Tuesday TV Ratings 5/6/25: Night Court Drops for Finale, FBI and Alert Also Decline, The Rookie Rebounds [+ Analysis]

Ratings Analysis: The Night Court finale (0.20/0.18) underwhelmed on NBC, but the series did avoid setting a new low on its way out. On CBS, FBI (0.30, -0.05) and FBI: International (0.25, -0.01) dropped, but FBI: Most Wanted (0.24, 0.00) was steady at ten. On ABC, Will Trent (0.28, 0.00) matched its last installment, The Rookie (0.27, +0.07) surged, and Bad Romance (0.11, -0.03) slipped. On Fox, The Cleaning Lady (0.14, -0.01) and Alert: Missing Persons Unit (0.10, -0.03) declined. The CW's WWE NXT (0.14, -0.01) also ticked down. Key: (R) = repeat. (F) = finale. 

Tuesday TV Ratings 4/22/25: St. Denis Medical and Night Court Down from Previous Week’s Repeats, Alert Hits Another Series Low, The Rookie and FBI: Most Wanted Also Sink to New Lows [+ Analysis]

Ratings Analysis: In a cruel twist of fate, NBC sitcoms St. Denis Medical (0.22, -0.01) and Night Court (0.16, -0.03) were down from a pair of repeats (0.26/0.17) that aired last week. On ABC, Will Trent (0.31, +0.02) increased in size, but The Rookie (0.21, -0.11) outright collapsed. FBI (0.35, -0.05), FBI: International (0.26, -0.06), and FBI: Most Wanted (0.24, -0.10) all plunged on CBS. The Cleaning Lady (0.11, +0.01) ticked up on Fox, but Alert: Missing Persons Unit (0.09, -0.01) went even lower. Both Fox dramas paled in comparison to the CW's WWE NXT (0.17, +0.03). Key: (R) = repeat.

Tuesday TV Ratings 12/17/24: Night Court and FBI: International Sink to Lows, NBA Cup Championship Dominates, LEGO Masters: Celebrity Holiday Bricktacular Rises [+ Analysis]

Ratings Analysis: NBC sitcoms St. Denis Medical (0.30, -0.01) and Night Court (0.20, -0.05) both dropped to new series lows after taking a week off. On CBS, dramas FBI (0.38, +0.01) and FBI: Most Wanted (0.31, +0.04) were on the rise, but FBI: International (0.28, -0.03) slipped. ABC's showing of the NBA Cup Championship (0.79) was the highest-rated broadcast of the night in the Adults 18-49 demographic. On Fox, LEGO Masters: Celebrity Holiday Bricktacular (0.23, +0.05) was up markedly from last week. WWE NXT (0.16, -0.01) ticked down on the CW. Key: (R) = repeat. (F) = finale.

Tuesday TV Ratings 12/10/24: Prep & Landing Specials Slide from 2023, The Voice Slightly Up for Finale, NBA Cup Leads the Night [+ Analysis]

Ratings Analysis: Christmas specials Prep & Landing (0.19) and Prep & Landing: Naughty vs. Nice (0.16) were down noticeably from 2023 on ABC, but Olaf's Frozen Adventure (0.28) actually improved on last year's showings. The Alphabet Network also aired the 2014 special Toy Story That Time Forgot (0.25) and a rerun of America's Funniest Home Videos: Wreck the Halls (0.16). FBI (0.37, -0.05), FBI: International (0.31, -0.05), and FBI: Most Wanted (0.27, -0.05) all slipped on CBS. On NBC, The Voice (0.43, +0.10) was up by a full tenth for its finale. On Fox, the premiere of LEGO Masters: Celebrity Holiday Bricktacular (0.18) barely fended off the CW's WWE NXT (0.17, +0.04). Key: (P) = premiere. (R) = repeat. (F) = finale.

CBS Renew/Cancel (9/21-10/3): What Shall CBS Franchise Next? More Taco Bell Restaurants?

 

Week 2 of the 2021-22 season featured three more additions to the lineup as CBS unveiled Friday dramas SWAY, Magnum PI and Blue Bloods to modest results.  While the network is delivering stable, it seems a bit predictable their procedural lineup shall soon have 3 entries of NCIS FBI and reboot franchises monopolizing their schedule.  And even dormant CSI has another spawn arriving this season.  One must ask if ratings continue to disintegrate, will parent company Viacom reach past television and finance their network with fast-food franchises.  Imagine NCIS: LA which 50% of their commercial space features their commercials, and product placement with its side players chowing down on their gourmet menu.  With that silliness aside, let's break down the entries on display on the schedule.

ON THE BUBBLE

SWAT returned to a sizable 0.45 rating for its 5th season, but caution is heeded as it is on the move this season and only enjoying temporary shelter on Fridays.  Trailing after was the 4th season opener of Magnum PI, which dropped noticeably to 0.39.  While these entries are passable for Friday evening, the last two seasons have featured shocking axings of MacGyver and Hawaii 5-O after renewals were predicted.  Friday evenings will be watched for performance this season as CBS has seemingly reverted back to dispensing a show a season.

LIKELY RENEWAL

Blue Bloods entered the arena with a respectable 0.42 rating.  However, it is in its 12th season and is recently tying Dateline NBC.  The show performs strong leaving it in the Likely Renewal category though the age may be a risk factor.  NCIS: Hawaii managed to retain most of its audience, but still rates a solid two tenths below parent show NCIS.  In encouraging news, FBI: International built on fellow sequel FBI: Most Wanted's disastrous 0.14 drop with a 0.54, outrating by two thousandths.

CERTAIN RENEWAL

Little is to be discussed in this category as the strongest reside here.  However, FBI: Most Wanted dropped 0.14 to a 0.52 rating, indicating there could be trouble.  The series is in its 3rd season, demonstrating stronger renewal odds.  However, prior rules of "4 seasons" or "100 episodes" have gone out the window in today's current television climate.  For now, FBI: International shall remain parked unless drops continue.

CBS Renew/Cancel January 24-28, 2021: The Neighborhood Screws the 1.0 Mark and is Certain for Renewal

CBS holds the highest number of scripted series unleashed in the season to date with 18 entries.  With such a dull pallet, how is it possible to scratch a headline?  How about deliver 4 shows who hit their seasonal highs this season!?  Follow the yellow brick road for the evenings and their ratings:

Sunday, January 24: The NCIS spawn took the evening off so CBS could give FBI (1.98) some overdue exposure, drafting a series high and gaining 1.33 obscene ratings points from their last outing.

Monday, January 25: The Neighborhood (1.00) gained two solid tenths with a seasonal high, and also becoming the first scripted series of the season to earn a non-fractional rating without football.  Bob Hearts Abishola (0.77) also saw its seasonal high after gaining 0.11, as All Rise (0.51) lost 0.003, apparently handed over to Bull (0.50) who gained the same helping.

Tuesday, January 26: Gains brought NCIS (0.97) close to the 1.0 line for a seasonal high having gained 0.21.  Did exposure to NFL help bolster FBI?  The halo punted out of the goalpost (0.83), its 2nd-lowest rating of the season.  Foul!  And FBI: Most Wanted?  It bounced 0.11 with a sturdy 0.67 rating.

Wednesday, January 27: SEAL Team (0.54) clapped their fins to a gain of 0.006 while SWAT (0.40), was steady.  Can't this show contribute any growth to the lineup despite ultra-compatible scheduling?

Thursday, January 28: Remember home alone when the misunderstood child was left in an empty house?  The Unicorn (0.35) experienced this as its three sitcom siblings left the nest.  Instead of enjoying some space and growing, it shed 0.006.

Despite 4 of its stronger entries igniting series highs, the network averaged hemorrhaged 0.008, dropping CBS' scripted average dropped a hair.  Sources of the hemorrhage appear to be FBI's freefall following an NFL rise as well as flatlines in The Unicorn and All Rise.  If space is needed, both of the last two mentions are out the door.  Given CBS Mondays are sturdy as well as the first hour of the Thursday sitcoms, CBS could opt to swap the extra hour of comedies from Thursday to Monday.  All depends on the success of Clarice, slated to arrive February 11.  If CBS manages to locate a hit, they may consider shifting the tone to dramatic as the evening fades on.  This push could become a reality if Mom bows out after 8 seasons.  Why would CBS invest in a fading evening when its Monday comedies are delivering strong and updating the sitcom franchise?  Imagine the compatibility of moving B-Positive's forced laughtrack to 9:00 on Monday, followed by a new pilot.  And on Thursdays, leaving a new comedy to launch behind Young Sheldon.  Below are the episodes' ratings in entirety for the 2020-21 season with seasonal highs and lows highlighted.

FBI: Most Wanted Ratings--Season 1 (Spring 2020)