It’s another week where the ratings news from cable is much more interesting than anything happening on the networks. The big story was the premiere of Project Runway (finally) on Lifetime, but there was plenty more fun to be had. Also getting in on the premiere game was Mad Men, Kourtney and Khloe, Hoarders, Ghost Hunters, and Flipping Out. There were also finales for Hawthorne, and Saving Grace. All that, plus records for True Blood, and the Degrassi kids. The networks countered with Octomom, and Shaq Vs. But not Shaq vs. Octomom, although I wouldn’t rule that out at this point.
CABLE - It took an awfully long time to get here, but the Project Runway (4.2m) premiere paid off for Lifetime. That made it the highest premiere in Lifetime’s history, and was also better than the last season on Bravo. Even though it was not quite up to Tim & Heidi’s numbers, AMC’s Mad Men (2.76m) also had a very good debut. That’s a series high. Kourtney and Khloe Take Miami (2.7m) had similar success. Good enough to be the best E! original premiere since Anna Nicole in 2002.
Staying with premieres, Syfy kicked off season 5.5 of Ghost Hunters (2.5m), falling just short of the season 5 premiere. Bravo might have lost Project Runway, but they still have Top Chef (2.6). The Las Vegas edition premiered following the finale of Top Chef Masters (2.42m). The network also premiered Flipping Out (1.03m), which set series highs in all demographics. Finishing the premieres, A&E found success with the debut of Hoarders (2.5m), which built on the Intervention (2.1m) lead in.
In other non-premiere news, True Blood (4.46m) continues to stack up best weeks. And ABC Family continues to get solid results from both Secret Life (3.3m) and Make It Or Break It (2.3m). Some of those ABC Family viewers were likely part of the audience for Degrassi Goes To Hollywood (.977) on The-N. That was the most watched telecast in the history of The-N.
Over at Syfy, the good news keeps coming for Warehouse 13 (3.27m). The show is on pace to be the most watched show in Syfy history, and it has already been renewed for a second season. Finally, TNT wrapped up Saving Grace (3.16m) and Hawthorne (3.52m). On the networks….
ABC - It was another week dominated by Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. The second week of the event averaged 6.79m viewers, and a 1.4 demo. Not horrible, but probably not what the network was hoping for. Elsewhere, Shark Tank (5.72m/1.8) is still finding its level, while Defying Gravity (2.59m/.8) continues to be ignored. Dating In The Dark (4.6m/1.8) still misses The Bachelorette. And the big premiere for the week was Shaq Vs. (4.34m/1.7), which can say that it did better than Superstars….
NBC - America’s Got Talent (11.7m/2.9 – 10.29m/2.4) remains the hit of the summer for the peacock. The only hit. The rest of the week consisted of Merlin (3.06m/.8 – 3.95m/1) and The Great American Road Trip (4.51m/1.4).
CBS - There wasn’t a lot of new to report for CBS. Big Brother continues to carry summer schedule with shows on Sunday (6.85m/2.3), Tuesday (8.09m/2.9), and Thursday (7.33m/2.4). The Chima nuttiness did provide a nice spike on Tuesday. The only other new programming was There Goes The Neighborhood (4.59m/1.2), which probably won’t have a second run. It is worth noting that CBS again won Monday in viewers and the demo with all repeats.
FOX - All the network had on offer was Hell’s Kitchen (7.34m/3.4) and Octomom: The Unseen Footage (4.19m/1.6). I’m sure those ratings for Octomom were lower than the network was looking for. Unfortunately, they were probably just high enough that something equally as ridiculous will still get a shot next summer.
Clacked by Brett Love 
on Aug 24, 2009 @ 10:00 EST5EDT
