CBS - We talk a lot about how great the ratings for American Idol are. And with another 25 million this week, it’s still doing just fine. But what if a show brought in 27 million more viewers than Idol? That’s pretty good, right? That was the case with the AFC Championship (54.85m/19.7) last week. I suppose that’s why the league is facing a work stoppage; there is a whole lot of TV money to fight over. That game gave a special Sunday edition of Hawaii Five-O (19.34m/5.6) a nice boost, doubling the numbers from its last outing.
And with those two under their belt, the network just kind of mailed it in the rest of the way. Nothing new on Monday and Tuesday made the still sinking Live To Dance (4.51m/1) next on the list. Criminal Minds (12.77m/3.2) and Blue Bloods (12.1m/2.1) followed, looking much better. And the week wrapped with $#*! My Dad Says (8.73m/2.3) slipping while following a Big Bang repeat.
FOX – As mentioned, American Idol was again strong, with Wednesday (25.33m/9.3) and Thursday (22.48m/7.7) both delivering great numbers, despite being down just a bit from the premiere. That made for another very good night for Bones (10.55m/3.5). There was a small bit of trouble earlier in the week. After a nice debut, Bob’s Burgers (4.81m/2.2) has quickly become the weakest link in the animation domination chain. The Simpsons (6.48m/3) and Cleveland (519m/2.3) were also new.
House (10.45m/3.7) was around the usual level, but Lie To Me (7.67m/2.5) was something of a surprise at 9PM. That is an unexpected rebound after weeks of much lower numbers. That could serve to complicate renewal decisions this spring. The week finished with Kitchen Nightmares (4.05m/1.7) and Fringe (4.57m/1.9) on Friday. The good news for Fringe fans is that the show retained all of the demo from the premiere.
NBC - Chuck (6.06m/1.9) was just off the pace of its return last week, but that was overshadowed by the continuing drops for The Cape (5.85m/1.6). I’m guessing that one isn’t long for this schedule. The news was better for Harry’s Law (10.43m/2.1). In week two, the show managed to top Castle in viewers. It will be interesting to see how 10PM Monday shakes out when all three shows are new. The Biggest Loser (8.58m/3.2) continued its climb on Tuesday, before things kind of sank on Wednesday with Minute To Win It (5.02m/1.4) and Chase (4.17m/1.2).
The second week of the new Thursday wasn’t great, with drops across the board. Community (4.56m/2.2) did manage to keep all of its demo in leading off the night, but Perfect Couples (3.49m/1.7) is quickly becoming what we all expected. With no new Grey’s in play, The Office (7.93m/4) topped the demo at 9PM, which kept Parks & Rec (5.83m/3) above a 3, for now. 30 Rock (4.92m/2.4) was down at 10PM, and you can probably expect more drops next week with Private Practice and The Mentalist both bringing new episodes. Outsourced (4.13m/1.9) was never going to succeed anywhere but after The Office.
ABC – There wasn’t a lot to the week for ABC. The Bachelor (9.28m/2.9) made small gains with CBS taking the night off, and Castle (9.08m/2.4) took the hour in the demo with Hawaii Five-O moving to Sunday for the week. Wipeout (7.6m/2.4) remained OK on Thursday as well. The only other new programming came from Cougar Town (5.03m/2) and Off The Map (5.06m/1.8). Leaving them hanging after repeats of The Middle and Modern Family seems a curious choice that didn’t do either show any favors.
CW - Things kind of got started up again at CW this week. I say kind of, because Supernatural and Smallville were pulled at the last minute to air encores of Vampire Diaries and Nikita. 90210 (1.69m/.9) and Gossip Girl (1.58m/.9) kicked things off Monday and were followed by One Tree Hill (1.89m/.9) and Hellcats (2.15m/.9) Tuesday. Vampire Diaries (3.33m/1.6) and Nikita (2.62m/1.1) finished up on Thursday. It is interesting to see Hellcats and Nikita0 topping 90210, Gossip Girl, and One Tree Hill in viewers, but the real story is told in the women 18-34 demo.
CABLE - There were a few premieres last week, including Archer (1.53m/.7), Face Off (1.44m/.7), and Sons Of Guns (1.69m/.7). None of them set the ratings on fire, but Face Off looks like one that could have the potential to make some gains. The bigger story might have been week two of MTV’s Skins (1.58m/.7). Without the help of a new Jersey Shore, half the audience from the premiere disappeared.
Basic
Premium
Clacked by Brett Love 
on Jan 30, 2011 @ 21:58 EST5EDT
