Friday TV Ratings 12/13/24: Blue Bloods Rises for Series Finale, Happy’s Place Slides, WWE SmackDown Rises [+ Analysis]

Ratings Analysis: CBS drama Blue Bloods (0.33, +0.02) ended its 14-season run with an uptick and  tied its previously-set fall 2024 high. Earlier in the evening, SWAT (0.34, +0.05) and Fire Country (0.33, +0.02) also rose. After riding the Rudolph high last week, Happy's Place (0.25, -0.13) and Lopez vs Lopez (0.17, -0.09) dropped back down to normal levels on NBC. Dateline (0.19) grew slightly from there. On ABC, Shark Tank (0.29, -0.02) and 20/20 (0.24, -0.03) slipped. College basketball (0.19) did not move the needle on Fox. On the CW, Children Ruin Everything (0.03/0.02) remained below repeats of Bob Hearts Abishola (0.04/0.04). Key: (R) = repeat.

Friday TV Ratings 12/6/24: Rudolph Soars for 60th Anniversary Airing on NBC, Happy’s Place Hits New Series High, Private Princess Christmas Solid for Hallmark [+ Analysis]

Ratings Analysis: In its move to NBC, Christmas special Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (0.62) put up a massive rating that was more than two-tenths above its 2023 CBS broadcast (0.39). Rudolph also helped boost sitcoms Happy's Place (0.38, +0.15) and Lopez vs Lopez (0.26, +0.07) to new season highs. On Fox, the UNLV v. Boise St. college football match (0.70) was several tenths above ABC's college game (0.28). SWAT (0.29, -0.06) and Fire Country (0.31, -0.07) declined on CBS, but Blue Bloods (0.31, +0.03) was on the rise. Children Ruin Everything (0.04/0.03) lagged behind reruns of Bob Hearts Abishola (0.06/0.06) on the CW. Key: (R) = repeat.

Friday TV Ratings 11/29/24: Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer Solid for CW, Deck the Walls Strong, Georgia Tech/Georgia College Football Game Tops the Night [+ Analysis]

Ratings Analysis: On the CW, Christmas special Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer (0.07) performed well by the network's standards and led into the premiere of Children Ruin Everything (0.05/0.05). ABC's Georgia Tech/Georgia college football game (1.87) was the top program of the night. The Alphabet network ultimately beat the combined total of the NBC (0.73) and Fox (0.22) games in the Adults 18-49 demographic. On CBS, the special Blue Bloods: Celebrating a Family Legacy (0.19) was sandwiched in-between reruns of the long-running drama (0.17/0.15). Key: (P) = premiere. (R) = repeat.

Friday TV Ratings 11/22/24: Fire Country and Shark Tank Soar to Season Highs, Happy’s Place Barely Rises from Previous Week’s Low, Christmas on Call Solid [+ Analysis]

Ratings Analysis: It was a night full of recovery on broadcast as CBS dramas SWAT (0.35, +0.09), Fire Country (0.38, +0.14), and Blue Bloods (0.28, +0.06) were all way up from last week's depressed levels. On ABC, Shark Tank (0.31, +0.13) and 20/20 (0.27, +0.09) soared in a similar manner. NBC sitcoms Happy's Place (0.23, +0.02) and Lopez vs Lopez (0.19, +0.03) were up but not nearly as much as the others. Dateline (0.18, +0.05) also rose. College football on Fox (0.34) was a tenth above last week. Even the CW's Bob Hearts Abishola reruns (0.05/0.04/0.04/0.05) were above the week-ago batch. Key: (R) = repeat.

Friday TV Ratings 11/15/24: SWAT Leads Broadcast as All Scripted Shows Sink to New Lows, Christmas with the Singhs Weak for Hallmark [+ Analysis]

Ratings Analysis: It was an abysmal Friday night for the broadcast networks as practically every show took a hit, likely because of Netflix's highly-anticipated fight between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson. CBS's SWAT (0.26, -0.05) was the top-rated non-cable program but was still down markedly from last week. Fire Country (0.24, -0.11) and Blue Bloods (0.22, -0.06) declined by even more. On ABC, Shark Tank (0.18, -0.08) and 20/20 (0.18, -0.06) nosedived. Happy's Place (0.21, -0.06), Lopez vs Lopez (0.16, -0.02), and Dateline (0.13, -0.04) all slipped on NBC. Fox's UCLA/WA college football game (0.24) was a notch below the network's former Friday-night staple WWE Smackdown (0.32). The CW aired repeats of CBS sitcom Bob Hearts Abishola (0.05/0.03/0.03/0.03). Key: (R) = repeat.

Friday TV Ratings 11/8/24: Trivia at St. Nick’s Solid on Hallmark, Happy’s Place and Shark Tank Rise, Fire Country Slips but Still Leads Broadcast [+ Analysis]

Ratings Analysis: NBC sitcom Happy's Place (0.27, +0.02) finally stopped its slide, but Lopez vs Lopez (0.18, 0.00) was unable to rise alongside it. In the 9 p.m. hour, a sinking Dateline (0.17, -0.07) lost to a stable edition of ABC's 20/20 (0.24, 0.00). Shark Tank (0.26, +0.01) ticked up in the 8 p.m. hour. SWAT (0.31, -0.01), Fire Country (0.35, -0.02), and Blue Bloods (0.28, -0.05) slipped on CBS. Fox aired a repeat of Accused (0.15) and college football (0.35). Inside the NFL (0.03, -0.01) dropped on the CW and led into an anemic Joan finale (0.01, -0.01). Key: (R) = repeat. (F) = finale.

Friday TV Ratings 11/1/24: Shark Tank and Fire Country Rise to Season Highs, Happy’s Place Drops Again, WWE SmackDown Leads [+ Analysis]

Ratings Analysis: ABC mainstays Shark Tank (0.25, +0.05) and 20/20 (0.24, +0.06) gained some momentum after being crushed by the World Series last week, enough so that Tank was able to set a new season high. CBS was also up across the board with dramas SWAT (0.32, +0.05), Fire Country (0.37, +0.03), and Blue Bloods (0.33, +0.08). NBC sitcoms Happy's Place (0.25, -0.04) and Lopez vs Lopez (0.18, -0.03) declined, but Dateline (0.24, 0.00) held steady. Whose Line (0.06, +0.01) ticked up on the CW, but Joan (0.02, -0.01) dipped. Fox aired repeats of The Masked Singer (0.13) and The Floor (0.14). Key: (R) = repeat.

Friday TV Ratings 10/25/24: World Series Massively Out-Rates 2023 Opening Game, Happy’s Place and Shark Tank Drop [+ Analysis]

Ratings Analysis: Fox's broadcast of the first 2024 World Series game delivered a massive 3.29 rating in the Adults 18-49 demographic and crossed the 14-million mark in terms of total viewership. This rating is nearly 70% higher than the first 2023 game (1.95), and the viewership figure is over 50% above that of the year-ago showing. On NBC, sitcoms Happy's Place (0.29, -0.06) and Lopez v Lopez (0.21, -0.04) declined from last week's premieres, but Dateline (0.24, +0.03) was up. SWAT (0.27, -0.01) and Fire Country (0.34, -0.01) dipped on CBS, but Blue Bloods (0.25, -0.05) had a much harsher decline. ABC's Shark Tank (0.20, -0.04) fell to a new low and took 20/20 (0.18, -0.05) down with it. Whose Line Is It Anyway? (0.05, 0.00) and Joan (0.03, 0.00) were both stable on the CW.

Friday TV Ratings 10/18/24: Happy’s Place Off to Solid Start, Shark Tank and SWAT Return with New Lows, WNBA Finals Jump, Countdown to Christmas Starts Lower with ’Twas the Date Before Christmas [+ Analysis]

Ratings Analysis: Reba McEntire sitcom Happy's Place (0.35) had a successful launch on NBC and led into the season premiere of Lopez vs Lopez (0.25). Dateline (0.21, +0.01) picked up a hundredth at 9. Over on ABC, Shark Tank (0.24) faltered in its return but seemed to help 20/20 (0.23, +0.04). CBS dramas SWAT (0.28) and Fire Country (0.35) were down from their May finales, but Blue Bloods (0.30) was up. Fox's Oregon/Purdue college football game (0.48) topped broadcast. Whose Line Is It Anyway? (0.05, -0.04) and Joan (0.03, -0.02) declined on the CW. Key: (P) = premiere. 

Friday TV Ratings 5/17/24: Fire Country and SWAT Rise for Finales, Jeopardy! Masters Dips to New Low [+ Analysis]

Ratings Analysis: CBS dramas SWAT (0.34, +0.01) and Fire Country (0.39, +0.05) were up on finale night, while Blue Bloods (0.26, -0.01) shed a hundredth. ABC's Jeopardy! Masters (0.29, -0.13) dipped to a new low, and 20/20 (0.21, -0.04) came down with it. Fox's WWE Smackdown (0.59, -0.03) slipped as well. NBC aired reruns of Password (0.21) and Dateline (0.23). 100 Days to Indy (0.02, +0.01) ticked up on the CW.

Friday TV Ratings 5/10/24: Jeopardy! Masters Slides, SWAT and WWE SmackDown Rise [+ Analysis]

Ratings Analysis: ABC's Jeopardy! Masters (0.30, -0.12) crashed in its first Friday episode of the season but was, at the very least, two ticks above last week's Shark Tank finale (0.28). In the 9 p.m. slot, 20/20 (0.25, 0.00) matched last week's episode but was a hundredth below NBC's Dateline (0.26, 0.00), as the latter also held steady. SWAT (0.33, +0.04) and Blue Bloods (0.27, +0.02) were up on CBS, but Fire Country (0.34, -0.01) inched down. Fox's WWE Smackdown (0.62, +0.02) rose by the same amount as it did last week. On the CW, 100 Days to Indy (0.01, -0.01) dropped some more and retained just 25% of the Penn & Teller: Fool Us rerun (0.04) that led into it.

Friday TV Ratings 5/3/24: Shark Tank Ties Series Low for Finale, Blue Bloods Hits New Low, Fire Country Rises [+ Analysis]

Ratings Analysis: ABC's Shark Tank (0.28, -0.03) dropped on finale night and tied its series low in the process. In the 9 p.m. hour, 20/20 (0.25, +0.01) picked up a hundredth but fell short of NBC's Dateline (0.26, -0.03). On CBS, SWAT (0.29, 0.00) held steady, Fire Country (0.35, +0.02) grew slightly, and Blue Bloods (0.25, -0.04) slipped. WWE Smackdown (0.60, +0.02) increased in size on Fox. 100 Days to Indy (0.02, -0.01) inched down on the CW.

Friday TV Ratings 4/26/24: CBS Dramas Decline, NFL Draft Narrowly Tops WWE SmackDown To Lead the Night, 100 Days to Indy Has Dismal Premiere (Final Ratings w/Analysis)

Ratings Analysis: ABC's NFL Draft broadcast (0.61) was four-tenths lower than yesterday's but managed to cling to its lead in the Adults 18-49 demographic nevertheless. Fox's WWE Smackdown (0.58, -0.05) came within striking distance of the NFL Draft but had to settle for a second-place finish. On CBS, dramas SWAT (0.29, -0.07), Fire Country (0.33, -0.02), and Blue Bloods (0.29, -0.02) all slipped. NBC's Dateline (0.29, +0.05) climbed higher. Penn & Teller: Fool Us (0.07, +0.01) inched up for its CW finale, but 100 Days to Indy (0.03) underwhelmed in its premiere.

Friday TV Ratings 4/12/24: Fire Country Slips for Backdoor Pilot, SWAT and Shark Tank Rise, WWE SmackDown Remains Dominant (Final Ratings w/Analysis)

Ratings Analysis: Shemar Moore series SWAT (0.36, +0.03) was up on CBS, but fellow dramas Fire Country (0.35, -0.03) and Blue Bloods (0.31, -0.01) lost some ground. ABC's Shark Tank (0.32, +0.03) and 20/20 (0.31, +0.08) were both on the rise, with 20/20 experiencing the most growth. On Fox, WWE Smackdown (0.76, -0.01) lost a hundredth but remained on top. NBC's Dateline (0.26, -0.01) also lost a tick. The CW re-ran Penn & Teller (0.04) and Sight Unseen (0.04). 

Friday TV Ratings 4/5/24: WWE SmackDown Jumps, SWAT and Shark Tank Slip (Final Ratings w/Analysis)

Ratings Analysis: With March Madness out of the way, Fox's WWE Smackdown (0.77, +0.17) returned to Friday night dominance. The wrestling series was up dramatically, almost rising by two full tenths, and more than doubled its nearest competitor in the Adults 18-49 demographic. On ABC, Shark Tank (0.29, -0.03) and 20/20 (0.23, -0.07) were down from their last originals. SWAT (0.33, -0.03), Fire Country (0.38, -0.01), and Blue Bloods (0.32, -0.04) also dropped on CBS. Dateline (0.27, +0.06), on the other hand, was up markedly on NBC. Penn & Teller (0.06, -0.01) shed a hundredth on the CW and was followed by a pilot encore of Sight Unseen (0.03). 

Friday TV Ratings 3/15/24: Fire Country and Blue Bloods Slip After Week Off, WWE SmackDown Also Slightly Down, Shark Tank Ticks Up (Final Ratings w/Analysis)

Ratings Analysis: CBS's SWAT (0.36, +0.03) was up from the second-half of last week's double-pump, but Fire Country (0.39, -0.05) and Blue Bloods (0.36, -0.02) were down after being off the air for a week. ABC's Shark Tank (0.32, +0.01) ticked up, but 20/20 (0.22, -0.02) went in the other direction. On NBC, Dateline (0.19, -0.15) completely collapsed but at least built on the Deal or No Deal Island rerun (0.15) that led into it. WWE Smackdown (0.68, -0.01) declined slightly on Fox. Penn & Teller: Fool Us (0.06, -0.01) and Totally Funny Animals (0.04, -0.01) dipped on the CW, but it was Totally Funny Kids (0.03, -0.04) that dealt with the largest decline of the three.

Friday TV Ratings 3/1/24: Shark Tank Nears Series Low, Blue Bloods, Fire Country and SWAT Jump, WWE SmackDown Leads (Final Ratings w/Analysis)

Ratings Analysis: Shark Tank (0.31, -0.05) and 20/20 (0.20, -0.09) collapsed on ABC after posting small gains just last week. On CBS, SWAT (0.44, +0.06), Fire Country (0.44, +0.06), and Blue Bloods (0.38, +0.06) picked up six-hundredths apiece. Fox's WWE Smackdown (0.64, +0.02) inched up and remained unbeatable. NBC's Dateline (0.31, +0.03) also grew a bit. Penn & Teller (0.07, 0.00) held flat on the CW, while Totally Funny Animals (0.07, +0.02) and Totally Funny Kids (0.06, +0.01) perked up.

Friday TV Ratings 2/23/24: Fire Country, SWAT and Blue Bloods Slide in Week Two, WWE SmackDown Also Sinks (UPDATED w/Analysis)

Ratings Analysis: CBS dramas SWAT (0.38, -0.08), Fire Country (0.38, -0.13), and Blue Bloods (0.32, -0.06) all took a step down in week two but remained adequate Friday-night players. Fox's WWE Smackdown (0.62, -0.13) took a pretty big hit but remained the night's top-rated program. Shark Tank (0.36, +0.02) and 20/20 (0.29, +0.02) picked up two-hundredths apiece on ABC, while NBC's Dateline (0.28, +0.01) picked up one. Penn & Teller (0.07, -0.01), Totally Funny Kids (0.05, -0.01), and Totally Funny Animals (0.05, -0.01) all shed a hundredth on the CW.

Finals Update: Shark Tank (+0.1) and Fire Country (+0.1) adjusted up.

Friday TV Ratings 2/16/24: Blue Bloods, Fire Country and SWAT Premiere Up, Shark Tank Drops (UPDATED w/Analysis)

Ratings Analysis: Friday evening dramas SWAT (0.46) and Fire Country (0.51) were both way up from their May 2023 finales (0.35/0.35) and led CBS to another strong, post-strike premiere night. Blue Bloods (0.38) also improved on its finale from last year (0.34), but there was a noticeable downturn in its retention from Fire Country. Shark Tank (0.34, -0.05) slipped on ABC, but 20/20 (0.27, 0.00) held steady. NBC's Dateline (0.27, +0.02) pulled into a tie with its newsmagazine rival, even though it had a Password rerun (0.23) for a lead-in. Fox remained king with a stable WWE Smackdown (0.75, 0.00). Penn & Teller: Fool Us (0.08, 0.00) was flat on the CW after taking a week off. After that came the series premieres of Totally Funny Kids (0.06) and Totally Funny Animals (0.06), with this pair posting adequate ratings by CW Friday standards. 

Finals Update: SWAT (+0.1) and Blue Bloods (+0.1) adjusted up.

Blue Bloods Ending After 14 Seasons

Less than a week after announcing the ending of Young Sheldon, CBS has announced that another long-running series will come to an end. Police procedural Blue Bloods, which debuted in 2010 and has been a staple of CBS Friday nights ever since (save for a brief move to Wednesdays midway through its first season), will end after its upcoming fourteenth season. The season will run for eighteen episodes, with ten of those episodes airing this midseason and the other eight airing next fall, meaning that Blue Bloods will still be a part of CBS' schedule for one more season after this one. The series has been highly successful for CBS, with the series being a staple of syndication and one of the most-watched shows on CBS, even as its 18-49 ratings have waned (much like ratings for all of TV as a whole) in recent years. Tom Selleck starred in the series, alongside Donnie Wahlberg, Bridget Moynahan, Will Estes and Len Cariou.