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| Total Viewers (million) | 18.011 | 11.755 | 5.624 | 4.138 | 4.023 | 2.748 |
| Rating/Share: Adults 18-49 | 6.2/17 | 3.1/8 | 1.8/5 | 1.4/4 | 1.7/5 | 1.2/3 |
| Rating/Share: Adults 18-34 | 4.9/15 | 1.9/6 | 1.3/4 | 1.2/3 | 1.7/5 | 1.4/4 |
Fox put Lie To Me on before American Idol last night and it scored a 3.4 rating for adults 18-49, just below the 3.6 from its last airing after Idol. The retentionistas* who labeled Lie a “Loser” with that 3.6 rating because of their metric myopia are labeling it a “Winner” this morning with a 3.4 rating. Huh? They should be eating crow, but we may find it absent from their breakfast menus. The Renew/Cancel Index doesn’t call shows with a 3.6 rating a “Loser” and a 3.4 rating a “Winner”, it’s had Lie as a “Renewal Likely” from the start. In other news, of course American Idol and Fox overwhelmed the competition across the board last night.
For the first time in nearly a month, CBS brought all new episodes and managed a second place in the adult demos. Both The New Adventures of Old Christine and Gary Unmarried were up a tick or two in the demos from their last new airing, way back on February 17. Similar small demo upticks for Criminal Minds and CSI:NY since their last new shows on February 25.
The premiere of NBC’s Chopping Block is reported to be NBC’s lowest rated series premiere this season. It was humbled in the demos by Univision’s Cuidado con el Ángel. Life showed little of it. Law & Order’s 2.3 demo rating at 10 might be a level that will keep it from being canceled. Or not. It’s right on the bubble.
Not having to fight against American Idol, gave America’s Next Top Model a nice boost. It was up 0.4 18-49 demo rating points, and 0.2 18-34 demo ratings points from its premiere numbers.
The Scrubs Repeat Network (aka, ABC) was again beaten by Univision in the adult demos. As Life On Mars limps to its finish, its confirming the decision to cancel it losing nearly a third of its demo audience against new competition this week vs. last week.
*Those who focus on lead-in audience retention, seemingly above all else, as an indication of a show’s future prospects.
You can see past Wednesday Fast Affiliate ratings reports here.
Full details:
| Time | Net | Show | Viewers Live+SD (000) | 18-49 Rating | 18-49 Share | 18-34 Rating | 18-34 Share |
| 8:00 | FOX | Lie To Me | 11.117 | 3.4 | 10 | 2.8 | 9 |
| CBS | New Adventures of Old Christine | 7.631 | 2.1 | 7 | 1.4 | 5 | |
| CW | America’s Next Top Model | 4.470 | 1.9 | 6 | 2.1 | 7 | |
| UNI | Cuidado con el Ángel | 4.421 | 1.8 | 5 | 1.8 | 6 | |
| NBC | Chopping Block (premiere) | 3.984 | 1.5 | 4 | 1.0 | 3 | |
| ABC | Scrubs (repeat) | 3.774 | 1.2 | 4 | 1.0 | 3 | |
| 8:30 | CBS | Gary Unmarried | 7.712 | 2.3 | 7 | 1.5 | 5 |
| ABC | Scrubs (repeat) | 3.443 | 1.2 | 3 | 1.0 | 3 | |
| 9:00 | FOX | American Idol | 24.905 | 8.9 | 22 | 7.0 | 20 |
| CBS | Criminal Minds | 14.074 | 3.6 | 9 | 2.1 | 6 | |
| NBC | Life | 5.299 | 1.8 | 4 | 1.3 | 4 | |
| UNI | Mañana Es para Siempre | 4.457 | 1.9 | 5 | 2.0 | 6 | |
| ABC | Lost (repeat) | 4.210 | 1.6 | 4 | 1.4 | 4 | |
| CW | 90210 (repeat) | 1.027 | 0.5 | 1 | 0.7 | 1 | |
| 10:00 | CBS | CSI:NY | 13.520 | 3.5 | 9 | 2.2 | 6 |
| NBC | Law & Order | 7.588 | 2.3 | 6 | 1.5 | 4 | |
| ABC | Life on Mars | 4.584 | 1.5 | 4 | 1.1 | 3 | |
| UNI | Don Francisco Presenta | 3.190 | 1.3 | 4 | 1.3 | 4 |
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Shows are sorted by viewers in each time slot.
Nielsen TV Ratings: ©2009 The Nielsen Company. All Rights Reserved.
Definitions:
Fast Affiliate Ratings: These first national ratings, including demographics, are available at approximately 11 AM (ET) the day after telecast, and are released to subscribing customers daily. These data, from the National People Meter sample, are strictly time-period information, based on the normal broadcast network feed, and include all programming on the affiliated stations, sometimes including network programming, sometimes not. The figures may include stations that did not air the entire network feed, as well as local news breaks or cutaways for local coverage or other programming. Fast Affiliate ratings are not as useful for live programs and are likely to differ significantly from the final results, because the data reflect normal broadcast feed patterns. For example, with a World Series game, Fast Affiliate Ratings would include whatever aired from 8-11PM on affiliates in the Pacific Time Zone, following the live football game, but not game coverage that begins at 5PM PT. The same would be true of Presidential debates as well as live award shows and breaking news reports.
Rating: Estimated percentage of the universe of TV households (or other specified group) tuned to a program in the average minute. Ratings are expressed as a percent.
Share (of Audience): The percent of households (or persons) using television who are tuned to a specific program, station or network in a specific area at a specific time. (See also, Rating, which represents tuning or viewing as a percent of the entire population being measured.)
Time Shifted Viewing – Program ratings for national sources are produced in three streams of data – Live, Live+Same Day (Live+SD) and Live+7 Day. Time shifted figures account for incremental viewing that takes place with DVRs which are currently in approximately 24.4% of all U.S. TV households. Live+Same Day (Live+SD) include viewing during the same broadcast day as the original telecast, with a cut-off of 3:00AM local time when meters transmit daily viewing to Nielsen for processing. Live+7 Day ratings include incremental viewing that takes place during the 7 days following a telecast.
For more information see Numbers 101 and Numbers 102.
The chopping block was atrocious. It lost to the cw in total viewers!!!
Remember when ABC promised to run the last three seasons of LOST without breaks? They’re 0 for 2 now. Why am I not surprised…?
Yes, this is good news for Chuck!! One show down, three to go!! Season 3 here we come!
Hahaha, Chopping Block lost to Univision?! That’s AWESOME. Well, there’s one new show down, anyway. We can stick Chuck in that spot next season – how ’bout it, NBC?
I had a good guess that LTM was strong enough to stand on its own. FOX obviously had that inkling too, or would not have tried the switch. Obviously the gamble worked. Now FOX has its first true scripted hit in years…
Regarding Life–I think NBC should try FOX’s strategy and make this an 8pm show. The one time it was not up against Criminal Minds, it put up decent numbers. I would rather see it duke it out against LTM than CM. Plus, it couldn’t do any worse than the turkeys NBC keeps putting on at 8pm. At least NBC should put a rerun of Life at 8pm and a new ep at 9pm next week.
Oh, and it looks like Chopping Block has a pretty accurate name, if you catch my drift.
ABC likes to use that lie a lot, Vader.
Those poor retentionistas *cough*Berman*cough* need some sort of measure to decide winners vs losers to try to hide the fact that they really are completely subjective and depend on the retentionista’s mood that day.
One show down (Chopping Block), two more shows (Kings, Southland) to go for a Chuck renewal.
NBC is just plain dreadful on Mondays and Wednesdays.
Fox is on track to being a force to be reckoned with. A network that was once a cw of the world has become the number one network – due to one show. If it want for American Idol, House wouldnt be as huge as it is. If it werent for House, Bones wouldnt have such a following. 24 somehow gained a following from just being GOOD. They have a solid comedy block on Sundays. Mondays are defnately in the competition. Tuesdays and Wed. Well, yah. AI, then two great, appealing Dramas. Fringe will last for a while. With a House lead in, then an AI lead in in its first YEAR< its been exposed to enough of a hardcore audiance o keep it around for some seasons. Lie To Me is good. Unique. Compelling. I wasnt sure about it untill today though – it will last on its own. Hells Kitchen has gained a tremendous following – lasting amongst csi and Greys – a feat FOX has been trying to do since The O.C., and Skin.
With its comedy block, House, Bones, Fringe, Lie To Me, 24, American Idol, Hells Kitchen, a promising premise in Glee, FOX fall is looking to actually – for once – maybe be a winner. Ofcourse, theres no Idol or 24, but still – wow – since when did FOX become so rediculously part of the Big 3. ITS NOW A BIG 4. With ABC, CBS, and FOX competing to be on top. NBC, G-d help you.
Wow… the CW finishing in third position at 8… never thought I’d see that…
ABC is really doing bad these times…
Good for lie to me, not that I like the show… but this is good news for Fox
NBC is also really bad on Fridays, in fact NBC is just bad period. That’s why they’re giving 5 hours to Leno next fall. That is very pathetic about the Chopping Block doing worse than CW and Univision? lol
First scripted hit in Years? What? Prison Break was a hit. (No now though lol) Same with O.C. (Not now though lol). Same with Bones,and 24, and House, and Fringe seems to be a hit too.
lie to me isnt the first scripted success on fox in years. fox has had house and bones. plus last seasons numbers for sarah connor were considered a hit its viewership may have only been 8-9m but its demos were usually over the 3.0 mark. and fringe has been just as successful as lie to me has
TYRA IS REALLY THE BEST CARD FOR CW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!4.4 AND 3RD PLACE.VERY RARE NUMBERS FOR CW!!!!GO TYRA…GO…GO GO TYRA
I fully expected Lie to Me to do well on its own and am happy it did.
Yesterday’s episode made me sad oll over again about Life being deader than dead, because it was awesome.
Lost repeats so horribly even in time slot, I will never understand what prompted ABC to regularly air repeats at 8pm. So they don’t have any shows that repeat as well as CBS’s shows do, but Lost must still by far be the worst of the bunch.
in reply to tvmantexas
house wasnt the reason for bones success bones was a self starter it has always aired at 8 and has gained a big audience over the years
I know it’s a strange world when Fox is NBC and NBC is now the CW. What alternate universe is there! LOL!
They picked a good name for Chopping Block, because when its cancelled, the headline sort of writes itself.
Pretty much a night where I watched nothing.
who averaged higher demos last year fox or abc
Maybe Fringe should air at 8 pm, instead of 9pm.
Serial dramas like LOST rarely do well in repeats – I know some will blame American Idol but that doesnt matter much. At least they will resume with the rest of the season next week.
And now CW is beating NBC in the ratings. This truly is a sad world! LOL!
elliott, Fox has been on top the adult demo ratings on a season ending basis for several years now.
Here are last season’s numbers http://tvbythenumbers.com/2008/05/29/final-2007-2008-broadcast-season-network-ratings/3937
Great for Lie To Me! I’m surprised that it didn’t loose more with the move (Not that I expected it to tank, but I thought it would be closer to a 3.0).
Chopping Block made Knight Rider look good…quite an accomplishment
Bad Robot, I know and I don’t think this one week repeat is anything ABC needs to cry about, it just seems really stupid they elected to show all those Lost repeats in the 8pm hour this year. They are horrible.
Would the failure, or success of CHOPPING BLOCK really matter where CHUCK is concerned? CB wouldn’t be a full season show, would it?
Not that Chopping Block needs to do any worse to guarantee its cancellation, it just occurred to me that it will do even worse last week when ABC is new. I’ve been kind of down in the dumps about Chuck as of late, but this puts me in a hopeful mood, at least for today.
Rick, Fringe has been just as successful as lie to me IN THE POST IDOL SPOT. I will be the first to admit that Fringe is a hit if it can duplicate Lie To Me’s performance from last night. But until fox moves it behind something other than AI/House, it is a time slot hit.
*even worse NEXT week
Hey guys,
LTM is the first scripted hit in years. 24 , Prison Break, House, etc. premiered years ago.
TSCC and Fringe are piggyback hits. With TSCC it was the Super Bowl, and once Dancing with the Stars premiered, the numbers quickly started to nosedive. Fringe I’m not convinced is a hit until it airs on its own minus AI or House.
this in no way is meant to give even 1% of hope to Life fans that it will be renewed, because it will not be.
But,
did anyone else notice that Life, even though it aired after Chopping Block, was up in total viewers and up a tick in 18-49 since it’s last new airing after the much stronger Biggest Loser on Feb 25? Perhaps Life and Lie To Me shared more of an audience than what some think.
You know i have been thinking, and sorry to Bill and Robert for again making this another Chuvk debate lol, but Chuck is always on the top 10 highest rated Primetime shows for NBC.
Its not like its officially doomed or anything.
the128, the qualifier “time slot” before hit means nothing. It’s a hit. It will get another season. It will be in the top 20 shows in the demo at the end of the season. The end.
Ant, you’re completely right – the fear (at least *my* fear) comes from the fact that there are fewer primetime hours next year because of Leno.
actually andrea
sarah connor chronicles may have premiered to 18+m and quickly fell to 8+m but its demo numbers were still very good as it achieved a 3.0 or more regularly. also sarah connor also built on its prison break lead in last season so it definately wasnt piggy backing
cheers bil…l so wats better to av the highest viewed network or d highest demo network
Lie To Me continues to do well, its not been the mega-hit that many were predicting but its at least showing that it can stand on its own and still pull strong numbers. I like it and from a pure numbers point of view think it has much more potential than Fringe for long term success, to be honest if they’re not going to give the House lead-in to something new next year (and they should isn‘t there a House spin-off planned soon?) then Fox could do worse than pairing House and Lie To Me up. I think they’re a strong match.
Away from the all-conquering Fox NBC continues to sink. Life’s numbers continue to depress me and I think NBC would prefer it if we all forgot about Chopping Block… and apparently most of the US did or never knew about it. My guess is that Law & Order is back next year and probably gets the ‘final season’ push that ER’s had this year.
NBC would be better off keeping knight rider with those ratings
Again I will say it it is a shame NBC put Life where it is…I mean how did they ever expect it to even have half a chance (well they probably were hoping it would tank so they can get rid of it) against Idol and Lost and Criminal Minds…It would probably do better than Half the stuff on friday from the other networks…And it is actually a good show. Ill actually miss it…Shame…
Jenn, they tried Life on Friday’s and if memory serves it didn’t do better…
Heather
Trust me i have some fear too. But mine is generated towards Reaper more than Chuck.
I am pretty confident Chuck gets renewed. I mean..when is the Renew/Cancel Index ever wrong?
Lie to me did well against no competition. Criminal Minds did well against the biggest competition on tv right now.
Idizzle:
The great thing about Life is that, although it’s a procedural, its crimes are so creative. The only good news I can think of is that some of those who watched LTM at 8pm turned to Life at 9pm, because Life numbers were the best since Feb. 4.
In other words, the “proceduralists” seem to know about and like the show, it’s just is in conflict with more established shows.
elliott, the adults demos mean everything for financial success, average viewership is for bragging rights only.
julia, i know it’s coming back, i’m just trying to say that it hasn’t been tested, so it’s longevity (it can’t air behind idol and house forever… can it?
) can’t be determined yet. Lie To Me obviously passed the test last night, with close to flying colors. Perhaps Fringe will too, but until Fox moves it nobody can say. You can bet that Fox will not always air it after Idol or House, that real-estate is too valuable, and they will inevitably want to share the wealth and launch new shows in that spot. Then we’ll see wether or not Fringe has legs like Lie to Me.
The only reason why i brought this up at all was that someone was trying to say how Fringe was beating Lost, and my point was big deal until Fringe gets to prove itself.
Alex I know they tried it there on Fridays for about 3 weeks then they switched it with Lipstick Jungle…Plus with the numbers Fox is now putting up on Friday how much worse could It actually do…Let a girl hope…lol…
the128, and my point is that your qualifiers are meaningless. Fringe is beating LOST. Period. You needn’t be so sensitive to statements of fact.
Poor Life On Mars those are dead numbers: yay for Lie To Me. Really happy for it and Fringe: some of the only new hits this year.
Rviewer, the (demo) numbers you get matter a lot more than where you get them. A big part of primetime network management is simply the scheduling. If part of Lie to Me’s success is Fox’s good scheduling, those demo viewers still take it to the bank.
Why is the CW so STUPID not using their highest rated show top model as a lead in for a real show not 90210 repeats. they get the same repeat numbers witout tyra,maybe airing original episodes there would help.
The 128boy: We are on the same page re: the audience for LTM and Life.
Alex: Next fall, Fringe will again be paired with House. Fringe needs a lead in order to survive or it goes the way of Sarah Connor, IMHO.
Frine isn’t more of a hit than LOST Julia: its has Idol and House and is still 1.8million 18-49 veiwers behind LOST. But right now its about the same (LOST just leading) but I agree Fringe is definitily coming back next year and I think its had airing without House: so its proved its worth. Plus its Awesome!
Jenn I really like Life and I wish it was doing better but a move to Friday’s isn’t what it needs. It needs to be somewhere, anywhere that isn’t NBC but its a little too late for that now.
“Would the failure, or success of CHOPPING BLOCK really matter where CHUCK is concerned? CB wouldn’t be a full season show, would it?”
I doubt it makes much if any difference.
If the show had been a success then in theory it would/could have taken a mid season replacement spot that could otherwise go to Chuck but I don’t really see it. Of course if by some miracle Chopping Block was a success NBC might have decided to cut their loses with Chuck and try launching a new show next year with the aid of a hit show to launch it from as either a lead-in or to advertise it…
But like I said I doubt it makes much difference either way.
Andrea. Fringe has audiences of 10m plus.
Thats minus extras few minutes of Ai or whatever reality show was its lead in.
Lost fans are now very loyal to JJ productions
By the way airing before American Idol will still mean Idol veiwers will just watch Lie To Me before Idol: generally just because its easier. So by your hypothesis 128boy Lie To Me has not really proved anything. Plus a 3.4 is not much. FAILING Heroes ‘only’ gets a 3.2.
so fox are the best network
Sorry i mean ‘failing’ as in its not
“You needn’t be so sensitive to statements of fact.”–Julia
Julia, if your arguments were strong enough, there wouldn’t be any need for the the ad hom attack.
Why do you think if L&O returns next year it would be for a final season. NBCU makes so much money form the franchise it’s ridicules. It’s cheap, It still gets decent numbers, and in the 10 pm Sunday time slot next year (where it should have been this year) it would do even better.
Even if it won’t be back on NBC, it’s more than likely it will get the CI treatment and be put on USA for first run episodes. And even if that doesn’t happen, TNT has said that they would love to get L&O.
Fin Lie To Me and Heroes are also both incredibly different shows with very different expectations and budgets.
I’m talking about the numbes Alex not the budgets: theres a BIG difference. Looking at whether Lie To Me is a hit with 3.4 if Heroes had a similiar budget.
Tom, I think that if Law & Order returns next year its for a final season for no real reason at all. Just because. I don’t however think it’ll end up on USA or TNT for original run episodes.
Fin, I disagree that Idol watchers will tune in for another show before Idol. Why would they when they only want to watch Idol? They will stay, however, for the next show. The TV is on the channel and they can discuss Idol while the lead-out is airing.
Fin, you said… “By the way airing before American Idol will still mean Idol veiwers will just watch Lie To Me before Idol: generally just because its easier.”
Easier than what? Waiting until 9pm to turn on your tv?
I understand the idea of pre-tuning, and it is certainly something real, but post-tune is MUCH stronger.
And also, Fringe has had only ONE airing that was not behind House or American Idol. It was the premiere and also the lowest rated to date: 3.2 in A18-49.
Vader, I was thinking the exact same thing. I was very disappointed that they aired a repeat last night.
Well FOX obviously doesn’t think about that: when you advertise nights you make it seem like you can make a night of it: i.e watching LTM at 8:00pm and then straight after your tea and chocolates you can sit down and relax while watching some American Idol.
“I’m talking about the numbes Alex not the budgets: theres a BIG difference. Looking at whether Lie To Me is a hit with 3.4 if Heroes had a similiar budget.”
But they don’t have similar budgets. At all.
As I also said they’re two very different shows with very different expectations attached to them. Heroes is classed as a failing show not simply because its getting a 3.2 but because of the fact its been trending down for two-years and has fallen from massive heights in its first season. Lie To Me meanwhile is a brand new show that some thought was being propped up by an American Idol lead-in when it doesn’t seem it was.
And whilst I don’t want to get into (another) Heroes debate I will say that its also worth remembering that no one is throwing Heroes on the scrap heap because of its numbers – the reasons for axing it are always tied into how expensive it is vs. how profitable it is. Its apples and oranges.
Heroes numbers aren’t bad by themselves but for Heroes they are.
TomSD, there are plenty of reasons to bring L&O back for another season. This season’s ratings, sadly, are not a strong one.
Life never had a good time slot. First they aired it Fridays, then they air it Wednesdays with a struggling lead-in against Criminal Minds, Lie To Me and Lost. And all I hear is that they don’t promote the show properly. That’s why many people think Life is some kind of reality show.
I’m happy for Lie To Me. It’s a decent show.
Yeah 128boy I agree but I’m still saying its not standing on its own if its a night of American Idol: I sometimes will watch The Big Bang Theory (on E4) because I just sat down and I don’t want to start a book because Skins will be on in 30mins so I watch TBBT. Otherwise I would never toon into the show.
Andrea, it wasn’t meant to be an insult. the128 is bending over backwards to prove something that is not provable, rather than accepting something which is fact. (Or not, I don’t care about either show and I didn’t care to check the recent ratings for either, though I’m sure LOST’s average is higher than Fringe’s. If the128 wants to argue, he should stick to the facts rather than supposition and getting up in arms about the term hit.)
Alex: Two years ago there was a real chance that L&O would be canceled, TNT indicated they would pick-up L&O if NBC won’t.
“Well FOX obviously doesn’t think about that: when you advertise nights you make it seem like you can make a night of it: i.e watching LTM at 8:00pm and then straight after your tea and chocolates you can sit down and relax while watching some American Idol.”
That doesn’t however mean they’d launch a new show before Idol and expect it to get the ‘Idol rub’.
Whilst they think/hope/want the Idol audience to tune into Fox all night (and on every night of the week) that doesn’t mean they realistically expect them to or that they actually do. That’s like arguing that Chuck should get a downward trickle from Heroes fans on Monday Night’s because its ‘easier’ for them to watch NBC all night rather than watch House then tune into Heroes. Or that the spot before 2 and a Half Men on CBS is just as valuable as the spot after it. And that’s not true at all.
Julia, the fact is that most shows would kill to go on after a huge show like House or American Idol. Why do you think that is?
Alex its hypothetical: by saying ‘if’ it implies a possibility of Heroes having the same budget in a made-up senario. But I agree on everything else you said and thats what I meant: if Lie To Me next had same numbers as Heroes and the same veiwers: then surely if Heroes on NBC isn’t a massive hit then why is Lie To Me?
“Well FOX obviously doesn’t think about that: when you advertise nights you make it seem like you can make a night of it: i.e watching LTM at 8:00pm and then straight after your tea and chocolates you can sit down and relax while watching some American Idol.” –Fin
Fin, you’re too cute, lol.
“Alex: Two years ago there was a real chance that L&O would be canceled, TNT indicated they would pick-up L&O if NBC won’t.”
And two-years ago Barack Obama was a largely unknown Senator. My point? A lot can change in two-years.
Yes but Alex I’m still saying that there will be a certain amount of expectation for a pre-air show for American Idol.
the128, how many shows have gone on after Idol or House and not be anywhere near as successful as Fringe? Going on after Idol may seem desirable, but it doesn’t guarantee anything. Why do you think FOX kept House after Idol for so many seasons?
Plus pre-air shows are more designed to flow with the night Alex: I don’t particuarilly think Chuck and Heroes are a great match but Scripted- Reality is generally quite good (unless its proper scritped like Heroes, LOST or the Wire). But say Day One- Heroes would be quite good.
lol @ CW’s ranking.
“Alex its hypothetical: by saying ‘if’ it implies a possibility of Heroes having the same budget in a made-up senario. But I agree on everything else you said and thats what I meant: if Lie To Me next had same numbers as Heroes and the same veiwers: then surely if Heroes on NBC isn’t a massive hit then why is Lie To Me?”
Apples and oranges again.
If Heroes had the same budget as Lie To Me and if Heroes hadn’t already been on the air for three-years (and been a huge hit during its first season) then the 3.2 it pulled Monday Night would class it as a hit – probably even a mega-hit on NBC right now. The problem is that asking people to take that hypothetical when judging Lie To Me is utterly pointless and holds absolutely no point.
Like I said two different shows with two different expectations. For various reasons the ceiling is lower for Lie To Me than it is for Heroes.
Not sure what some people are smoking (cough-Berman-cough), but FOX has to be THRILLED with LTM’s numbers last night. To pull those numbers at 8 pm, with no big lead-in, means LTM is set for renewel. If it didn’t drop last night, it’s not going to drop. In fact, being able to pretty much hold its numbers at 8 pm means it could possibly grow going forward. Could be the next Bones or NCIS, shows that started decent but just grew and grew and grew thanks to word-of-mouth.
It’s not a bad show, either, if you have not checked it out yet. Not great, but Tim Roth is always worth watching.
As for the Lost reruns, they are a success because they cost practically $0.00 to air them, so whatever they pick up in ad sales is total gravy for ABC. I suspect you will see a lot more repeat airings from all networks going forward. It’s cheap (practically free by network standards), and it’s better than paying for new episodes of bad shows that will pull ratings nearly as bad if not worse. Why pay for crappy ratings when you can get them for free?
Shame that LOM took so long to figure out what in the hell type of show they wanted to be. That last few episodes have been very good. I nearly dumped it when it was very mediocre during the middle episodes, but I’m glad I stuck with it. A real shame, however, they didn’t get their heads screwed on str8 out of the gate, because it might have been able to pull better ratings if it had.
Of course, that’s also one show that I will agree ABC yanked around the schedule too much. That’s usually a very, very, very weak argument for why a show is tanking, but ABC really blew it with the way they jerked this one around. Always a bad idea to yank new, semi-serialized shows around, on and off the air, from one night to the next. It was the rare sort of show that needed to be protected to make it, but they apparently didn’t realize that or didn’t care.
Of course, it’s all moot, since the show itself went through a long sucky period that would have probably doomed it anyway.
Ditto for Life, but that one I blame more on NBC than on the show’s uneven quality. NBC really messed with it to the nth degree, and they really had nowhere to put it where it wasn’t either getting crushed by strong competition or following a weak ass and totally incompatible lead in. Still, when you look at all the lame prodcedurals that people just eat up, it’s mystifying to me that NBC couldn’t massage this into a semi-hit. ABC was up against the wall with a tough sell in LOM, a show that required a fairly large buy-in, so I cannot blame them too much, but Life was a gift for NBC. They totally blew it with what should have been a slam dunk, averaged sized hit-let.
Silverman really is dumber than a sack of wet hammers, isn’t he?
“Plus pre-air shows are more designed to flow with the night Alex: I don’t particuarilly think Chuck and Heroes are a great match but Scripted- Reality is generally quite good (unless its proper scritped like Heroes, LOST or the Wire). But say Day One- Heroes would be quite good.”
You don’t think Chuck and Heroes are a good match but you think Lie To Me and American Idol are? That doesn’t make sense.
Is there some positive effect airing on the same night as Idol albeit before Idol? Yes. Is it anywhere near the positive effect you get from airing after Idol? Not even close. By this token should NBC now claim that Chopping Block flopped because it aired on the same night as American Idol, albeit it the hour before because obviously the Idol viewers just find it ‘easier’ to watch Fox all night?
“And two-years ago Barack Obama was a largely unknown Senator. My point? A lot can change in two-years.”
You’re right. TNT is in a downward trent (which they weren’t two years ago), Saving grace went from 5-6 mill to 2.5 mill, The closer from 8-9 mill to 6.5 mill, Leverage barely makes 3 mill, Trust Me is a flop. The only good thing for TNT this season is the NBA.
So I guess they would love to get around 5 mill from first run episodes of L&O.
Bill, I know demo are demo and FOX will be happy with Lie to me numbers but for some network what is the competition matter. When asked about how she rated the performance of the Wednesday comedies, Nina Tassler did say that when they do look at ratings for each shows they do take into consideration shows that goes against AI so for CBS it seems where you are on the schedule matter. That is why for me Lie to me did good but CM did better, its numbers was better, viewers 14millions aganist 11millions and a 3.6 agaisnt a 3.4 for LTM and CM did this going ainst AI. For me the show that stood tall last night was CM. But this is your site and you can choose any title to your post that you want
As far as the “Lost” repeat last night, I had calculated that they’d need to take a one week break from original episodes to make it into May, so that was not surprise. What did surprise me is the fact they chose to air a repeat in the timeslot. I’d assumed that ABC would air some kind of special during the one week off, but instead they dragged down the season average with a repeat they could have aired in the 8pm hour. It just doesn’t make sense to me.
It would be interesting if ABC moved “Lost” to 8pm. I bet it would kill “LTM”’s momentum.
knight rider kills.
woah christine was strong HELLO SEASON 4
JT: “It just doesn’t make sense to me.”
I believe the producers are busy up to their necks in finishing the final episodes, and had no time to produce the usual clip show/review package.
I suspect that ABC will have another one week break (probably in early April) to stretch the show into another week in May; the producers will probably have time available to make a recap episode for that one.
Sam, Christine didn’t even beat Gary Unmarried.
ljo, check your sarcasm detector, it may need new batteries.
Julia, all i’m saying is that getting good ratings after a behemoth doesn’t guarantee that you will get good ratings when you air somewhere else. Therefore, if show A gets marginally higher ratings than show B, but has the advantage of airing after a behemoth, it shouldn’t brag about beating show B. Did it in fact beat show B? YES. Are they really comparable? NO.
Or at least that’s my opinion. I think i’m ready to agree to disagree on this one.
So glad to see Chopping Block fail. Looked like garbage straight off the Bravo channel. Just say “no” to reality crap.
Unan1ous, Standoff, Til Death, shall I go on? Fringe is a hit. I don’t know that it has ever actually beaten LOST, anyway, at least not in the demo where it counts, so I’m not sure why you would find the need to defend LOST by trying to accuse Fringe of failing hypothetically. Like I said, stick to the facts, not hypotheticals.
When ABC chose to air two episodes of “Lost” on its premiere night in January, it necessitated this repeat last night. “Lost” is indeed scheduled to air a clip recap show in April. That will allow the show to air a 2 hour finale, as is their tradition, in May. I am frankly glad to have the week off from the intensity of “Lost” in order to regroup for the next cycle of episodes. So much happens every week that it was sort of nice to have a week off. We were promised 17 hours of Lost this year, and that is what we are getting. 8 down, 9 more hours to go.
Fringe is a hit. Well, me and FOX would be shocked if it wasnt.
Having a lead in with House, THEN American Idol? Fox might be geniuses – thats all I know. Fringe has gotton star treatment. It would be rediculous if Fringe couldnt stand alone after all this exposre with a 5.0 – 5.8. It will be able to -it has that fanbase. I’m not an avid fan, but being a minor T.V. expert, I would be shocked if it didnt have a loyal fanbase after all that exposure. To succeed on FOX, being a scripted show – I myself have noticed a trend. Yes, its the Network to beat, but you dont need huge numbers. To succeed, a scripted show needs at least a 5.2 average I would say. I dont think they would cancel a stand alone 8:00 lead in show with a 5.1 or so. Any less than that? Adios.
I thought the whole point of starting Lost in January was to avoid reruns.
julia, i am NOT defending lost, and i am NOT saying that fringe would definately fail. Read what I’m writing. I’m saying that they are not COMPARABLE. And they won’t be comparable until fringe airs on it’s own. That’s ALL i’m saying.
to be fair christine and garry are performing pretty well. both show had less than a million less viewers than how i met your mother did on monday and that had a 9.5m lead in
I’m worried for Better Off Ted next week, having Scrubs as their lead-in. It’s not like Scrubs produce good numbers when new episodes show.
scrubs will get ok numbers. it was just crushed by ai on tuesdays but on wednesdays the 2 wont clash. i think scrubs will score 5m+ and pretty good demos
i, for one, was relieved that LOST was a rerun last night. i had to work late and i thought i was missing a new episode. :p
Rick, TSCC was an artificial hit last season. It had a decent lead-in and was airing opposite repeats due to the strike. I think it would have tanked last year if it’d had any sort of competition.
I guess I watch TV differently than most people. I’ve never cared what comes on before (or after) programs I like. The only thing that determines whether or not I watch a show is whether or not I like THAT show. These days we don’t even have to get our butts out of the recliner to change the channel. And even tho I’ve out grown the 18-49 demo, I’ve never pulled a muscle pushing a few buttons on my remote control. In addition, my faculties are still intact enough (so far any way) that I’m able to find the shows I like in the program guide (either printed or on screen) no matter how many times a network might move it in the schedule.
Fin, this is simple to explain. LIE TO ME is a new show getting a 3.4 without a huge lead in. It has room to grow on its own. It wins its time slot.
HEROES is a show that many thought would never drop below a 4.0 in the demo. It’s at 3.2 and all signs lead to it dropping more. HEROES is on the way down. It was once a hit. It finished what 4th in its time slot? HEROES also costs much more money. It is LOSING money at 3.2. LIE TO ME is raking in money at 3.4.
So there is most definitely a difference between the two. HEROES is a hit for NBC but it’s a seriously tainted one. That is why people like myself think NBC should just cancel it and be done with it. Why let it get worse and bring your network down worse than it already is?
Chopping Block was the first thing I watched on NBC since Seinfeld ended. I watched it because it seemed like it was going to be like “Top Chef” on Bravo.
Ok, in defense of Ron Livingston I have to say that Standoff did good numbers the two weeks it actually aired after House, then it was switched to 8pm and I am fairly sure it never ever aired after Idol.
That said, maybe we should not get so hung up on the word hit? Because I don’t really thing saying Lie to Me held its own (which it did) implies it is some kid of massive hit.
If one wants to call every show that manages to stay around a hit, yes, then Fringe is a hit. As is Samatha Who in that case. Realistically maybe the word hit implies something more of the dimensions of first season Heroes, Grey’s Anatomy or CSI. In that case Fringe isn’t one and neither is Lie to Me. And that’s fine, most shows aren’t.
idizzle, “hit” vs. “not hit” seems to be a “my team rules”/”your team sucks” sort of a debate.
david did u like it i diddnt catch it but LOVE top chef
Bill, why does everyone think I’m trying to define a hit? I feel like jerry in seinfeld “all I said was I like the pen!” I just wanted to make the point that fringe can’t fairly be compared to other shows until it airs outside the shadow of AI or House. I don’t mind if people disagree, but how that gets misconstrued into “fringe would fail on it’s own! Lost is a hit!” I have no idea.
Sam, it was good. Not nearly as good as “Top Chef” but it is definetly worth watching. I discovered it on accident while scanning the on screen tv guide.
Yes, Nick C, and Fox should also cancel Dollhouse and just air repeats of House there. They did much better in the timeslot last year, so Fox would make a lot more money.
I don’t really care about either show, but seeing you constantly shill for DH while trashing Heroes (a series that more than doubles DH’s demos) is a bit ridiculous.
Fringe is always going to have a lead-in though, I can’t see Fox ever moving it to 8, so does that mean if it airs after Bones next year it still can’t be compared to other shows because it got a Bones lead-in? What has to happen for that concept to drop, stick it after TSCC? The concept of a lead-in is largely over blown in television. Don’t get me wrong I think it helps a lot for opening episodes of new shows, to have a big built in audience already watching the network is obviously a good thing but when you’re 12+ episodes into the run I think the lead-in becomes fairly meaningless.
And Doug as I said to Fin, apples and oranges.
I’m going to catch up with Lie to Me now that they switched the spot so it’s not on at the same time at Lost. And ABC always sucks on Wednesdays with the exception of the 9 PM hour because a repeat at 8 PM and a poorly rated show at 10 PM…there’s a nice big open spot on 8 PM Wednesdays that could’ve easily been given to Pushing Daisies for an extra 3 weeks to finish its run (and it would’ve done just as well as the Lost repeats are now). Oh well.
And I don’t quite understand why everyone is suddenly gaining respect for Fox. It’s been a force to be reckoned with in the last several years with American Idol, 24, House, Bones, and now Fringe and Lie to Me.
I’m impressed how Tyra’s Top Model was able to retain its viewers, plus adding more.
The real shock is NBC and ABC battling for LAST PLACE…
IMHO, “Lie To Me” ran one of their best-yet episodes last night. Hopefully others liked it too, so that LTM will maintain viewer and demo leads in the new time slot.
That’s not a shock, the shock is that NBC didn’t lose.
I really enjoyed Lie To Me so far, I’m still not convinced that its going to be able to sustain its concept of multiple seasons especially not using two stories in one episode – there’s really only so many ‘is this person lying…’ concepts out there that are interesting. Of course CSI manages to sustain three shows all using the exact same concept so what do I know…
For all the talk of whether or not “Fringe” is a hit: may we reserve judgment until we see how it performs after an 8-week hiatus? Time slot is one factor, but only one factor
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Lie to Me will just do what House did and lose secondary plots in favor of more character drama. You can already see them positioning all the pawns for huge family and relationships stuff. The cases of the week will become more and more exchangeable. It’s they way every procedural eventually goes.
If I had a good case of the week plot for everything I never wanted to know about Gibbs, House, Grissom or Horatio, I’d have enough good cases to fill ten seasons of a whole new show.
In 18-34 demo, UNI in 3rd [1.7], close to CBS [1.9].
Here’s a winner.
It really is apples and oranges, Alex. Heroes remains one of NBC’s highest rated series in adults, while DH is second up from the bottom at Fox. NBC will cut Heroes budget before it even comes close to canceling it.
Good Job Lie to Me. Definitely getting renewed. Lie holds up on its own and easily wins 8pm. Old Christine and Gary did alright for 8pm. Despite both shows being CBS’s lowest rated series, im confident that CBS will keep Wednesdays second comedy block next season. However as I mentioned many times, I believe Gary will be axed and Christine will be left at wednesdays at 8 likely followed by Rules of Engagement.
If I’m reading this correctly, apparently the people of Spain like Life very much!
I found an article from Variety. Below is a blurb from the article and a link to the article. Enjoy!
Can this, or should this, help Life survive in the US? A girl can dream
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118000758.html?categoryId=19&cs=1
Oops… forgot the blurb.
“Life” mixes procedurals and quirky character drama, a blend Spaniards appreciate in “House,” and another freshman, “The Mentalist.”
Now enjoy!
Bobbi, The production companies do make money off of international rights, but it won’t save a failing show, or even a bubble show.
In theory Holly that’s not completely true.
On paper if a show is making enough money from international rights then it can save an on the bubble show because the production can offer it at a lower price to the US nets. Fox I believe picked up ‘Til Death for a new season recently simply because it was insanely cheap. Of course Life isn’t a show on the bubble and won’t be making that much from international rights.
I will however point out that its very rare indeed that any show is in a strong enougb position internationally to be able to save itself by slashing its price for US networks and off the top of my head I can’t really think of any, which might mean that there aren’t any.
“It really is apples and oranges, Alex. Heroes remains one of NBC’s highest rated series in adults, while DH is second up from the bottom at Fox. NBC will cut Heroes budget before it even comes close to canceling it.”
Its apples and oranges because as I’ve said (at least two times already) they’re completely different shows with completely different expectations. One is surprisingly cheap the other massively expensive and one airs Monday nights and the other airs on Friday nights. Trying to compare and contrast Heroes numbers with just about any other show, particularly a new show just doesn’t work.
Nick thinks NBC should be getting Heroes because its been trending down for two-years, is massively expensive, has alienated too many fans with bad writing and a budget cut is only go to gut a show that has a central concept that needs big effects shots. I don’t completely agree with him (especially not on the budget cut) but I don’t think the fact he’s telling people to be patient with Dollhouse is at odds with what he’s saying about Heroes.
Heroes is basically renewed for next season, so why do people keep bringing it up in every discussion?
Chopping Block… is that the name of a show, or the NBC network in general?
FOX is really doing wonders this year fixing all their holes, aren’t they? Well, not on Fridays at 9 o’clock. But, you know, everywhere else.
And, hey, will wonders never cease… “Life on Mars” grew out of its lead-in for the very first time. Proving once and for all, it does in fact have its own audience. Granted, you need a microscope to find it. But it has it!
I was a bit worried about Old Christine going up against Lie To Me and The Chopping Block (not nearly as much as American Idol, but they seemed like stiff competition…)
I guess I don’t need to worry much anymore. Lie To Me did win the time period, but Old Christine and Gary weren’t that far behind. If I were CBS I’d be pretty happy with taking second place in the Wednesday at 8 slot.
I guess the feud between Gordon Ramsay and Marco Pierre White just got better, because Hell’s Kitchen is a success and The Chopping Block is… well… (there really is no nice way to say it)… a failure.
Fox has been the number 1 in 18-34 demos from 2004-2007, and in the 2007–08 season, Fox became the most popular network in America in general household ratings, dethroning CBS.
So yeah, it’s been a while for Fox. Seems like, it’s gonna continue on that way.
I rather liked Chopping Block, as did my wife – I actually now wish Gordon Ramsay would leave Hell’s Kitchen, and Marco take it over – he’s the Marlon Brando Godfather to Ramsay’s Milli Vanilli version of Slim Shady…
…if it were a summer program, Chopping Block would be considered rather less of a failure than it is now – and it still might work in a summer slot…
…then again, NBC could probably make Idol and 60 Minutes into complete failures, given the way their executives are ruining things over there now.
How did Heroes and Dollhouse become the main topics in the Wednesday comments section? Did they have episodes last night that I missed? I thought they only had episodes on Monday and Friday that I miss.
I don’t know much of all the numbers, but I will say, I’d rather watch “Lie To Me” more than American Idol. This show is amazing, and so spot on with the greatest liars America has ever known. Mostly politicians, but this show captures so much honesty, no pun intended.
Tim Roth is amazing, and just captures the very devoid of emotion feel that I’d expect from someone who reads peoples faces. This show is ten times better than American Idol, with a lot less fiction
Took a long time for Christine to come up. I went fast but didn’t detect a single Christine partisan willing to go to bat for it. In Wed still going to be a new comedy night for CBS? Doesn’t it take more than two 8pm shows avging less than a 2 in the demo to make a ” comedy block” or even the foundation for one? 2 abd a Half and its life-support system had Ray for ten years. The Office etc has to go all the way back to Seinfeld ( and before that, to Cosby and Cheers.)I think an over fifty-skewing comedy block on WQed will help ABC eventually beat CBS in the demos, maybe in just one more season.
The Chopping Block and 1st half of life is not shown on KGW-TV in Portlad, OR a NBC station due to NBA Basketball of Dallas Mavericks and Portland Trail Blazers.