> 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 […]

  AFTERNOON UPDATE:  All movements were of the 0.1 variety, with AMERICAN IDOL, BIG BANG THEORY, GREY’S ANATOMY, SCANDAL and PARKS & RECREATION getting the bump.  That meant IDOL and PARKS tied their lows rather than setting new ones, but even though THE MILLERS also went down 0.1, IDOL still lost that competition (IDOL did […]

  BACKSTROM:  Midseason TBD on FOX THE FACTS:  Rainn Wilson plays your basic difficult-but-brilliant homicide detective in a procedural based on a series of Swedish mystery novels, adapted for television by Hart Hanson, the creator of Bones.  Backstrom is grumpy and dismissive of his colleagues, and unhealthy in his eating, drinking and general living habits, […]

  AFTERNOON UPDATE:  Things actually got worse for AMERICAN IDOL in the adjusted numbers, falling 0.1 to 1.7, not just yet another new all-time low, but ignominiously keeping it in a tie with THE CRAZY ONES (which also fell 0.1), a show CBS may not even renew.  THE MILLERS and ELEMENTARY also lost 0.1 each.  […]

  A trio of shows premiered last night, but only one did so impressively. DEMOGRAPHIC DETAIL: For each broadcast program (or hour segment), the chart below displays preliminary key advertiser demographics (adult 18-34, 18-49 and 25-54 ratings), audience skews (women 18-49, men 18-49 and adults 50+ shares) and total viewership (thousands of people over the age […]

NETWORK UPDATE:  THE VOICE gained 0.1 in final numbers, as did THE MINDY PROJECT. SONS OF ANARCHY (FX) topped the night’s cable ratings at 2.23 in 18-49s, up 0.34 in the demo from last week.  The post-show ANARCHY AFTERWORD scored 1.0, up 0.13 in the demo.  ESPN’s 30 FOR 30 documentary was behind SONS, at […]

  Mixed news for the Sunday ABC line-up. DEMOGRAPHIC DETAIL: For each broadcast program (or hour segment), the chart below displays preliminary key advertiser demographics (adult 18-34, 18-49 and 25-54 ratings), audience skews (women 18-49, men 18-49 and adults 50+ shares) and total viewership (thousands of people over the age of 2). Ratings analysis and comparisons […]

    NETWORK UPDATE:  There were no changes from the preliminary New Year’s Eve numbers. Broadcast Official Nationals Program Ratings Chart     CABLE HIGHLIGHTS:  ESPN owned December 31 on cable, with 9 of the day’s Top 10 shows, but it was still bittersweet for the network.  Last year’s COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS aired on January […]