Evaluating Chuck Lorre’s Biggest Hits and Misses on CBS

Thursday TV Ratings 5/13/21: Mom Rises for Series Finale, Manifest and Rebel Eye Series Lows, Law & Order: Organized Crime Rises for SVU Crossover (UPDATED)

Preliminary Analysis: CBS's long-running sitcom 'Mom' (0.7) ended its 8-season stint in respectable fashion. The Allison Janney comedy rose a tenth from last week and found itself smack-dab in season high territory. The 'Young Sheldon' season finale (0.7) and 'United States of AI (0.6) each ticked up, but the 'B Positive' finale (0.5) and 'Clarice' (0.3) failed to make any gains. On NBC, 'Manifest (0.4) fell to its lowest rating yet, losing a tenth on a week-to-week basis. 'Law & Order: SVU' (0.7) lost a tenth as 'Law & Order: Organized Crime' (0.7) managed to gain one at 10. ABC's 'Rebel' (0.3) crashed to a series low, the Katey Sagal drama had much less lead-in support than usual since 'Grey's Anatomy' (0.4/0.4) went into repeat-mode. 'Last Man Standing' (0.3) and 'Let's Be Real' (0.2) were unchanged on Fox, with 'Last Man' airing its last episode before next week's series finale. 'Walker' (0.1) and 'Legacies' (0.1) also matched their previous showings on the CW. 

Finals Update: 'Law & Order: SVU' (0.8, +0.1), the 'B Positive' finale (0.6, +0.1), a repeat of 'Grey's Anatomy' (0.5, +0.1), 'Last Man Standing' (0.4, +0.1), and 'Rebel' (0.4, +0.1) adjusted up. 

Thursday TV Ratings 5/6/21: Grey’s Anatomy Rises from Previous Preliminary Rating, Mom and B Positive Beat Young Sheldon and United States of Al, Rebel Ticks Up (UPDATED)

Preliminary Analysis: ABC remained in relatively strong shape as both 'Station 19' (0.7) and 'Grey's Anatomy' (0.9) held even. Struggling newbie 'Rebel' (0.5) even gained a tenth in the 10pm slot. CBS had a rough night in comparison, with 'Young Sheldon' (0.5) losing two-tenths and 'United States of AI' (0.4) shedding a tenth. Prospects brightened at 9 as 'Mom' (0.6) rose a tenth for its penultimate episode and 'B Positive' (0.5) inched up as well. 'Clarice' was frozen at a 0.3 rating at 10. NBC's double-pump of 'Manifest' (0.5/0.5) matched last week and led into another 'SVU' encore (0.4). Fox's feeble comedy duo of 'Last Man Standing' (0.3) and 'Let's Be Real' (0.2) held onto their poor week-ago ratings. They were preceded by a rerun of 'Name That Tune' (0.3). 'Walker' (0.1) inched down on the CW but 'Legacies' (0.1) tied its previous installment. 

Finals Update: Station 19 (+0.1), Grey's Anatomy (+0.1), Young Sheldon (+0.1) and United States of Al (+0.1) adjusted up.

Thursday TV Ratings 4/29/21: Let’s Be Real Bombs Behind Dropping Last Man Standing, Weaker NFL Draft Dominates, Manifest, Mom & B Positive Also Slip (UPDATED)

Preliminary Analysis: ABC traded out its drama trio for the '2021 NFL Draft' (1.0) and got slightly stronger ratings than usual. Despite that, the draft was four-tenths below the previous edition from 2020 (1.4). On CBS, 'Young Sheldon' (0.7) held even but 'United States of AI' (0.5), 'Mom' (0.5), and 'B Positive' (0.4) all lost a tenth. A repeat of 'Clarice' (0.2) clogged the 10pm slot once more. NBC's 'Manifest' (0.4/0.4) dropped to a new season low for a two-hour episode, leading into an encore of 'Law & Order: SVU' (0.3). Fox had an absolutely horrific night with 'Hell's Kitchen' out of the picture. Following a repeat of 'Name That Tune' (0.2), 'Last Man Standing' (0.3) fell to a brutal series low. At 9:30, the return of puppet comedy 'Let's Be Real' (0.2) bombed out the gate, 50% below the last time it aired (0.4) and even behind last week's installment of 'The Moodys' (0.34). The CW aired two royal-themed specials, 'William & Kate's Royal Anniversary' (0.1) and 'Harry & Meghan's American Dream' (0.1). Few tuned in to watch but those low ratings should definitely excite Piers Morgan.

Finals Update: 'NFL Draft' (+0.1) and both episodes of 'Manifest' (+0.1 each) adjusted up.

Thursday TV Ratings 4/22/21: Hell’s Kitchen Finale and Greys Anatomy Lead, Mom Ties Young Sheldon, Rebel and SVU Drop (UPDATED)

Preliminary Analysis: Fox's 'Hell's Kitchen' (0.8) wrapped up its robust 19th season in phenomenal shape, tying its season high and matching 'Grey's' (0.8) for the top spot of the night. The Gordon Ramsay staple has always been a useful utility player, but it seems that the series has managed to cross over into legitimate "hit" territory this year. Following the cooking-show finale, 'Last Man Standing' (0.5) and 'The Moody's' (0.3) both gained a tenth. 'Moody's' will not be returning in this slot, with puppet comedy 'Let's Be Real' taking over next week. ABC was in complete freefall mode as 'Station 19' (0.7), 'Grey's Anatomy' (0.8), and 'Rebel' (0.4) all lost a tenth. CBS's 'Young Sheldon' (0.6) and 'United States of AI' (0.5) were down two-tenths and a tenth respectively. 9pm comedies 'Mom' (0.6) and 'B Positive' (0.5) held even, and a repeat of 'Clarice' (0.2) tanked the 10pm slot as usual. On NBC, 'Law & Order: SVU' (0.7) slipped by two-tenths while 'Organized Crime' (0.6) only lost one-tenth. 8pm drama 'Manifest' posted its third-straight 0.5 rating. The CW aired the 2019 film '2040' (0.1), likely previewing how Nielsen ratings will look like in that particular year. 

Finals Update: Hell's Kitchen (+0.1), Grey's Anatomy (+0.1), Young Sheldon (+0.1), United States of Al (+0.1) and Law & Order: SVU (+0.1) adjusted up.