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TV MEDIA INSIGHTS
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Today in TV History:
The gang called Brady made a brief return in hour-long The Bradys in 1990. This fiasco (complete with Leah Ayres as “fake” Marcia) lasted six episodes. Also on this day: The Beatles made their first appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964, and Beverly Hills, 90210 hit the 100-episode mark in 1994.
In Today’s Issue
NETWORK
-Wednesday Metered Market Ratings
-Fox’s House to Conclude
-Martin Mull and Fred Willard Back Together Again
CABLE
-ABC Family Adds Drama Bunheads to its New Series Roster
-More Being Human
-The Voice on E!
-HBO Announces Return Date for Ricky Gervais Show
-Sundance Channel Unveils Push Girls Start Date
-Top 20 Rankings – Tuesday 2/07/12
SYNDICATION
-Bottom 20 Shows in Syndication – Week of January 23
SCHEDULE BOX
-On the Air Tonight
TRIVIA CHALLENGE
-Life Before Coach
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NETWORK
Metered Market Wednesday Ratings
Fox Wins; CBS a Solid No. 2
Wednesday 2/08/12
Metered Market Results
Household
Rating/Share
Fox 8.8/14
CBS 6.7/11
ABC 5.8/ 9
NBC 4.0/ 6
CW 0.8/ 1
-Percent Change from Year-Ago Evening – Wednesday 2/09/11
ABC: no change, CBS: – 1, NBC: – 5, CW: -11, Fox: -13
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-Winners:
American Idol (Fox), Criminal Minds (CBS), Modern Family (ABC), CSI (CBS)
-Honorable Mention:
The Middle (ABC), Revenge (ABC)
-Nothing Extraordinary:
Person To Person (CBS)
-Losers (excluding repeats):
Whitney (NBC), Are You There, Chelsea? (NBC), Mobbed (Fox), Happy Endings (ABC)
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-Ratings Breakdown:
American Idol is down, but far from out with the veteran singing competition lifting Fox to another overnight Wednesday victory. Second overall was CBS, which will benefit upon the return of Survivor: One World next week, followed by ABC, NBC and, as always, lowly The CW.
American Idol opened the evening with a 12.3 rating/20 share from 8-9 p.m., which versus the year-ago evening (14.9/23 on 2/10/11) was down by 17 percent. Compared to The Voice on NBC on Monday (10.6/16), this was 16 percent higher. Next on Fox was feel good non-scripted Mobbed, hosted by Howie Mandel, at a third-place 5.3/ 8 at 9 p.m. Comparably, Mobbed was on par with year-ago occupant Human Target, with retention out of the 8:30 p.m. portion of American Idol (12.9/20) of just 41 percent. In other words: it could be better.
Over at CBS, 8 p.m. interview special Person to Person, which was a staple on the network from 1953-61, is unlikely to segue into a regularly scheduled series based on the lackluster 4.3/ 7 in the overnights (#3) from 8-9 p.m. One year earlier, failed Paula Abdul reality competition Live to Dance scored a 3.6/ 5 on 2/10/11. Next on the Eye net was Criminal Minds (#1: 8.5/14 at 9 p.m.), which has never received the attention it deserves, followed by veteran CSI at a dominant 7.3/12 at 10 p.m. One year earlier, a Wednesday 10 p.m. airing of Friday staple Blue Bloods was slightly higher at 7.9/13 on 2/10/11. Chances are one of the three editions of CSI will depart this spring, and it is unlikely to be the parent series. Stay tuned.
Modern Family on ABC, of course, was the Wednesday standout with a dominant 8.8/13 in the overnights at 9 p.m. Comparably, that built from freshman lead-in Suburgatory (4.9/ 8 at 8:30 p.m.) by a considerable 80 percent. Suburgatory was also on the plus side, meanwhile, with an 11 percent increase over short-lived year-ago occupant Better With You (4.4/ 7 on 2/10/11). The problem on ABC remains Happy Endings at 9:30 p.m. (#3: 4.7/ 7), which dropped from Modern Family by 47 percent in the overnights. That is more severe than former time period occupants Cougar Town and Mr. Sunshine.
As a reminder, upcoming sitcom Don’t Trust the B____ in Apartment 23 debuts in the Wednesday 9:30 p.m. time on ABC on April 11.
Earlier in the evening on ABC was always reliable The Middle at a second-place 5.6/ 9 at 8 p.m. At 10 p.m., freshman drama Revenge finished second with a 5.5/ 9. Comparably, that built from lead-in Happy Endings by 17 percent and from failed year-ago occupant Off the Map (3.9/ 6 on 2/10/11) by 41 percent. In other words, you can expect a second season for the worthy Revenge.
On NBC, relocated Whitney is not capable of anchoring the evening, with a fourth-place 3.1/ 5 in the overnights at 8 p.m. Even worse was horrific recent entry Are You There, Chelsea? at a 2.9/ 4 (#4) at 8:30 p.m. Together, the two sitcoms dipped from year-ago occupant Minute to Win It (3.5/ 5 on 2/10/11) by 14 percent.
Surprisingly, the time period debut of NBC newsmagazine Rock Center With Brian Williams perked up to a 4.1/ 7 at 9 p.m. (41 percent above Are You There, Chelsea?), followed by long-running Law & Order: SVU at a last-place 5.0/ 9 at 10 p.m. SVU, no doubt, is not the force it once was. And Rock Center With Brian Williams will, of course, skew older.
Capping off the night was The CW’s soon-to-conclude One Tree Hill (#5: 1.2/ 2 at 8 p.m.), which should has departed a few seasons back, and recent non-scripted entry Remodeled (#5: 0.5/ 1 at 9 p.m.). Remodeled, no doubt, will go down in the record books as one of The CW’s lowest rated entries ever.
Source: Nielsen Media Research data
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OTHER NETWORK ITEMS
Fox’s House to Conclude
The producers of House, which debuted on Fox on Nov. 16, 2004, have decided to officially end the medical drama this spring. “The decision to end the show now, or ever, is a painful one, as it risks putting asunder hundreds of close friendships that have developed over the last eight years – but also because the show itself has been a source of great pride to everyone involved,” said producers David Shore and Katie Jacobs, and House star Hugh Laurie in a prepared statement. “The makers of House would also like to thank Fox Broadcasting and Universal Television for supporting the show with patience, imagination and large quantities of good taste.”
Added Fox Entertainment President Kevin Reilly: “While it’s with much regret, and a lump in our throats, we respect the decision Hugh, David and Katie have made. A true original, on the page and amazingly brought to life by Hugh Laurie, there is only one Dr. House. For eight seasons, the entire House team has given us – and fans around the world – some of the most compelling characters and affecting stories ever seen on television.”
House will conclude with its 177th episode on an unconfirmed date in May.
Martin Mull and Fred Willard Back Together Again
They have appeared together in various projects for years, most notably as Barth Gimble and Jerry Hubbard on satire late night talk show Fernwood 2-Night in the 1977-78 season. And the two, Martin Mull and Fred Willard, are the stars of a proposed new sitcom called Cleveland Late-Late, which will be shopped to both the broadcast and cable networks within the next few months. The content of Cleveland Late-Late is hush-hush, but the most likely candidate for a sitcom featuring the pair is TV Land, which has adeptly created a brand care of first-run comedies featuring nostalgic faces. Stay tuned.
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CABLE
ABC Family Adds Drama Bunheads to its New Series Roster
ABC Family has ordered a new drama series called Bunheads (working title), the tale of a Las Vegas showgirl (Broadway star Sutton Foster) who impulsively marries a man, moves to his quiet coastal town, and takes a job at her new mother-in-law’s dance school. Gilmore Girls creator Amy Sherman-Palladino is the executive producer. Bunheads joins ABC Family’s recently announced new original series Baby Daddy and Beverly Hills Nannies. All three series will begin production this spring.
More Being Human on Syfy
Syfy has renewed scripted drama Being Human for a third season, with an order for 13 new episodes for 2013. The announcement comes just four episodes into the current second season. Viewership for Being Human, to-date, is up year-to-year by 15 percent in total viewers and as much as 35 percent among adults 25-54. Based on Live + 7 Day data, the second season-opener scored 2.4 million viewers, 1.4 million adults 18-49 and a series-high 1.4 million adults 25-54 on January 16, which increased by 18 percent from the series premiere.
Being Human focuses on three supernatural roommates: vampire Aidan (Sam Witwer), ghost Sally (Meaghan Rath) and werewolf Josh (Sam Huntington), who share their secrets and a Boston brownstone. Together the three roommates struggle to keep their supernatural secrets and resist individual temptations as they strive to live lives that are as near to normal as possible.
The Voice on E!
Every now and then you do see a series on E! without someone named Kardashian. E! once again will be the exclusive cable home of NBC singing competition The Voice, with encore telecasts each week beginning with a three-hour presentation on Saturday, Feb. 11 at 5 p.m. ET. The weekly encore broadcasts are scheduled for Saturdays at 6 p.m. ET beginning on February 18. Last year, ratings on E! increased by double-digit percentages in The Voice time period.
HBO Unveils Return Date for Ricky Gervais Show
Animated comedy The Ricky Gervais Show, which incorporates the podcast that first appeared on the Guardian website, will return to HBO for season three on Friday, April 20 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. Thirteen episodes have been ordered.
Sundance Channel Announces Push Girls Start Date
Push Girls, a docu-series from Gay Rosenthal (Little People, Big World) featuring four women who are paralyzed from the neck or waist down, will debut on Sundance Channel on Tuesday, April 17 at 10 p.m. ET/PT. Fourteen episodes have been ordered.
Top 20 Rankings – Tuesday 2/07/12
What follows are the 20 most-watched shows on basic cable for Tuesday, February 7:
Teen Mom II (MTV, 10 p.m.): 4.09 million, The Big Bang Theory (TBS, 10 p.m.): 3.54, The Big Bang Theory (TBS, 9:30 p.m.): 3.50, The Big Bang Theory (TBS, 10:30 p.m.): 3.21, The Big Bang Theory (TBS, 9 p.m.): 3.13, The O’Reilly Factor (Fox News, 8 p.m.): 3.11, The Big Bang Theory (TBS, 8:30 p.m.): 3.03, The Game (BET, 10 p.m.): 2.82, Hardcore Pawn (Trutv, 9 p.m.): 2.53, Bolt (Disney Channel, 8:30 p.m.): 2.50, White Collar (USA, 10 p.m.): 2.47, The Big Bang Theory (TBS, 8 p.m.): 2.37, Hannity (Fox News, 9 p.m.): 2.36, Real Housewives of D.C. (Bravo, 9 p.m.): 2.26, Dance Moms (Lifetime, 9 p.m.): 2.26, Justified (FX, 10 p.m.): 2.21, American Dad (Adult Swim, 10:30 p.m.): 2.20, Storage Wars (A&E, 8:30 p.m.): 2.19, Law & Order: SVU (USA, 8 p.m.): 2.18, Austin & Kelly (Disney Channel, 8 p.m.): 2.14
Source: Nielsen Media Research data
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SYNDICATION
Bottom 20 Shows in Syndication – Week of January 23
Actually, this is the bottom 24 due to the multiple ties. But, at the request of one of our readers and as an addendum to our top 20 rankings yesterday, here are the lowest rated programs in syndication (first-run and off-network) for the week of January 23. Some of these shows you will not be aware of, no doubt. But the most entries come from a distributor called CF Entertainment (CFE), which is run by former Real People co-host Byron Allen.
Entertainers/Kickin (CFE), Excused (CBS Television Distribution), Food For Thought (DAL), Frasier (CBS), Friends – Weekend A (Warner Bros.), Heartland (NBC Universal), Premiere IV (MGY), 700 Club (VKC) and Wall Street Journal (CNC): 0.6 each; America’s Funniest Home Videos (Disney-ABC), Culture Click (DAL), Scrubs (Disney-ABC), South Park (Twentieth), Ugly Betty (Disney-ABC) and We the People (CFE): 0.5 each; Cold Case Files (Trifecta), Punk’d (Trifecta) and This Old Case (Warner Bros.): 0.4 each; Hometime (IMG), Pets TV (CFE) and Scrubs – Weekend (Disney-ABC): 0.3 each; Young Icons (CFE); Daily Buzz (DBZ) and Career Day (CFE): 0.1 each
Clarification:
The off-network run of animated sitcom Family Guy from Twentieth Television is rated as both a weekly strip and a weekend telecast. Ratings for the Monday to Friday run do not include weekend telecasts.
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SCHEDULE BOX
On the Air Tonight
Thursday, February 9
ABC
8:00 p.m. Wipeout
9:00 p.m. Grey’s Anatomy
10:00 p.m. Private Practice
CBS
8:00 p.m. The Big Bang Theory
8:30 p.m. Rob!
9:00 p.m. Person of Interest
10:00 p.m. The Mentalist
NBC
8:00 p.m. 30 Rock (one hour)
9:00 p.m. The Office
9:30 p.m. Up All Night
10:00 p.m. The Voice (R)
Fox
8:00 p.m. American Idol
9:00 p.m. The Finder
CW
8:00 p.m. The Vampire Diaries
9:00 p.m. The Secret Circle
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TRIVIA CHALLENGE
Life Before Coach
Four years prior to the start of Coach, Craig T. Nelson starred in a family drama opposite future Oscar nominee Elisabeth Shue. What was that show’s name?
a) Airwolf
b) Apple’s Way
c) Call to Glory
d) The Family Holvak
e) The Family Tree
The answer to yesterday’s question…
Remember Car 54, Where Are You?, the classic 1961-63 sitcom with Officers Toody and Muldoon? What borough in New York City were they stationed in?
a) The Bronx
b) Brooklyn
c) Manhattan
d) Queens
e) Staten Island
Is: a) The Bronx. Remember this?
There’s a hold up in the Bronx,
Brooklyn’s broken out in fights.
There’s a traffic jam in Harlem
That’s backed up to Jackson Heights.
There’s a scout troup short a child,
Kruschev’s due at Idlewild
Car 54, Where Are You?
Todays Trivia All-Stars:
Gerry Bixenspan, Barbara Bloomfield, Tom Condosta, Harold Cooper, Jim Forkan, Jerry Gibbons, Maureen Goldman, Linda Grillo, Michelle Harrington, Sandy Hawk, Glen Held, Julie Hurwitz, Bob Ingersoll, David Jackino, Tom Joyce, Ally Lattman, Marie LeFevre, Howard Lieboff, Rick Locke, Lee McMichael, Paul Neace, Barbara Oates, Joe Rubi, Maxine Shulman, Michelle Stanton, Ken Stowe, Carol Teichman, Linda Weeks, Randy West, Abbott Wool, Matthew Ziolkowski
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Author
Thursday 2/09/12
