WEEKLY RECAP: January 22-28, 2018

Here is the weekly ratings recap looking back at the week in ratings for Week #18. Please note no repeats, sports, specials, or Saturday airings are counted.

TOP 20 SHOWS (18-49 DEMO)
1. This is Us (NBC, Tuesday 9:00pm) - 2.5    13th week
2. Grey's Anatomy (ABC, Thursday 8:00pm) - 2.3    9th week
3. The Bachelor (ABC, Monday 8:00pm) - 1.8    4th week
    Ellen's Game of Games (NBC, Tuesday 8:00pm) - 1.8    4th week
5. The Good Doctor (ABC, Monday 10:00pm) - 1.7    13th week
    The Goldbergs (ABC, Wednesday 8:00pm) - 1.7    14th week
7. 9-1-1 (FOX, Wednesday 9:00pm) - 1.6    4th week
8. NCIS (CBS, Tuesday 8:00pm) - 1.5    13th week
9. American Housewife (ABC, Wednesday 8:30pm) - 1.4    Special Airing
10. Kevin Can Wait (CBS, Monday 8:00pm) - 1.3    10th week
    Bull (CBS, Tuesday 9:00pm) - 1.3    7th week
    Chicago Med (NBC, Tuesday 10:00pm) - 1.3    8th week
    Scandal (ABC, Thursday 9:00pm) - 1.3    2nd week
14. Man with a Plan (CBS, Monday 8:30pm) - 1.2    2nd week
    The Wall (NBC, Monday 8:00pm) - 1.2    1st week
    Lethal Weapon (FOX, Tuesday 8:00pm) - 1.2    1st week
    The Amazing Race (CBS, Wednesday 8:00pm) - 1.2    4th week
    Superstore (NBC, Thursday 8:00pm) - 1.2    2nd week
    The Four (FOX, Thursday 8:00pm) - 1.2    1st week
20. American Housewife (ABC, Wednesday 9:30pm) - 1.1    11th week
     The Good Place (NBC, Thursday 8:30pm) - 1.1    1st week
     Chicago Fire (NBC, Thursday 10:00pm) - 1.1    3rd week
     Shark Tank (ABC, Sunday 9:00pm) - 1.1    3rd week

BOTTOM 20 SHOWS (18-49 DEMO)
1. Valor (CW, Monday 9:00pm) - 0.2    12th week
    Dynasty (CW, Wednesday 9:00pm) - 0.2    11th week
    Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (CW, Friday 8:00pm) - 0.2    10th week
    Jane the Virgin (CW, Friday 9:00pm) - 0.2    8th week
5. Arrow (CW, Thursday 9:00pm) - 0.4    10th week
6. Supergirl (CW, Monday 8:00pm) - 0.5    11th week
    Riverdale (CW, Wednesday 8:00pm) - 0.5    11th week
    Great News (NBC, Thursday 9:30pm) - 0.5    7th week
    Taken (NBC, Friday 9:00pm) - 0.5    3rd week
10. Black Lightning (CW, Tuesday 9:00pm) - 0.6    2nd week
    Supernatural (CW, Thursday 8:00pm) - 0.6    11th week
    Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (ABC, Friday 9:00pm) - 0.6    7th week
    20/20 (ABC, Friday 10:00pm) - 0.6    16th week
    Blindspot (NBC, Friday 8:00pm) - 0.6    10th week
15. The Brave (NBC, Monday 10:00pm) - 0.7    4th week
      The Mick (FOX, Tuesday 9:30pm) - 0.7    12th week
      The Flash (CW, Tuesday 8:00pm) - 0.7    4th week
      Child Support (ABC, Friday 8:00pm) - 0.7    4th week
      Dateline NBC (NBC, Friday 10:00pm) - 0.7    8th week
      Dateline NBC (NBC, Sunday 7:00pm) - 0.7    2nd week

TOP 20 SHOWS (TOTAL VIEWERS)
1. NCIS (CBS, Tuesday 8:00pm) - 14.0 million    13th week
2. Bull (CBS, Tuesday 9:00pm) - 11.1 million    13th week
3. The Good Doctor (ABC, Monday 10:00pm) - 9.6 million    13th week
4. This is Us (NBC, Tuesday 9:00pm) - 9.4 million    13th week
5. NCIS: New Orleans (CBS, Tuesday 10:00pm) - 9.3 million    13th week
6. Grey's Anatomy (ABC, Thursday 8:00pm) - 8.6 million    9th week
7. Ellen's Game of Games (NBC, Tuesday 8:00pm) - 7.6 million    4th week
8. Kevin Can Wait (CBS, Monday 8:00pm) - 7.4 million    6th week
9. Chicago Med (NBC, Tuesday 10:00pm) - 6.9 million    8th week
10. Man with a Plan (CBS, Monday 8:30pm) - 6.7 million    4th week
11. 9-1-1 (FOX, Wednesday 9:00pm) - 6.6 million    2nd week
12. The Bachelor (ABC, Monday 8:00pm) - 6.4 million    1st week
13. The Amazing Race (CBS, Wednesday 8:00pm) - 6.2 million    4th week
14. The Goldbergs (ABC, Wednesday 8:00pm) - 6.1 million    2nd week
      Chicago Fire (NBC, Thursday 10:00pm) - 6.1 million    3rd week
16. The Wall (NBC, Monday 8:00pm) - 5.8 million    1st week
17. Superior Donuts (CBS, Monday 9:00pm) - 5.7 million    1st week
18. American Housewife (ABC, Wednesday 8:30pm) - 5.3 million    Special Airing
     Criminal Minds (CBS, Wednesday 10:00pm) - 5.3 million    2nd week
20. Scorpion (CBS, Monday 10:00pm) - 5.2 million    1st week
      Scandal (ABC, Thursday 9:00pm) - 5.2 million    1st week

BOTTOM 20 SHOWS (TOTAL VIEWERS)
1. Dynasty (CW, Wednesday 9:00pm) - 0.6 million    11th week
    Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (CW, Friday 8:00pm) - 0.6 million    10th week
3. Jane the Virgin (CW, Friday 9:00pm) - 0.7 million    8th week
4. Valor (CW, Monday 9:00pm) - 1.0 million    12th week
5. Riverdale (CW, Wednesday 8:00pm) - 1.4 million    11th week
    Arrow (CW, Thursday 9:00pm) - 1.4 million    10th week
7. The Mick (FOX, Tuesday 9:30pm) - 1.9 million    13th week
    Black Lightning (CW, Tuesday 9:00pm) - 1.9 million    2nd week
    Supernatural (CW, Thursday 8:00pm) - 1.9 million    11th week
10. Supergirl (CW, Monday 8:00pm) - 2.1 million    11th week
     The Flash (CW, Tuesday 8:00pm) - 2.1 million    11th week
12. Great News (NBC, Thursday 9:30pm) - 2.2 million    6th week
13. Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (ABC, Friday 9:00pm) - 2.3 million    7th week
14. LA to Vegas (FOX, Tuesday 9:00pm) - 2.6 million    4th week
15. 20/20 (ABC, Friday 10:00pm) - 3.0 million    13th week
16. Taken (NBC, Friday 9:00pm) - 3.1 million    3rd week
17. Match Game (ABC, Wednesday 10:00pm) - 3.3 million    4th week
18. The Brave (NBC, Monday 10:00pm) - 3.4 million    3rd week
      Hell's Kitchen (FOX, Friday 8:00pm) - 3.4 million    8th week
20. How to Get Away with Murder (ABC, Thursday 10:00pm) - 3.5 million    3rd week

WINNERS OF THE NIGHT
Monday - Kevin Can Wait (CBS)    3rd week
Tuesday - This is Us (NBC)    4th week
Wednesday - The Goldbergs (ABC)    3rd week
Thursday - Chicago Fire (NBC)    1st week
Friday - None
Sunday - None

LOSERS OF THE NIGHT
Monday - The Resident (FOX)    1st week
Tuesday - The Mick (FOX)    2nd week
Wednesday - Criminal Minds (CBS)    3rd week
Thursday - Arrow (CW)    2nd week
Friday - Blindspot (NBC)    2nd week
Sunday - None

THE WEEK AHEAD: January 29-February 5, 2018

Here's a look at Week #19!

ABC

MONDAY
8:00 The Bachelor
10:00 The Good Doctor (Repeat)

TUESDAY
8:00 Fresh Off the Boat
8:30 Fresh Off the Boat
9:00 ABC News: State of the Union

WEDNESDAY
8:00 The Goldbergs (Repeat)
8:30 Speechless (Repeat)
9:00 Modern Family (Repeat)
9:30 American Housewife (Repeat)
10:00 Match Game

THURSDAY
8:00 Grey's Anatomy
9:00 Scandal
10:00 How to Get Away with Murder

FRIDAY
8:00 Child Support
9:00 Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
10:00 20/20

SATURDAY
8:00 NBA Countdown
8:30 NBA Basketball: Houston at Cleveland

SUNDAY
7:00 America's Funniest Home Videos (Repeat)
8:00 America's Funniest Home Videos (Repeat)
9:00 Shark Tank (Repeat)
10:00 Shark Tank (Repeat)

CBS

MONDAY
8:00 Kevin Can Wait
8:30 Man with a Plan
9:00 Superior Donuts
9:30 9JKL
10:00 Scorpion

TUESDAY
8:00 Super Bowl's Greatest Commercials 2018
9:00 CBS News: State of the Union

WEDNESDAY
8:00 The Amazing Race
9:00 SEAL Team
10:00 Criminal Minds

THURSDAY
8:00 The Big Bang Theory
8:30 Young Sheldon
9:00 Mom
9:30 Life in Pieces
10:00 S.W.A.T.

FRIDAY
8:00 MacGyver
9:00 Hawaii Five-0
10:00 Blue Bloods

SATURDAY
8:00 Bull (Repeat)
9:00 48 Hours
10:00 48 Hours

SUNDAY
7:00 60 Minutes
8:00 NCIS (Repeat)
9:00 NCIS: New Orleans (Repeat)
10:00 NCIS: Los Angeles (Repeat)

NBC

MONDAY
8:00 The Wall
9:00 Better Late Than Never
10:00 The Brave (Season Finale)

TUESDAY
8:00 Ellen's Game of Games
9:00 NBC News: State of the Union

WEDNESDAY
8:00 The Blacklist
9:00 Law & Order: SVU
10:00 Chicago PD

THURSDAY
8:00 Superstore
8:30 The Good Place (Season Finale)
9:00 Will & Grace
9:30 AP Bio (SERIES PREMIERE)
10:00 Chicago Fire

FRIDAY
8:00 Blindspot
9:00 Taken
10:00 Dateline NBC

SATURDAY
8:00 SNL: Best of Football (Special)
9:00 NFL Honors (Special)

SUNDAY
7:00 Super Bowl LII: Philadelphia vs. New England
10:15 This is Us

FOX

MONDAY
8:00 Lucifer
9:00 The Resident

TUESDAY
8:00 Lethal Weapon (Repeat)
9:00 FOX News: State of the Union

WEDNESDAY
8:00 The X-Files
9:00 9-1-1

THURSDAY
8:00 The Four

FRIDAY
8:00 Hell's Kitchen (Season Finale)

SATURDAY
8:00 The Resident (Repeat)
9:00 The Resident (Repeat)

SUNDAY
7:00 Brooklyn Nine-Nine (Repeat)
7:30 Bob's Burgers (Repeat)
8:00 The Simpsons (Repeat)
8:30 Ghosted (Repeat)
9:00 Family Guy (Repeat)
9:30 LA to Vegas (Repeat)

CW

MONDAY
8:00 Supergirl
9:00 Valor (Season Finale)

TUESDAY
8:00 The Flash
9:00 Black Lightning

WEDNESDAY
8:00 Riverdale
9:00 Dynasty

THURSDAY
8:00 Supernatural
9:00 Arrow

FRIDAY
8:00 Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
9:00 Jane the Virgin

TV NEWS & THOUGHTS
- NBC has announced that the second season of Timeless will take over the Sunday 10pm timeslot starting March 11 (airing against ABC's series premiere of Deception). Timeless famously was cancelled last spring and then un-cancelled a few days later. This is a low pressure timeslot but it's also a tough place to succeed. This also means Shades of Blue will air elsewhere.

- CBS has ordered a 13 episode revival of Murphy Brown for next season with creator Diane English and star Candice Bergen returning. While Murphy was a huge hit with audiences and critics during its 1988-1997 run, it has not done well in syndication so it will be interesting to see how things go.

- The already buzzy crossover between Scandal and How to Get Away with Murder will air on March 1.

- ABC finally announced the title for the Grey's Anatomy spinoff. The firefighter drama will be called Station 19. As already announced, it will have a two hour premiere on March 22.

WEEKLY RECAP: January 15-21, 2018

Here is the weekly ratings recap looking back at the week in ratings for Week #17. Please note no repeats, sports, specials, or Saturday airings are counted.

TOP 20 SHOWS (18-49 DEMO)
1. The Big Bang Theory (CBS, Thursday 8:00pm) - 2.9    14th week
2. The Resident (FOX, Sunday 10:04pm) - 2.6    Special Airing (NEW SHOW)
3. This is Us (NBC, Tuesday 9:00pm) - 2.5    12th week
4. Young Sheldon (CBS, Thursday 8:30pm) - 2.4    11th week
5. Grey's Anatomy (ABC, Thursday 8:00pm) - 2.3    8th week
6. Ellen's Game of Games (NBC, Tuesday 8:00pm) - 2.2    3rd week
7. The Bachelor (ABC, Monday 8:00pm) - 1.8    3rd week
    Modern Family (ABC, Wednesday 9:00pm) - 1.8    13th week
    9-1-1 (FOX, Wednesday 9:00pm) - 1.8    3rd week
10. The Good Doctor (ABC, Monday 10:00pm) - 1.7    12th week
      The Goldbergs (ABC, Wednesday 8:00pm) - 1.7    13th week
12. Mom (CBS, Thursday 9:00pm) - 1.6    10th week
13. Chicago Med (NBC, Tuesday 10:00pm) - 1.5    7th week
     The Amazing Race (CBS, Wednesday 8:00pm) - 1.5    3rd week
15. The Middle (ABC, Tuesday 8:00pm) - 1.4    13th week
    Law & Order: SVU (NBC, Wednesday 9:00pm) - 1.4    7th week
    Chicago PD (NBC, Wednesday 10:00pm) - 1.4    6th week
18. Kevin Can Wait (CBS, Monday 8:00pm) - 1.3    9th week
    Speechless (ABC, Wednesday 8:30pm) - 1.3    3rd week
    American Housewife (ABC, Wednesday 9:30pm) - 1.3    10th week
    Will & Grace (NBC, Thursday 9:00pm) - 1.3    8th week

BOTTOM 20 SHOWS (18-49 DEMO)
1. Valor (CW, Monday 9:00pm) - 0.2    11th week
    Dynasty (CW, Wednesday 9:00pm) - 0.2    10th week
3. Riverdale (CW, Wednesday 8:00pm) - 0.5    10th week
    Arrow (CW, Thursday 9:00pm) - 0.5    9th week
    Taken (NBC, Friday 9:00pm) - 0.5    2nd week

6. Supergirl (CW, Monday 8:00pm) - 0.6    10th week
    Kevin (Probably) Saves the World (ABC, Tuesday 10:00pm) - 0.6   12th week
    Great News (NBC, Thursday 9:30pm) - 0.6    6th week
    Supernatural (CW, Thursday 8:00pm) - 0.6    10th week
    Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (ABC, Friday 9:00pm) - 0.6    6th week

11. The Brave (NBC, Monday 10:00pm) - 0.7    3rd week
      Child Support (ABC, Friday 8:00pm) - 0.7    3rd week
      Blindspot (NBC, Friday 8:00pm) - 0.7    9th week
      Dateline NBC (NBC, Friday 10:00pm) - 0.7    7th week
15. The Mick (FOX, Tuesday 9:30pm) - 0.8    11th week
      The Flash (CW, Tuesday 8:00pm) - 0.8    3rd week
      Black Lightning (CW, Tuesday 9:00pm) - 0.8    1st week (NEW SHOW)
     Match Game (ABC, Wednesday 10:00pm) - 0.8    3rd week
     20/20 (ABC, Friday 10:00pm) - 0.8    15th week
     America's Funniest Home Videos (ABC, Sunday 8:00pm) - 0.8    2nd week
     60 Minutes (CBS, Sunday 8:00pm) - 0.8    Special Airing

TOP 20 SHOWS (TOTAL VIEWERS)
1. The Big Bang Theory (CBS, Thursday 8:00pm) - 14.9 million    14th week
2. Young Sheldon (CBS, Thursday 8:30pm) - 13.3 million    11th week
3. This is Us (NBC, Tuesday 9:00pm) - 9.8 million    12th week
4. Blue Bloods (CBS, Friday 10:00pm) - 9.5 million    13th week
5. The Good Doctor (ABC, Monday 10:00pm) - 9.3 million    12th week
    Mom (CBS, Thursday 9:00pm) - 9.3 million   10th week
7. Hawaii Five-0 (CBS, Friday 9:00pm) - 9.1 million    13th week
8. Ellen's Game of Games (NBC, Tuesday 8:00pm) - 8.8 million    3rd week
9. The Resident (FOX, Sunday 10:04pm) - 8.7 million    Special Airing (NEW SHOW)
10. Grey's Anatomy (ABC, Thursday 8:00pm) - 8.3 million    8th week
11. 60 Minutes (CBS, Sunday 7:00pm) - 8.2 million    15th week
12. Chicago Med (NBC, Tuesday 10:00pm) - 7.9 million    7th week
13. MacGyver (CBS, Friday 8:00pm) - 7.7 million    12th week
14. Kevin Can Wait (CBS, Monday 8:00pm) - 7.2 million    5th week
15. 60 Minutes (CBS, Sunday 8:00pm) - 7.1 million    Special Airing
16. The Amazing Race (CBS, Wednesday 8:00pm) - 6.9 million    3rd week
17. Life in Pieces (CBS, Thursday 9:30pm) - 6.8 million    7th week
18. Man with a Plan (CBS, Monday 8:30pm) - 6.7 million    3rd week
    SEAL Team (CBS, Wednesday 9:00pm) - 6.7 million    9th week
    Chicago PD (NBC, Wednesday 10:00pm) - 6.7 million    5th week

BOTTOM 20 SHOWS (TOTAL VIEWERS)
1. Dynasty (CW, Wednesday 9:00pm) - 0.6 million    10th week
2. Valor (CW, Monday 9:00pm) - 1.0 million    11th week
3. Riverdale (CW, Wednesday 8:00pm) - 1.4 million    10th week
    Arrow (CW, Thursday 9:00pm) - 1.4 million    9th week
5. Supernatural (CW, Thursday 8:00pm) - 1.8 million    10th week

6. Supergirl (CW, Monday 8:00pm) - 2.2 million    10th week
    Great News (NBC, Thursday 9:30pm) - 2.2 million    5th week
8. The Mick (FOX, Tuesday 9:30pm) - 2.3 million    12th week
    Black Lightning (CW, Tuesday 9:00pm) - 2.3 million    1st week (NEW SHOW)
10. Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (ABC, Friday 9:00pm) - 2.4 million    6th week

11. Kevin (Probably) Saves the World (ABC, Tuesday 10:00pm) - 2.5 million    8th week
    The Flash (CW, Tuesday 8:00pm) - 2.5 million    10th week
13. LA to Vegas (FOX, Tuesday 9:00pm) - 2.8 million    3rd week
14. The Good Place (NBC, Thursday 8:30pm) - 3.0 million    4th week
      Taken (NBC, Friday 9:00pm) - 3.0 million    2nd week
16. Hell's Kitchen (FOX, Friday 8:00pm) - 3.2 million    7th week
17. Match Game (ABC, Wednesday 10:00pm) - 3.3 million    3rd week

18. The Gifted (FOX, Monday 8:00pm) - 3.4 million    Special Airing
      The Gifted (FOX, Monday 9:00pm) - 3.4 million    6th week
20. The Four (FOX, Thursday 8:00pm) - 3.5 million    3rd week
      Blindspot (NBC, Friday 8:00pm) - 3.5 million    3rd week

WINNERS OF THE NIGHT
Monday - The Bachelor (ABC)    1st week
Tuesday - Lethal Weapon (FOX)    1st week
Wednesday - 9-1-1 (FOX)    2nd week
Thursday - Grey's Anatomy (ABC)    2nd week
Friday - None
Sunday - None

LOSERS OF THE NIGHT
Monday - Valor (CW)    3rd week
Tuesday - The Flash (CW)    2nd week
Wednesday - Criminal Minds (CBS)    2nd week
Thursday - Superstore (NBC)    1st week
Friday - Child Support (ABC)    1st week
Sunday - None

PILOT REVIEW: The Resident

THE RESIDENT

Starring: Matt Czuchry, Emily VanCamp, Manish Dayal, Shaunette Renee Wilson, and Bruce Greenwood

Created by Amy Holden Jones and Hayley Schore & Roshan Sethi
Written by Amy Holden Jones and Hayley Schore & Roshan Sethi, Directed by Phillip Noyce

THE PREMISE
The Resident is the newest medical drama to hit the airwaves. This one is centered on Senior Resident Dr. Conrad Hawkins (Matt Czuchry) who has a lot of the answers and also a lot of opinions about the way things are run at a prestigious and well respected hospital. He clashes frequently with Chief of Surgery Dr. Randolph Bell (Bruce Greenwood), who refuses to admit his shaky hands and other personal problems should be stopping him from continuing in his position. Rounding out the main cast are a take charge nurse, Nic (Emily VanCamp), and two more residents, Dr. Pravesh and Dr. Okafor (Manish Dayal & Shaunette Renee Wilson).

THE REVIEW
I went in to The Resident with a little bit of a bad attitude because I'm a little tired of medical dramas. I'm already watching Chicago Med and The Good Doctor and two is a little high on my medical drama tolerance, but I enjoy both these shows. So I thought I might hate The Resident, and I didn't, which is good. But it still has some work to do. The angle its taking with a resident as the main character might seem like a different angle but in practice, it's no different than a hot shot young doctor who knows everything and that has been done to death on medical dramas.

What keeps it from being too much of a cliche is a very strong performance by Matt Czuchry in the lead role. He has a charismatic personality and is fun to watch. He brings a lot to what is otherwise a pretty typical medical drama filled to the brim with cliches from gross things (I'll admit I winced at the toe falling off) to things getting hot and heavy in a closet or side room of the hospital (I still don't think I've seen a medical drama pilot since starting this blog in 2010 that didn't have some moment similar to that). I don't know that the performance is a game changer that will elevate the entire show to a stellar level (Freddie Highmore does that in The Good Doctor) but Czuchry certainly keeps the show from flying off the rails.

The rest of the cast is not used as effectively. Emily VanCamp, so interesting in Revenge a few years ago, is wasted here or at least she is in the pilot. We saw in Revenge that she can have a lot of layers and she's so far relegated here to a pretty standard nurse role. Bruce Greenwood's character is interesting to an extent but more-so in how he clashes with Czuchry. Try as I might, I didn't get too excited about the emphasis on how doctor error can mess things up. If I'm in a situation where I need urgent medical help, I don't want to think about doctors making a mistake and there was more emphasis on that than usual in The Resident's pilot. But at the same time, it didn't seem like it wants to become a medical version of Scandal: a very corrupt team of people running a major organization. It seems like it wants to be high minded and cynical at the same time and maybe that's why the tone felt off for the pilot episode.

WILL I WATCH IT AGAIN?
I might give it one more episode but in the long run, I don't think this will be added to my watching list. Especially with two better medical dramas already on that list.

THE WEEK AHEAD: January 22-28, 2018

Here's a look at Week #18!

ABC
ABC has a mix of newbies and repeats this week. The Bachelor finally got some momentum this past week and that will probably continue on Monday.

MONDAY
8:00 The Bachelor
10:00 The Good Doctor

TUESDAY
8:00 The Middle (Repeat)
8:30 Fresh Off the Boat (Repeat)
9:00 Black-ish (Repeat)
9:30 Modern Family (Repeat)
10:00 Match Game (Repeat)

WEDNESDAY
8:00 The Goldbergs
8:30 American Housewife
9:00 Modern Family (Repeat)
9:30 American Housewife
10:00 Match Game

THURSDAY
8:00 Grey's Anatomy
9:00 Scandal
10:00 How to Get Away with Murder

FRIDAY
8:00 Child Support
9:00 Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
10:00 20/20

SATURDAY
8:00 NBA Basketball

SUNDAY
7:00 America's Funniest Home Videos (Repeat)
8:00 America's Funniest Home Videos (Repeat)
9:00 Shark Tank
10:00 Shark Tank

CBS
CBS has new episodes the beginning of the week but then goes into repeat and special mode for Thursday and Friday before the Grammys on Sunday which are always a big draw.

MONDAY
8:00 Kevin Can Wait
8:30 Man with a Plan
9:00 Superior Donuts
9:30 9JKL
10:00 Scorpion

TUESDAY
8:00 NCIS
9:00 Bull
10:00 NCIS: New Orleans

WEDNESDAY
8:00 The Amazing Race
10:00 Criminal Minds

THURSDAY
8:00 MVP: Most Valuable Performer (Special)
9:00 The Big Bang Theory (Repeat)
9:30 Young Sheldon (Repeat)
10:00 S.W.A.T. (Repeat)

FRIDAY
8:00 Bruno Mars: 24K Magic Live at the Apollo (Special - Repeat)
9:00 Hawaii Five-0 (Repeat)
10:00 Blue Bloods (Repeat)

SATURDAY
8:00 NCIS (Repeat)
9:00 SEAL Team (Repeat)
10:00 48 Hours

SUNDAY
7:00 Grammy Red Carpet Live
7:30 60th Annual Grammy Awards (Special)

NBC
Like ABC and CBS, NBC has a mix of new episodes and repeats. Thursday brings the season finale of Great News and considering the way they burned it off in December, it seems as though it will be a series finale (and it should be).

MONDAY
8:00 The Wall
9:00 Better Late Than Never
10:00 The Brave

TUESDAY
8:00 Ellen's Game of Games
9:00 This is Us
10:00 Chicago Med

WEDNESDAY
8:00 Law & Order: SVU (Repeat)
9:00 Law & Order: SVU (Repeat)
10:00 Chicago Med (Repeat)

THURSDAY
8:00 Superstore
8:30 The Good Place
9:00 Will & Grace (Repeat)
9:30 Great News (Season Finale)
10:00 Chicago Fire

FRIDAY
8:00 Blindspot
9:00 Taken
10:00 Dateline NBC

SATURDAY
8:00 Will & Grace (Repeat)
8:30 Superstore (Repeat)
9:00 Dateline NBC
10:00 Saturday Night Live (Repeat)

SUNDAY
7:00 Dateline NBC
9:00 Movie: Neighbors

FOX
FOX is all new for the work week before airing repeats against the Grammys. Monday night has the time period premiere of The Resident, which has its series premiere after tonight's NFC Championship Game. The premiere will no doubt do well tonight so the reaction will be key to Monday's rating to see how many come back for a second episode.

MONDAY
8:00 Lucifer
9:00 The Resident

TUESDAY
8:00 Lethal Weapon
9:00 LA to Vegas
9:30 The Mick

WEDNESDAY
8:00 The X-Files
9:00 9-1-1

THURSDAY
8:00 The Four

FRIDAY
8:00 Hell's Kitchen
9:00 The Resident (Repeat)

SATURDAY
8:00 UFC Fight Night

SUNDAY
7:00 Brooklyn Nine-Nine (Repeat)
7:30 Bob's Burgers (Repeat)
8:00 The Simpsons (Repeat)
8:30 Ghosted (Repeat)
9:00 Family Guy (Repeat)
9:30 LA to Vegas (Repeat)

CW
The CW is the only network that is all new all week. After a solid premiere, it will be interesting to see how Black Lightning does in week two.

MONDAY
8:00 Supergirl
9:00 Valor

TUESDAY
8:00 The Flash
9:00 Black Lightning

WEDNESDAY
8:00 Riverdale
9:00 Dynasty

THURSDAY
8:00 Supernatural
9:00 Arrow

FRIDAY
8:00 Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
9:00 Jane the Virgin

TV NEWS & THOUGHTS
- After just two episodes, FOX has renewed 9-1-1 for a second season. The Ryan Murphy drama was hot out of the gate with a 1.8 demo and it followed with a solid 1.5 for week two. It also has done well in delayed viewing. FOX has managed to find more success with their new shows this year.

WEEKLY RECAP: January 8-14, 2018

Here is the weekly ratings recap looking back at the week in ratings for Week #16. Please note no repeats, sports, specials, or Saturday airings are counted.

TOP 20 SHOWS (18-49 DEMO)
1. The Simpsons (FOX, Sunday 8:30pm) - 3.3    8th week
2. The Big Bang Theory (CBS, Thursday 8:00pm) - 3.1    13th week
3. This is Us (NBC, Tuesday 9:00pm) - 2.7    11th week
4. Young Sheldon (CBS, Thursday 8:30pm) - 2.6    10th week
5. Ellen's Game of Games (NBC, Tuesday 8:00pm) - 2.1    2nd week
    Bob's Burgers (FOX, Sunday 9:00pm) - 2.1    4th week
7. Family Guy (FOX, Sunday 9:30pm) - 1.8    7th week
8. The Good Doctor (ABC, Monday 10:00pm) - 1.6    11th week
    Modern Family (ABC, Wednesday 9:00pm) - 1.6    12th week
    Mom (CBS, Thursday 9:00pm) - 1.6    9th week
11. NCIS (CBS, Tuesday 8:00pm) - 1.5    12th week
    The Goldbergs (ABC, Wednesday 8:00pm) - 1.5    12th week
    9-1-1 (FOX, Wednesday 9:00pm) - 1.5    2nd week
14. The Bachelor (ABC, Monday 8:00pm) - 1.4    2nd week
    Chicago Med (NBC, Tuesday 10:00pm) - 1.4    6th week
    The Amazing Race (CBS, Wednesday 8:00pm) - 1.4    2nd week
17. The Middle (ABC, Tuesday 8:00pm) - 1.3    12th week
      Law & Order: SVU (NBC, Wednesday 9:00pm) - 1.3    6th week
      Chicago PD (NBC, Wednesday 10:00pm) - 1.3    5th week
      Shark Tank (ABC, Sunday 9:00pm) - 1.3    2nd week

BOTTOM 20 SHOWS (18-49 DEMO)
1. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (CW, Friday 8:00pm) - 0.2    9th week
2. The Brave (NBC, Monday 10:00pm) - 0.5    2nd week
    Taken (NBC, Friday 9:00pm) - 0.5    1st week (New Season)
4. Kevin (Probably) Saves the World (ABC, Tuesday 10:00pm) - 0.6    11th week
    Great News (NBC, Thursday 9:30pm) - 0.6    5th week
    Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (ABC, Friday 9:00pm) - 0.6    5th week
    Dateline NBC (NBC, Sunday 7:00pm) - 0.6    1st week
8. The Mick (FOX, Tuesday 9:30pm) - 0.7    10th week
    20/20 (ABC, Friday 10:00pm) - 0.7    14th week
    Blindspot (NBC, Friday 8:00pm) - 0.7    8th week
    Wisdom of the Crowd (CBS, Sunday 8:00pm) - 0.7    7th week
    Madam Secretary (CBS, Sunday 10:00pm) - 0.7    12th week
13. Better Late Than Never (NBC, Monday 9:00pm) - 0.8    2nd week
      LA to Vegas (FOX, Tuesday 9:00pm) - 0.8    1st week
     Match Game (ABC, Wednesday 10:00pm) - 0.8    2nd week
     Child Support (ABC, Wednesday 8:00pm) - 0.8    2nd week
     Dateline NBC (NBC, Friday 10:00pm) - 0.8    6th week
     60 Minutes (CBS, Sunday 7:00pm) - 0.8    2nd week

19. SEAL Team (CBS, Wednesday 9:00pm) - 0.9    2nd week
    Chicago Fire (NBC, Thursday 10:00pm) - 0.9    1st week

TOP 20 SHOWS (TOTAL VIEWERS)
1. The Big Bang Theory (CBS, Thursday 8:00pm) - 15.9 million    13th week
2. NCIS (CBS, Tuesday 8:00pm) - 14.2 million    12th week
    Young Sheldon (CBS, Thursday 8:30pm) - 14.2 million    10th week
4. Bull (CBS, Tuesday 9:00pm) - 10.5 million    12th week
5. Blue Bloods (CBS, Friday 10:00pm) - 10.2 million    12th week
6. This is Us (NBC, Tuesday 9:00pm) - 9.7 million    11th week
7. Mom (CBS, Thursday 9:00pm) - 9.5 million    9th week
8. Hawaii Five-0 (CBS, Friday 9:00pm) - 9.4 million    12th week
9. NCIS: Los Angeles (CBS, Sunday 9:00pm) - 9.1 million    12th week
10. NCIS: New Orleans (CBS, Tuesday 10:00pm) - 8.7 million    12th week
11. The Good Doctor (ABC, Monday 10:00pm) - 8.3 million    11th week
12. MacGyver (CBS, Friday 8:00pm) - 8.1 million    11th week
13. The Simpsons (FOX, Sunday 8:30pm) - 8.0 million    2nd week
14. Ellen's Game of Games (NBC, Tuesday 8:00pm) - 7.9 million    2nd week
15. 60 Minutes (CBS, Sunday 7:00pm) - 7.7 million    14th week
16. Life in Pieces (CBS, Thursday 9:30pm) - 7.2 million    6th week
      Madam Secretary (CBS, Sunday 10:00pm) - 7.2 million    5th week
18. The Amazing Race (CBS, Wednesday 8:00pm) - 7.0 million    2nd week
19. Chicago Med (NBC, Tuesday 10:00pm) - 6.9 million    6th week
      Chicago PD (NBC, Wednesday 10:00pm) - 6.9 million    4th week

BOTTOM 20 SHOWS (TOTAL VIEWERS)
1. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (CW, Friday 8:00pm) - 0.7 million    9th week
2. The Mick (FOX, Tuesday 9:30pm) - 2.0 million    11th week
3. Great News (NBC, Thursday 9:30pm) - 2.3 million    4th week
    Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (ABC, Friday 9:00pm) - 2.3 million    5th week
5. Kevin (Probably) Saves the World (ABC, Tuesday 10:00pm) - 2.4 million    7th week
6. LA to Vegas (FOX, Tuesday 9:00pm) - 2.6 million    2nd week
7. Taken (NBC, Friday 9:00pm) - 2.8 million    1st week (New Season)
8. The Brave (NBC, Monday 10:00pm) - 2.9 million    2nd week
9. The Good Place (NBC, Thursday 8:30pm) - 3.1 million    3rd week
10. Match Game (ABC, Wednesday 10:00pm) - 3.3 million    2nd week
    The Four (FOX, Thursday 8:00pm) - 3.3 million    2nd week
    20/20 (ABC, Friday 10:00pm) - 3.3 million    12th week
    The Last Man on Earth (FOX, Sunday 10:00pm) - 3.3 million    10th week
14. Fresh Off the Boat (ABC, Tuesday 8:30pm) - 3.6 million    3rd week
      Blindspot (NBC, Friday 8:00pm) - 3.6 million    2nd week
      Hell's Kitchen (FOX, Friday 8:00pm) - 3.6 million    6th week
17. Black-ish (ABC, Tuesday 9:00pm) - 3.8 million    3rd week
     Superstore (NBC, Thursday 8:00pm) - 3.8 million    2nd week
19. The X-Files (FOX, Wednesday 8:00pm) - 4.0 million    1st week
20. Better Late Than Never (NBC, Monday 9:00pm) - 4.1 million    2nd week
      Child Support (ABC, Friday 8:00pm) - 4.1 million    1st week
      Family Guy (FOX, Sunday 9:30pm) - 4.1 million    9th week

WINNERS OF THE NIGHT
Monday - The Good Doctor (ABC)    3rd week
Tuesday - NCIS (CBS)    2nd week
Wednesday - The Goldbergs (ABC)    2nd week
Thursday - S.W.A.T. (CBS)    2nd week
Friday - Hell's Kitchen (FOX)    1st week
Sunday - NCIS: Los Angeles (CBS)    1st week

LOSERS OF THE NIGHT
Monday - The Brave (NBC)    2nd week
Tuesday - Kevin (Probably) Saves the World (ABC)    3rd week
Wednesday - The X-Files (FOX)    1st week
Thursday - Will & Grace (NBC)    1st week
Friday - Taken (NBC)    1st week (New Season)
Sunday - Wisdom of the Crowd (CBS)    5th week

PILOT REVIEW: Black Lightning

BLACK LIGHTNING

Starring: Cress Williams, China Anne McClain, Nafessa Williams, Christine Adams, Marvin "Krondon" Jones III, Damon Gupton, and James Remar

Based on Characters Created for DC by Tony Isabella with Trevor Von Eeden
Developed by Salim Akil
Written by Salim Akil, Directed by Salim Akil

THE PREMISE
Black Lightning is the latest entry to the CW collection of DC Comics shows. The Black Lightning story isn't one of the more generally known comics. I don't claim to know a lot about the comic world, but this was not one I had even heard of before it was put into development last year. It centers on Jefferson Pierce (Cress Williams) who gave up the Black Lighting persona nine years earlier and took a job as a principal at a charter high school. Despite ending his marriage with Lynn (Christine Adams), Jefferson is thrust back into action as Black Lightning when his daughters, Jennifer and Anissa (China Anne McClain and Nafessa Williams) get caught up in the troubled overrun of the city by a gang called The 100. Rounding out the main cast is the leader of The 100, Tobias (Marvin "Krondon" Jones III), Detective William Henderson (Damon Gupton), and advisor to Jefferson (and one who knows about his alter ego), Peter Gambi (James Remar).

THE REVIEW
Forgive me again for being so ignorant about the comic book world, but I don't know if the comic has race relations as a major theme or not. This show certainly does and it was interesting to see a Black Lives Matter theme meet a superhero show. All in all, it was an enjoyable and slickly produced pilot that had something to say. Not surprisingly, I was far more interested in the family and community dynamics than the superhero stuff and to my surprise, that was the vast majority of the pilot. Precious little time was devoted to Black Lightning doing "superhero stuff." I am curious what kind of show this is going to be on a weekly basis and if it will focus as much on community and family storylines as it does on heroes and villains.

A lot of the credit for the pilot's strength should go to Cress Williams, who I also enjoyed immensely on Friday Night Lights. He is a commanding and interesting presence. He has made Jefferson Pierce a character to sympathize with and root for. The rest of the cast was serviceable too but so much of the pilot rested on Williams' shoulders and he was absolutely up for the challenge. I liked his dynamics with his on screen daughters and ex-wife. I also believe Damon Gupton and James Remar can do good things but they were pretty limited in the pilot.

Where the pilot lost me was in the superhero storyline. And I'll fully admit that it is not my thing. There are tons of superhero TV shows and movies and I don't watch any of them. But I also felt like it made this show just seem like all the others when he was dangling a bad guy over a hotel room balcony. It was anything I probably could have seen on The Gifted most recently or probably any of the other CW superhero shows (though I don't watch any of them). I get that is the whole point of this show but that was where it seemed like the next entry in a factory of CW DC shows whereas the family and community scenes gave me hope it could be something more.

WILL I WATCH IT AGAIN?
Yes I'll probably give it one more episode but if I'm being honest, I'm very unlikely to stick with it. That's not an indictment of the show itself, which is interesting. It's just a personal taste issue.

THE WEEK AHEAD: January 15-21, 2018

Here's a look at Week #17!

ABC
ABC has a mostly all new week including the return of TGIT on Thursday night. That isn't as big a deal as it used to be but it has still gotten a lot of promotion from ABC and should return solidly. The Bachelor has had a very soft start to its season while dealing with New Years Day and the College Football Championship competition. We'll see if it can perk up on a more normal Monday.

MONDAY
8:00 The Bachelor
10:00 The Good Doctor

TUESDAY
8:00 The Middle
8:30 Fresh Off the Boat
9:00 Black-ish
9:30 Modern Family (Repeat)
10:00 Kevin (Probably) Saves the World

WEDNESDAY
8:00 The Goldbergs
8:30 Speechless
9:00 Modern Family
9:30 American Housewife
10:00 Match Game

THURSDAY
8:00 Grey's Anatomy
9:00 Scandal
10:00 How to Get Away with Murder

FRIDAY
8:00 Child Support
9:00 Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
10:00 20/20

SATURDAY
8:00 NBA Basketball: Golden State at Houston

SUNDAY
7:00 America's Funniest Home Videos (Repeat)
8:00 America's Funniest Home Videos
9:00 Shark Tank
10:00 Shark Tank

CBS
CBS has the return of its Monday lineup this week but they probably won't do much better, if at all, than the repeats of The Big Bang Theory and Young Sheldon were doing in recent weeks here. Tuesday and Sunday is full of repeats but the rest of the week has normal lineups.

MONDAY
8:00 Kevin Can Wait
8:30 Man with a Plan
9:00 Superior Donuts
9:30 9JKL
10:00 Scorpion

TUESDAY
8:00 NCIS (Repeat)
9:00 NCIS: New Orleans (Repeat)
10:00 Bull (Repeat)

WEDNESDAY
8:00 The Amazing Race
9:00 SEAL Team
10:00 Criminal Minds

THURSDAY
8:00 The Big Bang Theory
8:30 Young Sheldon
9:00 Mom
9:30 Life in Pieces
10:00 S.W.A.T.

FRIDAY
8:00 MacGyver
9:00 Hawaii Five-0
10:00 Blue Bloods

SATURDAY
8:00 TBA

SUNDAY
7:00 60 Minutes
8:00 Wisdom of the Crowd (Repeat)
9:00 NCIS: Los Angeles (Repeat)
10:00 Madam Secretary (Repeat)

NBC
NBC has all new episodes this week. Will & Grace has had a rough January return so it will be interesting to see if it can recover at all. I kind of doubt it as it seems like the novelty has worn off.

MONDAY
8:00 The Wall
9:00 Better Late Than Never
10:00 The Brave

TUESDAY
8:00 Ellen's Game of Games
9:00 This is Us
10:00 Chicago Med

WEDNESDAY
8:00 The Blacklist
9:00 Law & Order: SVU
10:00 Chicago PD

THURSDAY
8:00 Superstore
8:30 The Good Place
9:00 Will & Grace
9:30 Great News
10:00 Chicago Fire

FRIDAY
8:00 Blindspot
9:00 Taken
10:00 Dateline NBC

SATURDAY
8:00 Will & Grace (Repeat)
8:30 Superstore (Repeat)
9:00 Dateline NBC
10:00 Saturday Night Live (Repeat)

SUNDAY
7:00 Dateline NBC
9:00 TBA

FOX
FOX has the two hour season finale of The Gifted on Monday. Despite ever decreasing ratings, it has already been renewed for next season. Its replacement, The Resident, premieres on Sunday night after the NFC Championship Game and it will certainly get a great sampling because this post-Championship game slot has become a great launching pad.

MONDAY
8:00 The Gifted (Season Finale)

TUESDAY
8:00 Lethal Weapon
9:00 LA to Vegas
9:30 The Mick

WEDNESDAY
8:00 The X-Files
9:00 9-1-1

THURSDAY
8:00 The Four: Battle for Stardom

FRIDAY
8:00 Hell's Kitchen
9:00 9-1-1 (Repeat)

SATURDAY
8:00 The Four: Battle for Stardom (Repeat)

SUNDAY
7:00 NFL NFC Championship Game
10:00 The Resident (SERIES PREMIERE)

CW
After being dormant for over a month, the CW is back in action this week with its full lineup except for Friday. It includes the series premiere of Black Lightning on Tuesday night. I don't think it will have a great debut but it should be a little better than Valor and Dynasty were in the fall.

MONDAY
8:00 Supergirl
9:00 Valor

TUESDAY
8:00 The Flash
9:00 Black Lightning (SERIES PREMIERE)

WEDNESDAY
8:00 Riverdale
9:00 Dynasty

THURSDAY
8:00 Supernatural
9:00 Arrow

FRIDAY
8:00 Black Lightning (Repeat)
9:00 Penn & Teller: Fool Us (Repeat)

TV NEWS & THOUGHTS
- The CW announced the rest of its premieres for the season: Life Sentence will premiere on March 7 at 9pm. Dynasty will leave Wednesday nights and head to Fridays that same week in a definite timeslot downgrade. Additionally, iZombie will take over the Monday 9pm slot from Valor starting February 26. The 100 will air on Tuesdays at 9pm starting April 24 while the final season of The Originals premieres April 20 at 9pm.

- ABC finally announced all its midseason plans. They already announced a March 11 premiere date for American Idol. It will be followed by Deception at 10pm. Idol will aired on Sundays and Mondays for awhile before an all-star athlete edition of Dancing with the Stars takes its place starting April 30. On Mondays at 10pm, The Crossing will start once The Good Doctor ends its season on April 2. Tuesdays brings Splitting Up Together at 9:30pm starting March 27, the same day Roseanne debuts while Alex, Inc. takes Wednesdays at 8:30pm starting the next night. Earlier in the month, the Shondaland drama For the People takes over Tuesdays at 10pm and the Untitled Grey's Anatomy spinoff has a two hour premiere on March 22 at 9pm. After Scandal ends, the third season of Quantico joins on Thursdays at 10pm starting April 26. Other than Quantico, which shouldn't have ever been renewed, I think ABC made mostly good decisions with a very packed spring lineup.

- Scandal will air its series finale on April 19 at 10pm. It will move back to its original Thursday 10pm slot for the last couple episodes to make room for the Grey's Anatomy spinoff.

- NBC renewed Ellen's Game of Games after just one episode in its regular timeslot. The unscripted winter filler has been a big success story for NBC this season.

- FOX has given three additional episodes to LA to Vegas after the freshman comedy's decent debut. This news came before the freshman comedy had a pretty rough week two drop.

- CBS has announced that Elementary will begin its season on Monday, April 30 at 10pm while Code Black will follow two days later on May 2 at 10pm. Both shows will air well into the summer. It looks like CBS is trying to transition them to summer series.

- FOX announced a continuation of its unscripted science show Cosmos to air in Spring 2019. It last aired in Spring 2014. Its previous Sunday 7pm timeslot seems like a likely destination again.

WEEKLY RECAP: January 1-7, 2018

Here is the weekly ratings recap looking back at the week in ratings for Week #15. Please note no repeats, sports, specials, or Saturday airings are counted.

TOP 20 SHOWS (18-49 DEMO)
1. The Big Bang Theory (CBS, Thursday 8:00pm) - 3.1    12th week
2. The Simpsons (FOX, Sunday 8:07pm) - 2.8    7th week
3. Young Sheldon (CBS, Thursday 8:30pm) - 2.6    9th week
4. Ellen's Game of Games (NBC, Tuesday 9:00pm) - 2.4    Special Airing
5. Ellen's Game of Games (NBC, Tuesday 8:00pm) - 2.2    1st week
6. 9-1-1 (FOX, Wednesday 9:00pm) - 1.8    1st week (NEW SHOW)
7. Modern Family (ABC, Wednesday 9:00pm) - 1.7    11th week
    Mom (CBS, Thursday 9:00pm) - 1.7    8th week
9. The Amazing Race (CBS, Wednesday 8:00pm) - 1.6    1st week (New Season)
    Ghosted (FOX, Sunday 8:37pm) - 1.6    3rd week
    Family Guy (FOX, Sunday 9:07pm) - 1.6    6th week
12. The Bachelor (ABC, Monday 8:00pm) - 1.5    1st week (New Season)
     The Middle (ABC, Tuesday 8:00pm) - 1.5    11th week
     NCIS (CBS, Tuesday 8:00pm) - 1.5    11th week
     Chicago Med (NBC, Tuesday 10:00pm) - 1.5    5th week
     The Goldbergs (ABC, Wednesday 8:00pm) - 1.5    11th week
17. Law & Order: SVU (NBC, Wednesday 9:00pm) - 1.4    5th week
      Chicago PD (NBC, Wednesday 10:00pm) - 1.4    4th week
     Will & Grace (NBC, Thursday 9:00pm) - 1.4    7th week
     America's Funniest Home Videos (ABC, Sunday 8:00pm) - 1.4    2nd week
     Shark Tank (ABC, Sunday 9:00pm) - 1.4    1st week

BOTTOM 20 SHOWS (18-49 DEMO)
1. Valor (CW, Monday 9:00pm) - 0.2    10th week
    Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (CW, Friday 8:00pm) - 0.2    8th week
3. Great News (NBC, Thursday 9:30pm) - 0.6    4th week
    Madam Secretary (CBS, Sunday 10:00pm) - 0.6    11th week
5. Better Late Than Never (NBC, Monday 9:00pm) - 0.7    Special Airing
    Better Late Than Never (NBC, Monday 10:00pm) - 0.7    1st week
    Lucifer (FOX, Monday 8:00pm) - 0.7    4th week
    The Gifted (FOX, Monday 9:00pm) - 0.7    3rd week
    Kevin (Probably) Saves the World (ABC, Tuesday 10:00pm) - 0.7    10th week
    Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (ABC, Friday 9:00pm) - 0.7    4th week
    Wisdom of the Crowd (CBS, Sunday 8:00pm) - 0.7    6th week

12. The Wall (NBC, Monday 8:00pm) - 0.8    1st week

     The Mick (FOX, Tuesday 9:30pm) - 0.8    9th week
     20/20 (ABC, Friday 10:00pm) - 0.8    13th week
     60 Minutes (CBS, Sunday 7:00pm) - 0.8    1st week

16. Match Game (ABC, Wednesday 10:00pm) - 0.9    1st week (New Season)
    SEAL Team (CBS, Wednesday 9:00pm) - 0.9    1st week
    Criminal Minds (CBS, Wednesday 10:00pm) - 0.9    2nd week
    Child Support (ABC, Friday 8:00pm) - 0.9    1st week (NEW SERIES)
    MacGyver (CBS, Friday 8:00pm) - 0.9    7th week
    Hell's Kitchen (FOX, Friday 8:00pm) - 0.9    7th week
    NCIS: Los Angeles (CBS, Sunday 9:00pm) - 0.9    6th week

TOP 20 SHOWS (TOTAL VIEWERS)
1. The Big Bang Theory (CBS, Thursday 8:00pm) - 16.2 million    12th week
2. Young Sheldon (CBS, Thursday 8:30pm) - 14.7 million    9th week
3. NCIS (CBS, Tuesday 8:00pm) - 14.1 million    11th week
4. Bull (CBS, Tuesday 9:00pm) - 11.2 million    11th week
5. Hawaii Five-0 (CBS, Friday 9:00pm) - 10.0 million    11th week
    Blue Bloods (CBS, Friday 10:00pm) - 10.0 million    11th week
7. Mom (CBS, Thursday 9:00pm) - 9.9 million    8th week
8. NCIS: New Orleans (CBS, Tuesday 10:00pm) - 9.1 million    11th week
9. Ellen's Game of Games (NBC, Tuesday 9:00pm) - 8.9 million    Special Airing
10. Ellen's Game of Games (NBC, Tuesday 8:00pm) - 8.8 million    1st week
11. NCIS: Los Angeles (CBS, Sunday 9:00pm) - 7.9 million    12th week
12. MacGyver (CBS, Friday 8:00pm) - 7.8 million    10th week
      60 Minutes (CBS, Sunday 7:00pm) - 7.8 million    13th week
14. Life in Pieces (CBS, Thursday 9:30pm) - 7.4 million    5th week
15. The Amazing Race (CBS, Wednesday 8:00pm) - 7.3 million    1st week (New Season)
16. Chicago Med (NBC, Tuesday 10:00pm) - 7.0 million    5th week
17. The Simpsons (FOX, Sunday 8:07pm) - 6.9 million    1st week
18. Chicago PD (NBC, Wednesday 10:00pm) - 6.8 million    3rd week
     9-1-1 (FOX, Wednesday 9:00pm) - 6.8 million    1st week (NEW SHOW)
20. The Middle (ABC, Tuesday 8:00pm) - 6.4 million    2nd week

BOTTOM 20 SHOWS (TOTAL VIEWERS)
1. Valor (CW, Monday 9:00pm) - 0.7 million    10th week
    Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (CW, Friday 8:00pm) - 0.7 million    8th week
3. The Mick (FOX, Tuesday 9:30pm) - 2.3 million    10th week
4. Great News (NBC, Thursday 9:30pm) - 2.4 million    3rd week
5. The Gifted (FOX, Monday 9:00pm) - 2.5 million    5th week
    Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (ABC, Friday 9:00pm) - 2.5 million    4th week
7. Kevin (Probably) Saves the World (ABC, Tuesday 10:00pm) - 2.6 million    6th week
8. The Last Man on Earth (FOX, Sunday 9:37pm) - 3.0 million    9th week
9. Lucifer (FOX, Monday 8:00pm) - 3.1 million    4th week
    The Good Place (NBC, Thursday 8:30pm) - 3.1 million    2nd week
11. Hell's Kitchen (FOX, Friday 8:00pm) - 3.4 million    5th week
      Family Guy (FOX, Sunday 9:07pm) - 3.4 million    8th week
13. The Four (FOX, Thursday 9:00pm) - 3.7 million    1st week (NEW SERIES)
14. Match Game (ABC, Wednesday 10:00pm) - 3.6 million    1st week (New Season)

15. LA to Vegas (FOX, Tuesday 9:00pm) - 3.8 million    1st week (NEW SERIES)
16. Superstore (NBC, Thursday 8:00pm) - 3.9 million    1st week
      Shark Tank (ABC, Sunday 10:00pm) - 3.9 million    Special Airing
      Ghosted (FOX, Sunday 8:37pm) - 3.9 million    8th week

19. Black-ish (ABC, Tuesday 9:00pm) - 4.0 million    2nd week
20. Better Late Than Never (NBC, Monday 10:00pm) - 4.1 million    1st week

WINNERS OF THE NIGHT
Monday - None
Tuesday - Ellen's Game of Games (NBC)    1st week
Wednesday - 9-1-1 (FOX)    1st week (NEW SHOW)
Thursday - The Big Bang Theory (CBS)    2nd week
Friday - Child Support (ABC)    1st week (NEW SHOW)
Sunday - Shark Tank (ABC)    2nd week

LOSERS OF THE NIGHT
Monday - The Gifted (FOX)    4th week
Tuesday - Black-ish (ABC)    1st week
Wednesday - SEAL Team (CBS)    1st week
Thursday - Great News (NBC)    4th week
Friday - None
Sunday - Madam Secretary (CBS)    2nd week

THE WEEK AHEAD: January 8-14, 2018

Here's a look at Week #16!

ABC
ABC starts the week off with the return of TV's #1 new drama, The Good Doctor. It has to face off against the College Football Championship on ESPN but that seems like it could be a different audience. Still, if The Bachelor is soft like last week, a series low wouldn't shock me. The Mayor was pulled off the schedule so another Modern Family repeat takes its place. Another Truth and Lies special airs on Thursday ahead of the return of TGIT next week.

MONDAY
8:00 The Bachelor
10:00 The Good Doctor

TUESDAY
8:00 The Middle
8:30 Fresh Off the Boat
9:00 Black-ish
9:30 Modern Family (Repeat)
10:00 Kevin (Probably) Saves the World

WEDNESDAY
8:00 The Goldbergs
8:30 Speechless
9:00 Modern Family
9:30 American Housewife
10:00 Match Game

THURSDAY
8:00 Child Support (Repeat)
9:00 Truth and Lies: The Tonya Harding Story (Special)

FRIDAY
8:00 Child Support
9:00 Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
10:00 20/20

SATURDAY
8:00 Movie: Flushed Away
10:00 20/20

SUNDAY
7:00 America's Funniest Home Videos (Repeat)
8:00 America's Funniest Home Videos
9:00 Shark Tank
10:00 Shark Tank

CBS
CBS has new episodes all week except for Monday as they chose not to compete with College Football. Sunday night has the finale of the de facto cancelled Wisdom of the Crowd. CBS had a great start for the new season of The Amazing Race. It will be interesting to see how it does in Week #2.

MONDAY
8:00 The Big Bang Theory (Repeat)
8:30 Kevin Can Wait (Repeat)
9:00 Young Sheldon (Repeat)
9:30 Superior Donuts (Repeat)
10:00 S.W.A.T. (Repeat)

TUESDAY
8:00 NCIS
9:00 Bull
10:00 NCIS: New Orleans

WEDNESDAY
8:00 The Amazing Race
9:00 SEAL Team
10:00 Criminal Minds

THURSDAY
8:00 The Big Bang Theory
8:30 Young Sheldon
9:00 Mom
9:30 Life in Pieces
10:00 S.W.A.T.

FRIDAY
8:00 MacGyver
9:00 Hawaii Five-0
10:00 Blue Bloods

SATURDAY
8:00 NFL Divisional Playoffs

SUNDAY
7:00 60 Minutes
8:00 Wisdom of the Crowd (Season Finale)
9:00 NCIS: Los Angeles
10:00 Madam Secretary

NBC
NBC has its schedule back in full force this week with the return of The Brave and This is Us. This is Us should have a big return on Tuesday especially with the surprisingly huge performance for Ellen's Game of Games. Friday night has the season premiere of Taken, which should have a very quiet debut.

MONDAY
8:00 The Wall
9:00 Better Late Than Never
10:00 The Brave

TUESDAY
8:00 Ellen's Game of Games
9:00 This is Us
10:00 Chicago Med

WEDNESDAY
8:00 The Blacklist
9:00 Law & Order: SVU
10:00 Chicago PD

THURSDAY
8:00 Superstore
8:30 The Good Place
9:00 Will & Grace
9:30 Great News
10:00 Chicago Fire

FRIDAY
8:00 Blindspot
9:00 Taken (Season Premiere)
10:00 Dateline NBC

SATURDAY
8:00 Will & Grace (Repeat)
8:30 Superstore (Repeat)
9:00 Dateline NBC
10:00 Saturday Night Live (Repeat)

SUNDAY
7:00 Dateline NBC
9:00 Movie: Ride Along

FOX
FOX had a solid start to its January with three series premieres that ranged from strong to acceptable. The key will be how LA to Vegas, 9-1-1, and The Four do in week two. FOX is choosing to let Bob's Burgers air after The Simpsons instead of Ghosted following the NFL playoff game.

MONDAY
8:00 Lucifer (Repeat)
9:00 The Gifted (Repeat)

TUESDAY
8:00 Lethal Weapon
9:00 LA to Vegas
9:30 The Mick

WEDNESDAY
8:00 The X-Files
9:00 9-1-1

THURSDAY
8:00 The Four: Battle for Stardom

FRIDAY
8:00 Hell's Kitchen
9:00 The X-Files (Repeat)

SATURDAY
8:00 The Four: Battle for Stardom (Repeat)

SUNDAY
7:00 NFL Overrun/The OT
8:00 The Simpsons
8:30 Bob's Burgers
9:00 Family Guy
9:30 The Last Man on Earth

CW
The CW is still in repeats and specials mode before returning next week with their regular shows. Only Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is new for them this week.

MONDAY
8:00 Supergirl (Repeat)
9:00 Arrow (Repeat)

TUESDAY
8:00 The Flash (Repeat)
9:00 DC's Legends of Tomorrow (Repeat)

WEDNESDAY
8:00 The 3rd Annual Howie Mandel Stand-Up Gala (Special)
9:30 Animal Crackers (Special)

THURSDAY
8:00 23rd Annual Critics Choice Awards (Special)

FRIDAY
8:00 Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
9:00 Penn & Teller: Fool Us (Repeat)

TV NEWS & THOUGHTS
- ABC has cancelled The Mayor, pulling it off the schedule effective immediately. The show may finish out its run at a later date but make no mistake, it's a cancellation.

- New Girl will have its seventh and final season premiere on FOX on Tuesday, April 10 at 9:30pm. It will air its one hour series finale on May 15 at 9pm.

- FOX renewed The Gifted for a second season as announced this week during the TCA Winter Tour. The Marvel show started strong but has had ever decreasing ratings. Still, it will get another season from FOX. The trend is definitely hard core going in the wrong direction for this show though.

- Scandal and How to Get Away with Murder will have a crossover episode later this season. I'm usually a fan of crossovers but this is a dumb idea. I'm sure it will get ratings but these shows don't take place in the same universe. It feels incredibly gimmicky.

- CBS has given a second season to Young Sheldon. Being the #1 new show, this was never in doubt but it's earlier than CBS usually hands out renewals.

PILOT REVIEW: 9-1-1

9-1-1

Starring: Angela Bassett, Peter Krause, Oliver Stark, Aisha Hinds, Kenneth Choi, Rockmond Dunbar, and Connie Britton

Created by Ryan Murphy & Brad Falchuk and Tim Minear
Written by Ryan Murphy & Brad Falchuk and Tim Minear, Directed by Bradley Buecker

THE PREMISE
9-1-1 is a Ryan Murphy show masquerading as a Dick Wolf show and there's a lot of elements of both. It is centered on first responders in Los Angeles as they deal with harrowing situations on a daily basis. The first responders include field sergeant Athena Grant (Angela Bassett), fire captain Bobby Nash (Peter Krause), firefighters "Buck," "Hen," and "Chimney" (Oliver Stark, Aisha Hinds, & Kenneth Choi), and 911 dispatch operator Abby Clark (Connie Britton). Rounding out the main cast is Athena's husband, Michael Grant (Rockmond Dunbar) who just came out as gay to his wife and children.

THE REVIEW
If you've read my blog before, you know that I am decidedly mixed on Ryan Murphy. While I thought the inaugural season of American Crime Story was one of the best things to hit TV this decade, I have felt that his other shows I've seen from Glee to American Horror Story to Scream Queens to The New Normal to Feud all range from campy at best to self-indulgent trash at worse. That's what makes 9-1-1 so odd because there's a lot of it that feels more like a show in the Chicago universe than a Ryan Murphy vehicle. That's not to say there aren't some odd things (more on that in a minute) but it's awfully tame, some may even say mundane. For me though, this is more my cup of tea.

The all-star cast certainly makes a big difference. Veterans like Angela Bassett, Peter Krause, and especially Connie Britton elevate the show and make it more compelling than it probably would be with a less prestigious cast. In particular, Britton was commanding. At first, I thought they were grossly undervaluing her, but then her role in the final call of the episode (the break in) was vital to the story and made it the best part of the episode. Krause is also very strong here and he's always a likable performer in any role he's in even though his personality seems like a slightly more tortured version of his Parenthood persona.

I know Ryan Murphy has said that all these rescues are based on true stories and I'm not arguing that, but wow, the first two stories were just so ridiculous that it was hard to take it serious on any level. I mean, a baby in a drain? Seriously? The last story, centered on a break-in while just a child was home in suburban LA, was so much more compelling at heart pounding because I was engrossed in the story and not laughing at the absurdity of it. While I'm not going to knock the show for delving into the personal lives of the characters, I was not at all moved by the gay dad storyline. I'm not saying that isn't something families have dealt with but the reveal was just so poorly done and melodramatic. It felt completely out of place with the heart pounding feel to the show even for the most absurd cases.

WILL I WATCH IT AGAIN?
Yes. I'm captivated enough by the cast to give this a few episodes and we'll see if it can avoid some of the common Ryan Murphy traps.

PILOT REVIEW: LA to Vegas

LA TO VEGAS












Starring: Kim Matula, Ed Weeks, Peter Stormare, Nathan Lee Graham, Olivia Macklin, and Dylan McDermott

Created by Lon Zimmet
Written by Lon Zimmet, Directed by Steven Levitan

THE PREMISE
LA to Vegas has a very clever premise. In case it's not clear by the title, each episode is set on a weekend flight from Los Angeles to Las Vegas and back. The plane is piloted by the eccentric Captain Dave Pratman (Dylan McDermott) and the flight attendants are Ronnie and Bernard (Kim Matula and Nathan Lee Graham). Much like Norm and Cliff in Cheers, there are "regulars" on the plane including a stripper, Nichole (Olivia Macklin) and a Russian bookie, Artem (Peter Stormare). Roun. Rounding out the main cast is a UCLA professor, Colin (Ed Weeks), who becomes interested in Ronnie.

THE REVIEW
I found LA to Vegas to be a breath of fresh air with an odd charm to it. It's a very unique setting. While Wings was set at an airport, I can't think of any show that was primarily set on a plane besides the dreadfully dull Pan Am in 2011 (and even that had more land scenes than this one did, at least in the pilot). I'm quite curious to see what it looks like on a weekly basis. Will they always stick to the plane and airport or will they venture into Vegas from time to time? I think they would be better off sticking completely to the plane for as long as they can. If Cheers can get 11 seasons while rarely leaving the bar, I think this show can come up with enough stories to stick to its premise.

Among the cast, the standouts of the pilot were definitely Dylan McDermott and Kim Matula. Matula is a natural and a strong protagonist. The opening of the series with her running through an airport was a joke that's been done before in different ways, but Matula landed it with good comedic timing (and it was also well shot). And then McDermott is just ridiculous as the pilot. For an actor that I've seen primarily in very serious roles, this was a hilarious turn. He seemed to lean fully into being an outrageous personality and it was fun to watch. Although it didn't happen in the pilot, I also love the casting of Dermot Mulroney as a rival pilot given all the jokes about the two actors over the years.

I wasn't completely sold on the rest of the cast because they seemed closer to caricatures. McDermott was also playing a caricature but doing it very effectively while the others were less convincing though Peter Stormare had a few funny lines ("this baby man is in my seat"). There were a few sitcom cliches and jokes that didn't land (JFK jokes weren't funny and I wasn't surprised in the least when there was a hookup in the airplane bathroom). But all in all, it was a solid start. This show may be confining itself to the plane but it seems intent on becoming a character driven sitcom even with the gimmicky premise. Up, up, and away!

WILL I WATCH IT AGAIN?
Definitely. It wasn't perfect but it definitely showed me enough to make me want to jump on future flights. And it was much better than I remembered from the trailer.