Saturday TV Ratings 10/30/21: ABC College Football Takes Second, Slipping World Series Leads the Night (UPDATED)
Finals Update: 'World Series Game 4' (+0.6), 'College Football: Penn St. v. OH St.' (+0.3), 'College Football: NC v. Notre Dame' (+0.1), and repeats of 'Magnum PI' (+0.1) and 'Blue Bloods' (+0.1) adjusted up.
NCIS: Los Angeles S13E03 Review [Indentured]
There is always something more engaging
about an episode which opens in the middle of a case, particularly if the team
are involved. "Indentured" sees a group of ATF agents embroiled in a
heavy gunfight they are losing, their lead agent calling over the airwaves for
help from any law enforcement officers who may be nearby. Sam and Callen hear
and their response is all the more serious as they clearly know each other.
Unfortunately, the bad guys overwhelm the ATF, and without mercy, the lead
agent is shot dead. Sam and Callen arrive at the warehouse too late. Their
involvement in the case was to support ATF in taking down a white supremacist
arms dealer, but the inside man was made before this could occur, and so the
case is taken over by NCIS. The killer, Lukas Meyer is known and the
investigation is to find Meyer and stop the weapons sale. This
opening is reminiscent of S09E23, “A Line in the Sand” where the NCIS team were
under heavy fire and coincidentally, both episodes are written by Frank Military.
As is mostly the case with episodes penned by
Military, there is intense drama, a focus on character and a darkness which
creeps around the edges. Military was also responsible creating and
playing last season’s villain Kessler (S12E05, “Raising the Dead” and so this
episode is the perfect place for the threat of Kessler to
resurface. Kessler’s girlfriend’s decomposed body has been
identified after washing up on the
There is much going on in this episode which takes
the team in several directions simultaneously, maintaining interest and
creating layers within the narrative. Kilbride takes Sam as a partner, dropping
Callen out of the picture as he’s not former military, as Kilbride wants the
trust of Ret. US Army General Collins, who was due to buy hundreds of AK47s
from Meyer and has connections with a right wing militia group. He also wants
to ensure that if Collins is innocent, that he can continue to run for senator
without a blemish to his character, thus protecting the integrity of the
election process. Callen teams up with Rountree whilst Kensi and Fatima go
undercover at a rehab centre, to gain the trust of Meyer’s girlfriend Mia.
Deeks tails Collins although how he can remain inconspicuous when driving a
bright red truck is a mystery. Maybe the bad guys are colour blind?
There is also the revelation that Kilbride has a personal connection with
Collins, leading to the team mistrusting Kilbride, and causing confrontations
between Sam and Kilbride. The theme of trust is part of the
overarching framework of the show (usually with Callen), and it makes a
pleasant change that Sam is at the forefront this time, and for someone other
than Callen to butt heads with someone in a position of higher
authority.
The issue of trust runs both ways and in a twist it
turns out that Kilbride is another one who does not trust easily. When the team
arrive to storm the warehouse, ATF are already in position, and Kilbride walks
out with Collins in handcuffs. Trust has to be earned and it is in
short supply between Kilbride and the agents. In a scene more familiar between
Callen, Sam and Hetty, Kilbride engages with the partners by offering them a
single malt to discuss that very topic. In answer to Callen’s questions, he
hasn’t heard from Hetty and doesn’t know if she’s safe. He also reveals that he
is now running the Office of Special Projects. It is unknown if this is
temporary or permanent, or what role Hetty will have if she ever returns.
It has been a very long time since the Office of
Special Projects, a team which (used) to specialise in undercover operations,
actually went undercover. It’s an element which has been sorely missed and
makes an impressive comeback. Deeks has fun with Kensi, creating a shared back
story although there is a missing (cut) scene as
The story then moves on to one of moral ambiguity,
covered by Deeks and Kensi at work and later at home in bed. Deeks is the voice
of conscience, asking Kensi if she thinks she gave Mia the idea and the courage
to kill Meyer. At this point he sounds a little accusatory which is ironic
given his past actions. Mia later sends a video message to Kensi’s undercover
cell phone which the couple watch in bed. Again Deeks offers Kensi the chance
to pursue Mia, however she decides to wait until morning before calling in the
lead. Kensi is at peace with her decision which means Deeks is too,
and the episode closes with saying ‘sweet dreams, my little velociraptor’. The
screen turns black and there is a gentle baby dinosaur growl.
Daniela Ruah (Kensi) absolutely owns this episode
with her undercover performance. She was extremely convincing and
manipulating - for the greater good. Undercover operations have been in short
supply for the last three or four seasons, with characters maybe assuming a
role for a minute or so. Hopefully this is the start of a return to how the
team used to work missions. The use of slow motion captures the horror of the
gunfight, and is utilised towards the end when Kilbride walks with Collins in
cuffs, emphasising which side Kilbride is on. It has sometimes been used ineffectively,
for too long a gun battle sequence, but the direction here is spot on. Overall
this was a thoroughly enjoyable episode and season 13 is definitely off to a
solid start.
Friday TV Ratings 10/29/21: World Series Rises in Game Three, Shark Tank Scores Season High as 20/20 Rises Behind It (UPDATED)
Thursday TV Ratings 10/28/21: Toy Story of Terror! and Toy Story 4 Modest on ABC, Young Sheldon and United States of Al Rise, The Blacklist Dips (UPDATED)
Finals Update: 'Ghosts' (+0.1) and 'Toy Story 4' (+0.1) adjusted up.
Wednesday Cable Ratings 10/27/21: Full Frontal Ties Low after Hiatus, The Sinner Jumps, Weaker NBA Leads
Below are the top 25 programs on cable on Wednesday, 10/27/21. Items of note include Full Frontal with Samantha Bee on TBS, The Sinner on USA, and NBA on ESPN.
(Click the names of the shows written in teal or blue to be taken to their pages in the TV Ratings Guide Cable Database.)
Wednesday TV Ratings 10/27/21: The Goldbergs and Other ABC Comedies All Tie Lows, Survivor and Chicago Fire Slip Versus Down World Series (UPDATED)
Finals Update: 'World Series Game 2' (+0.4), 'The Goldbergs' (+0.1), and 'CSI Vegas' (0.1) adjusted up.
Tuesday Cable Ratings 10/26/21: The Last OG Collapses in Premiere, American Crime Story: Impeachment Stable, Chucky Rises, NBA Leads
Below are the top 25 programs on cable on Tuesday, 10/26/21. Items of note include the season premiere of The Last OG on TBS, Chucky on USA and Syfy, and American Crime Story: Impeachment on FX.
(Note: Click any show with its name in green or blue to be taken to its page in the TV Ratings Guide Cable Ratings Database.)
2021-22 Drama Scorecard (9/21 - 10/25): All American Debuts Strong on CW; Matches Series Low of A Million Little Things on ABC
CW often belts shows out in the 2021-22 season with ratings between 0.05-0.10. This made All American's 0.23 debut jolting as it not only almost quadrupled most of their shows, but cracked into the Top 100 of 125 shows on the air. All American's ratings are indeed down from the prior season but demonstrate strong interest in the show. Only one episode has aired so a renewal prediction will wait until next week.
More noticeable is that episode matched A Million Little Things' series low this season, and consequently it is ABC's lowest-rated drama until Queens' final numbers are posted. In the prior season, ABC was a heavyweight in the drama category thanks to its winning block with Station 19, Grey's Anatomy and AMLT on Thursdays, plus a mild breakout hit with Big Sky on Tuesdays. This season, all have lost massive ground, most noticeable Grey's and Station 19 who have lost 30-35%. This dropped ABC's drama ranking from 2nd to 4th over one season. Given these drops, deciphering which dramas will be axed is tedious. The Rookie has been soft on Sundays, AMLT is hemorrhaging and Big Sky has collapsed and retains a paltry 55-60% of Grey's lead-in.
Consequently, CBS has stabilized by utilizing the formula for procedural franchises. Most of its helpings are delivering stable to above average, save for Bull and CSI: Vegas. Their impatient changes last year are paying off and they no longer resemble America's most tired network. FOX also rinsed and repeated last fall's strategy of testing out its weakest dramas in the fall behind decent to strong leads, both of which likely will be lopped off the schedule. Little changes occurred on NBC as their Chicago and Law & Order franchise blocks deliver strong on Wednesday and Thursday, and dramas are strewn throughout the schedule. La Brea made an impressive debut in This Is Us' vacant timeslot, but Ordinary Joe is under-performing in the post-Voice timeslot on Mondays. New Amsterdam and Blacklist are bombing, but life at NBC is mostly stable with 6 winning dramas.
2021-22 Sitcom Scorecard (9/21 - 10/24): Full Season Orders for Home Economics and Wonder Years Does Not Equal High Renewal Odds
3 sitcoms received full season orders this week, staking their place on the schedule likely into May. Ghosts not-too-surprisingly picked up a full order after successfully colonizing the Thursday 9:00 timeslot on CBS vacated by former heavyweight Mom. The surprise came from ABC granting the same pass to Wonder Years and Home Economics, who's performance has been underwhelming and evident as both are in the lower reaches of the chart. This indicates ABC is scrambling as their comedy block is in ruins. Last season, it was struggling, and this season few hits punctuate their former glory in the 2010's. Elsewhere, the FOX animation block on Sunday is performing their usual see-saw of NFL inflation, then crashes without a game pumping up their numbers. Shining is the last stop in the block at 9:30 with Family Guy, who receives the least of the inflation and outperforms the prior two helpings scheduled before.
Tuesday TV Ratings 10/26/21: World Series Opens Higher Than 2020, The Bachelorette Eyes New Low, The Voice and La Brea Rise (UPDATED)
Time | Show | 18-49 Rating/Share | Viewers (mil) | Network |
8 PM | 2021 World Series Game 1 | 2.52/19 | 10.81 | Fox |
The Voice | 0.77/5 | 6.71 | NBC | |
The Bachelorette | 0.71/5 | 2.87 | ABC | |
FBI (R) | 0.44/3 | 4.29 | CBS | |
DC's Stargirl | 0.14/1 | 0.62 | The CW | |
9 PM | La Brea | 0.59/4 | 5.20 | NBC |
FBI: International (R) | 0.37/2 | 3.29 | CBS | |
Supergirl | 0.09/1 | 0.45 | The CW | |
10 PM | New Amsterdam | 0.37/3 | 3.53 | NBC |
FBI: Most Wanted (R) | 0.33/3 | 3.20 | CBS | |
Queens | 0.31/2 | 1.48 | ABC |
CBS Renew/Cancel (9/21 - 10/25) -- Full Season Pickups Move Ghosts and Others to Certain Renewal
Full-season pickups were offered to Ghosts, FBI: International and NCIS: Hawaii. Smart decisions, as all are performing above bar or higher in their respective timeslots. NCIS: Hawaii manages to easily retain its position leading its timeslot against ABC's weakened Good Doctor and NBC's failing Ordinary Joe. Over on Tuesday, FBI: International manages the same anomaly against ABC's misfired Queens and NBC's stalling New Amsterdam. Both procedural spinoffs debuted with compatible lead-ins and performed above-bar in difficult 10:00 timeslots, indicating the audience is interested. Both have been upgraded the Certain Renewal.
Monday Cable Ratings 10/25/21: American Dad! Halloween Special Hits Series Low, Halloween Baking Championship Ends on New Season High, NFL Monday Night Football Drops
Below are the top 25 programs on cable on Monday, 10/25/21. Items of note include the season finale of Halloween Baking Championship on Food, American Dad! on TBS, and WWE Raw on USA.
(Note: Click any show with its name in yellow or blue to be taken to its page in the TV Ratings Guide Cable Ratings Database.)
Sunday Cable Ratings 10/24/21: Curb Your Enthusiasm and Insecure Return with New Lows, Hallmark’s The Santa Stakeout Strong, Outrageous Pumpkins Ends on Season Low
Below are the top 25 programs on cable on Sunday, 10/24/21. Items of note include the season premieres of Curb Your Enthusiasm and Insecure on HBO, and the season finale of Outrageous Pumpkins on Food Network.
(Note: Click any show with its name in orange to be taken to its page in the TV Ratings Guide Cable Ratings Database.)
Saturday Cable Ratings 10/23/21: Boyfriends of Christmas Past Solid for Hallmark, MLB NLCS Wraps on a 2021 High, Ghost and Molly McGee Ties Series High
Below are the top 25 programs on cable on Saturday, 10/23/2021. Items of note include The Ghost and Molly McGee on Disney, Boyfriends of Christmas Past on Hallmark, and Justice with Judge Jeanine on Fox News.
(Note: Click the name of any show with its title in red to be taken to its page in the TV Ratings Guide Cable Ratings Database.)
The Wonder Years and Home Economics Receive Full Seasons Orders from ABC
Monday TV Ratings 10/25/21: All American Returns Stable with Finale, Average Start for 4400, The Voice Rebounds (UPDATED)
Finals Update: The repeat of 'NCIS: Hawai'i' (+0.1) adjusted up. 'Ordinary Joe' (-0.1) adjusted down.
Friday Cable Ratings 10/22/21: You, Me & The Christmas Trees Solid on Hallmark, Patrick Star Show Returns Higher, Real Time with Bill Maher Nears Low
Below are the top 25 programs on cable on Friday, 10/22/21. Items of note include Sydney to the Max on Disney Channel, The Patrick Star Show on Nickelodeon, and You, Me & the Christmas Trees on Hallmark.
(Note: Click the name of any show with its title in purple or blue to be taken to its page in the TV Ratings Guide Cable Ratings Database.)
Thursday Cable Ratings 10/21/21: President Biden Town Hall Decent on CNN, What We Do In The Shadows Steady at Low, MLB NCLS Slips but Leads
Below are the top 25 programs on cable on Thursday, 10/21/21. Items of note include What We Do In The Shadows on FX, Tacoma FD on TruTV, and Thursday Night Football on NFL Network.
(Note: Click the names of the shows written in purple or blue to be taken to their pages in the TV Ratings Guide Cable Database.)
Sunday TV Ratings 10/24/21: Family Guy Steady as Bob’s Burgers Slips, NFL Lower, The Equalizer and The Simpsons Tick Up
The Ratings Don’t Lie: CNN and MSNBC Would Benefit From a Second Trump Presidency
NCIS: Los Angeles S13E02 Review