Wednesday, December 30, 2020

Spotted Ratings, Tuesday 12/29/20


FINALS UPDATE: To Tell the Truth (R) (0.6) adjusted up while Tell Me a Story (0.0) adjusted down.


The Top 10 TV Ratings Moments of 2020


It's time for my eleventh annual look back at the year's top 10 moments in TV ratings! As always, the criteria are pretty subjective, but I go for a blend of relatively isolated incidents that are impressive for their sheer enormity/cultural impact, and moments that exemplify much larger trends in TV this year. Please let me know about my most egregious rankings and omissions. Happy New Year!


Tuesday, December 29, 2020

Spotted Ratings, Monday 12/28/20


FINALS UPDATE: Monday Night Football (ABC) (1.5, +0.3), The Neighborhood (R) (0.6), Let's Make a Deal Special (R) (0.4), Movie: Dolly Parton's Christmas of Many Colors (0.3), 9-1-1 (R) (0.3) and LA's Finest (0.3) adjusted up.


Monday, December 28, 2020

Spotted Ratings, Sunday 12/27/20


FINALS UPDATE: America's Funniest Home Videos (R) (0.6), Supermarket Sweep (R) (0.4), Supermarket Sweep (R) (0.3), NCIS: Los Angeles (R) (0.4), Sunday Night Football (4.9, +1.1), NFL Overrun (5.5, +1.4), The OT (3.1, +0.2) and The Masked Dancer (1.4, +0.2) adjusted up while 60 Minutes (0.6), Football Night in America p2 (0.9, -0.6) and Football Night in America p3 (2.5, -0.7) adjusted down.

WHAT MATTERS:
  • Fox previewed reality series The Masked Dancer (1.3/1.0) following NFL coverage in the 7:30 half-hour (2.9). For comparison, a The Masked Singer special in a similar situation back in September had a 1.3 prelim/1.6 final following a much bigger 7:30 half-hour (4.0)).

Saturday, December 26, 2020

Spotted Ratings, Friday 12/25/20


FINALS UPDATE: NBA Basketball (1.8, +0.7), Blue Bloods (R) (0.3), How the Grinch Stole Christmas (0.5) and WWE SmackDown! (1.0, +0.2) adjusted up.


Friday, December 25, 2020

Spotted Ratings, Thursday 12/24/20


FINALS UPDATE: Movie: The Greatest Showman (0.5), Young Sheldon (R) (0.3) and Movie: It's a Wonderful Life (R) (0.8, +0.2) adjusted up.


Thursday, December 24, 2020

Spotted Ratings, Wednesday 12/23/20


FINALS UPDATE: Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town (R) (0.6) and The Great Christmas Light Fight (0.6) adjusted up while Silent Night -- A Song For the World (R) (0.0) adjusted down.


Wednesday, December 23, 2020

Spotted Ratings, Tuesday 12/22/20


FINALS UPDATE: The Bachelorette (1.4, +0.2), The Price Is Right Special (0.8), Let's Make a Deal Special (0.7), The Voice (R) (0.5) and NEXT (0.3) adjusted up.

WHAT MATTERS:
  • Numbers posted.

Tuesday, December 22, 2020

Monday, December 21, 2020

Spotted Ratings, Sunday 12/20/20


FINALS UPDATE: Movie: The Sound of Music (0.6), NFL Overrun (5.6, +1.2), 60 Minutes (1.6, +0.2), Garth & Trisha Live! A Holiday Concert Event (0.6), A Home For the Holidays (0.3), Sunday Night Football (4.3, +0.9) and The Simpsons (R) (1.1) adjusted up while Football Night in America p2 (0.3, -0.7), Football Night in America p3 (1.8, -1.0) and Bob's Burgers (R) (0.4) adjusted down.


Saturday, December 19, 2020

Spotted Ratings, Friday 12/18/20


FINALS UPDATE: MacGyver (0.5), Dateline (0.4) and Pac-12 Championship (0.9, +0.2) adjusted up.

WHAT MATTERS:
  • Numbers posted.

Friday, December 18, 2020

Thursday, December 17, 2020

Spotted Ratings, Wednesday 12/16/20


FINALS UPDATE: The Great Christmas Light Fight (0.7), The Masked Singer (1.3) and The Masked Singer (1.8) adjusted up.

WHAT MATTERS:
  • Numbers posted.

Wednesday, December 16, 2020

Monday, December 14, 2020

Spotted Ratings, Sunday 12/13/20


FINALS UPDATE: Card Sharks (0.3), 60 Minutes (0.8), NCIS: Los Angeles (0.6), Sunday Night Football (4.6, +0.7), NFL Overrun (5.7, +1.2), Bless the Harts (0.7) and Bob's Burgers (0.7) adjusted up while Football Night in America p2 (1.0, -0.5) and Football Night in America p3 (2.4, -1.1) adjusted down.

WHAT MATTERS:
  • ABC's Supermarket Sweep (0.5) and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (0.3) are eyeing new lows on their last Sunday together in 2020. (Card Sharks also fell to 0.2, which it has hit before.)
  • None of the other entertainment options fared much better, with CBS' NCIS spin-offs (0.5/0.4) and Fox's cartoons (1.3/0.6/0.6/0.7) on the low end (for an NFL evening in Fox's case). And the CW got 0.0's on the same night for the first time since Pandora and The Outpost were paired together.

Friday, December 11, 2020

Spotted Ratings, Thursday 12/10/20


FINALS UPDATE: Grey's Anatomy (1.2) and Thursday Night Football (3.6, +1.3) adjusted up.

WHAT MATTERS:
  • ABC's Station 19 (0.8), Grey's Anatomy (1.1) and A Million Little Things (0.5) were all down a tenth as most scripted options took the night off.
  • NBC had specials on Broadway (0.5) and the TIME Person of the Year (0.3). Fox easily beat the combined competition with Thursday Night Football (2.4).

SpotVault - Nurses (NBC) - Winter 2020-21 Ratings





Nurses
Tuesdays, 10/9c, NBC







Thursday, December 10, 2020

Spotted Ratings, Wednesday 12/9/20


FINALS UPDATE: The Masked Singer Special (1.1) adjusted up.

WHAT MATTERS:
  • On a night full of holiday specials, Fox was still on top with a holiday singalong edition of The Masked Singer (1.0), though it was at least a half point lower than regular episodes, and the season finale of I Can See Your Voice (0.8).
  • It was a pretty tight race among the rest of the big four, as ABC staple The Great Christmas Light Fight (0.7/0.6) returned and was about in line with NBC's two-hour Dr. Seuss' The Grinch Musical! (0.6). CBS dramas SEAL Team (0.6) and S.W.A.T. (0.5) along with ABC's For Life (0.4) were all on the upswing.

Wednesday, December 9, 2020

Spotted Ratings, Tuesday 12/8/20


FINALS UPDATE: The Bachelorette (1.2), Big Sky (0.6) and Thursday Night Football (3.9, +1.1) adjusted up.

WHAT MATTERS:
  • Fox dominated with a special Tuesday NFL game (2.8), and nobody held up well against it. Big Sky saw its three-week run of 0.7's come to a crashing halt, with a drop to 0.5 in week four following The Bachelorette (1.2/1.1).
  • It was a dreadful night on CBS, where NCIS (0.7), FBI (0.6) and FBI: Most Wanted (0.5) were all down multiple tenths vs. their last episodes two weeks ago. NBC finished out season one of Transplant with the last two hours (0.4/0.4) after The Voice (0.7).

Tuesday, December 8, 2020

Spotted Ratings, Monday 12/7/20


FINALS UPDATE: Monday Night Football (1.5, +0.3), All Rise (0.5) and The Voice (0.8) adjusted up while I Can See Your Voice (0.8, -1.2) and Cosmos: Possible Worlds (0.2, -0.2) adjusted down.

WHAT MATTERS:
  • NBC brought another Canadian import medical drama into the mix with the premiere of Nurses (0.4) at 10/9c after The Voice (0.8/0.7). While it had little help from a weak Voice showing, Nurses came in below all the episodes of previous occupant Weakest Link.
  • A heavy week for the NFL in broadcast primetime began with ABC simulcasting Monday Night Football (1.2, also aired on its normal ESPN home), while Fox had a COVID-delayed game in the late afternoon leading into a new I Can See Your Voice (2.0, includes some game coverage).
  • CBS was original in the first two hours (0.7/0.6/0.4) and even or down a tenth.

Monday, December 7, 2020

Spotted Ratings, Sunday 12/6/20


FINALS UPDATE: NFL Overrun (5.0, +1.1), 60 Minutes (1.7), Football Night in America p2 (2.0), Sunday Night Football (4.6, +0.8) and The Simpsons (0.6) adjusted up while Football Night in America p3 (2.6, -0.7) adjusted down.

WHAT MATTERS:
  • On ABC, Supermarket Sweep continued its post-Thanksgiving slump with another 0.6, though Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (0.5) rebounded by a tenth. Fox had a quiet cartoon night with The Simpsons dropping back to 0.5, while the other three (0.4/0.5/0.6) matched their last non-NFL ratings.
  • CBS used its national NFL lead-in on 60 Minutes (1.9/1.2) and a Dolly Parton Christmas special (0.7/0.6).

SpotVault - SEAL Team (CBS) - 2020-21 Ratings





SEAL Team
Wednesdays, 9/8c, CBS

Status: ENDING after this season (confirmed on 5/18/2021)





SpotVault - Magnum P.I. (CBS) - 2020-21 Ratings





Magnum P.I.
Fridays, 9/8c, CBS

Status: RENEWED for next season (confirmed on 4/15/2021)





SpotVault - MacGyver (CBS) - 2020-21 Ratings





MacGyver
Fridays, 8/7c, CBS

Status: ENDING after this season (confirmed on 4/7/2021)





SpotVault - Blue Bloods (CBS) - 2020-21 Ratings





Blue Bloods
Fridays, 10/9c, CBS

Status: RENEWED for next season (confirmed on 4/15/2021)





Saturday, December 5, 2020

Spotted Ratings, Friday 12/4/20


FINALS UPDATE: WWE SmackDown! (0.6) adjusted up.

WHAT MATTERS:
  • CBS Friday returned with 0.5's across the board for MacGyver, Magnum P.I. and Blue Bloods. Mac was two tenths behind its winter 2020 season premiere, while Magnum and Blue were down just a tenth from their fall 2019 premieres (but well below their COVID-fueled highs from the spring).
  • That left Shark Tank (0.6) as the top Friday program again, even as it declined for the second straight episode. Fox's WWE SmackDown! (0.5) also dropped for a second consecutive week.

Thursday, December 3, 2020

Spotted Ratings, Wednesday 12/2/20


FINALS UPDATE: Christmas in Rockefeller Center (1.2) and Christmas Spectacular Starring the Radio City Rockettes (0.9) adjusted up.

WHAT MATTERS:
  • CBS' SEAL Team returned with a two-hour premiere (0.5/0.5) following The Amazing Race (0.7). While this was down about a third from last sesaon's premiere and tied last season's low, it did look a little better than any of the November episodes of S.W.A.T.
  • Fox rolled to victory with two hours of The Masked Singer (1.5/1.6), while NBC was a respectable second with holiday staple Christmas in Rockefeller Center (1.2/1.1) and a Radio City Rockettes special (0.8). Rockefeller was on par with or above the year-ago telecast (1.1), perhaps getting a little indirect help from NBC's late Wednesday afternoon NFL game.
  • On ABC, the 8/7c comedies The Goldbergs (0.7) and American Housewife (0.6) were steady, the 9/8c hour of The Conners (0.6) and Black-ish (0.4) inched down, and For Life (0.3) fell apart after last week's uptick.

Wednesday, December 2, 2020

Spotted Ratings, Tuesday 12/1/20


FINALS UPDATE: The Bachelorette (1.2), Let's Make a Deal Special (0.6), FBI: Most Wanted (R) (0.4), The Voice (0.8), Weakest Link (R) (0.6), Transplant (0.5) and Cosmos: Possible Worlds (0.3) adjusted up.

WHAT MATTERS:
  • ABC's Big Sky (0.7) continued to hang on, posting its third straight 0.7 following The Bachelorette (1.2/1.1).
  • CBS got a nice showing from Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1.1), within a tenth of last year's performance on the year-ago evening (1.2), and it led into a Let's Make a Deal primetime special (0.5). NBC's The Voice (0.7) took a hard hit in its first live results show.

Tuesday, December 1, 2020

Spotted Ratings, Monday 11/30/20


FINALS UPDATE: CMA Country Christmas (0.7), The Good Doctor (0.6) and The Neighborhood (0.8) adjusted down.

WHAT MATTERS:
  • ABC's third Disney singalong special (1.2) was holiday themed and came within striking distance of the last one in May (1.36). Pending football preemptions, this seemed to help out the rest of the programming, as CMA Country Christmas (0.8) was preliminarily above last year's edition (0.67) and The Good Doctor (0.7) rose from last week.
  • On CBS, The Neighborhood (0.9) was up but may be affected by a West Coast preemption, while the rest of the night (0.6/0.5/0.5) was steady. NBC was even-ish with The Voice (0.9/0.8) and a bit better than usual with Weakest Link (0.6).
 

Monday, November 30, 2020

Spotted Ratings, Sunday 11/29/20


FINALS UPDATE: Supermarket Sweep (0.6), NFL Overrun (6.0, +0.7), Movie: Coming to America (0.6), The Simpsons (R) (0.6) and Bob's Burgers (R) (0.5) adjusted up while Card Sharks (0.2) and 60 Minutes (2.0) adjusted down.

WHAT MATTERS:
  • Returning from a week off, ABC's Supermarket Sweep (0.5) took a brutal drop, and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (0.4) is also eyeing a new low despite promoting a million dollar winner. They had little help from the 7/6c hour as the Prep & Landing Christmas specials (0.4/0.5) significantly underperformed America's Funniest Home Videos.
  • Mixed in with repeats and the Ice Age holiday special, Fox's The Simpsons (0.6) and Bob's Burgers (0.5) were each down a notch from their last non-NFL night three weeks ago. CBS used its national overrun on 60 Minutes (2.6/1.5), a repeat of The Neighborhood (0.7) and a movie night (0.5).

Saturday, November 28, 2020

Spotted Ratings, Friday 11/27/20


FINALS UPDATE: Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town (0.6), Frosty the Snowman (0.6) and Frosty Returns (0.5) adjusted up.


Friday, November 27, 2020

Spotted Ratings, Thursday 11/26/20


FINALS UPDATE: Olaf's Frozen Adventure (0.5), Toy Story That Time Forgot (0.5), The Wonderful World of Disney: Magical Holiday Celebration (0.5), Young Sheldon (R) (0.4), National Dog Show (0.7), The Masked Singer (3.5, +0.5) and I Can See Your Voice (1.8, +0.2) adjusted up.

WHAT MATTERS:
  • Numbers posted.

Thursday, November 26, 2020

Spotted Ratings, Wednesday 11/25/20


FINALS UPDATE: The Goldbergs (0.7), American Housewife (0.6), The Conners (0.7), Black-ish (0.5), The Masked Singer (R) (0.6) and I Can See Your Voice (R) (0.5) adjusted up.


Wednesday, November 25, 2020

Spotted Ratings, Tuesday 11/24/20


FINALS UPDATE: The Bachelorette (1.3), FBI (0.9), The Voice (1.0) and Weakest Link (R) (0.7) adjusted up.

WHAT MATTERS:
  • ABC's Big Sky (0.7) was steady vs. last week's premiere (and up in total viewers), despite a diminished The Bachelorette lead-in (1.2/1.1).
  • The CBS drama trio also looked similar in its second week back, with NCIS (0.9) even and FBI (0.8) giving up a tenth to its spin-off FBI: Most Wanted (0.7). NBC's The Voice (0.9) took a dip as a Weakest Link repeat (0.6) took over for This Is Us in the 9/8c hour.

Monday, November 23, 2020

Spotted Ratings, Sunday 11/22/20


FINALS UPDATE: America's Funniest Home Videos (0.6), Sunday Night Football (5.4, +1.2), NFL Overrun (6.1, +1.7), The OT (6.1, +1.9) and Bob's Burgers (0.7) adjusted up while Pandora (0.0) adjusted down.

WHAT MATTERS:
  • The American Music Awards (1.0/1.0/0.8) on ABC became the latest awards show to take a major dip in the COVID era, eyeing a 40%ish decline from last year's 1.7.
  • Fox had an NFL overrun that ran almost up to the end of the 7:00 hour, but preliminarily The Simpsons (1.5) was only a bit up from last week, Bless the Harts (0.7) was even and the 9/8c veterans (0.6/0.6) were down.
  • CBS was even to slightly up with its NCIS spin-offs (0.6/0.5). The CW's The Outpost hung onto its 0.1 in a move to Sunday after Pandora (0.1).

Friday, November 20, 2020

Spotted Ratings, Thursday 11/19/20


FINALS UPDATE: Station 19 (1.0), Grey's Anatomy (1.3), Superstore (R) (0.3) and Thursday Night Football (4.3, +1.7) adjusted up.

WHAT MATTERS:
  • Numbers posted. The CW's Supernatural aired its series finale at 9/8c, following a one-hour retrospective special. A Million Little Things returned to ABC.

SpotVault - A Million Little Things (ABC) - 2020-21 Ratings





A Million Little Things
Wednesdays, 10/9c, ABC

Status: RENEWED for next season (confirmed on 5/14/2021)





Thursday, November 19, 2020

Spotted Ratings, Wednesday 11/18/20


FINALS UPDATE: The Goldbergs (0.7), The Amazing Race (0.7), The Amazing Race (0.6), Chicago Fire (1.0) and The Masked Singer (1.7) adjusted up.

WHAT MATTERS:
  • ABC sophomore drama For Life (0.4) returned in the 10/9c hour, matching its low point from season one but tying its Black-ish lead-in (0.4) on a rough night for the comedies. Compared with two weeks ago, The Goldbergs (0.6) plunged two tenths, American Housewife (0.6) was even, and The Conners (0.6) and Black-ish each dropped a tenth.
  • NBC's Chicago trio (1.0/0.9/0.8) was also down one to two tenths from last week, but that was no help to CBS' S.W.A.T. (0.3) which got even lower, airing at 10/9c after two hours of The Amazing Race (0.6/0.5).
  • The steadiest network was Fox, which dominated as The Masked Singer (1.6) at worst matched last week while I Can See Your Voice (1.0) was up a tenth.

SpotVault - For Life (ABC) - 2020-21 Ratings





For Life
Wednesdays, 10/9c, ABC

Status: ENDING after this season (confirmed on 5/14/2021)





Wednesday, November 18, 2020

Spotted Ratings, Tuesday 11/17/20


FINALS UPDATE: The Bachelorette (1.4), Big Sky (0.7), FBI (0.9) and NEXT (0.3) adjusted up.

WHAT MATTERS:
  • ABC launched new David E. Kelley drama Big Sky (0.6) at 10/9c with less than one-half retention after The Bachelorette (1.3). It was an improvement on recent occupants of the post-Bachelorette slot, like last week's CMA preview and random repeats, but starting at this rating means it could well get to those levels.
  • CBS' Tuesday drama trio of NCIS (0.9), FBI (0.8) and FBI: Most Wanted (0.6), with the first two coming back way behind where we last saw them (though they wrapped early in the spring when viewing was still very high). NCIS was actually at a new series low if it stays there in finals, while FBI and Most Wanted were a little more in line with what they had been doing in the pre-pandemic part of the season.
  • NBC continued to hold its own with The Voice (1.1) even and This Is Us (1.2) inching down again, while Transplant (0.4) fell another tenth at 10/9c.

SpotVault - NCIS (CBS) - 2020-21 Ratings





NCIS
Tuesdays, 8/7c, CBS

Status: RENEWED for next season (confirmed on 4/15/2021)





SpotVault - FBI: Most Wanted (CBS) - 2020-21 Ratings





FBI: Most Wanted
Tuesdays, 10/9c, CBS

Status: RENEWED for next season (confirmed on 3/24/2021)





SpotVault - FBI (CBS) - 2020-21 Ratings





FBI
Tuesdays, 9/8c, CBS

Status: RENEWED for next season (confirmed on 3/24/2021)





SpotVault - Big Sky (ABC) - 2020-21 Ratings





Big Sky
Tuesdays, 10/9c, ABC

Status: RENEWED for next season (confirmed on 5/4/2021)





Tuesday, November 17, 2020

Spotted Ratings, Monday 11/16/20


FINALS UPDATE: The Good Doctor (0.6) adjusted up while The Neighborhood (0.8), All Rise (0.5), Bull (0.4), Whose Line Is It Anyway? (R) (0.2) and Penn and Teller: Fool Us (0.1) adjusted down.

WHAT MATTERS:
  • CBS' Monday lineup from last season returned intact with The Neighborhood (0.9), Bob Hearts Abishola (0.7), All Rise (0.6) and Bull (0.5). These numbers could go down due to NFL preemption, but at least preliminarily Neighborhood and All Rise matched their spring finales, while Abishola and Bull were below.
  • ABC's Dancing with the Stars (0.8) and The Good Doctor (0.5) each dropped a tenth, basically tying NBC as The Voice (0.9/0.8) went fractional while Weakest Link (0.5) was even. Fox was down with LA's Finest (0.3) and Filthy Rich (0.2).

SpotVault - The Unicorn (CBS) - 2020-21 Ratings





The Unicorn
Thursdays, 9:30/8:30c, CBS

Status: ENDING after this season (confirmed on 5/15/2021)





SpotVault - The Neighborhood (CBS) - 2020-21 Ratings





The Neighborhood
Mondays, 8/7c, CBS

Status: RENEWED for next season (confirmed on 2/17/2021)





SpotVault - The Blacklist (NBC) - 2020-21 Ratings





The Blacklist
Fridays, 8/7c, NBC

Status: RENEWED for next season (confirmed on 1/26/2021)





SpotVault - Station 19 (ABC) - 2020-21 Ratings





Station 19
Thursdays, 8/7c, ABC

Status: RENEWED for next season (confirmed on 5/10/2021)





SpotVault - S.W.A.T. (CBS) - 2020-21 Ratings





S.W.A.T.
Wednesdays, 10/9c, CBS

Status: RENEWED for next season (confirmed on 4/15/2021)





SpotVault - Law and Order: SVU (NBC) - 2020-21 Ratings





Law and Order: SVU
Thursdays, 9/8c, NBC

Status: RENEWED for next season (confirmed on 2/27/2020)





SpotVault - Grey's Anatomy (ABC) - 2020-21 Ratings





Grey's Anatomy
Thursdays, 9/8c, ABC

Status: RENEWED for next season (confirmed on 5/10/2021)





SpotVault - Chicago PD (NBC) - 2020-21 Ratings





Chicago PD
Wednesdays, 10/9c, NBC

Status: RENEWED for next season (confirmed on 2/27/2020)





SpotVault - Chicago Med (NBC) - 2020-21 Ratings





Chicago Med
Wednesdays, 8/7c, NBC

Status: RENEWED for next season (confirmed on 2/27/2020)





SpotVault - Chicago Fire (NBC) - 2020-21 Ratings





Chicago Fire
Wednesdays, 9/8c, NBC

Status: RENEWED for next season (confirmed on 2/27/2020)





SpotVault - Bull (CBS) - 2020-21 Ratings





Bull
Mondays, 10/9c, CBS

Status: RENEWED for next season (confirmed on 4/15/2021)





SpotVault - Bob Hearts Abishola (CBS) - 2020-21 Ratings





Bob Hearts Abishola
Mondays, 8:30/7:30c, CBS

Status: RENEWED for next season (confirmed on 2/17/2021)





SpotVault - All Rise (CBS) - 2020-21 Ratings





All Rise
Mondays, 9/8c, CBS

Status: ENDING after this season (confirmed on 5/15/2021)





Monday, November 16, 2020

Spotted Ratings, Sunday 11/15/20


FINALS UPDATE: America's Funniest Home Videos (0.8), Football Night in America p3 (3.3), Sunday Night Football (4.6, +0.9), NFL Overrun (5.4, +2.4), The Simpsons (1.3) and Bless the Harts (0.7) adjusted up.

WHAT MATTERS:
  • Thanks to early afternoon Masters coverage on CBS, both CBS and Fox had a late-afternoon NFL lead-in for most of the country. The hourly numbers given are 2.0/1.0/0.5/0.3 but with most of the country starting primetime at 7:34 ET, the reality is probably closer to 2.4 for the NFL overrun, 1.6/1.3 for 60 Minutes, 0.6/0.5 for NCIS: Los Angeles and 0.4/0.4 for NCIS: New Orleans.
  • With a diluted NFL lead-in, Fox's cartoons were lower than two weeks ago when they had NFL support, with big drops for The Simpsons (1.2) and Bless the Harts (0.6), though Bob's Burgers (0.7) and Family Guy (0.7) perked back up in the 9/8c hour. ABC's Supermarket Sweep (0.8) was on the upswing while the other three hours (0.7/0.5/0.3) were even.

Saturday, November 14, 2020

Spotted Ratings, Friday 11/13/20


FINALS UPDATE: Shark Tank (0.8) and 20/20 (0.6) adjusted up.

WHAT MATTERS:
  • NBC's The Blacklist (0.4) became the latest scripted series to return, and it did so in quiet fashion. While this was a far cry from the 0.8 it hit at the height of the viewing inflation last spring, it was only a tenth below the fall premiere a year ago (and also a tenth below the season finale in May).
  • ABC trounced NBC head-to-head with Shark Tank (0.7) and 20/20 (0.6/0.5) both at or tying their season highs. On CBS, Undercover Boss (0.3) was back from a couple weeks off and stayed low.

Friday, November 13, 2020

Spotted Ratings, Thursday 11/12/20


FINALS UPDATE: Station 19 (1.2) and Thursday Night Football (3.5, +1.4) adjusted up.

WHAT MATTERS:
  • ABC had a strong return from its Thursday drama staples Station 19 (1.1) and two hours of Grey's Anatomy (1.4/1.2). Both shows were off only a bit from their COVID-fueled heights from the spring, and above their pre-COVID winter levels. Grey's averaged a 1.1 in A18-34 in the 9/8c hour, tying last season's high.
  • On CBS, there was some consolation as Young Sheldon (0.8) ticked up from last week's premiere, but things quickly dropped from there. Newbie B Positive (0.5) declined even as its lead-in was up, and sophomore The Unicorn (0.4) had a slow start at 9:30, following a steady Mom (0.6).
  • Following an original (0.5) and repeat (0.3) of Superstore, NBC brought back Law and Order: SVU (0.6) at 9/8c, which came in toward the low end of its ratings in the 10/9c hour last year.

Thursday, November 12, 2020

Spotted Ratings, Wednesday 11/11/20


FINALS UPDATE: The Amazing Race (0.7), Chicago Med (1.2), Chicago PD (1.0) and The Masked Singer (1.6) adjusted up.

WHAT MATTERS:
  • NBC's Chicago Wednesday returned in mostly healthy fashion, though with some inconsistent trends. At 8/7c, Chicago Med (1.1) was actually up from last year's 1.0 premiere, while Chicago Fire (1.0) was down a tenth from last year's 1.1 and Chicago PD (0.9) was down two tenths.
  • They completely flattened CBS' two-hour return of S.W.A.T. (0.4/0.4), which is eyeing a new series low on premiere night. The Amazing Race (0.6) was also on the low end against big competition.
  • ABC had the CMA Awards (1.1/1.1/0.9), down at least 40% from last year's 2.0, which lost to Fox's The Masked Singer (1.5) and I Can See Your Voice (0.9) but did seem to take a bite out of the music-themed lineup.

Wednesday, November 11, 2020

Spotted Ratings, Tuesday 11/10/20


FINALS UPDATE: The Bachelorette (1.7) and NEXT (0.3) adjusted up.

WHAT MATTERS:
  • Back on Tuesday after the election, The Bachelorette (1.6/1.5) was in line with its Thursday episode last week, which was good enough for a surge vs. its Tuesday episode two weeks ago. But a CMA Awards preview at 10/9c (0.4) could not take advantage of the lead-in.
  • Despite a stronger Bachelorette, NBC held up well with The Voice (1.1) actually growing vs. two weeks ago and This Is Us (1.3) down just a tenth from its two-hour premiere. Transplant (0.5) was back for the first time in three weeks and dropped a tenth.
  • This night also featured the return of Fox's Cosmos: Possible Worlds (0.3) and NEXT (0.2), CBS' The FBI Declassified (0.3) and the CW's Swamp Thing (0.1) and Tell Me a Story (0.1).

Tuesday, November 10, 2020

Spotted Ratings, Monday 11/9/20


FINALS UPDATE: Bob Hearts Abishola (R) (0.4), LA's Finest (0.4) and Filthy Rich (0.3) adjusted up while Dancing with the Stars (0.9), The Good Doctor (0.6), Whose Line Is It Anyway? (R) (0.2) and Penn and Teller: Fool Us (R) (0.1) adjusted down.

WHAT MATTERS:
  • ABC was even to up from last week with Dancing with the Stars (1.0/0.9) and The Good Doctor (0.7) but could be affected by football preemptions.
  • It was a soft return from a week off for NBC's Weakest Link (0.5), eyeing a new series low, and its lead-in The Voice (1.0/0.9) dropped from last week. Fox's Filthy Rich posted another preliminary 0.2 (though it adjusted up to 0.3 in finals last week).

SpotVault - Young Sheldon (CBS) - 2020-21 Ratings





Young Sheldon
Thursdays, 8/7c, CBS

Status: RENEWED for next season (confirmed on 3/30/2021)





SpotVault - NCIS: New Orleans (CBS) - 2020-21 Ratings





NCIS: New Orleans
Sundays, 10/9c, CBS

Status: ENDING after this season (confirmed on 2/17/2021)





SpotVault - NCIS: Los Angeles (CBS) - 2020-21 Ratings





NCIS: Los Angeles
Sundays, 9/8c, CBS

Status: RENEWED for next season (confirmed on 4/23/2021)





SpotVault - Mom (CBS) - 2020-21 Ratings





Mom
Thursdays, 9/8c, CBS

Status: ENDING after this season (confirmed on 2/17/2021)





SpotVault - B Positive (CBS) - 2020-21 Ratings





B Positive
Thursdays, 8:30/7:30c, CBS

Status: RENEWED for next season (confirmed on 5/15/2021)





Monday, November 9, 2020

Spotted Ratings, Sunday 11/8/20


FINALS UPDATE: Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (0.5), NFL Overrun (5.8, +1.3), 60 Minutes (2.0, +0.6), NCIS: Los Angeles (0.8), NCIS: New Orleans (0.6), Sunday Night Football (5.0, +1.0) and The Simpsons (0.7) adjusted up.

WHAT MATTERS:
  • The CBS procedurals NCIS: Los Angeles and NCIS: New Orleans returned after a national NFL-boosted 60 Minutes. The hourly breakdowns were 4.5/1.4/0.7/0.5 and the half-hours were 5.2/3.8/1.8/1.1/0.8/0.7/0.5/0.4. The primetime lineup started right at 7:45 on the East Coast, so the top-of-hour numbers may not be too far off of where they end up in finals (that would be 1.8 for 60 Minutes, 0.8 for LA and 0.5 for NO).
  • ABC's Supermarket Sweep (0.7) and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (0.4) will again be looking for finals help to avoid new lows, while the Fox animation (0.6/0.4/0.6/0.6) aired without NFL help and looked a little better than when it was last in that spot four weeks ago (0.5/0.4/0.5/0.6).

Saturday, November 7, 2020

Spotted Ratings, Friday 11/6/20


FINALS UPDATE: Shark Tank (0.4) and CBS News Election Special (0.3) adjusted up while Masters of Illusion (R) (0.0) adjusted down.

WHAT MATTERS:
  • Numbers posted.

Friday, November 6, 2020

Spotted Ratings, Thursday 11/5/20


FINALS UPDATE: The Bachelorette (1.6, +0.2), ABC News Election Special (0.6), NBC News Election Special (0.5) and Thursday Night Football (3.8, +1.4) adjusted up.

WHAT MATTERS:
  • Numbers posted. Three CBS comedies premiered their seasons, with veterans Young Sheldon and Mom sandwiching 8:30 newbie B Positive.

Thursday, November 5, 2020

Spotted Ratings, Wednesday 11/4/20


FINALS UPDATE: The Goldbergs (0.8), Black-ish (0.5), America Decides - Still Counting (0.4), Decision 2020: Election Special (0.9) and The Masked Singer (1.7) adjusted up.

WHAT MATTERS:
  • The three-hour networks had continuing election coverage for part or all of primetime. NBC (0.9/0.9/0.7) led the way again with its full three hours. ABC's (0.5) was just in the 10/9c hour, following a comedy night on which the 8:00 hour of The Goldbergs (0.7) and American Housewife (0.6) were steady but the 9/8c comedies The Conners (0.7) and especially Black-ish (0.4) dropped.
  • CBS was also on election coverage in the 10/9c hour (0.3), with The Amazing Race (0.7) at 8/7c and a last-minute repeat at 9/8c (0.3).
  • The only network without election coverage was Fox, which dominated with a steady to up The Masked Singer (1.6) and I Can See Your Voice (1.1).

Wednesday, November 4, 2020

Spotted Ratings, Tuesday 11/3/20


FINALS UPDATE: ABC Election (1.6) adjusted up while CBS Election (1.1), Fox Election (1.0, -0.2) and Penn and Teller: Fool Us (R) (0.1) adjusted down.

WHAT MATTERS:
  • NBC (1.7) led the way among the big four broadcast election coverage, but in a relatively tight four-way race over ABC (1.4/1.5/1.5), Fox (1.2) and CBS (1.1/1.2/1.1). Four years ago, NBC averaged a much more dominant 4.0, vs. 2.7/2.4/1.2 for the competition.

Tuesday, November 3, 2020

Spotted Ratings, Monday 11/2/20


FINALS UPDATE: Dancing with the Stars (0.8), The Good Doctor (0.7), The Voice (1.1) and Filthy Rich (0.3) adjusted up while Penn and Teller: Fool Us (R) (0.1) adjusted down.

WHAT MATTERS:
  • ABC's The Good Doctor (0.6) returned low in the 10:00 hour, off by at least a third from last year's 0.96 premiere. In a reunion with its usual lead-out, Dancing with the Stars (0.7) was also on the low end.
  • NBC was steady with The Voice (1.0) and a Saturday Night Live election special (0.6). Fox's dramas (0.3/0.2) both dropped, and CBS had another The Price Is Right special (0.6) at 8/7c.

SpotVault - The Good Doctor (ABC) - 2020-21 Ratings





The Good Doctor
Mondays, 10/9c, ABC

Status: RENEWED for next season (confirmed on 5/3/2021)





Monday, November 2, 2020

Spotted Ratings, Sunday 11/1/20


FINALS UPDATE: Supermarket Sweep (0.8), 60 Minutes (0.9), Sunday Night Football (4.9, +1.0), NFL Overrun (6.3, +1.9) and Bob's Burgers (0.8) adjusted up while Football Night in America p2 (0.6, -0.8), Football Night in America p3 (1.9, -1.6), The Simpsons (1.7, -0.5) and Bless the Harts (0.8) adjusted down.

WHAT MATTERS:
  • ABC's unscripted lineup continued moving down in week three, with Supermarket Sweep (0.7) and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (0.5) each dropping. 
  • Fox's cartoons (2.2/0.9/0.7/0.7) aired after a national NFL game for the first time since premiere week, and NBC's Sunday Night Football (4.3/4.1/3.5) rebounded with no more World Series competition.

Saturday, October 31, 2020

Spotted Ratings, Friday 10/30/20


FINALS UPDATE: Shark Tank (0.7), The Deciders: A CBS News Special (0.3) and WWE SmackDown! (0.7) adjusted up while The 13 Scariest Movies of All Time (R) (0.1) adjusted down.


Friday, October 30, 2020

Spotted Ratings, Thursday 10/29/20


FINALS UPDATE: Match Game (0.5), Young Sheldon (R) (0.5), Connecting... (0.3) and Thursday Night Football (3.4, +1.2) adjusted up.

WHAT MATTERS:
  • Numbers posted.

SpotVault - This Is Us (NBC) - 2020-21 Ratings





This Is Us
Tuesdays, 9/8c, NBC

Status: RENEWED for next season (confirmed on 5/12/2019)





SpotVault - The Goldbergs (ABC) - 2020-21 Ratings





The Goldbergs
Wednesdays, 8/7c, ABC

Status: RENEWED for next season (confirmed on 5/14/2021)





SpotVault - The Conners (ABC) - Fall 2020 Ratings





The Conners
Wednesdays, 9/8c, ABC

Status: RENEWED for next season (confirmed on 5/14/2021)





SpotVault - Superstore (NBC) - 2020-21 Ratings





Superstore
Thursdays, 8:30/7:30c, NBC

Status: ENDING after this season (confirmed on 12/3/2020)





SpotVault - American Housewife (ABC) - 2020-21 Ratings





American Housewife
Wednesdays, 8:30/7:30c, ABC

Status: ENDING after this season (confirmed on 5/14/2021)





Thursday, October 29, 2020

Spotted Ratings, Wednesday 10/28/20


FINALS UPDATE: The Conners (0.8) and Big Brother (1.1) adjusted up.

WHAT MATTERS:
  • ABC veteran American Housewife (0.6) joined the comedy lineup at 8:30, fitting in pretty closely with surrounding anchors The Goldbergs (0.7) and The Conners (0.7) which were down from last week's premieres. Black-ish (0.6) matched last week and The Con (0.4) gave up a tenth.
  • On CBS, The Amazing Race (0.7) moved to 8/7c and led into the two-hour season finale of Big Brother (1.1/1.0). Fox's The Masked Singer (1.6) and I Can See Your Voice (1.0) returned since there was no baseball and were narrowly down from two weeks ago.

The War of 18-49, Man with a Plan



Wednesday, October 28, 2020

Spotted Ratings, Tuesday 10/27/20


FINALS UPDATE: The Price Is Right Special (0.8) and World Series (3.4, +0.7) adjusted up while The Conners (R) (0.4) adjusted down.

WHAT MATTERS:
  • NBC's This Is Us (1.4/1.3) made a solid two-hour return to the broadcast stage, building significantly on its The Voice (1.0) lead-in, though TIU was still down 25-30% from last year's premiere and also down from the spring's COVID-boosted finale (1.7).
  • That was enough to edge NBC ahead of ABC with a rebounding The Bachelorette (1.2/1.3) and comedy repeats (0.5/0.3), though Fox reigned supreme with the sixth and final game of the World Series (3.1/2.6/2.4).
  • CBS also got into the mix on a busy night with two hours of its daytime game shows (0.7/0.6) in primetime, though they weren't a great match with The FBI Declassified (0.3). And the CW preliminarily edged back up to 0.2 with Swamp Thing.

Tuesday, October 27, 2020

Spotted Ratings, Monday 10/26/20


FINALS UPDATE: Dancing with the Stars (0.8, -0.2) and Emergency Call (0.4, -0.2) adjusted down.

WHAT MATTERS:
  • Week two of the pairing between The Voice (1.0) and Weakest Link (0.6) saw a two-tenth drop for both shows. The NBC lineup is not meaningfully ahead of ABC's Dancing with the Stars (0.9/1.0) and Emergency Call (0.6) at least in the prelims, though ABC could be affected by football preemptions in finals.
  • Fox's LA's Finest (0.4) and Filthy Rich (0.3) came back to earth after football bumps last week, while CBS aired a special on essential workers (0.2) at 9/8c after Big Brother (1.0), bumping One Day At a Time (0.2/0.2) into the 10:00 hour.

Monday, October 26, 2020

Spotted Ratings, Sunday 10/25/20


FINALS UPDATE: Supermarket Sweep (0.9), Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (0.6), NFL Overrun (6.1, +2.5), 60 Minutes (2.5), Sunday Night Football (4.3, +0.7) and World Series (2.6, +0.8) adjusted up while The Neighborhood (R) (0.7, -0.4), Football Night in America p2 (1.4, -0.4), Football Night in America p3 (2.2, -0.8), World Series Pregame (1.0, -0.7) and Pandora (0.0) adjusted down.

WHAT MATTERS:
  • ABC's game show lineup of Supermarket Sweep (0.8), Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (0.5) and Card Sharks (0.3) took relatively standard week two drops. This left Sweep still ahead of the year-ago second episode of Kids Say the Darndest Things (0.75).
  • There was another heavy suite of sports competition from Sunday Night Football (4.1/3.9/3.1) and the World Series (2.2/1.5/1.5), plus the presidential interviews on 60 Minutes (2.4) had that show looking stronger than usual.

The War of 18-49, The Good Place



Saturday, October 24, 2020

Friday, October 23, 2020

Spotted Ratings, Thursday 10/22/20


FINALS UPDATE: ABC Presidential Debate (2.6, +0.5), ABC Presidential Debate Analysis (1.6, +0.2), CBS Presidential Debate (1.3, +0.2), CBS Presidential Debate Analysis (0.9), NBC Presidential Debate (2.6, +0.5), NBC Presidential Debate Analysis (1.6, +0.3) and Thursday Night Football (3.2, +1.1) adjusted up while Debate Preview Special (0.7) adjusted down.

WHAT MATTERS:
  • Numbers posted. On the night of the second presidential debate, this time Fox sat out of the broadcast simulcast in favor of Thursday Night Football.

The War of 18-49, MacGyver


A Friday Splash

Friday night usually doesn't produce one of the biggest surprises of the fall premiere week, but in 2016 it delivered. CBS' reboot of MacGyver exploded out of the gate with a 1.7 demo / 137 Plus, which was the biggest Plus for a Friday night scripted episode since all the way back when Law and Order: SVU was on the night in the early aughts. (For the record, Mac's achievement was upstaged a couple years later by several episodes of Last Man Standing.) Mac did not sustain that level, dropping to 1.3 and 1.1 the next two weeks, but it pretty much held up from there. This was as strong as anything CBS had in this timeslot in the A18-49+ era, even above the peak seasons of Ghost Whisperer.

Finding a Level

MacGyver opened season two with just a 0.8, down by half from the previous season's premiere, and it pretty much held close to that all season long. That left the show at a noticeably lower Plus than in season one, more along the lines of a lot of previous historical occupants of the timeslot (from Ghost Whisperer to Undercover Boss to The Amazing Race). And it was basically even in Plus for season three, mostly hanging around 0.7 with the occasional 0.8 or 0.6.

In 2019-20, CBS decided to add sophomore Magnum P.I. to the Friday rotation. Despite its strength, MacGyver was still the relative weak link in a potent lineup that included Hawaii Five-0 and Blue Bloods, so it got held for midseason and didn't have its season four premiere till February 2020. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise for the numbers; the show looked solid in the winter, opening the year with three 0.7's, and then it swung up to a couple 0.8's at the height of the COVID-19 viewing inflations. The 13-episode season didn't quite get back up to the season one Plus levels, but it was noticeably above seasons two and three. And, since Hawaii Five-0 ended in the spring of 2020, MacGyver will be back on the Friday first string (and continuing at 8/7c) going forward.


Adults 18-49 info by season:

SeasYearSlotAvgy2yLoHiResultsGrade
12016-17Friday 8:001.090.81.7detailA-
22017-180.83-23%0.61.0detailC+
32018-190.70-16%0.60.8detailB-
4Spring 20200.67-5%0.60.8detailB+
5Winter 2020-210.51-24%0.40.6detailB-

Historical-adjusted ratings by season:

SeasYearA18-49+LabelNow21y2yLoHiPremiereFinale
12016-1789hit(Fri)0.576813713768
22017-1876hit(Fri)0.49-14%59947559
32018-1974solid(Fri)0.47-3%61857068
4Spring 202081hit(Fri)0.52+11%68988176
5Winter 2020-2178hit(Fri)0.51-4%68917870

AVERAGE:80hit(Fri)
CAREER:398utility


The War of 18-49 chronicles the ratings history of veteran primetime series. For more, see the Index.

Thursday, October 22, 2020

Spotted Ratings, Wednesday 10/21/20


FINALS UPDATE: Big Brother (1.0), The Amazing Race (0.7), American Ninja Warrior (0.5) and World Series (2.3, +0.5) adjusted up.

WHAT MATTERS:
  • ABC's Wednesday comedies became the first of the 'normal' fall scripted offerings to return, with a one-hour The Goldbergs (0.8) leading into relocated The Conners (0.9) and Black-ish (0.6). Goldbergs and Conners both matched their May finales, though Goldbergs looked a little better on a year-to-year basis (down two tenths from a 1.0 for last fall's premiere). Black-ish was up from its last few spring results, but had a similar year-to-year decline as The Conners. The comedies seemed to help out documentary The Con (0.5), which grew by two tenths vs. last week when it had a movie lead-in.
  • NBC's The Wall (0.6) and American Ninja Warrior (0.4) both kicked off new Wednesday runs, with the latter taking a rough hit. The CBS reality duo of Big Brother (0.9) and The Amazing Race (0.6) edged down from last week, while the World Series Game 2 prelims (2.1/1.6/1.7) looked similar to Game 1.

Wednesday, October 21, 2020

Spotted Ratings, Tuesday 10/20/20


FINALS UPDATE: The Bachelorette (1.2), The Voice (1.1) and World Series (2.4, +0.6) adjusted up.

WHAT MATTERS:
  • Week two of The Bachelorette (1.1/1.0) and the two-hour Tuesday premiere of The Voice (1.0/1.1) went head-to-head and were in a dead heat in adults 18-49. The former dropped significantly from last week's premiere, but still demolished The Voice in adults 18-34 (1.1 to 0.5). The Voice helped lift Transplant (0.6) to a new series high at 10/9c.
  • Against the reality clash, Fox led the way with Game 1 of the World Series (2.1/1.7/1.5), but it was down significantly from last year's 2.9 prelim for Game 1. The CW's Swamp Thing had a preliminary 0.1 for the first time (after adjusting down to it last week).

The War of 18-49, Bull


Michael Weatherly Follows His Former Show

Coming into fall 2016, CBS tentpole NCIS had led directly into one of its spin-offs for seven straight seasons (five of Los Angeles and two of New Orleans). The streak came to an end in 2016-17, but Bull was about as close to a spin-off as CBS could get, as it had the well-known NCIS star Michael Weatherly. And Bull fit in with NCIS about as well as the spin-offs had; it had a lower Plus, but that was largely because NCIS itself was past its peak by this point. On premiere night, Bull (2.2) actually matched NCIS (2.2), but it dropped to 1.9 and 1.6 the next two weeks and was at least a couple tenths behind NCIS going forward. In the fall, Bull usually hit mid-1's leading out of a high-1's NCIS; by the spring, it was more like low-1's after mid-1's.

 Both shows dipped some the next season, but Bull had a much better trajectory in season two; it started with a 1.3 (down 43% from the previous premiere) and stayed in the low-1's the whole way, never going fractional as an NCIS lead-out. By the spring, Bull was often very close to even in raw numbers year-to-year.

The Monday/Thursday Moves

After two seasons, it was Bull's turn to give up the cushy post-NCIS timeslot, and its destination was Monday at 10/9c to replace the cancelled Scorpion. Like the NCIS spin-offs before it, it took a major hit in the ratings with this move, but it was still a fine performer for a CBS 10/9c drama. It's also never had a lot of help in the 10/9c hour; in season three, it mostly hit 0.8's and 0.9's following the middling newbie Magnum P.I., and collapsed to 0.6 in the spring after bomb The Code.

In season four, it joined another legal drama, albeit a pretty shaky one, in All Rise. Bull matched and sometimes beat its lead-in, posting a pretty steady diet of 0.6's and 0.7's and perking up to 0.7's in the spring thanks to the COVID-19 viewing inflation. It returned to the Monday slot (once again after All Rise) for season five, but after a year of decline it was shipped off to the Thursday 10/9c hour in 2021-22, where it took another decline and ended after six seasons.

Adults 18-49 info by season:

SeasYearSlotAvgy2yLoHiResultsGrade
12016-17Tuesday 9:001.421.12.2detailB
22017-181.19-16%1.01.3detailB-
32018-19Monday 10:000.75-37%0.60.9detailC
42019-200.64-15%0.50.7detailB-
52020-210.46-28%0.40.5detailC
62021-22Thursday 10:000.34-27%0.20.4detailC

Historical-adjusted ratings by season:

SeasYearA18-49+LabelNow22y2yLoHiPremiereFinale
12016-17116solid0.598718118187
22017-18108solid0.55-6%93122115114
32018-1979marginal0.40-27%63939273
42019-2078marginal0.40-1%66888479
52020-2171marginal0.36-8%60846768
62021-2266flop0.34-8%49826963

AVERAGE:86marginal
CAREER:518staple


The War of 18-49 chronicles the ratings history of veteran primetime series. For more, see the Index.


Tuesday, October 20, 2020

Spotted Ratings, Monday 10/19/20


FINALS UPDATE: Dancing with the Stars (0.8, -0.2), Emergency Call (0.4) and LA's Finest (0.6, -0.3) adjusted down.

WHAT MATTERS:
  • A later-than-usual return for The Voice (1.2) put NBC on top of Monday night, though it was down roughly 30% from last year's fall premiere. The show also helped Weakest Link (0.8), now in a new Monday 10/9c slot, to rebound from last week's ugliness.
  • Despite more NBC competition, ABC at least preliminarily edged back up with Dancing with the Stars (1.0) and Emergency Call (0.5), while CBS' Big Brother (0.9) and One Day At a Time (0.2/0.2) were down.
  • Fox had a COVID-delayed NFL game in the late afternoon and running slightly into primetime, distorting the early numbers for LA's Finest (0.9) and Filthy Rich (0.4).

SpotVault - Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (ABC) - Fall 2020 Ratings





Who Wants to Be a Millionaire
Sundays, 9/8c, ABC







SpotVault - The Voice (NBC) - 2020-21 Ratings





The Voice
Mondays, 8/7c, NBC







SpotVault - Supermarket Sweep (ABC) - Fall 2020 Ratings





Supermarket Sweep
Sundays, 8/7c, ABC







SpotVault - Shark Tank (ABC) - 2020-21 Ratings





Shark Tank
Fridays, 8/7c, ABC







SpotVault - Card Sharks (ABC) - Fall 2020 Ratings





Card Sharks
Sundays, 10/9c, ABC







SpotVault - America's Funniest Home Videos (ABC) - 2020-21 Ratings





America's Funniest Home Videos
Sundays, 7/6c, ABC







Monday, October 19, 2020

Spotted Ratings, Sunday 10/18/20


FINALS UPDATE: America's Funniest Home Videos (0.6), 60 Minutes (0.9), Sunday Night Football (3.7, +0.9), NFL Overrun (6.1, +1.5), The OT (3.2), NLCS (2.9, +1.0) and Whose Line Is It Anyway? (R) (0.1) adjusted up while Mom (R) (0.2), Football Night in America p2 (1.2, -0.3) and Football Night in America p3 (2.1, -0.7) adjusted down.

WHAT MATTERS:
  • Against a lot of sports competition, ABC managed a solid 1.0 for the premiere of its Supermarket Sweep (1.0) revival. Among ABC's recent unscripted forays in the Sunday 8/7c timeslot in the fall, this was definitely the most promising start, up a tenth on last year's Kids Say the Darndest Things premiere (which was itself way above Dancing with the Stars: Juniors from the previous year). It had surprisingly little help from the 7/6c premiere of America's Funniest Home Videos (0.5), down about a third year-to-year.
  • The ABC night fell off pretty sharply after Sweep, as the return of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (0.6) was considerably down from the 0.9's it was usually pulling even at the end of its spring/early summer run, and Card Sharks (0.4) returned after more than a year off with a new series low at 10/9c.
  • Fox's animation was preempted in favor of Game 7 of the NLCS (2.2/1.7/1.7), which lost head-to-head against Sunday Night Football (3.1/3.1/2.4) but still pulled it down to its lowest prelims of the season.

The War of 18-49, American Housewife


Meshing With Long-Running Comedies

Family comedy American Housewife came on the scene with ABC's family comedy brand still near its height, and Housewife itself was part of an aggressive move into Tuesday night alongside the longtime Wednesday veteran The Middle. The two proved to be a very solid pair. Housewife launched with a 1.9 demo, building on its 1.8 Middle lead-in, and built on The Middle for the next several weeks thereafter. As the season wore on, the pair dipped into the mid- and then low-1's, and Housewife was generally even with or barely below The Middle, but the two gave ABC a stronger starting point on Tuesday than they had in previous years.

In season two, Housewife was shipped to Wednesday, the night where the comedy brand had originally taken off, and aired after former megahit Modern Family. Though it was a bigger lead-in, Housewife didn't seem to get much benefit. It spent most of the season in the low-1's, while Modern Family was at least a few ticks higher on average. For season three, Housewife once again had to vacate so that a newbie could launch in its timeslot, and it spent the fall of 2018 in the 8:30 slot between The Goldbergs and Modern Family.

Tougher Tasks

The timeslot moves kept coming for American Housewife. In winter 2019, the show was asked to lead off on Tuesday, taking over the spot vacated by short-order comedy The Conners, and it was inevitably doomed to look much worse by comparison. It posted a couple 0.9's and a 1.0 early in its Tuesday return, but drifted down to 0.8 in the spring.

In fall 2019, American Housewife was sent to the lead-off role on Friday, where it had perhaps its most impressive run since season one, posting some 0.7's and 0.6's and handily outperforming what Fresh Off the Boat did as the Friday anchor a year previous. But even that couldn't last; since Modern Family was coming to an early end, American Housewife was called back to Wednesday to inherit its longtime 9/8c timeslot. Airing between the ultimately cancelled Schooled and Single Parents, American Housewife was mostly stuck at 0.6, and didn't particularly seem to benefit from the viewing upswing during COVID-19 lockdowns. However, it was still enough for another renewal, and American Housewife made one last move in the fall of 2020, back to its fall 2018 home of Wednesday at 8:30. It had better ratings but mediocre retention of The Goldbergs, and so its long journey came to an end.

Adults 18-49 info by season:

SeasYearSlotAvgy2yLoHiResultsGrade
12016-17Tuesday 8:301.411.11.8detailB+
22017-18Wednesday 9:301.21-14%0.91.6detailC+
32018-19Wed 8:30, Tue 8:000.91-25%0.71.2detailC+
42019-20Fri 8:00, Wed 9:000.59-36%0.50.7detailC+
52020-21Wednesday 8:300.55-7%0.40.6detailC

Historical-adjusted ratings by season:

SeasYearA18-49+LabelNow21y2yLoHiPremiereFinale
12016-17115solid0.748815115197
22017-18110solid0.71-4%8214614697
32018-1996marginal0.62-13%7213013072
42019-2072solid(Fri)0.46-25%60898978
52020-2185marginal0.55+19%7010110173

AVERAGE:96marginal
CAREER:479utility


The War of 18-49 chronicles the ratings history of veteran primetime series. For more, see the Index.


© SpottedRatings.com 2009-2022. All Rights Reserved.