The first big volleys of the Fall TV season were… inconclusive. NBC:  The network would be delighted if MYSTERIES OF LAURA could duplicate last night’s 2.1 rating when it airs in its regular timeslot.  On the face of it, the show did a solid job of retaining its 2.3 lead-in from the season finale […]

  Unlike last Saturday, when the Notre Dame game was dominant, last night’s ABC and FOX games were close in appeal, with ABC at a preliminary 1.0 and FOX at 0.8.  NBC had NASCAR at 0.4, and CBS followed 0.4/0.6 reruns with 48 HOURS at 0.7. DEMOGRAPHIC DETAIL: For each broadcast program (or hour segment), the […]

  NETWORK UPDATE:  After adjustment for the NCAA TOURNAMENT runover, 60 MINUTES fell by 0.5 to 2.3, MADAM SECRETARY by 0.3 to 1.4, and THE GOOD WIFE by 0.1 to 1.0.  The other networks were unchanged from preliminary numbers. Ratings in key demos for the Top 25 original cable telecasts (plus a few other lower-rated […]

> 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 […]

  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, […]

  NETWORK UPDATE:  As expected, there were a ton of changes from this morning’s numbers.  On NBC, THE VOICE lost 0.1 to 2.6, and STATE OF AFFAIRS dropped 0.2 to 1.5.  STATE has an excuse for last night, since live news coverage pushed the show by 20 minutes in part of the country and out […]

        NETWORK FINALS:  The special 20/20 gained 0.1 in final numbers, but things got even uglier for the premiere of THE OUTPOST, which fell 0.1 to 0.1.  WORLD OF DANCE lost 0.1 as well.         Broadcast Official Nationals Program Ratings Chart     CABLE HIGHLIGHTS:  USA’s WWE SMACKDOWN led […]

  BROADCAST FINALS ABC:  AMERICA’S FUNNIEST HOME VIDEOS dropped 0.07 to 0.43, CELEBRITY WHEEL OF FORTUNE fell 0.11 to 0.50, SUPERMARKET SWEEP was down 0.05 to 0.37, and THE ROOKIE held at 0.31.  CBS:  With a lower NFL lead-in, 60 MINUTES was down 0.61 to 0.92.  The season premiere of THE EQUALIZER was at 0.77 […]