OPENINGS:  THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE (Lionsgate) came up from initial Friday estimates to $70.5M, the 7th highest single day box office in US history (behind the final Harry Potter, The Avengers, The Dark Knight, and 3 Twilights) and $3.2M ahead of the opening day for The Hunger Games.  If Catching Fire held as […]

A good night for some grizzled vets. CBS:  After UNDERCOVER BOSS started the night with a 1.8 to win 8PM, CSI NY and BLUE BLOODS both hit season high 1.6s (the latter also winning its hour).  The whole line-up was up 0.2-0.3 from last week. ABC:  Everything here was up as well, with LAST MAN […]

        NETWORK FINALS:  WORLD SERIES Game 2 had a smaller adjustment in finals than Game 1, up 0.3 to 4.2, which left it down 0.6 from 2016’s Game 2.  Elsewhere, DESIGNATED SURVIVOR fell 0.1 to a new low 0.7, and THE BLACKLIST also lost 0.1.         Broadcast Official Nationals […]

  Wasting no time, NBC has already issued the promo for its fall Monday 10PM drama THE BLACKLIST: At first glance, it appears to be a mash-up of 24 and Silence of the Lambs, with James Spader as the show’s ersatz Hannibal Lecter, with his own Clarice Starling-ish inexperienced FBI agent as his confidante (there’s […]

        NETWORK FINALS:  LITTLE BIG SHOTS lost 0.1 in final numbers.         Broadcast Official Nationals Program Ratings Chart     CABLE HIGHLIGHTS:  The last completed episode of AMC’s THE WALKING DEAD gained 0.07 to 1.13, and TALKING DEAD was up 0.02 to 0.39.  On HBO, LAST WEEK TONIGHT was […]

  CABLE HIGHLIGHTS:  The NBA PLAYOFFS were once again on top, with double features on both TNT (1.39/0.87) and ESPN (1.27/1.17).   Adult Swim had 3 of the next 4 slots, with 0.67 (up 0.10) for KILL LA KILL, 0.65 (up 0.12) for SWORD ART ONLINE, and 0.56 (up 0.18) for INUYASHA, all of which […]

> A lot can happen between the creation of a TV pilot in the spring and production of episodes for the regular season:  a writing/producing team is hired, audience focus groups weigh in, networks and studios (which may have had their own turnover in the off-season) give plenty of notes, both helpful and otherwise, and […]

        NETWORK FINALS:  AMERICA’S GOT TALENT lost 0.1 in final numbers, and HOLLYWOOD GAME NIGHT was  down 0.2.  In addition, the LETHAL WEAPON rerun gained 0.1, and the  NCIS rerun dropped 0.1.         Broadcast Official Nationals Program Ratings Chart     CABLE HIGHLIGHTS:  USA made it 2 for 2, […]