The Breakdown: ABC Wednesday in 2019-20 (The Goldbergs, Modern Family, Stumptown and more!)

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

Spotted Ratings, Wednesday 5/13/20

FINALS UPDATE: The Masked Singer: After the Mask (0.8) adjusted down.

WHAT MATTERS:

• CBS got a big three-hour season finale of Survivor (1.6/1.6/1.5), likely growing in raw numbers vs. last year's 1.5, though it couldn't quite catch up to Fox's The Masked Singer (1.8) which was flat week-to-week.

• ABC's comedies got a little finale night improvement with the return of Schooled (0.7) at 8:30, while American Housewife (0.6) and Single Parents (0.5) also grew in the 9/8c hour. Bookends The Goldbergs (0.8) and Shark Tank (0.5) matched last week.

Spotted Ratings, Wednesday 5/6/20

FINALS UPDATE: Single Parents (0.6) adjusted up while Chicago PD (R) (0.5) adjusted down.

WHAT MATTERS:

• Against two hours of Survivor (1.5/1.4), Fox's The Masked Singer (1.8) and aftershow (0.9) were both down a couple tenths from last week. But Fox remained on top in the nightly race thanks to CBS rounding out its night with the recently renewed SEAL Team (0.6) at 10/9c.

• ABC subbed Single Parents (0.5) in at 8:30, dropping by three tenths from The Goldbergs (0.8), and was down a tenth vs. two weeks ago in the 9/8c hour with American Housewife (0.5) and another Single Parents (0.4). In its first of two straight weeks with Wednesday/Friday originals, Shark Tank (0.5) grew on its lead-in but was far lower than what it's been doing on Friday.

• Riverdale (0.2) was even in its season finale.

Spotted Ratings, Wednesday 4/22/20

FINALS UPDATE: The Masked Singer (2.1) adjusted up while SEAL Team (0.7) adjusted down.

WHAT MATTERS:

• Fox began airing The Masked Singer aftershows to fill out the night, with the regular 8/7c hour averaging a 2.0 (down a tenth vs. the last regular episode two weeks ago) and the 9/8c hour including the aftershow dropping to 1.4.

• ABC was down in the 8/7c hour with The Goldbergs (0.8) and Schooled (0.6), even at 9/8c with American Housewife (0.6) and Single Parents (0.5), and down again at 10/9c with Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (0.5), in its final episode before a move to Thursday at 8/7c.

• Free from Chicago competition, the CBS dramas SEAL Team (0.8) and S.W.A.T. (0.6) were both on the upswing, but still way behind their Survivor (1.5) lead-in.

Spotted Ratings, Wednesday 4/15/20

FINALS UPDATE: The Goldbergs (0.9), Survivor (1.6) and The Masked Singer (1.8) adjusted up while S.W.A.T. (R) (0.3) adjusted down.

WHAT MATTERS:

• ABC began Wednesday life after Modern Family with The Goldbergs at 0.8, then dropped another tenth in each half-hour with Schooled (0.7), American Housewife (0.6) and Single Parents (0.5). That set up week two of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (0.6) for a hard fall at 10/9c, though it remained an improvement on previous occupant Stumptown for now.

• Fox's The Masked Singer was lower than usual in a sing-along special (1.7), but LEGO Masters (1.2) was even anyway to conclude a strong first season. NBC's Chicago trio (1.1/1.2/1.1) was relatively steady in its last episodes of the season. CBS' Survivor (1.5) and the return of Riverdale (0.2) on the CW were even as well.

Spotted Ratings, Wednesday 2/26/20

FINALS UPDATE: The Masked Singer (1.8) adjusted up.

WHAT MATTERS:

• NBC got a big return from the Chicago trio, with Chicago Med (1.2) and Chicago Fire (1.2) both rising vs. two weeks ago and Chicago PD (1.2) getting the biggest bounce (since it was the second half of a crossover with Fire).

• They dominated CBS' two-hour return of SEAL Team (0.6/0.5), which came in toward the low end of what Criminal Minds had been doing in the last couple months. Survivor (1.4) was even at 8/7c, pulling much closer to a sagging The Masked Singer (1.7) on Fox.

• ABC was original with The Goldbergs (0.8) but then had an hour of repeats (0.5/0.5) leading into an original Single Parents (0.5), and a Shark Tank retrospective at 10/9c (0.4) proved unable to improve on the usual Stumptown results. The CW (0.2/0.1) was even.

Spotted Ratings, Wednesday 2/19/20

FINALS UPDATE: Democratic Presidential Debate (2.1, +0.3) and The Masked Singer (2.0) adjusted up while Chicago Med (R) (0.7) adjusted down.

WHAT MATTERS:

• Criminal Minds wrapped up its 15-season run with a two-hour finale averaging 0.8 in both hour, up by two tenths from last week and the second-highest rating of the season. It had help from a strong week two for Survivor (1.4), which built on last week's premiere.
  

• Fox also grew in the 8/7c hour with The Masked Singer (1.9), but the erosion continued at 9/8c for week three of LEGO Masters (1.0). On ABC (0.8/0.6/0.7/0.6/0.4), Modern Family had a brutal night, falling to a new series low the week after its Paris uptick.

• The 9/8c shows may have suffered a bit due to NBC's Democratic presidential debate (1.7/1.8), which dominated the last two hours. It did roughly as well as the biggest debates of the cycle back in the summer (1.6/1.9 prelims for two nights in June which adjusted up to 1.8/2.2, then a 1.9 prelim in September which adjusted up to a 2.1).

Spotted Ratings, Wednesday 2/12/20

FINALS UPDATE: No adjustments.

WHAT MATTERS:

• Week two of the Fox unscripted lineup saw a two-tenth decline for The Masked Singer (1.8) and a steep-ish 25% decline for newbie LEGO Masters (1.2).

• Fox had another tough unscripted competitor as Survivor (1.3) returned for its two-hour 40th season premiere. The show took a roughly league-average decline vs. its spring 2019 premiere (1.6).  

• ABC got upticks from Modern Family (0.9) and Single Parents (0.6) on the night of Modern's Paris episode, but The Goldbergs (0.8) inched down to lead off the night. NBC's Chicago trio (1.1/1.1/1.0) looked normal, as did the CW's Riverdale (0.2).

Spotted Ratings, Wednesday 1/29/20

FINALS UPDATE: S.W.A.T. (0.6) adjusted down.

WHAT MATTERS:

• Numbers posted.

Spotted Ratings, Wednesday 1/22/20

FINALS UPDATE: No adjustments.

WHAT MATTERS:

• ABC's 8/7c hour of The Goldbergs (0.8) and Schooled (0.7) bounced back, but Modern Family (0.8) lost a tenth and Single Parents (0.6) and Stumptown (0.4) were even.

• NBC's Chicago trio (1.1/1.1/1.0) was all down a tenth, as was S.W.A.T. (0.5) for CBS. Fox killed time before The Masked Singer's comeback with repeats of 9-1-1: Lone Star (0.4/0.4) while the return of Riverdale (0.2) could not bring Nancy Drew up from its 0.1.

Spotted Ratings, Wednesday 1/15/20

FINALS UPDATE: No adjustments.

WHAT MATTERS:

• It was a rough return for the regular ABC lineup as The Goldbergs (0.7) and 10/9c drama Stumptown (0.4) each fell to new series lows. The 9/8c comedies Modern Family (0.9) and Single Parents (0.6) gave back all of their Jeopardy! bounces from a week ago.

• NBC's Chicago trio (1.2/1.2/1.1) dominated, with all three shows up a tenth from last week, while CBS' Undercover Boss (0.7) and Criminal Minds (0.7) matched last week's premieres and S.W.A.T. (0.6) returned even at 10/9c.

• Fox's Flirty Dancing (0.4) and Almost Family (0.3) had their last regularly-scheduled episodes before finishing their runs on Saturday, while the CW's Nancy Drew could only muster up a 0.1 for its return, leading out of The CW Dog Honors (0.1) rather than its usual Riverdale.

Spotted Ratings, Wednesday 1/8/20

FINALS UPDATE: Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time (2.4) adjusted up.

WHAT MATTERS:

• Night two of Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time (2.3) held up swimmingly, dropping just a tenth from its Tuesday premiere. And it had an even more profound impact on the Wednesday comedy hour, vaulting Modern Family (1.5) and Single Parents (0.9) to new season highs and their best raw ratings since 2018. But Stumptown (0.5) couldn't pick up any steam at 10/9c.

• CBS brought in a couple veterans to help bridge the Survivor seasons on Wednesday, with the season premieres of Undercover Boss (0.7) and Criminal Minds (0.7/0.7). This was the first sighting of the Boss since a celebrity edition in summer 2018, and the first non-celebrity season since spring 2017. Minds was back after almost a full year off, but managed to tie its 0.7 premiere in fall 2018.

• NBC's Chicago Med (1.1), Chicago Fire (1.1) and Chicago PD (1.0) all returned down a notch from their fall finales. And the Fox duo of Flirty Dancing (0.3) and Almost Family (0.3) somehow got even more invisible.

Spotted Ratings, Wednesday 12/11/19

FINALS UPDATE: Nancy Drew (0.1) adjusted down.

Spotted Ratings, Wednesday 12/4/19

FINALS UPDATE: No adjustments.

WHAT MATTERS:

• Leading out of The Masked Singer (1.8), Fox's event comedy series The Moodys (0.7) opened with a performance that would be poor by most standards but managed to outperform what the network has been getting out of Almost Family lately. (Though it was not really any better than the Almost Family premiere, which had a 0.75 out of a 2.0 TMS.)

• NBC special Christmas in Rockefeller Center (1.1) was down two tenths year-to-year, but provided another The Voice-esque lead-in for night three of Making It (0.5).

• ABC had a soft return in the 8/7c hour, with The Goldbergs (0.8) and Schooled (0.6) returning to new lows, but Modern Family (0.9) and Single Parents (0.6) and Stumptown (0.5) were even. CBS' Survivor (1.2), SEAL Team (0.7) and S.W.A.T. (0.5) were back to normal after their odd Thanksgiving Eve showings and matched two weeks ago. The CW (0.2/0.2) was also even with two weeks ago.

Spotted Ratings, Wednesday 11/20/19

FINALS UPDATE: No adjustments.

WHAT MATTERS:

• The Masked Singer (1.9) got a post-CMAs rebound, making Almost Family (even at 0.5) look even more dire by comparison. NBC's Chicago trio (1.2/1.2/1.1) and CBS' Survivor (1.2) and SEAL Team (0.7) were also up vs. their last originals.
  

• Everything on ABC (0.9/0.7/0.9/0.6/0.5) matched two weeks ago, before the CMA break, and S.W.A.T. (0.5) was also even. The CW's Riverdale (0.2) edged down, but Nancy Drew clung to 0.2 at 9/8c.

Spotted Ratings, Wednesday 11/6/19

FINALS UPDATE: Chicago Fire (1.1) adjusted up while Nancy Drew (0.1) adjusted down.

WHAT MATTERS:

• Fox's The Masked Singer (2.0/2.0) returned with a double dose following two Wednesdays off due to the World Series, declining from its last original and matching its low from weeks two and three.

• Following some huge showings against the Series, it was a down night for Chicago Med (1.1), Chicago Fire (1.0) and Chicago PD (1.0). ABC's Modern Family (0.9) also dropped a tick while the 8/7c comedies (0.9/0.7), Single Parents (0.6) and Stumptown (0.5) matched last week.

• The only two shows to uptick on broadcast were CBS' Survivor (1.3 while its lead-out dramas (0.6/0.5) were even) and the CW's Nancy Drew (0.2, matching Riverdale (0.2) in the demo but trailing by more than 20% in total viewers).

Spotted Ratings, Wednesday 10/30/19

FINALS UPDATE: Survivor (1.2), Chicago Fire (1.2) and World Series (6.1, +0.5) adjusted up while Single Parents (0.6) and SEAL Team (0.6) adjusted down.

WHAT MATTERS:

• Game 7 of the World Series (5.6), as Game 7's do, went massively ahead of the rest of the series: more than 50% ahead of the Game 6 prelim, and close to double the game on Wednesday of last week.

• With another dose of Halloween help, ABC's comedies held up; The Goldbergs (0.9) and Schooled (0.7) matched last week, while Modern Family (1.0) and Single Parents (0.7) matched two weeks ago when they were last together. The net's only decliner was Stumptown, falling to its first 0.5 at 10/9c.

• NBC's Chicago trio (1.2/1.1/1.1) also hung in there impressively; Fire at 9/8c was the only week-to-week decliner, while Med and PD were even. 

• CBS' Survivor (1.1) took a hit, but the dramas SEAL Team (0.7) and S.W.A.T. (0.5) looked pretty normal. And the CW's Riverdale (0.2) and Nancy Drew (0.1) were both down, putting Nancy at her first 0.1.

Spotted Ratings, Wednesday 10/23/19

FINALS UPDATE: SEAL Team (0.6) adjusted down.

WHAT MATTERS:

• NBC's Chicago trio (1.2/1.2/1.1) came back to earth somewhat after last week's crossover, but Chicago Med still had its outright second-highest rating of the season, while Chicago Fire and Chicago PD tied their pre-crossover season highs.

• ABC was only partially original for the second straight night, with the original comedies The Goldbergs (0.9), Schooled (0.7) and Single Parents (0.6) all losing a tenth while Modern Family (0.5) was in repeat mode. A Prince Harry/Meghan Markle special (0.5) rounded out the night at 10/9c.

• On CBS, Survivor (1.3) gave back a tenth after last week's season high, while SEAL Team (0.7) was even and S.W.A.T. (0.6) edged up. Riverdale (0.3) rallied a bit for the CW, and Nancy Drew posted another 0.2.

• Game 2 of the World Series (2.6/2.9/3.0) was barely down from the Game 1 prelims and should have a better year-to-year trend than Game 1.

Spotted Ratings, Wednesday 10/16/19

FINALS UPDATE: Chicago Med (1.5) and The Masked Singer (2.2) adjusted up while SEAL Team (0.6), Chicago PD (1.3) and Almost Family (0.6) adjusted down.

WHAT MATTERS:

• A crossover event lifted NBC's Chicago lineup in a huge way, with Chicago Fire (1.3), Chicago Med (1.4) and Chicago PD (1.4) all notching new season highs by multiple tenths. These will likely be new series highs for all three shows in Plus.

• With the baseball playoffs rained out, there was some upward momentum elsewhere on the big four as well. Survivor (1.4) hit a new season high, but the momentum did not really continue with dramas SEAL Team (0.7) and S.W.A.T. (0.5). Fox also had an unscripted uptick with The Masked Singer (2.1), but its lead-out Almost Family (0.7) won't even have to wait till finals to get its 0.7 this time. And ABC was up a notch with comedies Schooled (0.8) and Modern Family (1.0) and even with everything else.

• The CW's saw post-premiere dips from Riverdale (0.2) and Nancy Drew (0.2), a particularly striking drop for Riverdale since it was at a 0.42 last week.

Spotted Ratings, Wednesday 10/9/19

FINALS UPDATE: Survivor (1.2) and S.W.A.T. (0.6) adjusted up while SEAL Team (0.6) and Almost Family (0.7) adjusted down.

WHAT MATTERS:

• The CW's second newbie premiere of the year was Nancy Drew (0.3), down a tenth from its Riverdale lead-in (0.4). That may not seem like much, but it was a tenth bigger than last year's All American premiere in this timeslot. As for Riverdale, it was down a tenth from last year's premiere, and bounced back from a rough spring that saw a string of 0.2's and ended with a 0.3.

• NBC was steady to up with One Chicago (1.1/1.2/1.0), including a new season high for Fire at 9/8c, while Fox was even with The Masked Singer (2.0) and will hope that Almost Family (0.8) can hold in finals this time after adjusting down to 0.7 last week.

• The other two networks were not so steady; ABC was even with The Goldbergs (1.0) but down with Schooled (0.7), Modern Family (0.9) and Stumptown (0.6). CBS' Survivor (1.1) and SWAT (0.5) were also down.