WHAT MATTERS:
- The NFL roared back with another dominant start to the season on Thursday. It averaged a 9.5ish preliminary from 8:30 to 11:00, up about a half point from the prelims over the same period last year. Since last year's opener later adjusted up to 10.2, another double-digit result is likely in the finals here.
- It was a mixed night for everything going against the big game. CBS' Big Brother (1.9) was even or down a tick, while Under the Dome wrapped the series at its usual 0.8, but at 8/7c The Big Bang Theory (1.6) actually had one of its biggest repeats of the summer. (It may have gotten some pre-tune benefit since it wasn't technically facing the game itself.) Fox's Boom! (0.5) went out on the low end, dominated by a solid Shark Tank repeat (0.9) on ABC.
Above based on preliminary adults 18-49 ratings unless otherwise noted. Full table forthcoming!
WHAT MATTERS:
- It's the only week of the NFL preseason without Thursday games, and several shows took advantage. On CBS, Under the Dome (0.9) finally inched up after several weeks at 0.8, and Big Brother (2.0) may join it on the upside after finals. Food Fighters (0.9) was steady at a high-end rating for NBC, and even Fox's Boom! (0.7) did a little better than usual.
- It was a separation Thursday for the bubble dramas on ABC, where Mistresses (0.8) held at last week's above-average rating but Rookie Blue (0.5) collapsed to a new low. A repeat of Beyond the Tank (0.8) at 8/7c slightly outrated the last few episodes of The Astronaut Wives Club.
WHAT MATTERS:
- FINALS UPDATE: The Republican debate on Fox News averaged a truly ridiculous 24 million viewers, and the A18-49 rating was a still sky-high 5.3 (about on par with a higher-end Monday Night Football game). Jon Stewart's final The Daily Show was also a standout with a 1.43, about three times its normal rating. Big Brother adjusted up to 2.1.
- On a night whose most memorable rating will come from the Republican debate on Fox News, one of the few broadcast offerings on the upswing was actually the newsmagazine Dateline (1.1). Its lead-in Food Fighters (0.9) was also on the high end.
- Meanwhile, it was the scripted shows hit hardest. Under the Dome (0.8) plummeted to a new low for CBS, while ABC also took a hit across the board as The Astronaut Wives Club (0.6), Mistresses (0.6) and Rookie Blue (0.6) all tied their previous lows.
- Despite Dome's struggles, CBS still dominated the night as Big Brother (2.0) was back in the twos for the third time in four airings.
WHAT MATTERS:
- FINALS UPDATE: Big Brother (2.1) was up to its highest rating since premiere week. Food Fighters (0.8) also went up to dodge a season low.
- CBS dominated the increasingly dreary Thursday landscape as Big Brother (2.0) broke into the twos for the first time in a couple weeks, but Under the Dome stayed at 1.0.
- On ABC, the swingy The Astronaut Wives Club (0.8) got back two of the three tenths it surrendered last week, putting it back ahead of fellow ABC dramas Mistresses (even at 0.7) and Rookie Blue (inching down from last week's high to 0.7).
- With no more Wayward Pines, Fox fell to a distant fourth as Boom! was flat at 0.6 and a repeat of Bones (0.4) only got a third of last week's Pines rating.
WHAT MATTERS:
- FINALS UPDATE: Big Brother (1.9) adjusted up.
- A week after hitting a new low, Fox's finale of Wayward Pines (1.2) surged by three tenths, back to a tie for the 1.2 series high hit four times early in the season. Though Fox insists there's no renewal possibility here, this was the closest thing to a scripted success in a summer full of weak to modest performers.
- ABC's The Astronaut Wives Club (0.6) and Mistresses (0.7) crashed from their above-average results last time, but 10/9c offering Rookie Blue (0.8) had its best showing of the season.
- A slump week for usual Thursday leader Big Brother (1.8) continued as the Thursday edition lost two tenths week-to-week (but quite possibly just one after finals). However, Under the Dome (1.0) inched up from last week's low.
WHAT MATTERS:
- FINALS UPDATE: Mistresses (0.9) adjusted up, while Astro Wives (0.9) and Dateline (1.0) down.
- With NBC's dramas moved to Saturday, Thursday is no longer a five-way scripted night, but the move was certainly vindicated in ratings as a two-hour edition of Dateline (1.1) more than doubled the usual numbers from Aquarius and Hannibal. And Food Fighters (0.9) held onto last week's growth.
- On CBS, Under the Dome (0.9) preliminarily made it three straight CBS dramas to drop two tenths this week, even with its lead-in Big Brother (2.0) up another notch.
- The closest thing to a scripted "winner" was The Astronaut Wives Club (1.0), which surged by two tenths and nearly got back to its premiere rating from a month ago. Its companions Mistresses (0.8) and Rookie Blue (0.7) were even.
- The penultimate Wayward Pines (0.9) hit a preliminary new low, while the CW's Beauty and the Beast (0.3) inched up but Dates was at a 0.1 in both half-hours this time.
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.
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.
Under the Dome
Thursdays, 9/8c, CBS
Out of town this week, but here's an open thread for last night's ratings. My thoughts and full table to come later.
Premiered this week:
Under the Dome (CBS) |
Big Brother Wed/Thu (CBS) |
Boom! (Fox) |
Rookie Blue (ABC)
WHAT MATTERS:
- FINALS UPDATE: By far the most significant finals changes
were two-tenth upticks for both of the ABC series, which seems to
meaningfully change the feel for both. Dancing with the Stars
(2.2) now finds itself just a single tenth behind last year's premiere
Monday rating. And it's just two tenths behind last Monday's premiere,
which is a pretty fantastic hold against this influx of competition. And
Forever (1.7) seems at least somewhat more hopeful for its move to Tuesday than it did this morning. Also, Gotham and Scorpion finished in a tie at 3.2, and the big four finished just 3% behind last year's premiere Monday (or just 2% including the CW).
- If there was one network for whom the premiere Monday news was pretty much all positive, it was definitely CBS, as The Big Bang Theory (5.3 at 8:00, 5.4 at 8:30) made a major splash in its return to Monday at 8/7c. Considering it was a new night, more competition than the show has faced in years, and there had been some concerning repeat ratings late in the summer, to be within 10% of last year's premiere hour (5.5/6.1) is a big win for Big Bang. That helped vault Scorpion (3.3) to a very good premiere sampling, and it didn't even drop that much at the half (prelim 3.4/3.1). CBS then wrapped up with an hour of Under the Dome (1.8) at that series' biggest rating in over two months. CBS was about 30% ahead of premiere Monday last year, though obviously Big Bang distorts that comparison somewhat.
- The other networks were mostly good news/bad news. Fox had a fine debut from Gotham (3.2), which they will probably fairly OK with given their current plight, though it was a bit below last year's pre-premiere Sleepy Hollow launch (3.5). As for season two of Hollow (2.0), the limited series sophomore slump trend seems to be alive and well; the show opened at a new series low despite its biggest lead-in ever. This was 43% behind last year's series premiere and 35% behind the premiere week episode. Overall, Gotham's gains and Hollow's big losses cancelled out, putting Fox just above even vs. premiere Monday 2013.
WHAT MATTERS:
- ABC's 2014-15 season got off to an underwhelming start as Dancing with the Stars (2.4) was down 23% from last season's fall premiere. It avoided its usual The Voice competition, but it still had a good deal of unscripted competition from MasterChef (2.0) and American Ninja Warrior (1.8) finales (even if they skew much younger). But it's fairly disappointing that it couldn't even match recent premieres that faced The Voice (2.5 in fall 2012, 2.6 in spring 2014).
- CBS' Under the Dome (1.6) made a surprising amount of late-season noise, up two tenths for the second straight week. Next week's finale follows the Scorpion premiere.
WHAT MATTERS:
- Finales for two of the summer's notable unscripted successes, American Ninja Warrior (1.8) and Bachelor in Paradise (1.4), didn't really generate any week-to-week heat (though the latter may have been nicked by a significant pre-emption).
- The only notable mover was Under the Dome (1.4), which merely bounced back from last week's really bad result. (Fortunately for Dome, the afternoon tennis match ended quickly and didn't cause a primetime overrun.)
- ESPN's annual Week 1 Monday Night Football doubleheader was way down for the early game (5.2 vs. last year's 6.6), but the more competitive late game was slightly up (5.1 vs. last year's 5.0).
WHAT MATTERS:
- On Monday, Under the Dome (1.2) dipped another two tenths. Considering its previous episode was a new low against the Emmys, this is getting kinda ugly. I've always assumed this show looked pretty safe for a season three, but the next three weeks are at least worth monitoring. And next week's ep may get derailed by the same tennis overrun that damaged last year's penultimate episode.
- In an encouraging sign for this fall's NCIS: New Orleans, a repeat of the two-hour backdoor pilot (1.3/1.5) posted the best repeat numbers for NCIS all summer. It may have even damaged America's Got Talent (1.8), which plunged to a new low that was actually even below the results show the next night (2.0).
- Fox wrapped up So You Think You Can Dance (1.3) with a second straight week of two-tenth growth, putting this finale just a tenth behind last year. The show keeps getting weaker each year, but Fox may well keep it around for lack of summer alternatives.
- Wednesday also saw a really strong result from Penn and Teller: Fool Us (0.7), up two tenths after five straight 0.5's.
- And ABC did solid work with a two-hour marathon of The Goldbergs repeats (0.9/1.0/1.1/1.2).
- And Thursday was all about the return of the NFL (10.2), which shook off some weak preseason results and went just a single tenth behind last year's opener. This game didn't even have the huge ratings draw Peyton Manning (as last year's did), so this is quite a promising start for the league.
WHAT MATTERS:
- Depending on who you believe, NBC moved the Emmy Awards to a Monday in August either due to their preseason NFL contract or due to the competing MTV Video Music Awards. Either way, it didn't seem to hurt the Emmy ratings (4.2). The show was behind last year (4.9), but most to all of that gap can be explained by last year's 7.7 lead-in from an NFL overrun. It was in line with ratings from 2011 (4.2) and 2012 (3.9).
- The stronger NBC did surprisingly miniscule damage to the competition. The only negative news was a new Under the Dome low (1.4), and even that was just a tenth behind its usual level. Hotel Hell (1.6) inched up to tie its season high.
WHAT MATTERS:
- For the first time in 686 days, Fox's Hotel Hell (1.5) was on the air, ending a crazy hiatus for a show never actually removed from the network roster. Though it probably didn't have as many male viewers (and won't have as many DVR viewers) as previous occupant 24: Live Another Day, it pretty much brought a typical 24 same-day rating to the table (and just two tenths behind last week's finale). The 1.5 was almost exactly the historical-adjusted equivalent of the 1.9 with which it began season one in 2012, though season one aired at 8/7c with no big lead-in from MasterChef (2.1). This was a decent start, but it's unclear how committed Fox really is here given the long absence.
- MasterChef had the only outright season high among Monday's reality veterans, but fellow series American Ninja Warrior (1.9) and The Bachelorette (1.8) were also on the high end. CBS' Under the Dome (1.5) took a big week-to-week hit, falling well behind all of them. (Once again, it followed the lead-in; Two and a Half Men (1.0) was six tenths behind last week's The Big Bang Theory.)
- And after just one week, the CW re-arranged its Monday lineup. It helped significantly on the whole, as the boost to the Whose Line Is It Anyway? repeat (0.6) at 8:30 far exceeded the losses from weak comedies Seed (0.2) and Backpackers (0.1).
WHAT MATTERS:
- The finale of 24: Live Another Day (1.7) had a pretty nice week-to-week spike, hitting the series' best rating since early June. But, like pretty much everything since the premiere, it was still a weaker show than 24 at the end of its original run (even after making our usual historical adjustments). Any further return will probably come down to non-ratings issues; Fox won't exactly be beating down the door to get it back at any cost, but they wouldn't mind having these kinds of ratings again either.
- The other male-friendly drama was also on the upswing; Under the Dome (1.9) rebounded by two tenths after its big drop last week, but it also had an assist from the return of The Big Bang Theory (1.6) at 9:30.
- And the CW had relatively invisible debuts from comedies Backpackers (0.2) and Seed (0.2). Backpackers comes from the CW's digital platform (called "CW Seed"), while Seed (confusingly, totally unrelated to "CW Seed") is a Canadian import. These were certainly low-cost propositions whose ratings will not break the CDub bank, but the network is probably a bit discouraged by how thoroughly the Whose Line Is It Anyway? audience (0.5) rejected the first attempt at companion comedies.
WHAT MATTERS:
- The disappointment continued for Under the Dome (1.7), down another 19% in week two to basically put it on par with the second-tier reality franchises of the summer. This was a larger decline vs. week two of last year (-41%) than the premiere had. Right now, it pretty much blends in ratings-wise with the Monday reality series, but the declines may not be over. It is worth noting that it had a major lead-in decline this week as The Big Bang Theory departed in favor of Two and a Half Men at 9:30.
- While the dome caves in, the Monday reality shows are getting healthier; The Bachelorette jumped two tenths to its biggest rating since the premiere. MasterChef continued its rehabilitation from an early-season slump by cracking 2.0 for the first time this season. And a steady American Ninja Warrior remained slightly up year-to-year.
WHAT MATTERS:
- In yet another less-than-encouraging sign for the second season of the "limited series," Under the Dome (2.1) came back at over a third behind last summer's breakthrough 3.3 premiere. Dome only avoided a new series low because the show had a 2.1 for an episode with an irregular start time late in season one. This is pretty close to the kind of drop that happened with early season two of The Following; and though Dome will hope to improve on that trend once the inflated series premiere comparison is behind it, The Following's trend got even worse in subsequent episodes. But, for perspective: a 2.1 still makes it one of the very biggest shows of the summer, and still miles ahead of the dramas CBS put in this slot in-season. Season one was such a revelation that the show still has much room to fall before we stop talking about it as a ratings success.
- It hasn't been too exciting on the other networks over the last couple Mondays. On Fox, 24: Live Another Day (1.4 on 6/23, 1.4 on 6/30) hasn't rallied from the huge drop it took when we last checked in on 6/16. However, MasterChef (1.7 on 6/23, 1.9 on 6/30) scored a season high. And ABC's The Bachelorette (1.5 on 6/23, 1.6 on 6/30) took a dip on 6/23 and bounced back a touch last night.
Under the Dome
Mondays, 10/9c, CBS
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