Preliminary Analysis: Derailed by the fact that many stations refused to air it, the much-anticipated '30 Rock' special (0.4) completely tanked on NBC. This went an entire ratings point (or 71%) below what the socially-distant 'Parks & Recreation' special (1.4) managed in April. Although it had an unfair disadvantage, the feeble result does highlight that viewers may be growing tired of the low-budget/Zoom-style production that felt fresh and unique during the early days of the pandemic. The 1-hour special was followed by repeats of 'Superstore' (0.2), 'Brooklyn Nine-Nine' (0.2), and 'Law & Order: SVU' (0.2). All three are expected to return in the fall with brand-new episodes but Covid-19 restrictions may complicate that.
ABC's normally steady game-show lineup sprung a leak as 'Holey Moley' (0.5) lost a tenth while 'Don't' (0.5) and 'To Tell the Truth' (0.4) slipped two-tenths. All three plummeted to new season lows by a wide margin. But the meager 0.5 rating that 'Holey' pulled was still enough to top all other programs the night had to offer. Amidst the alphabet network decline, Fox's 'Celebrity Watch Party' (0.3) and 'Labor of Love' (0.2) both matched last week. CBS's mixture of comedy and drama repeats (0.4/0.3/0.3/0.3/0.2) was not too far off from the numbers that many of the evening's originals pulled. And the CW's broadcast of British reality series 'Killer Camp' (0.1) was met with absolutely no interest. It led into repeats of 'Masters of Illusion' (0.1/0.1).
Finals Update: 30 Rock: A One-Time Special (-0.2) adjusted down.
