LOST will return Tuesdays at 9pm starting February 2, 2010.   I’m not sure yet what this means for the 8pm and 10pm schedule (though the betting seems to be on V taking the Tuesday 10pm slot after the Olympics) or what will happen once Dancing With the Stars returns in March, but sooner or later (hopefully sooner) ABC will reveal its mid-season plans and we’ll update you.

The Groundhog Day return will feature 3 hours of Lost - a one hour recap plus a two hour premiere.

Update: Here’s the press release from ABC:

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Short term (4 week) ratings trends indicate the renewal prospects for Castle, The Good Wife, Heroes, Parks & Recreation and Law & Order have improved.

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Our Renew / Cancel Index predicts potential renewal or cancellation for scripted broadcast primetime shows for the 2010-11 season (results through November 15, 2009):

• Likely To Be Canceled By May, 2010
• Some Danger Of Being Canceled By May, 2010
• Likely to Be Renewed For The 2010-11 Season

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The return of the appropriately aged (a year younger than yours truly) Heather Locklear gave Melrose Place a small ratings boost, but not nearly enough to give any hope to those who thought she might save the show. She only lifted the shows ratings to the level they held in early October. I thought the show was dead then, and ratings will likely to trail off from last night’s levels. That’s too little, too late.

Note that Smallville, Gossip Girl and One Tree Hill have yet to air a repeat, while all other CW scripted shows have. Right now that puts them temporarily on the up side of the see-saw and the others on the down side, but things should even out once every show has a similar number of repeats into their averages which will happen in the next month or so. At the moment 90210, Melrose Place, Supernatural and Vampire Diaries are a bit lower in the Index than they should be for that reason.

*I have frozen The Beautiful Life’s Index at its value the week of cancellation.

This is a breakdown of CW scripted shows and their renewal and cancellation prospects. Here are links to the other networks:

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The season two premiere of Legend of the Seeker averaged 2.583 million viewers the weekend of November 7-8 with a 1.7 household rating.   By household rating it was ranked tied for 45th out of 129 syndicated shows measured for the week.

The 2.583 million was the average audience, but you might wind up seeing the number 3.528 million thrown around, too.  That’s the gross average audience for the premiere.  Gross average audience is a metric commonly used in syndicated ratings where viewing of repeat broadcasts during the measured period *is* counted. But for apples-to-apples purposes of comparing to other shows you should use the 2.583 million number.

TLC is billing next week’s episode as the series finale of Jon & Kate Plus 8.   A month ago, TLC officials said that the show would be ending in mid-to-late November, after originally announcing in September that the show would live on as Kate Plus 8.  But I guess diminishing ratings, an ugly divorce and having to deal with the antics of Jon Gosselin suing the network proved too much.

I think more likely though it’s just promoting next week as the series finale both as a “let the dust settle” move and perhaps in an effort to boost the ratings.

Even ratings that were way, way off the highs still proved to be TLC’s highest-rated show.  What does that mean?  It means like it or not, we have not yet seen the last of the Gosselins.

Update: Jon tempting fate with his kids on ATVs.

Here’s the blurb about tonight’s episodes from TLC along with the note about next week being the show’s series finale.

TONIGHT – 9pm on TLC
JON & KATE PLUS 8 – Back-to-back new episodes

Gymnastics & Baseball – While a lot has changed for the family, Jon and Kate still strive to give each of their children a normal childhood. For the Gosselin kids, it’s time for some sporty fun! Kate enrolls all the kids in gymnastics classes and the tumbling begins and Jon takes the kids to a local minor league baseball game.
Never Before Seen -Kate shares never before seen footage from season 5. The family decides to get passports for a big trip, Kate celebrates her 10th wedding anniversary with the kids, Jon tries to train the dogs and Kate hits the road for her book signing. Viewers get a chance to see what hit the cutting room floor.

NOTE: NEXT MON –  A Special 1-hr SERIES FINALE of Jon and Kate plus 8.

In its Monday premiere, TBS’ George Lopez show, “Lopez Tonight” averaged 1.7 million viewers on TBS (3.2 million total including the simulcast on TNT and truTV).    The simulcast across multiple networks was only for the premiere. On Tuesday, it dropped down to 1.4 million, Wednesday it hit a TBS high with 2 million viewers and Thursday it hit is low with 1.3 million. James Hibberd has some analysis on week 1 and suggests the show is holding up OK.

By way of comparison to what TBS was airing from 11p-12A last week:

Monday 11p : “My Name is Earl” (1.166 million)

Monday 11:30p “My Name is Earl” (981,000)

Tuesday 11p:  “Seinfeld” (931,000)

Tuesday 11:3op: “Seinfeld”  (1.045 million)

Wednesday 11P: Seinfeld (1.135 million)

Wednesday 11:30p Seinfeld (942,000)

Thursday 11p: “Seinfeld” (843,000)

Thursday 11:30p Seinfeld (926,000)

The good news is it easily bested 10+ year old “Seinfeld” reruns and  “My Name Is Earl” reruns  in a heavily promoted first week.   If  “Lopez Tonight”  improves or merely retains the margins it held over reruns in the first week a couple of months down the road, TBS will surely claim success.    But I wouldn’t be looking for any press releases from TBS declaring George Lopez the new king of late night.

(my understanding is this figure also includes the simulcasts in the San Francisco and Chicago markets).

Via PI Feedback forums:

NFL Thursday Night Football: Chicago at San Francisco (NFLN; 8:21-11:23pm et)
- 3.899 million viewers
- 2.4 HH
- 1.7 A18-49

And for a sports on cable comparison:

NBA Thursday: Cleveland @ Miami (TNT; 8:16-11:10pm et)
- 2.564 million viewers
- 1.7 HH
- 1.0 A18-49

Last years’ game during the same week on NFLN did a bit better: 4.411 million, with the Mangini vs. Tom Brady-less mentor matchup between the New York Jets and New England Patriots. (as the comment below notes, last year’s version of the New York Jets also included Brett Favre).  Last year the NFLN led off a week earlier than this year with a Broncos/Browns game. I don’t have handy access to those numbers, but commenter “romo” says it pulled a 1.9 household rating on November 6, 2008.

Following yesterday’s news that Lou Dobbs had stepped down at CNN.

John King will replace Lou Dobbs at 7 p.m., beginning early next year, CNN said Thursday.

via Broadcasting & Cable.