Today in TV History:
There were two series premieres: sitcom Private Secretary in 1953, which alternated with The Jack Benny Show and was headlined by Ann Sothern; and daytime soap The Secret Storm, which aired for 20 years. After Private Secretary concluded, Sothern reprised her role as Susie McNamera on the premiere episode of The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour in 1957. Also on this day: newly divorced Sonny and Cher reunited on The Sonny and Cher Show in 1976, but the magic was gone and the variety hour expired in the summer of 1977.
In Today’s Issue
NETWORK
-Tuesday Metered Market Ratings
-TV Media Insights Super Bowl XLVI Game
-Fox Extends Alcatraz Freshman Season Run
-Three More Pilot Pick-Ups at The CW
-Week of January 23 Live Plus Same Day Results
CABLE
-More Luck on HBO
-TCM Beefs Up 2012 TCM Classic Film Festival Roster
-Cable Rankings – Week of January 23
SYNDICATION
-Sewee Entertainment to Distribute The Jose Feliciano Show
-Five Year High for Maury
PBS
-American Experience Presents The Amish
SCHEDULE BOX
-On the Air Tonight
TRIVIA CHALLENGE
-G’Day Mate
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NETWORK
Metered Market Tuesday Ratings
Encore CBS Wins; Glee on Fox Perks Up
Tuesday 1/31/12
Metered Market Results
Household
Rating/Share
CBS 7.1/11
Fox 5.5/ 9
ABC 3.8/ 6
NBC 3.4/ 5
CW 1.2/ 2
-Percent Change from Year-Ago Evening – Tuesday 2/01/11
Fox: +72, CBS: + 9, ABC: -12, CW: -25, NBC: -37
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-Winners:
NCIS R (CBS), Glee (Fox), New Girl (Fox), NCIS: Los Angeles R (CBS)
-Losers (excluding repeats):
90210 (CW), Celebrity Wife Swap (ABC), Raising Hope (Fox), Ringer (CW)
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-Ratings Breakdown:
CBS was still the network to beat in the Tuesday overnights despite airing all repeats. Next was Fox, which trailed the Eye net by 1.6 rating points (but will hold a solid advantage among adults 18-49), followed by ABC, NBC and, of course, The CW.
The encore telecast of NCIS opened the evening for CBS with an 8.3 rating/13 share at 8 p.m., followed by repeats of spin-off NCIS: Los Angeles (#1: 7.4/12) and freshman drama Unforgettable (#1: 5.6/ 9) from 9-11 p.m. Had Unforgettable been airing on any other network, it would stand a much greater chance of being picked up for a second season. The disadvantage of airing on CBS is the lack of available programming real estate. The expectations are higher.
In season (or series) finale news, Celebrity Wife Swap on ABC exited with a whimper at a fourth-place 3.8/ 6 in the overnights from 9-10 p.m. That led into a repeat of on-the-fence sophomore crime solver Body of Proof at a second-place 4.0/ 7 at 10 p.m. Earlier in the evening on ABC were back-to-back repeats of sitcom Last Man Standing at an average 3.8/ 6 (#4) from 8-9 p.m. As a reminder, returning Cougar Town steps into the Tuesday 8:30 p.m. half-hour on ABC on Feb. 14.
Regarding the future of Body of Proof, here is what ABC Entertainment President Paul Lee had to say about the show at the recent Winter Television Critics Association Press Tour.
“I am a huge fan of Dana Delany. And I know as we go into the back half of the season, they’re going to have more fun with her and really push some of the more edgy elements that she brought in in the early stages of it. It is a show that we would love to work long term. Our affiliates love it. Gives us great lead in. And we’re huge fans of the show-runners and Dana. So I’m hoping that that works well and we can bring it back.”
Over at The CW, absence did not, unfortunately, make the ratings any stronger for freshman drama Ringer, which returned after an eight week hiatus with a 1.3/ 2 in the overnights at 9 p.m. Comparably, that was equal to failed year-ago occupant Hellcats. At 8 p.m. on The CW was 90210 at a very last-place 1.1/ 2, which dipped from year-ago occupant One Tree Hill (1.7/ 3 on 2/01/11) by a hefty 35 percent. Yes…it is time for 90210 to finally call it quits.
Elsewhere, Glee on Fox benefited opposite encore telecasts of NCIS and Last Man Standing, with an above-average 6.7/10 at 8 p.m. Comparably, that is more than enough to amply dominate the time period among adults 18-49. Glee led into freshman hit New Girl (#3: 5.3/ 8), which will also win the 9 p.m. half-hour in the demo by significant proportions, followed by sophomore Raising Hope (#4: 3.4/ 5 at 9:30 p.m.), which dropped by a significant 36 percent in the overnights out of New Girl. Comparably, Raising Hope was equal to failed year-ago occupant Million Dollar Money Drop. As I say every week, what a pity it is that more people are not watching this more than worthy half-hour. If you liked Malcolm in the Middle, you will surely enjoy Raising Hope.
NBC capped off this final evening in January with tired The Biggest Loser (4.1/ 7 from 8-10 p.m.), which dropped by 28 percent from one year earlier (5.7/ 8 on 2/01/11), and a repeat of Parenthood (#3: 1.8/ 3). Here is the half-hour breakdown for The Biggest Loser:
The Biggest Loser (NBC)
8:00 p.m.: 4.1/ 6 (#3)
8:30 p.m.: 3.9/ 6 (#3)
9:00 p.m.: 4.1/ 6 (#3)
9:30 p.m.: 4.2/ 7 (#2)
And there you have it…the Tuesday overnights.
Source: Nielsen Media Research data
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OTHER NETWORK ITEMS
TV Media Insights Super Bowl XLVI Game
Online games maven Douglas Pucci has designed a platform for TVMI’s first annual Super Bowl contest. Featured is Super Bowl audience levels from 1999 through last year, lead-out The Voice (and prior lead-out programming levels from 1988), and a chance to estimate how both will fare in Canada. You can chime in with your predictions at http://www.freewebs.com/tvmediainsights/tvmi_daily.html.
Fox Extends Alcatraz Freshman Season Run
Fox has extended the freshman season of Alcatraz by two weeks, and will end the season on March 26 (instead of the originally planned March 12). Two episodes of the prison drama will air on Monday, March 5, followed by a move to 8 p.m. one week later (into Keifer Sutherland drama Touch, which will feature an encore of the pilot at 9 p.m. on March 12). House, which will be pre-empted in March, will return into the Monday 8 p.m. hour on April 2
Three More Pilot Pick-Ups at The CW
As we delve further in development season, struggling The CW has picked-up three more drama pilots. The first is called Shelter from One Tree Hill creator/show-runner Mark Schwahn, and the setting is an historic New England summer resort where the staff attends to the needs of the guests. Schwahn and J.J. Abrams are the executive producers. The next pilot, The Selection, is based on the upcoming book series and set 300 years into the future. The Selection centers on a poor young woman who competes to become the next queen of a war-torn nation. Third is Joey Dakota, the romantic tale of a female filmmaker who travels back in time to the 1990s where she meets and falls in love with the rock star subject of her film. When he unexpectedly returns to present day, she must find a way to reunite and prevent his expected death.
Last week the network announced the pilot pick-ups of dramas The Carrie Dairies, a prequel to Sex and the City; a modern day version of classic Beauty and the Beast; and Green Arrow, which is based on the fictional superhero that appears in comic books published by DC Comics.
At present, only The Vampire Diaries is delivering an adequate sized audience on The CW. Other than fading Supernatural, which is also a likely returnee, The CW has holes to fill on each of its five nights of the week.
Week of January 23 Live Plus Same Day Results
More than one-half of CBS’ line-up (57 percent, to be exact) were repeat telecasts this week, but the Eye net still ruled in total viewers with 1.30 million (or 16 percent) more than second-place NBC. Fox, which benefited by demo-friendly the Ultimate Fighting Championship on Saturday, led in the three key demos…adults 18-49, adults 25-54 and adults 18-34. Fox’s advantage over No. 2 CBS among adults 18-49 was, in fact, a full rating point.
Year-to-year, NBC got a boost thanks to the AFC-NFC Pro Bowl on Sunday (Viewers: #8 overall, 12.50 million; A18-49: #4, 4.3 rating/11 share), which resulted in as much as a 12 percent gain among adults 18-49. One year earlier, the Pro Bowl match-up aired on Fox. CBS was also on the plus side, while ABC, Fox and The CW all suffered losses. Part of Fox’s erosion stems from a fading American Idol, which still ranks at the top of the charts.
Here are the overall results by network for the week of January 23 (with change versus the comparable year-ago period in parentheses). Keep in mind that the Big 4 broadcast networks were not rated in the Tuesday 9-10:30 p.m. block due to President Obama’s State of the Union address.
Total Viewers:
CBS: 9.34 million (+ 2), Fox: 8.04 (-33), NBC: 6.09 (+ 9), ABC: 5.69 (- 3), CW: 1.14 (-37)
Adults 18-49:
Fox: 3.0 rating/8 share (-29), CBS: 2.0/ 6 (+11), NBC: 1.8/ 5 (+12), ABC: 1.6/ 4 (- 6), CW: 0.5/ 1 (-37)
Adults 25-54:
Fox: 3.4/ 8 (-29), CBS: 2.8/ 7 (+ 8), NBC: 2.2/ 5 (+10), ABC: 2.1/ 5 (- 5), CW: 0.5/ 1 (-37)
Adults 18-34:
Fox: 2.4/ 8 (-31), NBC: 1.4/ 4 (+ 8), ABC: 1.2/ 4 (-14), CBS: 1.1/ 4 (no change), CW: 0.5/ 2 (-44)
In series-premiere news, the preview of Kiefer Sutherland Fox drama Touch was sampled at 12.01 million viewers (#9 overall) and a 3.9/10 among adults 18-49 (#5) in the Wednesday 9 p.m. hour out of American Idol. But Touch won’t be back until it debuts in the Monday 9 p.m. hour (out of House) on March 19. There were six recent midseason entries this week and they performed as follows (in order of total viewers):
Touch (Fox) – Wed. 9 p.m. (series premiere/preview)
Viewers: 12.01 million (#9 overall), A18-49: 3.9/10 (#5)
-Grade: B-
Rob! (CBS) – Thursday 8:30 p.m.
Viewers: 11.50 million (#10), A18-49: 3.5/ 9 (#8t)
-Grade: B-
Alcatraz (Fox) – Monday 8 p.m.
Viewers: 9.03 million (#21), A18-49: 3.0/ 7 (#14t)
-Grade: B+
The Finder (Fox) – Thursday 9 p.m.
Viewers: 8.44 million (#23), A18-49: 2.8/ 7 (#17)
-Grade: C
Are You There, Chelsea? (NBC) – Wednesday 8:30 p.m.
Viewers: 3.80 million (#70t), A18-49: 1.4/ 4 (#53t)
-Grade: D+
Remodeled (CW) – Tuesday 9 p.m.
Viewers: 890,000 (#93), A18-49: 0.4/ 1 (#90t)
-Grade: D+
In series-final news, Chuck on NBC did not go out with a bang, so to speak, with 4.31 million viewers (#60) and a 1.3/ 4 among adults 18-49 (#61t) in the Friday 9 p.m. hour. In original movie news, acquiring the Hallmark Hall of Fame titles has not been beneficial to ABC with the latest title, A Smile as Big as the Moon, at 6.85 million viewers (#35) and a 1.5/ 4 in the demo (#45t) in the Sunday 9-11 p.m. block.
In the specials department, Fox’s aforementioned UFC averaged 4.66 million viewers (#56) with a 2.4/ 8 among adults 18-49 (#21t) in the Saturday 8-10 p.m. block. Also on Saturday was The U.S. Figure Skating Championship (Ladies Free Skate) on NBC at 3.71 million viewers (#72) and a mere 0.6/ 2 in the demo (#85t) from 9-11 p.m.
Here are the top 30 rated programs of the week in total viewers and adults 18-49:
Total Viewers:
American Idol – Wednesday (Fox): 19.67, American Idol – Thursday (Fox): 17.14, The Big Bang Theory (CBS): 16.13, CSI (CBS): 14.26, Criminal Minds (CBS): 13.81, Undercover Boss (CBS): 13.15, NCIS R (CBS): 12.55, AFC-NFC Pro Bowl (NBC): 12.50, Touch (Fox, series premiere/preview): 12.01, Rob (CBS): 11.50, AFC-NFC Pro Bowl Pre-Game (NBC): 11.39, 60 Minutes (CBS): 11.19, The Good Wife (CBS): 11.08, Once Upon a Time (ABC): 10.91, CSI: Miami (CBS): 10.57, Person of Interest R (CBS): 10.54, Castle (ABC): 10.05, Two and a Half Men R (ABC): 9.78, American Idol R (Fox, Tues. 8 p.m.) and The Mentalist R (CBS): 9.64 each, Alcatraz (Fox): 9.0, House (Fox): 8.76, The Finder (Fox): 8.44, The Bachelor (ABC): 8.30, Mike & Molly R (CBS): 8.25, Blue Bloods R (CBS): 8.22, Criminal Minds R (CBS, Wed. 8 p.m.): 7.85, 2 Broke Girls R (CBS): 7.76CSI: NY R (CBS): 7.62, State of the Union Analysis (NBC): 7.46
Adults 18-49:
American Idol – Wednesday (Fox): 6.5/18, The Big Bang Theory (CBS): 5.5/16, American Idol – Thursday (Fox): 5.5/15, AFC-NFC Pro Bowl (NBC): 4.3/11, Touch (Fox, series premiere/preview): 3.9/10, Criminal Minds (CBS): 3.7/ 9, AFC-NFC Pro Bowl Pre-Game (NBC): 3.6/11, Rob (CBS): 3.5/ 9, Once Upon a Time (ABC): 3.5/ 8, American Idol R (Fox, Tues. 8 p.m.): 3.4/ 9, CSI (CBS): 3.4/ 9, House (Fox): 3.1/ 8, Family Guy (Fox): 3.1/ 7, Alcatraz (Fox) and Undercover Boss (CBS): 3.0/ 7 each, Two and a Half Men R (CBS): 2.9/ 7, The Finder (Fox): 2.8/ 7, The Bachelor (ABC): 2.7/ 7, 2 Broke Girls R (CBS): 2.6/ 6, Modern Family R (ABC): 2.5/ 6, UFC (Fox): 2.4/ 8, Mike & Molly R (CBS) and The Simpsons (Fox): 2.4/ 6 each, American Dad (Fox): 2.4/ 5, How I Met Your Mother R (CBS) and CSI: Miami (CBS): 2.3/ 6 each, The Good Wife (CBS): 2.2/ 5, The Biggest Loser (NBC) and NCIS R (CBS): 2.1/ 6 each, Castle (ABC), Person of Interest R (CBS) and Napoleon Dynamite (Fox): 2.1/ 5 each
Source: Nielsen Media Research data
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SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES ARE AVAILABLE AT TV MEDIA INSIGHTS
Contact Joel Spicola at joel@tvmediainsights.com or 720/323-4055 for more information.
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CABLE
More Luck on HBO
It just officially debuted on Sunday (after a one episode preview in December), but the initial buzz and sampling was enough for HBO to renew drama Luck for a second season. Led by two-time Academy Award winner Dustin Hoffman and Oscar nominated Nick Nolte, Luck is a behind-the-scenes look at the word of horse racing and the people who occupy it. Ten new episodes have been ordered for 2013.
TCM Beefs Up 2012 TCM Classic Film Festival Roster
TCM, the home of must see classic theatricals, has announced an impressive roster of celebrity participants at the upcoming 2012 TCM Classic Film Festival in Hollywood. Slated to appear in the April 12-15 gathering are Liza Minnelli, Joel Grey, Debbie Reynolds; film noir stars Peggy Cummins, Rhonda Flemming and Marsha Hunt; and silent era child star “Baby Peggy” Diana Serra Cary. Minnelli and Gray will join TCM host Robert Osborne with an opening night screening of the 40th anniversary of Cabaret; while the 60th anniversary of musical classic Singin’ in the Rain (with Debbie Reynolds) will be featured.
The festival will also feature the 75th anniversary restoration of POW drama Grand Illusion; a live musical accompaniment for a screening of silent Douglas Fairbanks fantasy-adventure The Thief of Bagdad; and a tribute to the late, and great Audrey Hepburn. For more information, visit www.tcm.com/festival.
Cable Rankings – Week of January 23
What follows are the top 10 rated cable networks for the week of January 23 broken out by total viewers, adults 18-49, adults 25-54 and adults 18-34:
Total Viewers:
USA: 2.85 million, History: 2.45, Disney Channel: 2.30, TBS: 2.15, Fox News: 2.13, A&E: 1.89, TNT: 1.70, FX: 1.65, ESPN: 1.41, Food Network: 1.35
Adults 18-49:
TBS: 1.17 million, USA: 1.08 million, History: 1.04 million, A&E: 910,000, FX: 833,000, MTV: 783,000, ESPN: 772,000, TNT: 688,000, Adult Swim: 640,000, Bravo: 631,000
Adults 25-54:
History: 1.20 million, USA and TBS: 1.14 million each, A&E: 966,000, FX: 839,000, TNT: 727,000, Food Network: 684,000, ESPN: 677,000, Discovery: 663,000, Tru: 646,000
Adults 18-34:
MTV: 622,000, TBS: 619,000, USA: 494,000, Adult Swim and ESPN: 451,000 each, History: 426,000, FX: 419,000, A&E: 417,000, Comedy Central: 370,000, TNT: 339,000
Source: Nielsen Media Research data
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SYNDICATION
Sewee Entertainment to Distribute The Jose Feliciano Show
Sewee Entertainment, the growing home of first-run weeklies, will handle the domestic and international distribution for The Jose Feliciano Show, a half-hour variety-themed weekly slated to debut next fall. Hosted by the world’s greatest living guitarist, the program will feature a combination of talk with different guests, and musical numbers, both in English and Spanish.
“I’m excited to have this opportunity to visit with some of the people in our industry whom I admire greatly and want to share some time with — in conversation, music and a joke or three,” said Jose Feliciano. “I think our audiences will too.”
Twenty-six episodes of The Jose Feliciano Show have been ordered, with the pilot scheduled for early March. For more information, contact Tim Voit at 843/224-3444 or tim@sewee.net.
Five Year High for Maury
Based on the Live Plus Same Day results for the week of January 16, NBCUniversal talker Maury, hosted by Maury Povich, rose to a season-high 2.6 household rating. Comparably, that was Maury’s highest rating since the week of February 19, 2007. Maury, additionally, extended its winning streak in talk among women 18-34 (1.8 rating), women 18-49 (1.7), adults 18-34 (1.3) and adults 18-49 (1.3) to 34 weeks.
Also at NBCU, both Jerry Springer (1.6 in households) and Steve Wilkos (1.5) hit season highs, with growth of 7 and 15 percent, respectively, from the year-ago week.
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PBS
American Experience Presents The Amish
Ever wonder what it is really like in the world of the Amish community? The American Experience on PBS is presenting The Amish, which answers many of the endless questions about their community. Filmed over the course of one year, some of the addressed topics include how the Amish have resisted modern society and government, our endless fascination with their lifestyle, and what the future holds for this group of people whose existence is so rooted in the past.
“In our 23 years, with almost 300 films completed, this was the most difficult that we’ve ever made,” said Mark Samels, Executive Producer of American Experience. “It took six months of trust building before the Amish let our cameras into their homes, barns and workplaces.”
The Amish premieres on Tuesday, February 28 at 8 p.m. ET on PBS.
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SCHEDULE BOX
On the Air Tonight
Wednesday, February 1
ABC
8:00 p.m. The Middle (R)
8:30 p.m. Suburgatory (R)
9:00 p.m. Modern Family (R)
9:30 p.m. Happy Endings (R)
10:00 p.m. Revenge (R)
CBS
8:00 p.m. Super Bowl’s Greatest Commercials
9:00 p.m. Criminal Minds
10:00 p.m. CSI
NBC
8:00 p.m. Whitney
8:30 p.m. Are You There, Chelsea?
9:00 p.m. Law & Order: SVU (R)
10:00 p.m. Law & Order: SVU (R)
Fox
8:00 p.m. American Idol
9:00 p.m. Mobbed
CW
8:00 p.m. One Tree Hill
9:00 p.m. Remodeled
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TRIVIA CHALLENGE
G’Day Mate
Remember the 1960s Australian series featuring the beloved Skippy? What kind of animal was Skippy?
a) cat
b) dingo
c) kangaroo
d) parrot
e) raccoon
Note: The person with the most correct answers this week will be awarded with a $25 gift certificate to Starbucks, with the eighth winner announced on Friday. In the event of a tie, the name will be drawn out of a hat. Good luck to all!
The answer to yesterday’s question…
Who played Tatum O’Neal’s Academy Award winning role in the short-lived TV sitcom version of Paper Moon?
a) Sandra Bullock
b) Pamelyn Ferdin
c) Jodie Foster
d) Helen Hunt
e) Kristy McNichol
Is: c) Jodie Foster, who at the time was busy making guest star appearances on series like Gunsmoke, The Courtship of Eddie’s Father, My Three Sons, The Partridge Family and Kung Fu.
Todays Trivia All-Stars:
Dave Aiken, Mark Amato, Barbara Berman, Barbara Bloomfield, D.C. Carter, Larry Collins, Tom Condosta, Harold Cooper, Mark Cosenza, Phyllis Epstein, John Ferlazzo, Michelle Harrington, Julie Hurwitz, Bob Ingersoll, David Jackino, Tom Joyce, Irene Kirschner, Synda Kollman, Ally Lattman, Danny Leclair, Rick Locke, Kathy McClung, Barbara Oates, Greg Phelan, Roger Price, Gordon Purcell, Connie Rigg, Colleen Roth, David Schwartz, Maxine Shulman, Janet Shute, Michelle Stanton, Ken Stowe, Joe Swaney, Ronnie Tallant, Linda Weeks, Abbott Wool
