Spotted Ratings, Weekend Roundup 7/17-7/19/15

WHAT MATTERS:

• Both of the usual Sunday leaders were down a bit in the prelims, keeping the penultimate Celebrity Family Feud (2.0) a little ahead of Big Brother (1.8). BattleBots (1.3) preliminarily got back a tenth for ABC at 9/8c, while the network's latest medical documentary series Save My Life: Boston Trauma (0.8) debuted at 10/9c. These numbers were similar to what NY Med had on Thursday last season.

• NBC had a horrible pair of 0.3's for the one-hour return of Swedish import Welcome to Sweden at 8/7c. It ended last season on a similar 0.4/0.3 but had been at 0.7ish prior to that. This was much lower than the surrounding repeats of Hollywood Game Night (0.5) and American Ninja Warrior (0.8).

• Might Sweden soon join the Thursday dramas on Saturday? Those shows made their Saturday debut this weekend, with Aquarius (0.3) taking the expected hit but Hannibal (0.4) pulling off a minor miracle by retaining its usual 0.4. (It's only a minor miracle since it's still just a 0.4...)

Spotted Ratings, Thursday 7/9/15

WHAT MATTERS:

• FINALS UPDATE: Under the Dome (1.1) joined the up-week-to-week club by adjusting up in finals, while Food Fighters went up to a somewhat respectable 0.9.

• Thursday saw another set of rebounds from last week's viewing-depressed numbers. Thursday leader Big Brother (1.9), ABC's The Astronaut Wives Club (0.8) and Mistresses (0.8), and NBC's Food Fighters (0.8) and Aquarius (0.5) all had minor growth from last week's lows.

• Not so lucky were the three 10/9c dramas, as Under the Dome (1.0), Rookie Blue (0.7) and Hannibal (0.4) were all even with last week. Fox's Boom! (0.7) and Wayward Pines (1.0) were also unable to bounce back.

• The CW offered up the first two episodes of British import Dates, which matched Beauty and the Beast's 0.2 at 9/8c before dropping to a measly 0.1 at 9:30. Last year's similar-rated cheap comedies Backpackers and Seed lasted just two weeks, though the network may not be as quick with the hook this time since there are only nine episodes/five weeks.

Spotted Ratings, Thursday 7/2/15

WHAT MATTERS:

• FINALS: Rookie Blue (0.7) adjusted up to top the previous week's premiere.

• On CBS, Under the Dome returned to a 1.3 for two hours last week, just barely dodging its series low from late last season. But it's found new low territory this week with a 1.0. Meanwhile, Big Brother remains a year-to-year winner in the early weeks, with a modest drop for the 2.1 Thursday premiere and its 1.8 last night up from last year's 1.6 on the second Thursday. (Though airing on July 2 this year is probably a little more favorable than July 3 last year, since it's farther from the holiday.)

• ABC's new all-scripted Thursday lineup premiered about as well as could've been reasonably expected, with The Astronaut Wives Club kicking off at a passable 1.1 and veteran Mistresses at 0.9 a couple weeks ago. But it's become more problematic since then, especially with Rookie Blue joining the mix at an ugly 0.6 last week (down nearly 50% year-to-year). Meanwhile, Astro Wives plummeted to 0.8 last week and 0.7 this week. And Mistresses was down to a new low 0.7 last week and again to 0.6 this week.

• NBC added sophomore reality series Food Fighters (0.7) to its struggling scripted mix last night. This is a long way from its very low 1's last season airing on Tuesdays before America's Got Talent and a significant downgrade on recent Dateline ratings in the hour. In the last three weeks, renewed Aquarius (0.7/0.6/0.4) and cancelled Hannibal (0.5/0.4/0.4) have continued to move downward.

• The scripted winner on Thursday remains Fox's Wayward Pines, resilient at 1.2 last week and still at 1.0 on a likely lower-viewed night this week. Its new game show lead-in Boom! (0.9/0.7) has not done much.

• And the CW saw Beauty and the Beast inch down to 0.2 last week and stay there this week. It'll be joined by imported British comedy Dates starting next Thursday.

Spotted Ratings, Thursday 6/11/15

WHAT MATTERS:

• FINALS UPDATE: Game 4 of the NBA Finals adjusted up to a series high 7.6, a scorching 27% ahead of Game 4 last season. Bones (1.2) and CBS' sitcoms also adjusted up.

• On another Thursday dominated by the NBA Finals, Fox's dramas again shone brightest among the scripted originals. Wayward Pines (1.2) ticked back up to tie its high point, while the Bones finale (1.1) was even with last week.

• NBC's Aquarius (0.8) mercifully got back a tenth back after last week's collapse, but Hannibal (0.5) made up for it by descending into truly ugly territory.

• And the CW opened season three of the now summer drama fixture Beauty and the Beast with the same 0.3 it hit for 20 out of 22 episodes last season. Leading out was an iHeartRadio Pool Party special (0.3), even with last year.

• ABC's NBA Finals had a preliminary 6.3 A18-49 from 9:00 to 11:00, which was about 10% better than the same prelim period on Tuesday and last Thursday. Though there was no late-game drama this time, it could adjust up to a series high.

SpotVault - Hannibal (NBC) - 2014-15 Ratings

Hannibal

Thursdays, 10/9c, NBC

Spotted Ratings, Thursday 6/4/15

WHAT MATTERS:

• FINALS UPDATE: Game 1 of the NBA Finals adjusted up to 17.77 million viewers and a 6.9 demo, up 15% vs. last year's opener and tying the 2012 opener as the biggest Game 1 rating since 2004. ABC's two pregame programs (1.1/2.0) were each even with the year-ago openers. Nothing in the original entertainment realm adjusted, though a few CBS repeats went up.

• The early indicators suggest a sensational start for ABC's NBA Finals, which had the highest household rating for a Game 1 since 2002. The two-hour preliminary A18-49 average was 5.6, up about 10% from last year's 5.1 (which later adjusted up to 6.0). This one should adjust up significantly since the game went into overtime after primetime on the East Coast.

• The Finals were not good to NBC's scripted lineup, as Aquarius (0.7) dove by about a third from last week's 1.1 two-hour premiere. The 10/9c return of Hannibal (0.7) tied its series low and was a similarly rough amount below last season's 1.1 opener.

• Fox's Bones (1.1) and Wayward Pines (1.1) and the CBS repeats (led by The Big Bang Theory (1.4)) held up more reasonably against the ABC onslaught.

Spotted Ratings, Friday 5/16/14

WHAT MATTERS:

• Bumped to the 8/7c hour for the first time all season, Shark Tank (1.7) tied a season low, but this was still noticeably above the 1.3 for last year's finale night 8/7c original. Bumping Tank was a two-hour tribute to Barbara Walters (1.6), which did about the same number as recent 20/20 results, and a little worse than Shark Tank at 9/8c.

• CBS wrapped up its drama lineup last week, and the dramas still airing on the season's final Friday had mixed results. NBC's Grimm (1.3) was unable to benefit, but Hannibal (0.9) was up. And the Hart of Dixie finale (0.4) actually held on to its outright best result since the Friday move.

Spotted Ratings, Friday 5/2/14

WHAT MATTERS:

• It's late in spring, but the #1 network on Friday just had its best Friday of the season. ABC got great mileage out of a behind-the-scenes Shark Tank special at 8/7c (1.5), which was a major improvement on the usual comedy ratings and probably did about what an original would've done in the hour. (I say that because last year, a two-hour Shark Tank finale went 1.3/1.9.) That helped vault the original Shark Tank (2.3) at 9/8c to tie last year's 2.3 series high. This late in the season, it is pretty comfortably the show's Truly strongest performance ever. Maybe The Neighbors has been hurting this show after all! Tack on an above-average 20/20 (1.7) and this was one stellar Friday night.

• After those pesky Portland pre-emptions were taken out, Grimm (1.3) was still up another tick week-to-week, but Hannibal ended up even.

• Shark Tank's big night mowed down competing reality Kitchen Nightmares (0.9/0.8). On CBS, Hawaii Five-0 (1.2) did not adjust off of its tie for series low, but Unforgettable (1.0) and Blue Bloods (1.5) were each on the upswing. And the CW had a rotten night, with Hart of Dixie returning to point-two territory for just the second time.

Spotted Ratings, Friday 4/25/14

WHAT MATTERS:

• After adjustments, NBC was up just a tenth week-to-week with Grimm (1.2) and Hannibal (0.9). For Grimm, this is really just bouncing back (and not even all the way back) from a big drop in its last original. For Hannibal, it's the best number in four weeks, but not as attractive as when it had the nice round 1.0 in prelims.

• ABC had the finale of should-be-returning Last Man Standing (1.4), up two ticks week-to-week to one of its best numbers of the season, while Kitchen Nightmares (1.0 at 8:00, 1.2 at 9:00) strengthened in the 9:00 hour and remains a decent late-season option for Fox.

Spotted Ratings, Friday 4/18/14

WHAT MATTERS:

• Once again, NBC's Hannibal (0.8) actually seemed to benefit from airing after Dateline (1.2) rather than Grimm, though after a finals downtick it was up just a tenth week-to-week.

• After premiering well last week, Kitchen Nightmares (1.0 at 8:00, 0.9 at 9:00) was down two ticks in each hour.

• ABC's Last Man Standing and Shark Tank each adjusted up off of would-be new lows to just tie for lows. But 20/20 (1.8) had a strange spike at 10/9c.

Spotted Ratings, Friday 4/11/14

WHAT MATTERS:

• Fox brought back Kitchen Nightmares (1.2 at 8:00, 1.1 at 9:00) in what has to be considered fairly solid fashion, especially given how poorly Gordon Ramsay's Hell's Kitchen fared the night before. This was about in line with the show's average last season, and actually a major improvement on the season low 0.9 that kicked off last season.

• There was some more carnage on the other networks, though the ABC carnage was tempered a bit after finals. Last Man Standing (1.2), and Shark Tank (1.8) still got hit, though the possible last-ever The Neighbors (0.9) at least adjusted up to even. The finals made it even worse on NBC, where Grimm (1.1) was down for a third straight episode to a new season low, once again getting nicked by NBC eschewing Dateline in favor of a lower-rated NBC News special (0.7). Hannibal also ended up at a new season low.

Spotted Ratings, Friday 4/4/14

WHAT MATTERS:

• The return of Unforgettable (1.0) on CBS to play out the rest of season two was not really anything special in either direction, matching its last couple episodes from the summer. It'll be a worse option than Undercover Boss, but that was not unexpected.

• Fox said goodbye to Raising Hope (0.6) with a one-hour finale. This pathetic number was sadly still the show's best rating since February. It got an assist from Kitchen Nightmares (0.7), which even in repeat mode (a week before its original return) was a big upgrade on the usual Rake numbers.

• Almost everything else was down a tick or two week-to-week. If this was a big deal for anyone, it'd be NBC, where Grimm (1.4) was down a tick and Hannibal (0.8) was down two. Blue Bloods (1.5) and 20/20 (1.5) were the only week-to-week growers, with the latter benefiting from the original return of Shark Tank (1.9). A downward adjustment made things look really ugly for Hart of Dixie (0.2).

Spotted Ratings, Friday 3/28/14

WHAT MATTERS:

• The California earthquake coverage didn't make a massive impact on Friday finals.
• A pair of very good games for CBS' Sweet 16 basketball (2.3/3.6) grew to a massive degree from the prelim on the same night last year (1.7/2.3);
• NBC had a good night with a special two-hour Dateline tying a season high. Hannibal adjusted down in finals but was still up a tenth week-to-week.
• Week two of Whose Line Is It Anyway? (0.5) was down a tick, but the 8:30 repeat (0.5) matched it;
• Rake (0.4) and the final scheduled Enlisted (0.4) were each down another tick, though the penultimate Raising Hope (0.5) grew at 9:30. Apparently this took Rake beyond what Fox could accept even in this slot, as it was pulled from Friday and will burn off a couple eps this Saturday.

Spotted Ratings, Friday 3/14/14

WHAT MATTERS:

• Fox's Rake (0.5) remained a massive disaster in its new Friday home. This was actually a couple tenths behind last week's repeat of Bones (0.7) in the hour, though its lead-out Enlisted (0.5) adjusted down to join it at 0.5 (a new low for that show). There could be some drama about whether Fox actually continues to play this out, though it's hard to imagine they could've really expected much better based on its miserable Thursday results.

• After its huge drop last week, Hannibal (0.9) got a bit of it back in week three. Its lead-in Grimm (1.6) also ticked up again.

Spotted Ratings, Friday 3/7/14

WHAT MATTERS:

• There was only one mover of note on another Friday of all originals on ABC/CBS/NBC; unfortunately, it was week two of NBC's Hannibal (0.8), and it went in the wrong direction: down by three tenths from last week's semi-respectable premiere. It can't blame its lead-in, as Grimm (1.5) actually ticked up from last week. It's too early to completely write it off, because its financial situation is difficult to pinpoint, but this is an undeniably negative development.

SpotVault - Hannibal (NBC) - 2013-14 Ratings

Hannibal

Fridays, 10/9c, NBC

Spotted Ratings, Friday 2/28/14

WHAT MATTERS:

• The season two premiere of Hannibal (1.1) posted basically the same rating the show was getting at the end of last spring with original comedy lead-ins. (And it was above all five of the series' summer episodes.) It was about 20% below its lead-in from Grimm (1.4). There's really no big judgment to be made from this result; all we can say is that there was no big spike between seasons, but it's at least given itself some chance to settle alongside or even a little above the slot's previous occupant Dracula.

• ABC and CBS were also back in full original mode on the first Friday after the Olympics. Most shows were about average, with a few shows (Last Man Standing (1.2), Undercover Boss (1.3) and Hawaii Five-0 (1.4)) coming in below average.

• Fox quietly yanked its scheduled premiere of Kitchen Nightmares in favor of a Bones repeat (0.7), and thus it remained uncompetitive. And the CW's repeats of Whose Line Is It Anyway? (0.4 at 8:00, 0.5 at 8:30) continue to bode well for the show's original return in March.

The Question, Friday 2/28/14: Will Friday Night Viewers Dine With Hannibal?

In pure ratings terms, NBC's co-production Hannibal was the biggest reach renewal of 2012-13. After some promising week-to-week growth in episode two, Hannibal fell to very low-1's by week four. It got even uglier when it followed unwatched Parks and Recreation repeats in the opening weeks of summer. (The last two also went up against the NBA Finals.) But lower costs plus overwhelming critical acclaim got it a second whirl, and this season two Friday timeslot after Grimm may actually be a better situation. I think it settles at a Dracula-esque 0.9ish, but tonight's premiere does a bit better.

Over/Under: 1.05.

Best Case/Worst Case, Post-Olympic Week 2014: About a Boy, Mixology, Hannibal and more!

The Winter Olympics interruption has created an irregularly crowded "premiere week" to kick off the last three months of the broadcast TV season. Today, Best Case/Worst Case returns to preview the eight broadcast shows premiering this week. There's then over a week before the next broadcast premieres on March 9, so we'll be back toward the end of next week to hit the March premieres closer to when they happen.

Top 10 of the Last 10, Scripted Newbie Reach Renewals

The collective decline in Live+SD ratings makes it hard to fairly compare numbers across seasons. But with the A18-49+ stat, we have the technology! Enter the "Top 10 of the Last 10" lists, which will line up the last ten seasons (2003-04 thru 2012-13) and give us an idea of which shows were strongest after we set the collective decline off to the side. (I'll throw in the raw numbers too, to give a sense of how far ratings have fallen.)

Last time we looked at the top ten new shows of the last ten years. Today we're going to the other end of the spectrum, looking at the ten lowest-rated big-four new shows to eke out a second season. There are a bunch of criteria I'm applying to try to make this as apples-to-apples as possible. The most important is there are no Friday shows, since many Friday shows would make this list but were hardly "reaches." But I'll say more about the rules (and the Friday shows that would make the list) at the bottom.