You know spies — bunch of bitchy little girls. And this week in the ratings post, our favorite spies were beaten by some little girls. It was very close though, if that makes the shot to the ego a little easier to take for Sam and Michael. Those two were the headlines for what was a big week on cable. Also clocking in with records were True Blood, Warehouse 13, Kendra, Nurse Jackie, and Tori & Dean. Back on the networks, there weren’t really a lot of records to be had. Reality continued to rule with good outings from America’s Got Talent, Hell’s Kitchen, and So You Think You Can Dance.
Cable - Lots of good numbers on cable this week. Let’s start it off with the two big shows from the lead paragraph. Burn Notice (7.6m) had it’s ridiculous summer finale. Not that the show was ridiculous, it was actually very good, but the whole idea of a summer finale is. Aside from the fact that split seasons just break up the flow for viewers, the show is on such a great run, why stop now? Next week, there could be another new Burn Notice up against Grey’s, CSI, and House repeats, and a 68 year old movie. Instead, they’ve elected to wait ’til winter, when new Grey’s, CSI, The Office, and Fringe episodes are all in play. Ridiculous.
As mentioned earlier, while that was a great result for Burn Notice, it couldn’t match Nickelodeon’s results for iCarly‘s “iFight Shelby Marx” (7.9m). I have no idea what iCarly iFighting Shelby Marx means for the world at large, because I’ve never actually watched iCarly, but 7.9m viewers is pretty dang impressive. Along similar lines, we have some numbers for recent episodes of Disney’s Phineas and Ferb (3.7m) and Wizards of Waverly Place (4.8m). Those are the second best numbers ever for Phineas and Ferb.
Also setting records, True Blood (4.3m) just keeps gaining momentum for HBO. That is another series high. Hung (3.4m) and Entourage (3.3m) are both holding strong as well. Not to be outdone (OK, being outdone a little)… Showtime had a record as well. Nurse Jackie (1.36m) set a series high of its own. That came following Weeds (1.61m), which is notable because it’s up from the premiere of the season.
DVR numbers have rolled in for the second episode of Warehouse 13. The additional viewers bump the total to 4.15 million, making the July 14th episode the most-watched non-premiere telecast in the history of the network. Meanwhile, over at E!, Kendra (2.1m) called it a season. Not only is that better than the numbers for Girls Next Door, you have to go back to the Anna Nicole Show in 2002 to find a higher rated first season finale.
Oxygen had good news as well, with the finale for Tori & Dean: Home Again (1.47m). The show set a record for the network in the adult demos. Over at TLC, Jon & Kate Plus 8 (4m – 4.2m) returned to ratings that don’t match what they did before the breakup hiatus. And finally, not only did The Food Network get it right by choosing Melissa d’Arabian as the winner of Next Food Network Star (5.94m), they were also rewarded with a huge audience for the finale. Back at the networks, things aren’t nearly as exciting…
ABC - The week got off to a hopeful start, with the introduction of the new drama Defying Gravity (3.69m/1.1). With those numbers, those hopes were quickly dashed against the rocks, and the week continued on that path. Dating In The Dark (3.64m/1.6) took a hit not airing behind The Bachelorette. It should rebound next week when Millionaire is back. The Superstars (2.85m/.9) finale offered no help. And the lone bright spot for the week wasWipeout (7.76m/2.6). The rest of the new programming consisted of I Survived A Japanese Game Show (3.92m/1.4 – 3.61m/1.4), Surviving Suburbia (2.73m/.7), and The Goode Family (1.63m/.5).
NBC - Things were somewhat better for NBC, thanks to America’s Got Talent on Tuesday (12.66m/3.5) and Wednesday (10.13m/2.7). The rest of the week, however, is nothing to write home about. Sunday brought Merlin (4.46m/1.1) and The Storm (4.13m/1). Monday was Great American Road Trip (4.62m/1.3). And Wednesday also included The Philanthropist (4.35m/1.2). Perhaps they should have started Leno at 10 in the summer, where his numbers would look good.
CBS - It was another week with just Big Brother being offered as new programming. The show continues to be steady, if not outstanding, on Sunday (6.91m/2.2), Tuesday (6.61m/2.4), and Thursday (6.7m/2.3). It’s also worth noting that CBS won Monday night in viewers and the demo with repeats of the comedy block and CSI: Miami.
FOX - The big winner this week, based on the fact that they have more than one show doing solid numbers. Hell’s Kitchen (6.46m/3.1) is strong enough that it’s already been renewed for two more seasons. And So You Think You Can Dance called it a season with shows on Wednesday (7.59m/2.7) and Thursday (9.33m/3.4). Those finale numbers are notable, as the demo was up over the previous finale, and the 9.3m viewers was a season high. How that all translates to the fall installment is the tricky question. Elsewhere, More To Love (4.06m/1.9) hasn’t caught on with viewers yet. Finally, Fifth Grader (4.4m/1.1) and Mental (3.26m/.9) wrapped things up with another FOX Friday.
Clacked by Brett Love 
on Aug 10, 2009 @ 12:03 EST5EDT
