-49 demo: 1.9 10:00 Code Black Viewers: 6.4 million, 18-49 demo: 1.2 NBC 8:00 Blindspot Viewers: 5.6 million, 18-49 demo: 1.3 9:00 Law & Order: SVU Viewers: 6.1 million, 18-49 demo: 1.6 10:00 Chicago PD Viewers: 6.1 million, 18-49 demo: 1.5 FOX 8:00 Lethal Weapon Viewers: 7.2 million, 18-49 demo: 2.0 9:00 Empire Viewers: 9.7 million, 18-49 demo: 3.7 CW 8:00 Penn & Teller: Fool Us (Repeat) Viewers: 1.3 million, 18-49 demo: 0.3 9:00 Whose Line is it Anyway? Viewers: 1.2 million, 18-49 demo: 0.4 9:30 Whose Line is it Anyway? (Repe...

ABC 8:00 Dancing with the Stars Results Viewers: 8.1 million, 18-49 demo: 1.3 10:00 Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Viewers: 3.0 million, 18-49 demo: 0.9 CBS 8:00 NCIS Viewers: 15.5 million, 18-49 demo: 2.1 9:00 Bull Viewers: 13.6 million, 18-49 demo: 1.9 10:00 NCIS: New Orleans Viewers: 10.8 million, 18-49 demo: 1.5 NBC 8:00 The Voice Viewers: 12.1 million, 18-49 demo: 3.3 10:00 This is Us Viewers: 8.8 million, 18-49 demo: 2.6 FOX 8:00 Brooklyn Nine-Nine Viewers: 2.3 million, 18-49 demo: 1.0 8:30 New Girl Viewers: 2.0 million, 18-49 demo: 1.0 9:00 Scream Queens Viewers: 1.7 million, 18-49 demo: 0.7 CW 8:00 The Flash (Repeat) Viewers: 0.8 million, 18-49 demo: 0.3 9:00 MADtv  Viewers: 0.6 million, 18-49 demo: 0.2 On Tuesday night, NBC had good news for its new freshman drama This is Us . First up though, The Voice had a great second Tuesday, dropping just two tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo from last Tuesday. Then at 10pm, week two of Th...

We're barely a week into the season and NBC has already handed out a full season to one of their freshman, This is Us . The show got a five episode add-on for a total of 18 episodes. That is often a kiss of death to not get the full 22 episodes, but this was a request by the creator, Dan Fogelman, not the network as the show is envisioned as a shorter episode run each season. This is Us is a candidate for a breakout hit, premiering to 10.1 million viewers and a 2.8 demo. When 3 day DVR was added, it went all the way up to 13.5 million viewers and a 4.2 demo. The demo is tops for any new show. Episode two airs tonight at 10pm and then it moves to 9pm starting October 11.

ABC 8:00 Dancing with the Stars Viewers: 10.8 million, 18-49 demo: 1.8 9:00 ABC News: Presidential Debate N/A 10:39 ABC News: Debate Analysis Viewers: 9.0 million, 18-49 demo: 2.2 CBS 8:00 The Big Bang Theory Viewers: 14.2 million, 18-49 demo: 3.6 8:30 Kevin Can Wait Viewers: 10.6 million, 18-49 demo: 2.7 9:00 CBS News: Presidential Debate N/A 10:39 CBS News: Debate Analysis Viewers; 8.2 million, 18-49 demo: 2.1 NBC 8:00 The Voice Viewers: 11.7 million, 18-49 demo: 3.2 9:00 NBC News: Presidential Debate N/A 10:39 NBC News: Debate Analysis Viewers: 12.8 million, 18-49 demo: 4.0 FOX 8:00 Gotham Viewers: 3.5 million, 18-49 demo: 1.2 9:00 FOX News: Presidential Debate N/A CW 8:00 Supergirl (Repeat) Viewers: 1.0 million, 18-49 demo: 0.2 9:00 Supergirl (Repeat) Viewers: 1.1 million, 18-49 demo: 0.3 On a night where over 80 million people tuned into the Presidential debates on multiple networks, it was only the 8pm hour that was worth noting for entertain...

As I have done the last two years, this will recap the week that was. It won't appear until Tuesday nights when the Sunday final ratings come in. Everything has been reset as far as number of weeks on each chart. Please note these will only cover regularly scheduled shows - not sports, not specials, not repeats, and not Saturday shows (too many burn-offs/oddities). I will also not be including CW at least for this year so the comparisons to past years are more accurate. I will include them if they are winners/losers for the week or in my favorite episodes. Previous Week 1s:  2015     2014 TOP 10 SHOWS (18-49 DEMO) 1. Empire (FOX, Wednesday 9:00pm) - 4.2 2.  The Big Bang Theory (CBS, Monday 8:00pm) - 3.8 3. The Voice (NBC, Tuesday 8:00pm) - 3.4 4. The Voice (NBC, Monday 8:00pm) - 3.3 5. This is Us (NBC, Monday 10:00pm) - 2.8 6. Kevin Can Wait (CBS, Monday 8:30pm) - 2.6     Modern Family (ABC, Wednesday 9:00pm) - 2.6     60 Minutes (CB...

ABC 7:00 Once Upon a Time: Evil Reigns Once More Viewers: 2.9 million, 18-49 demo: 0.6 8:00 Once Upon a Time Viewers: 4.0 million, 18-49 demo: 1.3 9:00 Secrets and Lies Viewers: 4.1 million, 18-49 demo: 1.0 10:00 Quantico Viewers: 3.6 million, 18-49 demo: 1.0 CBS 7:00 NFL Overrun Viewers: 17.7 million, 18-49 demo: 5.3 7:51 60 Minutes Viewers: 14.4 million, 18-49 demo: 2.6 8:51 NCIS: Los Angeles Viewers: 10.3 million, 18-49 demo: 1.5 10:51 MacGyver (Repeat) Viewers: 5.4 million, 18-49 demo: 1.0 NBC 7:00 Football Night in America Viewers: 8.8 million, 18-49 demo: 3.1 8:22 Sunday Night Football Viewers: 20.6 million, 18-49 demo: 7.6 FOX 7:00 Family Guy (Repeat) Viewers: 2.0 million, 18-49 demo: 0.8 7:30 Bob's Burgers Viewers: 2.6 million, 18-49 demo: 1.1 8:00 The Simpsons Viewers: 3.4 million, 18-49 demo: 1.4 8:30 Son of Zorn Viewers: 2.7 million, 18-49 demo: 1.1 9:00 Family Guy Viewers: 2.8 million, 18-49 demo: 1.3 9:30 The Last Man on Earth Viewer...

ABC 8:00 Last Man Standing Viewers: 6.0 million, 18-49 demo: 1.1 8:30 Dr. Ken Viewers: 4.0 million, 18-49 demo: 0.9 9:00 Shark Tank Viewers: 5.0 million, 18-49 demo: 1.1 10:00 20/20 Viewers: 3.4 million, 18-49 demo: 0.7 CBS 8:00 MacGyver Viewers: 10.9 million, 18-49 demo: 1.7 9:00 Hawaii Five-0 Viewers: 10.2 million, 18-49 demo: 1.4 10:00 Blue Bloods Viewers: 10.6 million, 18-49 demo: 1.3 NBC 8:00 Superstore (Repeat) Viewers: 2.4 million, 18-49 demo: 0.6 8:30 The Good Place (Repeat) Viewers: 2.3 million, 18-49 demo: 0.6 9:00 Dateline NBC Viewers: 4.6 million, 18-49 demo: 1.0 FOX 8:00 Hell's Kitchen Viewers: 3.4 million, 18-49 demo: 1.1 9:00 The Exorcist Viewers: 2.9 million, 18-49 demo: 1.0 CW 8:00 Masters of Illusion Viewers: 0.7 million, 18-49 demo: 0.2 8:30 Masters of Illusion (Repeat) Viewers: 0.8 million, 18-49 demo: 0.2 9:00 Penn & Teller: Fool Us (Repeat) Viewers: 1.0 million, 18-49 demo: 0.3 On Friday night, MacGyver arrived with ...

THE EXORCIST Starring: Alfonso Herrera, Ben Daniels, Hannah Kasulka, Brianne Howey, Kurt Egyiawan, with Alan Ruck, and Geena Davis Inspired by the Novel by William Peter Blatty Created by Jeremy Slater Teleplay and Television Story by Jeremy Slater, Directed by Rupert Wyatt Yes, we have another remake! FOX has an updated version of the iconic 1971 novel and 1973 film The Exorcist . The TV version is centered on a Hispanic priest, Father Thomas Ortega (Alfonso Herrera) and his dealings with people in his church like Angela and Henry Rance (Geena Davis and Alan Ruck) and their family as well as otherworldly issues like demons and the mysterious Father Marcus Keane (Ben Daniels). I will admit I have never seen any of the movies so I have nothing to compare it to (I am much more well versed in TV shows than movies) but isn't The Exorcist supposed to be scary? I mean, I'm not really a horror fan, but if I'm going to watch a show called The Exorcist , I ...

MACGYVER Starring: Lucas Till, George Eads, Sandrine Holt, Tristin Mays, Justin Hires Based on the series "MacGyver" created by Lee David Zlotoff Developed by Peter M. Lenkov Story/Teleplay by Peter M. Lenkov and Paul Downs Colaizzo, Directed by James Wan In the category of "reboots we never needed," we have MacGyver  this year. Based on the hit 1980s show that became a punchline (and popular SNL skit) over the years, CBS for some reason thought we all wanted to have a new version on TV. Maybe some do but I don't. I never watched the original so I don't have anything to compare it to but there is nothing here that's for me. It was an OK pilot for what it is, but what it is is a completely unnecessary remake. MacGyver this time is played by Lucas Till who follows up on an incident involving a virus and his girlfriend as seen in the cold open. His team includes CSI 's George Eads and House of Cards' Sandrine Holt. Rounding out...

ABC 8:00 Grey's Anatomy Viewers: 8.8 million, 18-49 demo: 2.5 9:00 Notorious Viewers: 5.4 million, 18-49 demo: 1.1 10:00 How to Get Away with Murder Viewers: 5.1 million, 18-49 demo: 1.4 CBS 8:00 Thursday Night Kickoff Viewers: 8.9 million, 18-49 demo: 2.7 8:27 Thursday Night Football Viewers: 17.6 million, 18-49 demo: 6.1 NBC 8:00 Superstore Viewers: 5.5 million, 18-49 demo: 1.5 8:30 The Good Place Viewers: 5.3 million, 18-49 demo: 1.4 9:00 Chicago Med Viewers: 7.0 million, 18-49 demo: 1.4 10:00 The Blacklist Viewers: 6.4 million, 18-49 demo: 1.3 FOX 8:00 Rosewood Viewers: 3.7 million, 18-49 demo: 0.7 9:00 Pitch Viewers: 4.2 million, 18-49 demo: 1.1 CW 8:00 The Flash (Repeat) Viewers: 0.9 million, 18-49 demo: 0.2 9:00 Supernatural (Repeat) Viewers: 0.7 million, 18-49 demo: 0.2 After three days of promising performances from newbies, it was a different story on night four of premiere week. On Monday, four shows went above a 2.0 demo followed by f...

PITCH Starring: Kylie Bunbury, Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Mark Consuelos, Mo McRae, Meagan Holder, Tim Jo, with Dan Lauria, and Ali Larter Created by Dan Fogelman and Rick Singer Written by Dan Fogelman & Rick Singer, Directed by Paris Barclay Is it too obvious to call it a home run? Or is it too soon to call Dan Fogelman, creator of both Pitch and This is Us , the MVP of the TV season? Pitch is a fantastic new drama with an intriguing premise. Pitcher Ginny Baker (Kylie Bunbury) has been called up to the San Diego Padres and becomes the first woman to play Major League Baseball. Surrounded by handlers including Amelia Slater (Ali Larter), skeptics including manager Al Luongo (Dan Lauria) and catcher/captain Mike Lawson (Mark-Paul Gosselaar), and the weight of trying to impress her father (Bill Baker), she has to navigate enormous pressure on and off the field. This was a beautiful pilot and it's very cool that the MLB gave them so much access so it really felt...

NOTORIOUS Starring: Piper Perabo, Daniel Sunjata, Kate Jennings Grant, Kevin Zegers, Aimee Teegarden, J. August Richards, Sepideh Moafi, Ryan Guzman Created by Josh Berman and Allie Hagan Written by Josh Berman & Allie Hagan, Directed by Michael Engler Is it a requirement for a show like this to have to start with a steamy love scene followed by a quick return to an intense job? Well that was the first of many, and I mean many, cliches that were used in the pilot of Notorious . The salacious (a less generous word would be trashy) drama is about the relationship between the media and the law. At the center of this back and forth is high powered newsmagazine producer Julia George (Piper Perabo) and hot-shot lawyer Jake Gregorian (Daniel Sunjata). Julia works for a Nightline -type show hosted by Louise Herrick (Kate Jennings Grant) and Jake works at a law firm with his brother, Bradley (J. August Richards). What seemed like it might be a case of the week involving t...

ABC 8:00 The Goldbergs Viewers: 6.9 million, 18-49 demo: 2.0 8:30 Speechless Viewers: 7.4 million, 18-49 demo: 2.0 9:00 Modern Family Viewers: 8.2 million, 18-49 demo: 2.6 9:30 Black-ish Viewers: 6.4 million, 18-49 demo: 2.0 10:00 Designated Survivor Viewers: 10.0 million, 18-49 demo: 2.2 CBS 8:00 Survivor Viewers: 9.5 million, 18-49 demo: 2.3 9:30 Big Brother Viewers: 6.3 million, 18-49 demo: 2.0 NBC 8:00 Blindspot Viewers: 6.1 million, 18-49 demo: 1.3 9:00 Law & Order: SVU Viewers: 7.8 million, 18-49 demo: 1.8 10:00 Chicago PD Viewers: 6.9 million, 18-49 demo: 1.6 FOX 8:00 Lethal Weapon Viewers: 7.9 million, 18-49 demo: 2.2 9:00 Empire Viewers: 10.9 million, 18-49 demo: 4.2 CW 8:00 Penn & Tell: Fool Us (Repeat) Viewers: 1.2 million, 18-49 demo: 0.3 9:00 Whose Line is it Anyway? Viewers: 1.1 million, 18-49 demo: 0.3 9:30 Whose Line is it Anyway? (Repeat) Viewers: 1.2 million, 18-49 demo: 0.4 Premiere week continued with another positive...

DESIGNATED SURVIVOR Starring: Kiefer Sutherland, Natascha McElhone, Adan Canto, Italia Ricci, LaMonica Garrett, Tanner Buchanan, with Kal Penn, and Maggie Q Created by David Guggenheim Written by David Guggenheim, Directed by Paul McGuigan One of my favorite moments in The West Wing is when President Bartlett talks to a low level cabinet member about his role as the "designated survivor" during the State of the Union address, educating both him and us. That was the first I had ever heard of such a thing and I thought it was very interesting. I wish I had been the one to think of making it into a TV show but props to David Guggenheim for creating one of the most original new shows of the fall season. Designated Survivor has an incredibly gripping premise: the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Tom Kirkman (Kiefer Sutherland) suddenly becomes president when a devastating attack kills the President and the rest of the federal government. The pilot is ...

SPEECHLESS Starring: Minnie Driver, John Ross Bowie, Cedric Yarbrough, Mason Cook, Micah Fowler, Kyla Kenedy Created by Scott Silveri Written by Scott Silveri, Directed by Christine Gernon Speechless is a new comedy that fits brilliantly into the ABC stable of funny yet poignant family comedies that give voice to some underrepresented people in American life and entertainment. And this one may be the most important yet, giving a glimpse into a population that is even more ignored when it comes to pop culture. The DiMeos are a family led by a dominant mother, Maya (Minnie Driver), who could be sisters with Beverly Goldberg and Jessica Huang. The main reason she's as "crazy" as she appears is because she is a fierce advocate for her son, JJ (Micah Fowler), who can't verbally speak due to his cerebral palsy. They move to yet another school in the pilot, upending the lives of Maya's husband, Jimmy (John Ross Bowie) and other kids Ray and Dylan (Ma...

LETHAL WEAPON Starring: Damon Wayans, Clayne Crawford, Jordana Brewster, Keesha Sharp, Kevin Rahm Based on the Screenplay Written by Shane Black Teleplay by Matt Miller, Directed by McG It wouldn't be a fall season without a couple adaptations from popular movies. This fall, there are three of them and Lethal Weapon was the first out of the gate. Based on the popular film series starring Mel Gibson and Danny Glover, the TV version is mostly buddy cop comedy but with a sobering back story. I will start by saying I've never seen one of the movies so I have nothing to compare it to in that way. The cops at the center of the show are Damon Wayans as Roger Murtaugh, a 50 year old cop returning to the job after a heart attack. The by the books cop is paired with the free spirited Martin Riggs (Clayne Crawford), who is also returning to the job while working on overcoming terrible grief from the death of his pregnant wife. Rounding out the main cast is Jordana Bre...

ABC 8:00 Dancing with the Stars Results Viewers: 8.6 million, 18-49 demo: 1.5 10:00 Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Viewers: 3.4 million, 18-49 demo: 1.1 CBS 8:00 NCIS Viewers: 16.0 million, 18-49 demo: 2.2 9:00 Bull Viewers: 15.6 million, 18-49 demo: 2.2 10:00 NCIS: New Orleans Viewers: 11.1 million, 18-49 demo: 1.4 NBC 8:00 The Voice Viewers: 12.3 million, 18-49 demo: 3.4 10:00 This is Us Viewers: 10.1 million, 18-49 demo: 2.8 FOX 8:00 Brooklyn Nine-Nine Viewers: 2.4 million, 18-49 demo: 1.1 8:30 New Girl Viewers: 2.3 million, 18-49 demo: 1.2 9:00 Scream Queens Viewers: 2.2 million, 18-49 demo: 1.0 CW 8:00 The Flash (Repeat) Viewers: 0.9 million, 18-49 demo: 0.3 9:00 MADtv Viewers: 0.6 million, 18-49 demo: 0.2 On the second night of the new season, the new shows continued to impress. CBS had a strong night with its new drama trio. At 8pm, the season premiere of NCIS delivered 16 million viewers and a 2.2 demo. This was down three tenths in the d...

THIS IS US Starring: Milo Ventimiglia, Mandy Moore, Sterling K. Brown, Chrissy Metz, Justin Hartley, Susan Kelechi Watson, Chris Sullivan, and Ron Cephas Jones Created by Dan Fogelman Written by Dan Fogelman, Directed by John Requa and Glenn Ficarra We have the first gem of the new fall season and it is This is Us , an emotionally rich drama featuring several different stories that intertwined in some obvious and not so obvious ways. At its surface, it is about people who share a birthday, but it of course goes much deeper than that. And the twist at the end that everyone has been teasing? Well, it's worth the wait and it's not done for shock value, though that certainly happened to many, but it's done as an important element to the show. I predicted part of it towards the end of the episode but not all of it. I will not spoil it for anyone reading this who hasn't seen it yet, The show is set around four unique stories at the beginning: a couple, Ja...