Several TV institutions tottered last night. ABC:  It’s going to be awfully hard to justify a back order for LAST RESORT, which plunged 0.4 to a terrible 1.3.  Perhaps even scarier for ABC was GREY’S ANATOMY.  The show has been steadily sinking since its season premiere (last night’s episode was the first of the fall […]

  This is the time of year when tiny upticks in the ratings are taken for signs of health, and thus last night’s 0.1 increase for BEAUTY & THE BEAST bought it a full season back-order today, much as the previous night’s stunted Chicago Fire increase had done at NBC.  Beauty, to be fair, is […]

  If you’re a fall series that hasn’t heard any news of your fate by Thanksgiving, the omens aren’t good–at that point, production of the initial 13 episodes is all but done, and for reasons of cost and momentum, networks try to keep shows in continuous production if they’re going to extend throughout the season.  […]

ABC dominated New Year’s Eve, as usual.  In prime time, ABC averaged a 3.1 rating with adults 18-49 in the fast nationals.  The evening started with a tribute to Dick Clark (a 2.6 rating from 8-10 pm) and built to a 4.1 rating from 10-11 pm for Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest. […]

THE WEEK.  For the recently completed week ending Sunday (January 14-20, 2013), CBS remained in first place with a preliminary 4.45 adult 18-49 rating, building even more from last week’s impressive 3.19 rating.  The extraordinary week was highlighted by the AFC  Championship Game Sunday, which averaged a 14.6 rating in the fast nationals and should go up […]

  It’s time to start hoping Netflix, or cable, or some other outlet with good taste and cash to burn will save HAPPY ENDINGS.  ABC, in a vote of no confidence, announced today that it’s yanking the sitcom from its Tuesday 9PM slot and after about 6 weeks off the air, will stick back-to-back episodes […]

Just a dismal night, even for the winners. FOX:  A special 2-hour AMERICAN IDOL (live, except on the west coast) won the night with a 3.4, but according to CBS, during the 8PM hour it was actually at 3.3 (climbing in Hour 2), which meant that it was edged out by NCIS.  Idol was also […]

Even without The Voice as an excuse, most networks headed downward. FOX:  AMERICAN IDOL continued to plunge, down half a ratings point to 3.1, which happens to be just 0.1 ahead of X Factor’s average last fall. ABC:  Three of the night’s shows returned with their first fresh episodes in a month, and as is increasingly the case, the long […]