Prediction Key:
Week 13 Predictions:
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| Shows' 18-49 demo average and weekly peak performance on Paramount+ are listed in parenthesis |
The Price Is Right At Night: This is a show that's gone completely under the radar this winter, because it's such a consistently reliable player for CBS, and it's not exactly the most thrilling of their offerings. It's a primetime "spinoff" of an enduring daytime hit that's been on the air for over fifty years, and it's consistently solid in primetime, too. However, last week was notable airing, as it shifted from 9 PM to 8 PM, leading to a surge of a full tenth. With a 0.31 rating, it beat out the establish drama hit Chicago Med on NBC, produced at a fa higher cost. It had previously grown from Hollywood Squares each week, so CBS's move to have it kickstart Wednesday nights for them was a very smart one, and probably how it should've been from the very start, considering how shaky Hollywood Squares was looking during last season's spring airings. It's worth nothing, though, that The Price Is Right grew from Hollywood Squares zero times during the three weeks they aired together last season, so its performance this season is definitely comparatively stronger. The Price is Right at Night is the sort of reliable filler programming that any network is lucky to have, especially when it's as affordable as this show is. As always, TPIR at Night will have a place on CBS's schedule somewhere next season, particularly if they continue to have these extended winter hiatuses. It's still a likely renewal, only solidifying that prediction after transferring so well to 8 PM.
Hollywood Squares: I remain unconvinced that Hollywood Squares will be back, though it did have a fairly solid showing as it shifted to 9 PM. Most shows drop as they lose the local lead-in, but it worked out for the best last week, with Hollywood Squares managing a new season high at 9. It's possible that TPIR At Night is just a more compatible lead-in than what CBS airs at 7 on local stations, and it's also possible that it was just a fluke week, where it benefited from an abnormally low Chicago Fire competition. We don't really know, but that solid showing doesn't really change my thoughts on it. CBS moving Hollywood Squares to a 9 PM slot after initially airing it at 8 is not a good sign. For the most part, 8 PM is where you want to be on network TV at this point - especially on CBS. Aside from when The Price Is Right was airing behind Hollywood Squares itself, every one of CBS's highest-rated shows on each night is airing at 8 PM (Tracker, The Neighborhood, NCIS, Survivor, Georgie & Mandy and Sheriff Country). Losing that spot is a sign CBS may be losing confidence in Hollywood Squares. We already know it's moving to 10:30 behind a cooking show in a few weeks, as was planned since May, and its ratings are unlikely to hold up vey well there. That it lost its 8 PM slot a month earlier than intended is not promising for its future. Neither is its exclusion from CBS's mass renewal. While the mass renewal came a month later last year, Hollywood Squares was renewed right all of CBS's scripted shows then. CBS renewed a few unscripted shows in their mass renewal this year, but Hollywood Squares was not among them. It doesn't mean it's entirely doomed - their other midseason reality shows weren't renewed either - but it's a concerning development. It remains a likely cancellation.
Interactive Schedule:
| The TV Ratings Guide | 8:00 | 8:30 | 9:00 | 9:30 | 10:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon | The Neighborhood | DMV | FBI | Watson | |
| Tues | NCIS | NCIS: Origins | NCIS: Sydney | ||
| Wed | The Price Is Right At Night | Hollywood Squares | Harlan Coben's Final Twist | ||
| Thurs | Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage | Ghosts | Matlock | Elsbeth | |
| Fri | Sheriff Country | Fire Country | Boston Blue | ||
| Sun | Tracker | The Road | Encores | ||
