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NEW GIRL is losing that new-show gleam.
FOX: Whether it’s been caused by the accumulated agony of FOX’s 4-sitcom schedule (with I Hate My Teenage Daughter and Raising Hope reruns as lead-ins), the reality results shows on the competing networks, or just viewers deciding they’re not as much in love with Zooey Deschanel as they thought they were, New Girl has been getting killed over the past month. (It’s not a quality issue: recent episodes have been as smart and likable as ever.) Last night’s 2.3, 3rd place in the timeslot, wasn’t just a new series low, it represented more than a 50% drop from the show’s high-ratings mark. What looked like it could be FOX’s new comedy franchise is now only a medium-level success, and if the return of Glee next week doesn’t provide any rescue, the network is going to have to figure out how to stop the bleeding. Meanwhile, BREAKING IN (which has now all but abandoned its original caper-of-the-week concept and become an ordinary workplace comedy) hit a new season low, and RAISING HOPE was just 0.1 above its own.NBC: THE VOICE sang just loudly enough at 9PM to give the network a tie for a night when CBS was in repeats. Voice‘s 3.2 was the highest rating of the night, although considerably down from Monday’s regular episode. (The Dancing With the Stars results show, while lower-rated, did a much better job of holding the Monday audience.) THE BIGGEST LOSER narrowly won its hour with 2.0, only 0.1 above its season low. FASHION STAR limped to a series-low-tying 1.5.
ABC: Another DANCING WITH THE STARS recap special was down a bit to 1.8, and then the results hour, dented by the arrival of the Voice results, scored a 2.7 that was down 0.4 from last week (but as noted, a fine retention of Monday’s 2.9). BODY OF PROOF, benefiting from a stronger lead-in and very weak competition, actually won its hour with a 2.0
CBS: A trio of repeats that was low-rated even by the standards of those series’ recent repeats, with none reaching a 2.0.
CW: RINGER, heading toward its season (and very possibly series) finale, could only get to a 0.4, barely up from its repeat 90210 lead-in.
Tonight’s season finale of HAPPY ENDINGS will again be the only non-repeat on ABC, and one can only hope the network won’t hold its inevitably terrible rating against the show. NBC launches the comedy reality show OFF THEIR ROCKERS and then the sitcom BEST FRIENDS FOREVER, before bidding adieu to the final flagrantly dumped hour of Bent.
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