Ratings Clack – Apparently, you ARE ready for some football, and bikers

by Brett Love

The NFL kicked off the regular season with a huge result in prime-time, bringing big numbers back to the networks. Over on cable, 'Jersey Shore' continued to dominate, but 'Sons of Anarchy' returned with a very good number.

NBC - As we sit on the verge of the new fall season, questions abound. Will this show find viewers? Will that one be canceled before the big mystery is revealed? Will the TV watching come together and unite in just not watching X-Factor? In all the wonder, one thing we know for sure… The NFL is going to get big ratings. It’s just the way things are. After a few weeks of lackluster results for pre-season games, the real business began with the first official Sunday Night Football (27.17m/10.9), on Thursday. Finally the networks have an answer for Jersey Shore… Elsewhere, NBC also looked solid with two more goes of America’s Got Talent (11.85m/3.1 – 12.36m/3). After that, things were much less interesting. It’s Worth What (4.84m/1.2) remained unimpressive, and even a finale couldn’t do much to help out Friends With Benefits (2.83m/.8 – 2.41m/.8).

CBS - It was another week that only offered Big Brother (6.62m/2.4 – 7.79m/2.9 – 6.65m/2.4). The show isn’t exactly on fire, but given the state of the other network summer programming, I’m sure we can all count on another group of houseguests next summer.

FOX - Also on a considerably limited schedule, the only real highlight was Hell’s Kitchen (5.89m/2.7). In The Flow (2.37m/1.1) remained soft, as did Buried Treasure (4.25m/1.3).

ABC - More new programming isn’t always better. ABC had another week where none of their new programs could crack a 2 in the demo. If there was good news, it could be that the Rookie Blue (5.06m/1.2) finale crept above five million viewers, but that’s reaching just a bit. Meanwhile, Bachelor Pad (5.93m/1.9) continued to slow, while Take The Money & Run (3.87m/1.6) and Combat Hospital (3.17m/.9) just never got up to speed. The week finished with Karaoke Battle USA (3.14m/.8).

CABLE - The big premiere for the week was Sons Of Anarchy (4.93m/2.5) on FX. That’s actually a really impressive number. Especially when you compare it to the rest of the offerings on the network. Finales for Rescue Me (2.33m/1), Wilfred (.9m/.4), and Louie (.57m/.3) don’t match that number even when added together (3.8m/1.7). With those results, I suppose the network can ignore the fact that season four’s story (Jax wants out of the club!) is the same story we started in season one. Just shoot Clay in the face already, right?

Basic
Breaking Bad (1.98m/.8) The Closer (7.17m/1.3) Rizzoli & Isles (6.69m/1.3) The Glades (2.38m/.7) Futurama (1.48m/.7) Project Runway (2.55m/.9) Pawn Stars (6.02m/2.3 – 6.09m/2.3)	Secret Life of the American Teen (2.83m/1.4) Awkward (2.08m/1.2) Necessary Roughness (3.71m/1.1) Burn Notice (4.39m/1.3) Suits (3.47m/1.1) Jersey Shore (6.81m/3.9) Storage Wars (5.33m/2.1 – 4.93m/2.1)
Premium
True Blood (4.39m/2.4) Entourage (1.72m/1) Curb Your Enthusiasm (1.43m/.6)