CBS - After starting the week with a reasonable performance from the ACM Awards (13.05m/3.3), the network got a little bonus Monday night in the form of the NCAA Championship game (20.06m/7.1). That’s off the pace from last year, but still a nice boost over the normal Monday results. On the other side of the coin, week two for Chaos (5.64m/.9) was not good. Yes, it’s on a Friday, but those numbers are dreadful even by the lowered Friday standard.
Fortunately, that came on the heels of what was otherwise a pretty solid week. NCIS (19.4m/3.8) continues to roll right along, and The Good Wife (10.82m/2) stands out for being up this week, despite a repeat of NCIS LA. Survivor (10.94m/3.2) remained steady against Idol, as did Criminal Minds (14.08m/3.6). Suspect Behavior (9.12m/2.1) remains a bit of a question mark. They’re not keeping everything, and at this point I think Suspect Behavior has fallen behind all of the awards and critical acclaim heaped on The Good Wife.
Thursday was by the books with Big Bang Theory (11.4m/3.7), Rules Of Engagement (8.69m/2.6), CSI (13.06m/2.9), and The Mentalist (15.17m/3). And the week wrapped with CSI NY (9.42m/1.6) and Blue Bloods (10.31m/1.5) closing out the night after the Chaos stumble.
FOX - It’s been kind of fascinating over the past few years to watch FOX try and develop a live-action, half-hour, comedy. Look at what what all that work has brought to the table since Malcolm in the Middle and That ’70s Show left the air — Free Ride, The Loop, The Winner, Happy Hour, The War At Home, The Return of Jezebel James, Back To You, Do Not Disturb, Brothers, Sons of Tuscon, Til Death, Running Wilde, Traffic Light.
It makes Raising Hope seem like a wild success by comparison. The network might have another hope, after the premiere of Breaking In (9.82m/3.5). Granted, that was on the heels of the Wednesday American Idol (23.13m/7.3). So we will have to see how things play out in the coming weeks. Still, the comedy bar at FOX is set really, really, low. The Thursday Idol (22.63m/6.8) was also solid, with Bones (10.58m/3.2) at the usual levels following. I’ll be interested to see if the controversial elimination shows in the numbers next week. I mean… if Tom Hanks is ready to quit watching…
ABC – Week two was a bit of a mixed bag for Body of Proof. Things started a little rough with a special Sunday episode (8.49m/2) following Secret Millionaire (9.82m/2.7) and Desperate Housewives (9.05m/2.9). That is an iffy number, but I’m willing to forgive it because it wasn’t the normal night, and because it was trailing Desperate Housewives facing an awards show. The housewives always take a hit from awards shows.
Tuesday’s episode (11.15m/2.4) didn’t exactly solidify things. That is a pretty good drop from the premiere. It was mitigated somewhat by the fact that the DWTS Results (16.09m/3.2), following No Ordinary Family (5.74m/1.5), were also down a good bit. That’s enough to say we need to keep watching the results, and it’s also worth noting that this still puts it ahead of all the other dramas contending for that spot. Earlier in the week Dancing With The Stars (21.83m/4.7) was solid, and Castle (11.45m/2.8) was down, but continuing to enjoy the dancing boost.
Wednesday again showcased the dynamic duo of Mr Sunshine (4.66m/1.6) and Off The Map (3.8m/1.3). I still don’t get the reasoning for leaving these two shows to fend for themselves week after week. Chances are they would have failed anyway, but the scheduling certainly didn’t do them any favors.
NBC – After another disappointing result for Next Great Restaurant (3.98m/1.5), Sunday brought the highlight of the week with Celebrity Apprentice (8.65m/3.1). Things were pretty rough after that. Monday brought another tough result for The Event (4.14m/1.3), and a bad finish for Harry’s Law (7.75m/1.4). It was against a boosted Castle and the NCAA, but it’s never a good sign to go out on your worst numbers. There was at least a little hope Tuesday, thanks to Biggest Loser (7.57m/2.8). Parenthood (4.76m/1.9) closed out the night with the usual result.
Things went dark again on Wednesday, thanks to Minute To Win It (3.27m/1). I’m actually starting to wonder why it is even still on the air. SVU (8.29m/2.4) looked okay, again managing to take the top spot in the demo for its slot. Thursday was more disappointing than usual, with only Perfect Couples (2.23m/1) and Outsourced (2.97m/1.4) bringing new episodes. Perfect Couples managed the rare feat of finishing fifth in viewers and demo, behind a repeat Wipeout and Vampire Diaries.
CW – Things are finally starting to ramp back up. This week brought four hours, in the form of Next Top Model (1.89m/.9), Shedding For The Wedding (.84m/.3), Vampire Diaries (2.73m/1.2), and Nikita (1.82m/.7).
CABLE - The big premiere for the week was AMC’s The Killing (2.72m/.7). That’s not a great result, but not a showstopper either. It will be interesting to see if all the positive press helps the week two numbers. The ratings I found more interesting though were those for the Game of Thrones (.72m/.2) preview. Honestly, I expected more. Perhaps we should chalk the low numbers up to the fact that it ran alongside Mildred Pierce (.99m/.3), which isn’t bringing in any viewers. Or just the fact that GoT fans haven’t mobilized yet. I think the show is going to be a success for HBO. Maybe not up to the level of True Blood, but in that ballpark. The tepid reaction to the premiere is just one of those things that makes me go hmmmm.
Basic:
Premium
Clacked by Brett Love 
on Apr 11, 2011 @ 11:00 EST5EDT
I did not watch the GoT preview simply because I want to see the whole thing at one time.
I’m really excited for this one.
*POST AUTHOR*
Also a fair and reasonable answer! But man… don’t you think people are going to be pissed about those five year waits between seasons? :P
Yeah, it’s a pain, but we all, myself included, enjoy being under the ether that good art takes forever.
I didn’t even know about the preview. I would have watched if I knew about it. I have since watched the first episode and the preview and a bunch of the other on demand clips.
GoT is quite impressive. I’ve never read the books, but I’m extremely excited about it!
I wish Chaos had been disjointed and poorly produced enough to warrant its DOA ratings, but I love the show. I’m going to miss it along with a lot of other mid-season failures such as The Cape, Traffic Light and Perfect Couples. No regrets on Mr. Sunshine, though.
I like both Breaking In and The Killing, which probably bodes poorly for their future prospects.