> On a night without a lot of movement, sometimes standing still works out for the best. FOX:  Zooey Deschanel may not be a mainstream movie star, but her Manic Pixie Dream Girl charms are definitely making her one on TV:  NEW GIRL (see our Pilot + 1 Review) is just a hair behind 2 […]

> Fridays are quiet in any case, but with 2 of the networks waiting to launch their “real” schedules, last night was nearly inaudible. CBS:  Although A GIFTED MAN upticked slightly last night, it seems clear that the show won’t reach the level of the network’s other Friday shows (and the competition is about to […]

        NETWORK FINALS:  NBC’s NFL HALL OF FAME GAME adjusted up 0.1 to 1.5 in final numbers.         Broadcast Official Nationals Program Ratings Chart     CABLE HIGHLIGHTS:  Neither the NFL nor SHARK WEEK could stop TLC’s DR PIMPLE POPPER, on top of Thursday cable albeit down 0.07 to […]

> The small fluttering bit of NBC’s fall that was still breathing may have started to die last night. NBC:  GRIMM didn’t win its timeslot last night, after another 15% drop.  On Friday night, a 1.5 is still a decent number (good enough for 2d place in the 9PM hour last night), but the show’s […]

> As football season approaches its regular-season climax, viewers just can’t get enough of it. ABC:  The network’s female-oriented line-up is meant to survive football, but ABC has been shooting itself in the foot in recent weeks.  Last night was the 2d time in 3 weeks that ONCE UPON A TIME was the only regular […]

> Potentially good news for Cougar Town fans. ABC:  Cougar Town needs a timeslot, and Tuesday 8:30PM should be opening up any minute now, as 20% of the people who watched WORK IT the first time ran away screaming this week, and the show plunged to a 1.6 rating.  However, that real estate may not […]

> Americans, faced with tragedy, gather around their television sets.  For the death of Whitney Houston, that meant the GRAMMYS. CBS:  The sudden (and not so sudden) death of Whitney Houston turned the Grammys into An Event that transcended the usual awards-plus-glamor formula, and the result was a giant 14.1 rating, more than 2 rating […]

> GCB gives, even while DST taketh away. ABC:  GCB is a very bad show, but not an unpopular one.  Its 2.3 inched up over last week’s premiere, at least in preliminary numbers, and seemed to squeak out a timeslot victory, by 0.1 over NBC and 0.2 over CBS.  It still looks awfully weak to […]