FOX won again last night, the final Thursday of the May Sweep. An uptick in American Idol was partially erased by a downtick in Touch. CBS was mostly original last night, although the key contributor (Big Bang Theory) was a repeat, bringing the night half a rating point below last week’s level and moving CBS from second to third place. ABC had a good night, especially the season finale of Grey’s Anatomy. NBC crashed and burned with a Community-dominated evening.
|
Nightly Primetime Average: Adult 18-49 Rating (Live+Same Day) |
|
Thursday |
ABC |
CBS |
NBC |
FOX |
|
|
05.17.2012 |
2.5 |
2.4 |
1.1 |
3.0 |
This Week |
|
05.10.2012 |
2.2 |
2.9 |
1.5 |
3.0 |
Last Week |
|
05.19.2011 |
2.6 |
2.9 |
2.5 |
4.8 |
Last Year |
FOX’s American Idol (4.2 preliminary rating) was up a few tenths from recent lows but remains stuck at levels we would not expect to see the week before the finale next week. Although Idol was up from recent weeks, Touch continues to trend down, setting a new season low. Last year on this night, FOX averaged a 4.8 rating from 8-10 pm: American Idol (6.3) and Bones (3.2).
|
|
Season |
Last Six Episodes |
|
FOX Thursday |
High |
Low |
4.12 |
4.19 |
4.26 |
5.03 |
5.10 |
5.17 |
|
X Factor |
4.3 |
2.8 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
American Idol |
5.7 |
3.9 |
4.3 |
4.0 |
4.0 |
4.0 |
4.0 |
4.2* |
|
Touch |
3.3 |
1.9 |
2.3 |
2.1 |
1.9 |
2.0 |
1.9 |
1.8* |
|
Bones |
3.3 |
2.4 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Finder |
2.8 |
1.7 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
What a difference one half hour makes. Big Bang Theory aired a repeat, turning in a mid-2 rating rather than the 4.5 or so one would expect from an original. This pushed Rules of Engagement to a season low, and while Person of Interest and Mentalist bounced up a bit to match ratings from recent weeks, neither show got the season finale “bounce” that could have happened if the entire night had been original episodes. Last year on this night: Big Bang Theory (3.6), Rules of Engagement (2.5), and The Mentalist two-hour (2.8).
|
|
Season |
Last Six Episodes |
|
CBS Thursday |
High |
Low |
4.12 |
4.19 |
4.26 |
5.03 |
5.10 |
5.17 |
|
Big Bang Theory |
5.5 |
4.1 |
2.8r |
2.5r |
4.1 |
4.7 |
4.4 |
2.4r |
|
Rules of Engagement |
3.7 |
2.2 |
2.7 |
2.2 |
2.5 |
2.7 |
2.7 |
2.1* |
|
Rob |
4.1 |
2.9 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Person of Interest |
3.4 |
2.4 |
1.8r |
1.5r |
2.4 |
2.5 |
2.6 |
2.5* |
|
Mentalist |
3.0 |
2.2 |
|
1.5r |
2.2 |
2.5 |
2.4 |
2.5* |
In contrast, ABC got a nice season finale bump from Grey’s Anatomy, up to a 3.9 in the preliminary (and almost certainly a 4.0 in the official nationals — above the rating for the same week last year). Scandal also bounced up to a season high, a more moderate 2.4 rating (but a very good number for the 10 pm hour this season). Last year on this night: Wipeout (1.7), Grey’s Anatomy (3.6) and Private Practice (2.5).
|
|
Season |
Last Six Episodes |
|
ABC Thursday |
High |
Low |
4.12 |
4.19 |
4.26 |
5.03 |
5.10 |
5.17 |
|
Charlie’s Angels |
2.1 |
1.1 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Wipeout |
2.7 |
1.5 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Missing |
2.1 |
1.2 |
1.4 |
1.4 |
1.4 |
1.2 |
1.1 |
1.3* |
|
Grey’s Anatomy |
4.5 |
2.8 |
2.9 |
3.3 |
3.3 |
3.3 |
3.5 |
3.9* |
|
Scandal |
2.4 |
1.9 |
2.0 |
2.0 |
2.0 |
1.9 |
1.9 |
2.4* |
|
Private Practice |
2.8 |
2.1 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
NBC once again saw how much it relies on The Office. As bad as it has become creatively and as weak as it is relative to comedy hits like Modern Family and Big Bang Theory, The Office is really all that NBC has to offer on Thursdays. Last night, it was a night of Community (three original episodes at 8:00, 9:00 and 9:30) and 30 Rock, and each half hour received a 1.3 rating, pushing Awake back down to a series low 0.7 rating. Last year on this night: Community (1.2), The Office repeat (1.5), The Office one-hour (3.9), Parks & Recreation (2.4) and Parks & Recreation (2.0).
|
|
Season |
Last Six Episodes |
|
NBC Thursday |
High |
Low |
4.12 |
4.19 |
4.26 |
5.03 |
5.10 |
5.17 |
|
Community |
1.8 |
1.3 |
1.4 |
1.3 |
1.4 |
1.4 |
1.4 |
1.3* |
|
30 Rock |
1.8 |
1.2 |
1.4 |
1.5 |
1.6 |
1.4 |
1.5 |
1.3* |
|
The Office |
3.9 |
2.1 |
2.2 |
2.2 |
2.1 |
2.3 |
2.3 |
|
|
Parks & Recreation |
2.1 |
1.6 |
|
1.7 |
1.6 |
1.7 |
1.7 |
|
|
Whitney |
3.3 |
1.9 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Up All Night |
2.0 |
1.2 |
1.5 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Awake |
1.9 |
0.7 |
0.9 |
0.9 |
0.8 |
0.7 |
0.9 |
0.7* |
|
Prime Suspect |
1.8 |
0.8 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Firm |
1.0 |
0.8 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
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