Written Grateful Sitcoms Survived by Bridger Cunningham
CBS emerged the champion this season as it played off the controversy of Charlie Sheen's firing on Two and a Half Men, opening the floodgates for its companion crass sitcom, 2 Broke Girls, to sweep the nation and Monday Nights by storm. FOX continued to hold strong in 2nd place with American Idol aging but strong. ABC began to experience erosion as Desperate Housewives finalized its run, leaving an open space for NBC to inch up after an 8-year drought. And CW remained a fractional mess despite Vampire Diaries and America's Next Top Model taking a bite out of juicy ratings.
Trending Hot -- CBS ruled the pack as its crass-coms succeeded on Mondays. NBC emerged victorious as one of the latest reality TV franchises, The Voice, pushed the ratings higher. Reality TV continued to rule the pack, though its ratings were noticeably softer.
Trending Tepid -- Sitcoms began to gain prominence again thanks to CBS' winning streak and ABC rebuilding its fractured Wednesday lineup. Overall, ABC's luck continued to classified as middling. It had breakout hits such as Revenge and Once Upon a Time, as well as the rise of Castle, The Middle and Modern Family. Beyond that, the fortunes were limited as their franchises aged and the new show remains failed to ignite a spark. FOX also experienced the same middling luck as American Idol began to show its age. Procedural Dramas also began to exhibit modest ratings.
Trending Cold -- CW's ratings could be multiplied into every show's ratings, even the higher margin CBS held over NBC and almost ABC. Save for Revenge and Grey's Anatomy, soaps were the out trend this season. Movie Nights were a thing of the past with a scant few varieties available.