ABC's Celebrity Jeopardy! (0.39, +0.06) surged on finale night, and lead-out 20/20 (0.30, +0.09) had an even stronger jump. On CBS, Sheriff Country (0.30, +0.03), Fire Country (0.24, +0.05), and Boston Blue (0.19, +0.02) all rose as well. NBC aired repeats of Happy's Place (0.17/0.12) and Dateline (0.15). UFL on Fox (0.09) was on the softer side, while the CW's American Bible Challenge (0.03, +0.01) grew slightly. Key: (R) = repeat. (F) = finale.
CBS's Survivor (1.00, +0.09) gained enough momentum on Wednesday night to put a one before the decimal point yet again, and America's Culinary Cup (0.22, +0.01) inched up for its finale. Over on NBC, Chicago Med (0.30, -0.08) and Chicago Fire (0.33, -0.02) were down for their respective finales, but Chicago PD (0.30, +0.02) bucked the trend for its closer. ABC's Celebrity Jeopardy! (0.33, +0.02) rose once more, putting it well above a sinking MasterChef (0.16, -0.03) and The Floor (0.22, -0.02). The CW's Police 24/7 (0.04, -0.01) dipped. Key: (R) = repeat. (F) = finale.
Despite having a rerun of Happy's Place (0.17) as its lead-in, NBC's Dateline (0.24, +0.06) soared to a new season high on Friday night. Newsmagazine competitor 20/20 (0.21, +0.02) also rose on ABC but couldn't quite catch up in the key demo. Earlier in the night, Celebrity Jeopardy! (0.28, +0.03) gained momentum. Over on CBS, Sheriff Country (0.27, +0.05) surged, and Boston Blue (0.17, +0.01) was up slightly, but Fire Country (0.19, -0.01) was down in the middle. UFL on Fox (0.12) ticked up, while The American Bible Challenge (0.02, -0.03) slipped on the CW. Key: (R) = repeat.
NBC's broadcast of the 152nd Kentucky Oaks (0.28) topped broadcast on Friday night, while Dateline (0.18, -0.04) had a softer showing than last week. On ABC, Celebrity Jeopardy! (0.25, -0.03) declined, but 20/20 (0.19, +0.02) rose. Sheriff Country (0.22, -0.05), Fire Country (0.20, -0.02), and Boston Blue (0.16, -0.02) all weakened on CBS. UFL on Fox (0.11) was up from last week, as was The American Bible Challenge (0.05, +0.03) on the CW. Key: (R) = repeat.
The ABC season is nearing its end, and the network is expected to hand out renewal and cancellation decisions as soon as this week. With most of ABC's lineup already renewed for next season, it's time for me to take a look at the stragglers, and see which shows are likely to return, and which we've likely seen the last of.
On CBS, Boston Blue (0.21, +0.04) bounced back considerably, even as Fire Country (0.24, -0.03) dipped. Sheriff Country (0.23, 0.00) matched last week's rating. Celebrity Jeopardy! (0.28, -0.03) declined on ABC, as did 20/20 (0.17, -0.07). Happy's Place (0.26, +0.03) and Dateline (0.23, +0.04) both rose on NBC. UFL on Fox (0.11) remained low. The American Bible Challenge (0.03, +0.01) ticked up on the CW. Key: (R) = repeat.
Coverage of the Artemis II return brought some life back to broadcast on Friday night. ABC's coverage (1.85) easily led the way in the Adults 18-49 demographic, while NBC (0.73) placed a distant second. CBS (0.5) came in last among the big three, but this rating still doubled that of last week's Sheriff Country (0.25). After the coverage, NBC's Happy's Place (0.23, +0.01) ticked up, but Dateline (0.19, -0.07) plummeted. Sheriff Country (0.23, -0.02) and Boston Blue (0.17, -0.02) slipped on CBS, while Fire Country (0.27, +0.02) rose. ABC's 20/20 (0.24, +0.01) inched up. UFL on Fox (0.1) did not impress. The American Bible Challenge (0.02, -0.02) declined on the CW. Key: (R) = repeat.
On ABC, Celebrity Jeopardy! (0.31, -0.01) ticked down, but 20/20 (0.27, +0.07) surged. NBC sitcom Happy's Place (0.22, -0.03) slipped, and Dateline (0.15, -0.07) plummeted. March Madness coverage (0.55/0.61) was significantly lower than yesterday on CBS. Fox aired repeats of Doc (0.08) and Best Medicine (0.06). Remarkable Women (0.01) underwhelmed on the CW. Key: (R) = repeat.
ABC got a solid rating out of the premiere of Celebrity Jeopardy! (0.32), but 20/20 (0.20, 0.00) did not appear to benefit from the stronger lead-in. NBC sitcom Stumble (0.19, -0.04) was down for its season finale, but Dateline (0.22, +0.02) rose at nine. Happy's Place (0.25, -0.08) plummeted at eight. Over on CBS, dramas Sheriff Country (0.23, -0.04), Fire Country (0.19, -0.03), and Boston Blue (0.14, -0.02) all slipped. Baseball on Fox (1.08) remained a dominant force. The CW aired a repeat of ABBA: Against the Odds (0.02). Key: (P) = premiere. (R) = repeat. (F) = finale.
ABC has renewed five of their veteran reality series for next season. American Idol, America's Funniest Home Videos, Celebrity Jeopardy!, Celebrity Wheel of Fortune and Shark Tank will all be back next season on ABC. American Idol is among the top series on TV, with a strong 0.51 average as it welcomed new judge (and former winner) Carrie Underwood to the panel, replacing Katy Perry. That's down just 2% from last season. America's Funniest Home Videos has also had an incredible spring, with several ratings at or above the 0.5 mark in this part of the season, and a 0.36 average for the season overall. Shark Tank remains a reliable Friday night player, averaging 0.27 in the key demo. One of the titular sharks, Mark Cuban, has already been announced to be exiting the series after the current series. Celebrity game shows Celebrity Jeopardy! and Celebrity Wheel of Fortune have both had more modest showings this season, after solid starts. Celebrity Jeopardy! averaged 0.26 on Wednesday nights, down a staggering 42%. Celebrity Wheel of Fortune has aired just three episodes thus far, but averages 0.30 so far after a precipitous drop this week, though that is a smaller year-to-year drop than Celebrity Jeopardy! saw this season. The series will also lose a longtime star, as iconic host Pat Sajak exits the series, a year after he left the long-running syndicated civilian version. All but Celebrity Wheel of Fortune are correct predictions for The TV Ratings Guide, that show having been renewed before a prediction was established for the show.
Ratings Analysis: ABC said goodbye to The Conners on Wednesday night, as the Roseanne spin-off bowed out with a new season high (0.35, +0.09) at eight. There was some slippage at 8:30 for the actual series finale (0.31, -0.04), but this was still above last week's installment. At nine, Celebrity Jeopardy! (0.18, -0.07) plummeted on finale night, and the 10 p.m. broadcast preview of the Disney+ series Andor (0.11) fell behind the week-ago What Would You Do? finale (0.14). On CBS, Survivor (0.63, -0.17) fell off a cliff, but The Amazing Race (0.28, -0.02) only dropped slightly. Chicago Med (0.35, +0.05) and Chicago Fire (0.34, +0.01) grew on NBC, but Chicago PD (0.29, -0.01) dipped. The Floor (0.35, +0.01) ticked up for its Fox finale, but The Masked Singer (0.38, -0.04) slipped. Wild Cards (0.03, 0.00) and Sherlock & Daughter (0.03, 0.00) both held steady on the CW. Key: (F) = finale.
Ratings Analysis: Class was dismissed on ABC, as Abbott Elementary (0.30, -0.07) closed out its fourth season on Wednesday night with a rather steep decline. The Conners (0.26, -0.04) also lost some ground at eight, although not as much as Abbott. Later in the night, Celebrity Jeopardy! (0.25, 0.00) held even, and What Would You Do? (0.14, +0.03) rose for its own finale. CBS's Survivor (0.80, +0.12) jumped to a new season high, but The Amazing Race (0.30, -0.05) went in the opposite direction. On NBC, Chicago Med (0.30, -0.12) and Fire (0.33, -0.11) collapsed, while PD (0.30, -0.04) had a more mild decline. The Masked Singer (0.42, +0.11) soared on Fox, and The Floor (0.34, +0.05) also climbed higher. On series premiere night, CW drama Sherlock & Daughter (0.03) made a soft landing, but it at least fully retained its Wild Cards lead-in (0.03, -0.01). Key: (F) = finale.
Ratings Analysis: The Conners (0.30, -0.02) and What Would You Do? (0.11, -0.04) slipped on ABC, but Abbott Elementary (0.37, +0.01) and Celebrity Jeopardy! (0.25, +0.01) were on the rise. The Amazing Race (0.35, +0.03) grew on CBS, while Survivor (0.68, -0.02) cooled down. On Fox, The Masked Singer (0.31, -0.01) and The Floor (0.29, -0.03) both dropped. Repeats of Chicago Med (0.19), Fire (0.16), and PD (0.15) aired on NBC. Wild Cards (0.04, -0.01) ticked down on the CW, but Good Cop/Bad Cop (0.03, +0.01) gained a hundredth on finale night. Key: (R) = repeat. (F) = finale.
Ratings Analysis: NBC dramas Chicago Med (0.42, +0.07) and Chicago Fire (0.44, +0.13) soared on Wednesday night, but Chicago PD (0.34, -0.05) cooled down at ten. ABC's The Conners (0.32, -0.02) dipped slightly, while Abbott Elementary (0.36, +0.02) burned brighter. Later in the evening, Celebrity Jeopardy! (0.24, 0.00) matched its last original, and What Would You Do? (0.15, +0.01) inched up. On CBS, Survivor (0.70, -0.02) declined a bit, but The Amazing Race (0.32, +0.03) increased in size. The dynamic was similar on Fox, as The Masked Singer (0.32, -0.02) dropped while The Floor (0.32, +0.01) rose. Wild Cards (0.05, +0.01) ticked up on the CW, but Good Cop/Bad Cop (0.02, -0.03) faltered.
Ratings Analysis: Celebrity Jeopardy! (0.24, +0.04) and What Would You Do? (0.19, +0.02) were both up on ABC, but Abbott Elementary (0.31, -0.02) declined. At eight, Shifting Gears (0.31, 0.00) held steady in its last episode before the season finale. On CBS, Survivor (0.66, +0.07) was up markedly, and The Amazing Race (0.31, 0.00) matched last week's premiere rating. NBC went with repeats of Chicago Fire (0.24), Med (0.22), and PD (0.22). The Masked Singer (0.38, +0.04) and The Floor (0.32, +0.05) recovered on Fox. Good Cop/Bad Cop (0.03, +0.02) jumped to a new series high on the CW, and Wild Cards (0.04, +0.01) was also up. Key: (R) = repeat.