Premiere Tuesday TV Ratings 9/20/22: FBI Shows Return Up from Finales, Monarch Abysmal, The Bachelorette Rises for Finale, The Resident Returns Steady (UPDATED)

Ratings Analysis: Premiere night continued on as CBS rolled out the red carpet for the returns of 'FBI' (0.64), 'FBI: International' (0.50), and 'FBI: Most Wanted' (0.51). All three dramas improved from their season finales that aired in spring 2022 (0.56/0.44/0.41), but the lineup noticeably trailed its Fall 2021 launch (0.72/0.59/0.66). On NBC, the Tuesday edition of 'The Voice' (0.73) and drama 'New Amsterdam' (0.39) both shed about 30% from their year-ago starts (1.09/0.54). After mustering up a football-boosted 0.91 for its series premiere, Fox drama 'Monarch' (0.21, -0.70) completely collapsed for its timeslot debut. In the 8PM slot, 'The Resident' (0.35) tied its May '22 finale but was 30% lower than its 2021 return (0.50). ABC staple 'The Bachelorette' (0.90, +0.01) picked up a hundredth for its season finale and topped the night effortlessly. 'Leonardo' (0.05, 0.00) and 'Devils' (0.04, 0.00) were both stable on the CW.

Finals Update: 'The Bachelorette' (+0.1) and 'The Resident' (+0.1) adjusted up.

Tuesday TV Ratings 9/13/22: Academy of Country Music Honors Extremely Low, The Bachelorette Tops America’s Got Talent as Both Hit Season Highs (UPDATED)

Ratings Analysis: It was a rare Summer Tuesday night in which America's Got Talent (0.79, +0.06 did not lead the way, with the first half of the summer juggernaut's season finale taking second overall for the night despite hitting a new season high, leading into a new Password (0.47, -0.03), which slipped a minor amount after a week off. The Bachelorette (+0.89), was the night's leader, in its second of three Tuesday night airings this season. The dating reality staple rose an extremely-impressive two tenths and hit what is easily a new season high, notching its smallest year-to-year decline of the season. Bachelorette led into a weak repeat of Celebrity Family Feud (0.24), which began airing at 10:15. Fox had a night-long ACM Honors (0.24), which drew little interest. The airing comes a week before the time slot debut of country music drama Monarch. CBS again aired repeats of its Tuesday FBI lineup (0.37/0.31/0.31), experiencing minor gains across the night. The CW came in the rear, as always, with import dramas Leonardo (0.05, -0.02) and Devils (0.04, +0.1).

Finals Update: The Bachelorette (+0.1), America's Got Talent (+0.1) and the repeat of FBI (+0.1) adjusted up. The repeat of Celebrity Family Feud (-0.2) adjusted down.

Tuesday TV Ratings 9/6/22: Claim to Fame Inches Up for Finale, America’s Got Talent Tops The Bachelorette to Lead the Night (UPDATED)

Finals Update: The Bachelorette (+0.1) and Claim to Fame (+0.1) adjusted up.

Analysis to come.

Tuesday TV Ratings 8/30/22: Password, America’s Got Talent and Leonardo All See Slight Gains (UPDATED)

Finals Update: The repeat of Celebrity Wheel of Fortune adjusted up.

Analysis to come.

Tuesday TV Ratings 8/23/22: Cinderella Reunion Mediocre, America’s Got Talent Holds Steady, Password Inches Up (UPDATED)

Finals Update: America's Got Talent (+0.1) and Password (+0.1) adjusted up.

Analysis to come.

Tuesday TV Ratings 8/16/22: Leonardo Has Meager Premiere, Password and America’s Got Talent Inch Down, Celebrity Wheel of Fortune Encore Takes Second (UPDATED)

Ratings Analysis: The CW's latest drama 'Leonardo' (0.04) was dead on arrival for its launch and even went below Thursday's abysmal 'Bump' debut (0.06). At 9, 'Devils' (0.03) had no life left in it for its season premiere, going well below the 0.1s it would post in late 2020. Over on NBC, 'America's Got Talent' (0.73, -0.01) was a hundredth shy of its week-ago episode. Game show reboot 'Password' (0.43, -0.03) shed three-hundredths from Wednesday's installment and came in five-hundredths lower than last week's series debut. ABC had a shockingly strong rerun of 'Celebrity Wheel of Fortune' (0.52) that led into encores of 'Generation Gap' (0.37) and 'Celebrity Family Feud' (0.34). CBS's reruns of 'FBI' (0.28), 'FBI: International' (0.26), and 'FBI: Most Wanted' (0.24) trumped Fox's encores of 'So You Think You Can Dance' (0.13) and 'Fantasy Island' (0.12).

Finals Update: Repeats of 'Generation Gap' (+0.1), 'FBI' (+0.1), and 'FBI: International' (+0.1) adjusted up. 'Leonardo' (-0.1) adjusted down.

The CW Renew/Cancel Part 4: Kung Fu Will Fight Another Season

The CW premiered a new show this week, at long last giving me something to discuss in this column after a lengthy drought. Keep reading to see my initial thoughts on Kung Fu.

The CW Renew/Cancel Part 3: Superman & Lois Looks Super

The CW has been busy since our last renew/cancel update! Aside from a mass renewal, they also debuted a new series very recently. Read on for my thoughts on Superman & Lois.

Wednesday TV Ratings 12/16/20: SNL Christmas Does OK, The Masked Singer and The Amazing Race Rise for Finales, Light Fight Steady (UPDATED)

Preliminary Analysis: Fox's 'The Masked Singer' (1.7) rose a tenth from its last episode on finale night but still trailed its year-ago closer (2.2). Despite some noticeable slippage, the series continues to be one of the strongest programs on a fading broadcast landscape. A 'Masked Singer' clip show (1.2) led into the main event and was still solid enough to beat out every other network. Week 2 of 'The Great Christmas Light Fight' (0.6) was a tenth lower than its season debut on ABC. The holiday-themed broadcast led into the steady fall finale of 'For Life' (0.4). On CBS, 'The Amazing Race (0.8) inched up for its finale but 'SEAL Team' (0.5) actually shed a tenth. 'SWAT' (0.5) held even in the 10pm hour. NBC got decent mileage out of a 'Christmas Spectacular' (0.4) and 'SNL Christmas' (0.5). The 'Devils' finale (0.1) was flat on the CW and led into a 'Penn & Teller' repeat (0.1). 

Finals Update: 'The Great Christmas Light Fight' (+0.1), 'The Masked Singer Clip Show' (+0.1), and 'The Masked Singer' (+0.1) adjusted up.

Wednesday TV Ratings 12/9/20: The Grinch Musical Modest, The Great Christmas Light Fight Returns Solid, I Can See Your Voice Ends Steady Behind Weaker Masked Singer Holiday Special (UPDATED)

Preliminary Analysis: Fox's 'The Masked Singer' (1.0) remained the top broadcast of the night despite being in holiday special mode. 'Singer' led into the season finale of 'I Can See Your Voice' (0.8), the latter matched its series low but tied what it garnered on Monday. The return of 'The Great Christmas Light Fight' (0.7) held even with its year-ago premiere on ABC. 'For Life' (0.4) inched up at 10pm, likely as a result of the stronger lead-in. CBS's 'The Amazing Race' (0.7) was stable while 'SEAL Team' (0.6) and 'SWAT' (0.5) inched up. NBC got decent mileage out of a 'Grinch' musical (0.6) and followed that with a repeat of 'Nurses' (0.3). The 'Nurses' encore was within a tenth of its Monday debut (0.4). The CW had a steady 'Devils' (0.1) and a 'Holiday commercial' special (0.1).

Finals Update: 'The Masked Singer Holiday Special' (+0.1) adjusted up.

Wednesday TV Ratings 11/11/20: One Chicago Lineup Returns Mostly Steady, CMAs Heavily Down, SWAT Premiere Hits Series Low (UPDATED)

Preliminary Analysis: On a night packed to the brim with series premieres, Fox's 'The Masked Singer' (1.5) remained the evening's #1 broadcast. 'Singer' was down two-tenths from its last episode, as was lead-out program 'I Can See Your Voice' (0.9). NBC brought back their 'One Chicago' drama lineup consisting of 'Chicago Med' (1.1), 'Chicago Fire' (1.0), and 'Chicago PD' (0.9). 'Med' actually grew a tenth from its 2019 debut (1.0), 'Fire' lost one, and 'PD' dropped by two-tenths. Given the kind of declines we're used to seeing on broadcast, all these programs returned in excellent shape. ABC's broadcast of the 'CMA Awards' (1.1) was down a staggering 45% from last year (2.0), hitting a new low by a wide margin. The only consolation was that it performed a good bit better than the alphabet network's Wednesday comedy lineup. CBS had a declining 'Amazing Race' (0.6) and the 2-hour season premiere of 'SWAT' (0.4/0.4). It was a new low-point for the drama and two-tenths behind its year-ago start (0.6). The CW was frozen at last week's numbers with 'Devils' (0.1) and 'Coroner' (0.1). 

Finals Update: 'The Masked Singer' (+0.1), 'Chicago Med' (+0.1), 'The Amazing Race' (+0.1), and 'Chicago PD' (+0.1) adjusted up.

Wednesday TV Ratings 11/4/20: I Can See Your Voice Rises After Steady Masked Singer, Blackish and The Conners Slip, NBC Election Results Stronger Than ABC and CBS (UPDATED)

Preliminary Analysis: With no clear winner of this heated presidential race, ABC, CBS, and NBC all continued broadcasting election coverage in one form or another. But it was Fox's 'Kensday' line-up of 'The Masked Singer' (1.6) and 'I Can See Your Voice' (1.1) that managed to top the night. 'Masked Singer' held even while 'See Your Voice' lost a tenth from its last episode. Over on ABC, 'The Goldbergs' (0.7) and 'American Housewife' (0.6) matched last week's numbers but there was a concerning trend in the 9pm hour as 'The Conners' (0.7) shed a tenth and 'Black-ish' (0.4) took an alarming two-tenth decline. Barring any upward adjustments, this would mean that 'Conners' has hit a new low while 'Black-ish' has tied its previous. ABC wrapped up the night with 10pm election coverage (0.5) that managed to grow a tenth from its lead-in. 

NBC dedicated its entire night to election coverage (0.8) but it was understandably down over 50% from yesterday (1.7). Although the peacock network did beat out ABC and CBS's coverage once more, it's clear that viewers are tiring of this soap opera and desperately want a conclusion. CBS's 'The Amazing Race' (0.7) held even and led into a repeat of 'SWAT' (0.3) and low-rated election coverage (0.3). The CW was steady across the board with 'Devils' (0.1) and 'Coroner' (0.1).

Finals Update: 'The Masked Singer' (1.7, +0.1), 'The Goldbergs' (0.8, +0.1), 'Black-ish' (0.5, +0.1), NBC's election coverage (0.9), and CBS's election coverage (0.4) all adjusted up. 

Wednesday TV Ratings 10/21/20: The Goldbergs and The Conners Tie Finales for Premieres, Blackish Returns Up, World Series Drops (UPDATED)

Preliminary Analysis: For the first time in over 10 years, ABC's Wednesday comedy lineup debuted without 'Modern Family' holding down the 9pm slot. It was ultimately a mixed bag for the alphabet network as the season premieres of 'The Goldbergs' (0.8) and 'The Conners' (0.9) were steady with their season finales but several tenths behind their year-ago premieres (1.0/1.3). 'The Conners' made the move from Tuesday to Wednesday in decent fashion, roughly on par with where the final season of 'Modern Family' began (1.05). At 9:30, the 'Black-ish' premiere (0.6) was two-tenths above its rotten May finale (0.4) but came in three-tenths behind 2019's start (0.9). 'The Con' (0.5) rose two-tenths from last week at 10pm. Game 2 of the World Series (1.8) matched what game 1 managed in prelims and could potentially tie or eclipse the 2.4 A18-49 rating that game posted in finals. Needless to say, Fox's broadcast of the game was the top program of the night. CBS's 'Big Brother' (0.9) and 'The Amazing Race' (0.6) both lost a tenth from last week. But a 'SWAT' repeat at 10pm (0.3) tied what it managed a week ago. 'The Wall' (0.6) inched up on NBC while 'American Ninja Warrior' (0.4) shed two-tenths. The CW held even with 'Devils' (0.1) and 'Coroner' (0.1).

Finals Update: Game 2 of the 'World Series' (2.3, +0.5) adjusted up, still a tenth behind Game 1 (2.4). 'Big Brother' (1.0, +0.1), 'The Amazing Race' (0.7, +0.1), and 'American Ninja Warrior' (0.5, +0.1) all adjusted up as well. 

Wednesday TV Ratings 10/14/20: Billboard Music Awards Collapse, The Amazing Race Returns Decently, The Con Starts Low Behind Coco (UPDATED)

Preliminary Analysis: The 2020 Billboard Music Awards made its way onto the airwaves in disastrous fashion. Posting a 0.8 A18-49 rating, the ceremony was down a mammoth 62% from the sturdy 2.1 rating it managed in May 2019. NBC might have expected to win the night with this broadcast but ended up falling behind both CBS and Fox in the 8pm hour. Over on Fox, 'The Masked Singer' (1.6) doubled 'Billboard' and rose a tenth from last week. Lead-out 'I Can See Your Voice' (1.0) returned after taking last week off, down two-tenths from its previous episode. 

CBS housed a steady 'Big Brother' (1.0), the season premiere of 'The Amazing Race' (0.7), and a repeat of 'SWAT' (0.3). 'Amazing Race' fell five-tenths from last season's debut in April 2019 (1.2). ABC aired the 2017 Pixar film 'Coco' (0.5) and the anemic series premiere of 'The Con' (0.3). The CW had stable showings of 'Devils' (0.1) and 'Coroner' (0.1).

Finals Update: 'The Masked Singer' (1.7, +0.1) and 'I Can See Your Voice' (1.1, +0.1) adjusted up.

Devils Ratings (Season 1, Fall 2020)

 

The CW

Wednesday TV Ratings 10/7/20: Vice Presidential Debate with Pence and Harris Rises from 2016, The Masked Singer Drops, Coroner Grows from Devils in Viewers (UPDATED)

Preliminary Analysis: Vice-president Mike Pence and senator Kamala Harris sat down for a much more civil debate than their bosses had, with ratings fairly in-line with the 4-year ago Pence v Kaine debate. ABC led the pack once more with a robust 1.9 A18-49 rating, seven-tenths above what the 2016 VP debate did (1.2). The alphabet network might have benefited from starting their night off with a 'Pence vs Harris' special (0.9). They closed things out with an impressively high 'Debate Analysis' (1.3). NBC's debate broadcast (1.3) significantly trailed the 1.9 it posted in 2016 but also had slightly less lead-in help than ABC from a steady 'Weakest Link' (0.8). 'Debate Analysis' (1.0) similarly fell behind the alphabet network. 

Fox's debate broadcast (1.1) actually went four-tenths above 2016 (0.7) but the debate also had a stronger lead-in than four years ago ('The Masked Singer' 1.4; vs. New Girl; 1.0). Airing before the debate, 'The Masked Singer' (1.4) dropped an alarming five-tenths following last week's stellar resurgence. Pending adjustments, this could end up being a new series low for the reality series. CBS's debate telecast (1.0) was fairly in-line with 2016, leading out of a declining 'Big Brother' (0.9) and leading into 'Debate Analysis' (0.7). The CW had the debut of acquired series 'Devils' (0.1) and a steady 'Coroner' (0.1).

You can read more about Vice-president debate ratings HERE. 

Finals Update: 2020 Vice Presidential Debate coverage on ABC (+0.3), NBC (+0.3), Fox (+0.1) and CBS (+0.1), Debate Analysis on ABC (+0.3), NBC (+0.1) and CBS (+0.1), The Masked Singer (+0.1) and Big Brother (+0.1) adjusted up. Pence vs. Harris: The VP Debate (-0.1) adjusted down.