The Breakdown: NBC Sunday in 2017-18 (Little Big Shots, Genius Junior, Timeless and more!)

It's time for a journey through the NBC Sunday schedule in 2017-18...

Spotted Ratings, Sunday 5/13/18

FINALS UPDATE: American Idol (1.7) and Genius Junior (0.6) adjusted up while Genius Junior (0.5) adjusted down.

WHAT MATTERS:

• NBC had two-hour finales for Genius Junior (0.6/0.5) and the still pending Timeless (0.6/0.6), which was up a tenth from last week. The ratings could shift a bit due to a nearly 15 minute golf overrun.

• On ABC, America's Funniest Home Videos (1.2) got a little NBA bump and American Idol (1.6) should be even or down a tenth from last week if it gets its usual finals surge. The recently cancelled Deception remained at 0.7.

• CBS preempted this week's Instinct; though that turned out not to be a death knell for the show, 60 Minutes (0.8) did improve the 8/7c hour a touch. NCIS: Los Angeles stayed at 0.8 as it prepares for a two-hour finale next week, and Madam Secretary inched up to 0.6.

• And Fox also got a little improvement with NBC-bound Brooklyn Nine-Nine (0.8), Family Guy (1.0) and a 9:30 edition of Bob's Burgers (0.8).

Spotted Ratings, Sunday 5/6/18

FINALS UPDATE: American Idol (1.8) adjusted up while America's Funniest Home Videos (1.0) adjusted down.

WHAT MATTERS:

• Only a bit of the Disney bounce wore off for American Idol (1.7/1.6), which was down just a tenth from last week's prelims in each hour. If it can actually pull off an adjustment to 1.8, that would be the show's best rating other than Disney Night since week two. America's Funniest Home Videos (1.1) and Deception (0.7) were also down a tenth.

• Little Big Shots left the NBC schedule, saving its remaining episodes for a summer run, and an extra original of Genius Junior (0.5) did much worse than even the diminished LBS. The 9/8c Genius (0.6) and Timeless (0.5) were not really any worse than usual.

• On its season/series finale night, The Last Man on Earth tried to make one last case, holding at 0.7 despite a drop from Family Guy (0.9) and actually pulling into a tie with Brooklyn Nine-Nine (0.7), which was down two tenths at 8:30. CBS got upticks from Instinct (0.7) and NCIS: Los Angeles (0.8), but Madam Secretary (0.5) was down.

Spotted Ratings, Sunday 4/29/18

FINALS UPDATE: American Idol (1.9) and The Simpsons (1.0) adjusted up.

WHAT MATTERS:

• Disney Night came to American Idol as the show went live in all time zones. It got a major week-to-week bounce even in the preliminary ratings (1.8/1.7), and I'm assuming it would be subject to more upward adjustment than usual given the new arrangement? Stay tuned. Also on the upswing were its surrounding programs, America's Funniest Home Videos (1.2) and Deception (0.8), by two tenths apiece if they manage to hold in finals.

• Against a bigger ABC, the CBS dramas (0.6/0.7/0.6) and NBC reality (0.8/0.6) stayed really low, though NBC's Timeless (0.6) did get a useful uptick at 10/9c. Fox had a better night, as Bob's Burgers (0.8) and The Simpsons (0.9) were even while Brooklyn Nine-Nine (0.9), Family Guy (1.0) and The Last Man on Earth (0.7) all went up.

Spotted Ratings, Sunday 4/22/18

WHAT MATTERS:

• All the regular broadcast lineups were back in place on Sunday, which helped American Idol (1.5) to rebound by multiple tenths. But that was no help to its lead-out Deception, which tanked to 0.6 for the first time as it prepares for a special original following a Roseanne repeat marathon on Tuesday.

• The CBS dramas were back, and roughly in line with three weeks ago when they didn't have help from The Masters. That meant a return to 0.6 for Instinct and a small drop for NCIS: Los Angeles (0.8), while Madam Secretary matched last week's 0.6.

• On Fox, Family Guy (0.9) returned but was unable to boost The Last Man on Earth (0.6), while Bob's Burgers (0.8) and The Simpsons (0.9) gave back last week's upticks. All things NBC matched last week (0.6/0.8/0.6/0.5)

Spotted Ratings, Sunday 4/15/18

FINALS UPDATE: Little Big Shots (0.8) and Bob's Burgers (0.9) adjusted up while Genius Junior (0.6) and Brooklyn Nine-Nine (0.8) adjusted down.

WHAT MATTERS:

• CBS had a turn at Sunday dominance with the Academy of Country Music Awards (2.0/2.3/2.1), two weeks later in April than last year, and were very close to even with last year's 2.1 rating.

• ABC had a decidedly mixed night as the spring late afternoon NBA playoffs boost really kicked in for America's Funniest Home Videos (1.2), then American Idol (1.3) fell to a season low against the ACMs, then the network zoomed back up to a big 1.7 average in the 10/9c thanks to its George Stephanopoulos interview with James Comey.

• On NBC, Little Big Shots (0.7) got clobbered, though Genius Junior managed to hold onto its 0.7 at 9/8c. In a much busier than usual 10/9c hour, Timeless fell to its first 0.5.

• Fox was unaffected in the 8/7c hour as The Simpsons (1.0) inched back into the ones and Brooklyn Nine-Nine (0.9) was up at 8:30 as well. But a special second Brooklyn (0.7) took a dip at 9/8c, and so did The Last Man on Earth (0.6).

Spotted Ratings, Sunday 4/8/18

FINALS UPDATE: America's Funniest Home Videos (R) (0.9) adjusted up.

WHAT MATTERS:

• CBS had another dose of Sunday sports assistance in the late afternoon with the final round of the Masters golf tournament. It didn't spill over into primetime at all, but still had a tangible effect on 60 Minutes (1.5) and Instinct (0.9), and helped NCIS: Los Angeles (0.9) and Madam Secretary (0.6) a bit as well.

• ABC's American Idol (1.5) and Deception (0.7) both fell, while Fox got a couple upticks with Bob's Burgers (0.8) and The Last Man on Earth (0.7). NBC's Little Big Shots (0.9), Genius Junior (0.7) and Timeless (0.6) were all even after a week off.

Spotted Ratings, Sunday 3/25/18

FINALS UPDATE: Bob's Burgers (0.9) adjusted up while Deception (0.7), Instinct (1.3) and The Simpsons (0.9) adjusted down.

WHAT MATTERS:

• It was a Stormy night on CBS, as the network's late afternoon NCAA basketball game went into overtime (averaging a 5.9 in the preliminary 7:00 hour) and led right into a heavily-anticipated interview on 60 Minutes (4.0, including a 4.7 for Stormy Daniels in the 7:30 half-hour). Assuming it looks similar in finals (it actually started at 7:35 ET) it will go down as 60 Minutes' highest adults 18-49 rating since it pulled a 4.8 after an NFL playoff game in January 2016. That lead-in provided a significant boost for week two of Instinct (1.6/1.3) and even helped bring NCIS: Los Angeles (1.1/1.0) and Madam Secretary (0.7) up somewhat.

• It was a rough second week for NBC's unscripted duo of Little Big Shots (0.9, down two tenths from the 8:00 episode last week) and Genius Junior (0.7, down three tenths from last week's premiere). Timeless (0.6) shed a tenth for the second straight week.

• The other two networks held up better; week three of American Idol (1.6/1.7) inched down on ABC, while the surrounding programs America's Funniest Home Videos (0.9) and Deception (0.8) matched last week. And Fox got a rally from The Simpsons (1.0), while Brooklyn Nine-Nine stayed at the 0.9 in its second week back on Sunday. Family Guy (0.9) was the only show to downtick on Fox, while Bob's Burgers (0.8) and The Last Man on Earth (0.7) were even.

Spotted Ratings, Sunday 3/18/18

FINALS UPDATE: America's Funniest Home Videos (0.9), American Idol (1.8) and Bob's Burgers (0.8) adjusted up while Deception (0.8) and 60 Minutes (1.4) adjusted down. (Please note the NCAA overrun rating is the preliminary; finals were not available.)

WHAT MATTERS:

• Week two of ABC's American Idol revival (1.7/1.8) took a more than 20% hit week-to-week, as did lead-out crime drama Deception (0.9).

• The network got some new unscripted competition from NBC as veteran Little Big Shots (0.8/1.1) had a two-hour premiere from 7:00 to 9:00 and new game show Genius Junior (1.0) premiered at 10/9c. For Little Big Shots, the 8:00 episode was down by nearly half from last year's 2.0 premiere (which came a couple weeks earlier in March, to be fair). Genius Junior fared better but still down relative to the first Sunday episode of Chicago Justice, which had a 1.4 last year. Week two of Timeless (0.7) shed a tenth at 10/9c.

• On CBS, new crime drama Instinct began its run (1.0) starting at 8:37 on the East Coast after a March Madness-inflated 60 Minutes (1.7/1.4). NCIS: Los Angeles (0.9/0.8) and Madam Secretary (0.6 at 10:30) rounded out the night. These numbers could come down just a touch in finals since they started 7 minutes later than the listed times.

• And the Fox comedies were fully back after most had been on hiatus for more than two months, as Brooklyn Nine-Nine (0.9) took over for Ghosted in the 8:30 half-hour. As we saw earlier in this show's run, it clearly fits in a lot better here than it did on Tuesday, as it actually managed to build on a very low rating from The Simpsons (0.8). At 9/8c, Family Guy (1.0) and The Last Man on Earth (0.7) held up better than The Simpsons, coming back near the low end of their fall ratings.

Spotted Ratings, Sunday 3/11/18

FINALS UPDATE: Bob's Burgers (R) (0.5) and Bob's Burgers (0.8) adjusted up while Deception (1.2) adjusted down.

WHAT MATTERS:

• American Idol returned, but the Death Star did not. The iconic reality series was back with a 2.1 rating in the 8:00 hour and a 2.4 rating at 9:00, a very far cry from the 400 or higher Plus premieres it managed in its prime but maybe a teeny bit better in Plus than where it premiered in the last years of its Fox collapse. We won't have to wait long for the next test for Idol, as it has to go head-to-head with The Voice on Monday starting tonight. New crime drama Deception (1.3) launched reasonably at 10/9c.
  

• Two other networks held off on most of their regular Sunday lineups to throw some special counterprogramming at Idol. Fox's 'lost' OJ Simpson interview pulled a solid 1.2 demo from 8:00 to 10:00, while a three-hour American Ninja Warrior on NBC grew from a 0.7 at 7:00 to a 0.9 in both of the Idol hours.
• Both of these networks did have one regularly-scheduled show return; NBC's Timeless was back from its May un-cancellation with a 0.8 at 10/9c, while an original Bob's Burgers posted a 0.7 at 7:30.

• CBS' regular lineup was mostly back, with a 0.9 for a double-dose of 60 Minutes and NCIS: Los Angeles (0.9) and Madam Secretary (0.6) coming back toward the low end of their ratings from the fall.

SpotVault - Timeless (NBC) - 2018 Ratings

The Breakdown: NBC Monday in 2016-17 (The Voice, Timeless, Taken and more!)

It's time for a journey through the NBC Monday schedule in 2016-17...

Spotted Ratings, Monday 2/20/17

FINALS UPDATE: Quantico (0.6) adjusted down.

WHAT MATTERS:

• It was another week of rough drops for Fox's new dramas, as 24: Legacy (1.0) and APB (0.8) each shed another two tenths. Considering 24 was right on the verge of adjusting up to 1.3 last week, that means it must have dropped at least as much in the un-rounded as it did last week. 24 is now tied with Gotham's season low in the hour, and APB is significantly weaker than anything the previous occupants were doing on the night.

• On NBC, the finale of Timeless (0.9) tried to make one last case by upticking to its usual January level. But the 0.6 and 0.7 from earlier this month are not forgotten, and it got an assist from an American Ninja Warrior (1.4) special that did better than any episode of Celebrity Apprentice in the timeslot.

• It was a down night for CBS comedies Kevin Can Wait (1.4), Man with a Plan (1.3) and especially Superior Donuts (1.2), which shed two tenths. Those declines made steady 2 Broke Girls (1.2) and Scorpion (1.2) look a bit better by comparison.

• After weeks hovering around 2.4, The Bachelor (2.5) finally upticked to a new season high. Its lead-out Quantico (0.7) is in for another finals sweat, with a 0.8 -> 0.5 breakdown yet again.

• And on the CW, Supergirl (0.7) gave back last week's uptick, but Jane the Virgin held at 0.4.

Spotted Ratings, Monday 2/13/17

FINALS UPDATE: The Bachelor (2.4) adjusted up while Quantico (0.6) adjusted down.

WHAT MATTERS:

• It was a mixed at best week two for the new Fox drama lineup, as 24: Legacy (1.2) took a typical-ish week two drop at 8/7c while APB (1.0) tumbled much more. At this point, 24 has the same rating as a high-end Gotham, while APB is a below-average Lucifer, and it's only week two.

• On CBS, things were mostly steady, which was good news for the second Monday edition of Superior Donuts (1.4). 

• ABC's Quantico (0.7) gets to sweat out finals once again, with another preliminary breakdown of 0.8/0.5. The Bachelor inched down but outrated the year ago evening (which was against the Grammys, to be fair).

• On NBC, Timeless (0.7) mercifully rose after last week's collapse, but was still a long way from the 0.9's it was posting in January. And a disappointing season of Celebrity Apprentice (0.9) ended in anti-climactic fashion, with a mere one-hour finale that couldn't even build from its The Wall repeat lead-in.

• And the CW was preliminarily on the upswing with Supergirl (0.8) and Jane the Virgin (0.4).

Spotted Ratings, Monday 2/6/17

FINALS UPDATE: The Bachelor (2.4) and Superior Donuts (1.4) adjusted up.

WHAT MATTERS:

• Just 20 hours after it finished airing its Super Bowl episode on the East Coast, 24: Legacy made its timeslot premiere with an underwhelming 6.2 million viewers and 1.5 demo rating. It's still well within acceptable territory by Fox standards, but it's really only one typical drop away from being at the same level as the evicted Gotham and Lucifer. If there was a silver lining for Fox, it was that newbie APB did exactly the same 1.5 at 9/8c. For a show with seemingly much less brand awareness than its lead-in, it's a surprisingly decent start.

• On CBS, it was the timeslot premiere for Superior Donuts (1.3), which fit in OK among a generally down night for comedies Kevin Can Wait (1.5), Man with a Plan (1.4) and 2 Broke Girls (1.3). At 10/9c, Scorpion (1.2) inched down as well.

• Things got even more miserable on NBC, where Celebrity Apprentice (0.9/0.8) continued going in the wrong direction despite making some news this week, and Timeless (0.6) suddenly and completely melted down after several weeks at 0.9.

• On ABC, The Bachelor held at a dominant 2.3, but with a 0.8 -> 0.5 breakdown, Quantico (0.7) will have to sweat out a potential adjustment into even more embarrassing territory.

• And the CW was even with Supergirl (0.7) and Jane the Virgin (0.3).

Spotted Ratings, Monday 1/30/17

FINALS UPDATE: Quantico (0.7) adjusted down.

WHAT MATTERS:

• The Quantico Monday experiment took an even darker turn in week two, with the show dropping to a 0.7 and retaining only about a third of its lead-in from The Bachelor (2.3).

•  CBS said a likely permanent farewell to The Odd Couple, which averaged 1.1/0.9 for its one-hour finale with repeats on both sides.

• Fox sent Gotham (down a tenth to 1.1) and Lucifer (1.2) off to a lengthy hiatus, while NBC's Celebrity Apprentice was down to 1.0 and couldn't get an upward adjustment this time. 

• On the CW, Supergirl (0.7) and Jane the Virgin (0.3) both shed a tenth in their second episodes of the winter. It was just the second dip to 0.3 this season for Jane.

Spotted Ratings, Monday 1/23/17

FINALS UPDATE: Celebrity Apprentice (1.1) adjusted up while Quantico (0.8) adjusted down.

WHAT MATTERS:

• A new timeslot after The Bachelor (2.4) gave Quantico (0.9) a boost, but not a particularly encouraging one. It certainly doesn't look any stronger than the show that aired on Sunday in the fall, with half-hours that exactly matched the two-week run of Big Fan (1.0 -> 0.7) (and also may put it in some danger of adjusting down after finals).

• CBS had a big night, as Man with a Plan (1.6) and 2 Broke Girls (1.7) rose to tie their season highs leading out of another 1.7 from Kevin Can Wait. A repeat of The Big Bang Theory (1.6) significantly livened up the 9:30 half-hour compared with usual occupant The Odd Couple, and helped Scorpion (1.3) to tick up at 10/9c.

• In the second week of the brief return for the Fox dramas, Lucifer (1.2) ticked up to match its Gotham lead-in (1.2).

• It was a brutal night for NBC's Celebrity Apprentice (1.0), which tanked to a new low, while Timeless clung to last week's 0.9.

• And the CW was finally back in business after a long winter hiatus, with Supergirl (0.8) a bit below its fall average and Jane the Virgin posting its usual 0.4.

Spotted Ratings, Monday 1/16/17

FINALS UPDATE: Howie Mandel All-Star Comedy Gala (0.3) adjusted down.

WHAT MATTERS:

• NBC featured the return of Timeless (0.9) for a winter run following Celebrity Apprentice (1.2). While a raw series low, this 0.9 was not really any weaker in True than some of its later post-Voice episodes... but that's not a compliment.

• The CBS comedy lineup (1.7/1.5/1.5/1.1), finally free of football competition, had notable surges on Monday. It was also a huge night for ABC's The Bachelor (2.3), which set off on its usual post-premiere growth trajectory.

• On Fox, Gotham (1.2) and Lucifer (1.1) came back for what will be just a three-week stint.

Spotted Ratings, Monday 12/12/16

FINALS UPDATE: The Great Christmas Light Fight (1.1) and The Great American Baking Show (R) (0.6) and Timeless (1.0) adjusted down.

WHAT MATTERS:

• It was a fairly soft night for the CBS Monday comedy lineup, with anchors Kevin Can Wait (1.4) and 2 Broke Girls (1.2) inching down in the prelims. Man with a Plan (1.2) was even and The Odd Couple (1.0) slightly up at the bottoms of the hours. And Scorpion (1.1) inched down to round out the night. Kevin and The Odd Couple are done for 2016 now, but the others will return to lead out of a Michelle Obama special next Monday.

• NBC began The Voice's finale week with a bit of an uptick to 2.2. It was another very sharp year-to-year decline vs. the excellent year-ago season, as last fall had a 3.2 for the Monday finale (which was also paired with a huge Adele special). Timeless closed the year with another 1.2, and we will next see it leading out of Celebrity Apprentice in January.

• ABC's The Great Christmas Light Fight (1.3/1.2) and repeat of The Great American Baking Show (0.8) appear to be pending Monday Night Football preemptions?

• The holidays have already begun on the CW with specials Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer (0.3) and Greatest Holiday Commercials (0.2), as well as on Fox with repeats of Gotham (0.5) and Lucifer (0.5).

Spotted Ratings, Monday 12/5/16

FINALS UPDATE: 2 Broke Girls (1.3) and The Voice (2.1) adjusted up while The Great Christmas Light Fight (1.1) and Conviction (0.6) adjusted down.

WHAT MATTERS:

• ABC brought back holiday staple The Great Christmas Light Fight (1.3/1.2) leading into Conviction (0.8) at 10/9c. This would be about the same raw number as last year's Light Fight premiere (1.2) but the network is pending Monday Night Football preemptions.

• CBS had another solid night from Kevin Can Wait (1.5), but new lows from Man with a Plan (1.2) and 2 Broke Girls (1.2). The network got a big upgrade from a repeat of The Big Bang Theory (1.4) at 9:30, leading into The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show (2.1) in the 10/9c hour. After a massive drop last year, the fashion show shed another couple tenths this time.

• NBC had a fairly typical night with The Voice (2.1/2.0) and Timeless (1.2), while Fox basically matched its usual drama numbers with two-hour special Showtime at the Apollo (1.1). The CW had repeats of Supergirl (0.4/0.3).