The Breakdown: ABC Tuesday in 2019-20 (The Conners, Mixed-ish, Black-ish and more!)

It's time for a journey through the ABC Tuesday schedule in 2019-20...

Spotted Ratings, Tuesday 5/5/20

FINALS UPDATE: No adjustments.

WHAT MATTERS:

• Finale night for ABC's comedies saw The Conners (0.9) slide below a 1 for the first time since February, and Black-ish drop to its first ever 0.4. Bless This Mess (0.6) and Mixed-ish (0.5) were even, while For Life declined to 0.4 at 10/9c.

• The Voice (1.0) returned to Tuesdays, matching Monday's number, but was no help to Ellen's Game of Games (0.8) which was down a tenth from last week. FBI: Most Wanted (0.6) also declined as the lone CBS original, while the CW (0.4/0.2) was even.
  

Spotted Ratings, Tuesday 4/28/20

FINALS UPDATE: Ellen's Game of Games (0.9) adjusted up while New Amsterdam (R) (0.3) adjusted down.

WHAT MATTERS:

• Numbers posted.

Spotted Ratings, Tuesday 4/14/20

FINALS UPDATE: NCIS (1.3) adjusted up while FBI: Most Wanted (0.7), New Amsterdam (0.9) and NBC News Special Report: Coronavirus Pandemic (0.5) adjusted down.

WHAT MATTERS:

• CBS had the season finale of NCIS (1.2), down a tenth from last week, leading into a double dip of FBI: Most Wanted (0.9/0.8). NBC was not too far behind with a declining Ellen's Game of Games (1.0) leading into a big uptick for a special 9/8c finale for New Amsterdam (1.0). That would tie its season high if it holds in finals.

• On ABC, The Conners (1.0) was even but the rest of the night (0.6/0.5/0.5/0.5) slid down a tenth. Empire stayed at 0.7 with a repeat of The Masked Singer (0.6) as its lead-in.

Spotted Ratings, Tuesday 4/7/20

FINALS UPDATE: Bless This Mess (0.7) adjusted up.

WHAT MATTERS:

• ABC was back to originals after a week off, with The Conners (1.0) and Bless This Mess (0.6) each dropping a tenth but Mixed-ish (0.6), Black-ish (0.6) and For Life (0.6) all even.

• NBC's Ellen's Game of Games (1.2) also returned to top the night, down from when it was airing with This Is Us during the viewing inflation but still ahead of everything it did in the early winter. The Resident (0.8) was even in its own return from a week off, and helped Empire (0.7) rebound at 9/8c.

Spotted Ratings, Tuesday 3/24/20

FINALS UPDATE: No adjustments.

WHAT MATTERS:

• NBC previewed new drama Council of Dads (0.7) after the season finale of This Is Us (1.7), which rocketed to its highest rating since October and was just two tenths below last year's finale. NBC also had a second straight new season high from Ellen's Game of Games (1.4) at 8/7c. As for Council, it came in below last week's episode of New Amsterdam, and also a tenth behind last year's premiere of The Village which had a 0.8 after a 1.7 lead-in from This Is Us.

• After missing out on last Tuesday's fun, CBS returned to all originals in a big way, with NCIS (1.3) tying its season high and the Dick Wolf duo of FBI (1.1) and FBI: Most Wanted (1.0) exploding to new ones.

• ABC (1.1/0.7/0.6/0.6/0.6) was down a notch leading off with The Conners but even elsewhere. Fox's The Resident (0.8) and Empire (0.7) matched last week.

Spotted Ratings, Tuesday 3/17/20

FINALS UPDATE: NCIS (R) (0.9) and New Amsterdam (0.8) adjusted up while Mixed-ish (0.6) adjusted down.

WHAT MATTERS:

• On another night presumably affected by a coronavirus-fueled surge in viewing levels, the standouts were ABC's The Conners (1.2) and NBC's Ellen's Game of Games (1.3). ABC's other comedies (0.7/0.7/0.6) benefited to a lesser extent as well, while For Life remained at 0.6. NBC's This Is Us (1.4) was up big vs. last week, though it was largely a rebound from last week's disaster against The Bachelor finale, and New Amsterdam (0.7) was even.

• Fox's dramas (0.8/0.7) and CW's The Flash (0.4) were up a tenth. CBS (0.8/0.8/0.8) was in repeats (aside from FBI: Most Wanted).

Spotted Ratings, Tuesday 2/25/20

FINALS UPDATE: Democratic Presidential Debate (2.5, +0.3) adjusted up while Democratic Presidential Debate Analysis (0.8) adjusted down.

WHAT MATTERS:

• In its first Democratic presidential debate of the 2020 cycle, CBS (2.0/2.3) put up the highest preliminary ratings of the cycle to date, at least 10% ahead of last week's debate on NBC (which had a 1.8 prelim/2.1 final).

• Elsewhere, The Conners (0.9) cooled off after a strong last couple episodes, but ABC's other comedies (0.6/0.5/0.5) were even, and For Life (0.6) continued to show promise by holding steady in week three.

• NBC's This Is Us (1.4) and New Amsterdam (0.7) got minor boosts from the return of The Voice (1.4) in the 8/7c hour. Fox had a double-dose of 24 Hours to Hell and Back (0.6/0.6) and the CW (0.4/0.2) was even.

Spotted Ratings, Tuesday 2/18/20

FINALS UPDATE: New Amsterdam (0.6) adjusted down.

WHAT MATTERS:

• ABC's The Conners (1.1) continued a strong February by matching last week's live episode, but lead-out comedies Bless This Mess (0.6), Mixed-ish (0.5) and Black-ish (0.5) all matched their lows. Week two of For Life (0.6) hung in there at 10/9c, losing only a tenth and topping its lead-in again.

• On NBC, This Is Us (1.3) dropped a notch but lead-in Ellen's Game of Games (1.0) and lead-out New Amsterdam (0.7) were both up. CBS' drama trio (1.1/0.9/0.7) gained a tenth across the board. Fox (0.7/0.6) was even as The Resident returned to originals, as was the CW (0.4/0.2).

Spotted Ratings, Tuesday 2/11/20

FINALS UPDATE: The Flash (0.4) adjusted up while Mixed-ish (0.5) adjusted down.

WHAT MATTERS:

• ABC showed a little more Tuesday spunk than usual with a live edition of The Conners (1.1), a one-tenth uptick for its other three comedies (0.7/0.6/0.6), and a respectable start at 10/9c for new legal drama For Life (0.7). For Life looked better vs. its lead-in but still started in the same area as fall dramas Emergence (0.8) and Stumptown (0.7).

• It was a down night vs. two weeks ago for all three CBS dramas (1.0/0.8/0.6). NBC's Ellen's Game of Games (0.9) and New Amsterdam (0.6) also downticked, though This Is Us (1.4) held up at 9/8c.

• The CW also had bad news, with The Flash (0.3) preliminarily eyeing a new series low. And Fox's 24 Hours to Hell and Back (0.6) was even after a repeat of The Resident (0.3).

Spotted Ratings, Tuesday 1/28/20

FINALS UPDATE: This Is Us (1.4) adjusted up while Arrow (0.2) adjusted down.

WHAT MATTERS:

• The CW's Arrow ended its eight-season run with a 0.3 at 9/8c, leading out of a retrospective special at 8/7c (0.2).

• A mostly flat night for the big four saw The Conners (0.9) go fractional in the rounded numbers for the first time, while the other ABC comedies (0.6/0.5/0.5) and the finale of Emergence (0.3) matched last week. NBC's This Is Us (1.3) ticked down for the second straight week, while CBS' NCIS (1.1) was the only riser.

Spotted Ratings, Tuesday 1/21/20

FINALS UPDATE: No adjustments.

WHAT MATTERS:

• The return of the regular ABC comedy lineup saw The Conners (1.0) inch down from its fall finale, while Bless This Mess (0.6) was even. At 9/8c, Mixed-ish (0.5) tied its low from the last time it didn't have a Jeopardy! lead-in, while Black-ish (0.5) and Emergence (0.3) matched last week.

• The CW's Arrow (0.3) moved to 8/7c before wrapping up with a two-hour event next week, while Legends of Tomorrow (0.2) began its season at 9/8c (though technically the last hour of Crisis On Infinite Earths counted as a Legends episode).

• After holding in week two, FBI: Most Wanted (0.7) dipped in week three, behind its rising FBI (0.9) lead-in. NBC's This Is Us (1.4) and New Amsterdam (0.7) each dropped a tenth from last week's winter premieres.

Spotted Ratings, Tuesday 12/10/19

FINALS UPDATE: The Conners (1.1) and FBI (R) (0.6) adjusted up.

WHAT MATTERS:

• Numbers to come.

Spotted Ratings, Tuesday 11/26/19

FINALS UPDATE: The Conners (1.2) adjusted up.

Spotted Ratings, Tuesday 11/19/19

FINALS UPDATE: No adjustments.

Spotted Ratings, Tuesday 11/12/19

FINALS UPDATE: NCIS (1.1) and This Is Us (1.4) adjusted up.

WHAT MATTERS:

• It was a brutal return from a week off for ABC's comedies, with new season lows for The Conners (1.0), Bless this Mess (0.6) and Black-ish (0.5). Mixed-ish (0.6) was the only show to avoid a new low in the roundeds, but its previous 0.6 was a very high one. The network did fare a little better than usual in the 10/9c hour with an old-skewing Dolly Parton special (0.6).

• CBS got a new low of its own from FBI (0.7) while the surrounding NCIS (1.0) and NCIS: New Orleans (0.6) were flat. NBC (1.3/1.3/0.7) and Fox (0.7/0.7) matched last week, and the CW (0.2/0.1) was repeats.

Spotted Ratings, Tuesday 10/29/19

FINALS UPDATE: Mixed-ish (0.8) and World Series (4.1, +0.3) adjusted up.

WHAT MATTERS:

• Game 6 of the World Series (3.4/3.8/4.1) is headed for easily the series' highest ratings to date, but the return of the ABC comedy lineup hung in there nicely thanks to its usual Halloween bump. The Conners (1.2), Bless This Mess (0.8), Mixed-ish (0.7) and especially Black-ish (0.8) were all up vs. two weeks ago (Mixed-ish tied last week). Emergence (0.5) returned flat at 10/9c.

• NBC was not quite as resilient, with The Voice (1.2) and This Is Us (1.4) eyeing new season lows while New Amsterdam (0.8) tied its season low. The CW was flat with The Flash (0.5) and Arrow (0.3). CBS (0.8/0.6/0.5) was in repeat mode.

Spotted Ratings, Tuesday 10/15/19

FINALS UPDATE: Mixed-ish (0.6) adjusted down.

WHAT MATTERS:

• There were some comedy downticks for ABC's The Conners (1.1), Bless This Mess (0.7) and Black-ish (0.6), and the first two hours on NBC (1.3/1.5/0.8) were also down. CBS (1.1/0.9/0.7) and Fox (0.7/0.8) were steady (and up a notch in FBI's case).

• The CW's The Flash (0.5) lost a tenth from last week's premiere and led into the return of Arrow (0.3) for its final season at 9/8c.

Spotted Ratings, Tuesday 10/8/19

FINALS UPDATE: The Conners (1.2) adjusted up.

WHAT MATTERS:

• Week three for ABC saw The Conners back at a preliminary 1.1 (last week it adjusted up to a 1.2 final) while Bless This Mess preliminarily inched up to 0.8. Mixed-ish (0.7) and Black-ish (0.7) were even while Emergence took a rough drop to 0.5 (following a very high 0.6 last week).

• Some of the early season heat wore off for NCIS (1.1), down two tenths along with its lead-out FBI (0.8). NBC's The Voice (1.5) and This Is Us (1.6) were each down a tenth, while Empire (0.8) also lost another tenth in week three.

• The CW brought back The Flash (0.6), down two tenths from last year's premiere and tying last week's finale. It led into an encore of the Batwoman pilot (0.3).

Spotted Ratings, Tuesday 10/1/19

FINALS UPDATE: The Conners (1.2) and The Voice (1.6) adjusted up while New Amsterdam (0.8) adjusted down.

WHAT MATTERS:

• Week two brought a two-tenth drop for most of the ABC Tuesday lineup, including newbies Mixed-ish (0.7) and Emergence (0.6) but also returnees The Conners (1.1) and Black-ish (0.7). Only Bless This Mess (0.7) was able to stay within a tenth of last week.

• The other networks held up better, including just a one-tenth decline for the leading NBC lineup of The Voice (1.5), This Is Us (1.7) and New Amsterdam (0.9). That'll make the y2y situation look a little less dire for This Is Us, which fell six tenths in the year-ago week two.

• Fox was also down a notch with The Resident (0.7) and Empire (0.9). CBS' FBI (1.0) was the lone riser of the night, surrounded by a steady NCIS mothership (1.3) and NCIS: New Orleans (0.7).