Friday TV Ratings 10/28/22: Matthew Perry Interview Performs Well, World Series Opens Up from 2021, College Bowl Ends Down (UPDATED)

Ratings Analysis: Diane Sawyer's interview with Matthew Perry (0.47) performed well enough on ABC and gave the 9PM '20/20' (0.38, +0.10) a noticeable boost. To put things into perspective, the Sawyer-Perry interview was only a hundredth shy of the week-ago 'Shark Tank' (0.48). On Fox, game one of the '2022 World Series' (2.85) was about 13% higher than the first game of 2021 (2.52) in the Adults 18-49 demographic. NBC's 'Capital One College Bowl' (0.22/0.21) dipped for its finale and led into a sinking 'Dateline' (0.26, -0.08). 'College Bowl' trailed its week-ago rating (0.24) but avoided hitting a new low. 'SWAT' (0.41, +0.01) and 'Fire Country' (0.47, +0.02) grew by a touch on CBS while 'Blue Bloods' (0.41, -0.04) dealt with a mild decline in the 10PM hour. 'Penn & Teller: Fool Us' (0.06, -0.03) and 'Whose Line Is It Anyway?' (0.05, -0.05) crumbled on the CW.

Finals Update: '2022 World Series Game 1' (+0.6), 'Matthew Perry: The Diane Sawyer Interview' (+0.1), 'Fire Country' (+0.1), and 'Dateline NBC' (+0.1) adjusted up.

Friday TV Ratings 10/21/22: Shark Tank and Fire Country Slip, Whose Line Ticks Up, WWE SmackDown Remains First (UPDATED)

Ratings Analysis: Friday-night mainstays 'Shark Tank' (0.48, -0.03) and '20/20' (0.28, -0.08) declined on ABC and were unable to top their respective hours. Fox's 'WWE Smackdown' (0.52, -0.02) also slipped a bit but remained on top. On CBS, 'Fire Country' (0.45, -0.03) lost some steam in week three but was still well above its premiere rating (0.40) from two weeks prior. 'SWAT' (0.40, -0.03) dipped by the same amount as 'Fire' while 'Blue Bloods' (0.45, +0.02) inched up to a new season high at 10. On NBC, 'Capital One College Bowl' (0.24, +0.04) and 'Dateline' (0.34, +0.07) were on the rise. The CW's 'Penn & Teller: Fool Us' (0.09, +0.03) and 'Whose Line Is It Anyway?' (0.10, +0.06) improved greatly from their dismal premieres.  

Finals Update: 'Shark Tank' (+0.1) adjusted up.

Friday TV Ratings 10/14/22: SWAT, Fire Country and Shark Tank All Grow, WWE SmackDown Leads Yet Again (UPDATED)

Ratings Analysis: Though it clearly had a very solid start last week, CBS's 'Fire Country' (0.48, +0.08) jumped into gamechanger territory in week two. The new drama set the night ablaze by soaring to a rating that was nearly a full tenth higher than its already promising premiere (0.40). 'SWAT' (0.43, +0.05) and 'Blue Bloods' (0.43, +0.02) were also able to grow from their premieres at 8 and 10 respectively. ABC also had something to write home about as both 'Shark Tank' (0.51, +0.04) and '20/20' (0.36, +0.04) rose to new season highs. Although 'Shark Tank' and 'Fire Country' were stronger competitors than usual, Fox's 'WWE Smackdown' (0.54, 0.00) was stable and won the night yet again. On NBC, 'Capital One College Bowl' (0.20, -0.01) and 'Dateline' (0.27, -0.01) shed a hundredth apiece. The CW went with the middling premieres of 'Penn & Teller: Fool Us' (0.06) and 'Whose Line Is It Anyway?' (0.04). Both were down by two-hundredths from their year-ago starts (0.08/0.06).

Finals Update: 'Shark Tank' (+0.1) and 'Fire Country' (+0.1) adjusted up. 'Whose Line?' (-0.1) and its repeat (-0.1) adjusted down.

Friday TV Ratings 10/7/22: Fire Country Ignites with Solid Rating, SWAT Returns Up, Shark Tank Ticks Up (UPDATED)

Ratings Analysis: CBS's new drama 'Fire Country' (0.40) burned bright on premiere night and gave life to a night with little to discuss. The series was able to grow from its lead-in and beat out its 9PM competitors head-on. Sandwiching 'Fire Country' were the returns of veteran dramas 'SWAT' (0.38) and 'Blue Bloods' (0.41). Both shows were down by just four-hundredths from their year-ago starts (0.42/0.45). ABC's 'Shark Tank' (0.47, +0.05) and '20/20' (0.32, +0.01) were on the upswing while NBC's 'Capital One College Bowl' (0.21, -0.04) and 'Dateline' (0.28, -0.07) fell into the abyss. Fox's 'WWE Smackdown' (0.54, 0.00) held even with last week's installment and topped the night as usual. The CW's 'iHeartRadio Music Festival' (0.11) posted a rating higher than the vast majority of the network's dramas.

Finals Update: 'Shark Tank' (+0.1) adjusted up.

Friday TV Ratings 9/30/22: The Price Is Right At Night Well Below Average, Shark Tank Hits New Low, WWE SmackDown Leads (Again) (UPDATED)

Ratings Analysis: CBS's latest installment of 'The Price Is Right At Night' (0.32) was nearly 50% below the last edition from April (0.61) and only managed to secure the third-place spot in the 8PM timeslot. The 9PM rerun of 'SWAT' (0.21) improved markedly from the week-ago 'Secret Celebrity Renovation' finale (0.14) and helped boost the 10PM repeat of 'Blue Bloods' (0.24). On ABC, both 'Shark Tank' (0.42, -0.06) and '20/20' (0.31, -0.01) descended to new lows. 'Capital One College Bowl' (0.25, +0.03) and 'Dateline' (0.35, +0.02) picked up a few hundredths apiece on NBC. In rather unsurprising news, Fox's 'WWE Smackdown' (0.54, -0.09) was the highest-rated program of the night, even as it lost nearly a full tenth from last week's telecast. The CW was content with airing encores of 'Penn & Teller: Fool Us' (0.04) and 'Whose Line Is It Anyway?' (0.06/0.07).

Finals Update: 'The Price Is Right At Night' (+0.1) and 'Capital One College Bowl' (+0.1) adjusted up. The repeat of 'Penn & Teller: Fool Us' (-0.1) adjusted down.