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Justice was swift for the worst new show of the season.
ABC: WORK IT debuted with a lousy 2.0 on its quick journey to the TV boneyard. In fairness, LAST MAN STANDING‘s 2.4 gave it a much weaker lead-in than the 3.0 the show was able to provide for MAN UP‘s 2.4 debut in the fall. But look where Man Up is now–and Work It, facing reruns on 2 networks, will almost inevitably go down from its premiere, which should seal its fate. At 9PM, CELEBRITY WIFE SWAP rose modestly from Work It to a 2.2, holding the hour until the return of Dancing With the Stars. BODY OF PROOF returned disastrously to new episodes with a 1.5.
NBC: BIGGEST LOSER‘s weak 2.3 premiere was a full ratings point below last year’s winter premiere, but on par with this season’s fall start–it’s simply a show in steep decline, and dates and competition don’t matter much. PARENTHOOD didn’t do its bubble status any favors with a series low 1.7 rating, and creatively, it was an unusually gimmicky (road trip!) and pat episode for a show that’s typically better than that.
CBS: Meanwhile, on the winning side… CBS simply aired new episodes of its regular shows and obliterated the competition for the night, with NCIS beating its closest competitor at 8PM by a factor of 75%, and NCIS LA and UNFORGETTABLE each winning their hours by 45% margins.
FOX: Still in repeat mode, with a 1.3 for NEW GIRL the night’s high-point.
CW: More repeats of SECRET CIRCLE, more 0.3-0.4 numbers.
Tonight ABC is the only network with all-new episodes. CBS starts the night with an I GET THAT A LOT special, then reruns; FOX has a new episode of MOBBED at 9PM as it waits for American Idol to arrive; NBC is all-rerun; and CW continues the marathon of Secret Circle episodes that no one seems to want.
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