Note: The Programming Insider will not be published tomorrow. See you back on Wednesday, Jan. 2.
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The Best and Worst on TV in 2007
As we ring in 2008 this evening, here is a listing (in random order) of the winners and losers on the small screen in 2007. Happy New Year, everyone! Here's to good health, much happiness, great success and the end of this damn writers strike!
WINNERS
The Sopranos (HBO)
Yes, the questionable ending left many fans cold last spring. Is Tony still alive? Was he whacked? But the painful slow decline of Tony Soprano was an appropriate swan song for this troubled mobster. Even if he did live, he is still suffering.
Grey's Anatomy (ABC) and CSI (CBS)
Despite facing each other in the same time period, the two dramas still wiped the floor with the competition (including NBC sitcoms The Office and Scrubs). Who says there can't be two big hits in one hour?
Drew Carey
Morphing from the star of a mediocre sitcom to the host of two successful game shows, The Price is Right and The Power of 10, makes Drew Carey the comeback king of 2007. Even so, I still miss Bob Barker. Don't you?
Brothers & Sisters (ABC)
If you miss the good old days of thirtysomething and seek a group of TV characters to talk about at the water-cooler, look no further. Brothers & Sisters is hands down the best relationship driven drama on the air today.
Dancing with the Stars (ABC)
Variety is not dead. It's alive and well in the form of the red-hot Dancing with the Stars.
High School Musical 2 (Disney Channel)
No, it won't exactly win any Emmys. But a whopping 17.2 million viewers in its debut makes High School Musical 2 the highest rated basic cable broadcast in the history of television.
America Ferrera
A hit show, Ugly Betty, and an Emmy to boot…certainly not a bad beginning for one of the brightest stars of tomorrow…America Ferrera. Now it is time to lose the braces and glamour it up a bit.
Lost (ABC)
After three seasons and countless mysteries, we finally got some answers. But how did Jack and Kate get off the island? And who was Kate going home to? Sawyer? Tune in on Thursday, Jan. 31 for the fourth season-premiere.
Private Practice (ABC)
A big hit? No. But the art of the spin-off is still alive and well in the form of Private Practice.
Showtime
Brotherhood, Californication, Dexter, The L Word, The Tudors, Weeds -- Showtime has picked up where HBO has left off.
LOSERS
Isaiah Washington
From Grey's Anatomy, a bona fide hit, to the waiting-to-be axed Bionic Woman makes opinionated Isaiah Washington the biggest loser of 2007.
Mandy Patinkin
First he prematurely exits Chicago Hope and the show is not negatively impacted. Then he abruptly departs Criminal Minds and…guess what?...the show is just fine. Will anyone (CBS, in particular) ever hire Mandy Patinkin again?
Viva Laughlin (CBS)
Too bad no one at CBS heard of that classic 1990 fiasco called Cop Rock before it briefly put this musical drama about a casino on the air. Please Melanie Griffith…stay away from the small screen!
Cavemen (ABC)
Why would anyone in their right mind think that a cute series of Geico insurance commercials would make a funny sitcom?
Rosie O'Donnell
While it looked like Rosie O'Donnell would bounce right back after her tumultuous stint on The View with her own talk show on MSNBC, the cable net backed out.
The CW
Word of advice to the programmers of tomorrow: two failed networks does not equal one hit.
ER (NBC)
After 14 seasons it is time to pull the plug on this once must see medical drama. Please NBC…let ER go with some dignity.
Nashville (Fox)
Watching paint dry was more interesting than witnessing this Fox reality series about country musical wannabes in Nashville.
The TV Audience
The ongoing writers' strike means that viewers are being bombarded with repeats and more reality shows. What is a viewer to do?
Summer 2007
Anchorwoman (Fox), The Ex-Wives Club (ABC), Fast Cars & Superstars (ABC), On the Lot (Fox) and Pirate Master (CBS) -- Yup, the "Gone Fishing" sign was up once again.
Prime-Time Ratings:
Weekend Highlights
| Friday 12/28/07 Fast Affiliate Ratings |
| NETWORK | HH RATING/SHARE |
 | 3.9/ 6 |
 | 3.9/ 6 |
 | 3.6/ 6 |
 | 3.2/ 5 |
 | 2.5/ 4 |
-Total Viewers:
CBS: 6.04 million, NBC: 5.91, ABC: 5.39, Fox: 5.28, CW: 4.56
-Adults 18-49:
NBC and Fox: 1.9 rating/6 share each, CBS: 1.6/ 5, ABC and CW: 1.3/ 4 each
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Note: Any prior rating results are based on the final nationals. Also, since the level of DVR penetration has increased from 9 percent in early 2006-07 to approximately 20 percent at present, the overall results may be negatively impacted.
----------
-Note: Due to the glut of holiday repeats, there is no listing of Friday winners and losers this week.
----------
-Ratings Breakdown:
Obviously, there is very little to say when the top-rated network of the evening barely averages 6 million viewers. On that note, CBS was the most-watched network on this final Friday of December with its repeat combination of Ghost Whisperer (Viewers: #1, 6.38 million; A18-49: #1t, 1.7/ 5), Moonlight (Viewers: #4, 5.01 million; A18-49: #3t, 1.4/ 4) and Numb3rs (Viewers: #1, 6.74 million; A18-49: #2, 1.8/ 5).
NBC and Fox tied for first overall among adults 18-49, each with a mere 1.9 rating in the demo. NBC burned-off two half-hour episodes of The Singing Bee (Viewers: #2, avg. 5.86 million; A18-49: #1t, avg. 1.7/ 6), which was originally scheduled to air in the Friday 8 p.m. hour, followed by a two-hour edition of Dateline at 5.94 million viewers and a 2.0/ 6 among adults 18-49 from 9-11 p.m. Fox aired a repeat of theatrical Bruce Almighty, which averaged 5.28 million viewers and a 1.9/ 6 in the demo from 8-10 p.m.
Elsewhere, one of the CW's few bright spots remains Friday Night Smackdown!, which notched a respectable 4.56 million viewers and a 1.3/ 4 among adults 18-49 from 8-10 p.m. And ABC aired a repeat of Men in Trees (Viewers: #5, 3.97 million; A18-49: #5, 0.8/ 3), a repeat of Women's Murder Club (Viewers: #1, 6.56 million; A18-49: #3t, 1.4/ 4) and 20/20 (Viewers: #3, 5.63 million; A18-49: #3, 1.6/ 5). Worth noting for the Women's Murder Club encore was growth of 2.59 million viewers and 75 percent in the demo out of the Men in Trees repeat. Too bad more viewers have not discovered the quirky Men in Trees.
Source: Nielsen Media Research data (R = repeat)
--------------------
| Saturday 12/29/07 Fast Affiliate Ratings |
| NETWORK | HH RATING/SHARE |
| 7.6/13 |
| 6.8/12 |
| 3.4/ 6 |
| 2.9/ 5 |
-Total Viewers:
CBS: 13.70 million, NBC: 11.67, Fox: 5.44, ABC: 4.31
-Adults 18-49:
CBS: 4.5 rating/13 share, NBC: 4.0/12, Fox: 1.8/ 5, ABC: 1.3/ 4
--------------------
Note: Any prior rating results are based on the final nationals. Also, since the level of DVR penetration has increased from 9 percent in early 2006-07 to approximately 20 percent at present, the overall results may be negatively impacted.
----------
-Saturday's Winners:
Saturday Night Football: Patriots vs. the Giants (CBS and NBC)
-Saturday's Losers (excluding repeats):
Nothing
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-Ratings Breakdown:
Yes, my friends, it was a big night of television on Saturday this week courtesy of CBS and NBC airing the New England Patriots versus New York Giants football match-up. CBS' coverage averaged a dominant 13.70 million viewers and a 4.5 rating/13 share among adults 18-49 from 8-11 p.m. And NBC's coverage was healthy at 11.67 million viewers and a 4.0/12 in the demo. Together, the two networks totaled 25.37 million viewers and an 8.5/25 among adults 18-49 on Saturday. Lesson to be learned: with the right programming, the broadcast nets can still attract an audience on Saturday.
Elsewhere, Fox finished third in each half hour as a result of Cops (Viewers: 5.28 million; A18-49: 1.7/ 6) and America's Most Wanted (Viewers: 5.59 million; A18-49: 2.0/ 6). And ABC came in last with its repeat combination of four episodes of sitcom Samantha Who? (Viewers: avg. 4.07 million; A18-49: avg. 1.3/ 4) and drama Women's Murder Club (Viewers: 4.79 million; A18-49: 1.2/ 3).
Source: Nielsen Media Research data (R = repeat)
--------------------
Note: The following results are based on the overnight markets.
| Sunday 12/30/07 Metered Market Ratings |
| NETWORK | HH RATING/SHARE |
| 7.3/13 |
| 6.1/12 |
| 5.2/10 |
| 4.1/ 6 |
| 1.3/ 3 |
-Percent Change From the Year-Ago Evening (Sunday, Dec. 31, 2006)
NBC: +23, ABC: +22, CBS: +20, Fox: +12, CW: -46
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Note: The fast national results for Sunday will be posted at PIFeedback.com by 12 p.m. ET. Go to the website, click on Ratings Box (the first category), then Last Night's Results, and Sunday, Dec. 30, 2007.
----------
-Note: Due to the glut of holiday repeats, there is no listing of winners and losers this week.
----------
-Ratings Breakdown:
Football-ignited NBC led this final Sunday of December, with a 23 percent metered market advantage over second-place CBS. Next was Fox, followed by ABC and the CW.
The Titans and the Colts match-up on NBC's Sunday Night Football averaged an approximate 11.5 rating/18 share from 8:30-11 p.m. That led out of pre-game Football Night in America at a 3.1/ 5 in the 7 p.m. hour (#4) and a 6.3/11 from 8-8:30 p.m. (#3).
Due to an approximate 45-minute football overrun, all results for CBS are estimated and are broken out as follows:
CBS
7:00 p.m. Football: 10.2/18 (#2)
7:30 p.m. Football/60 Minutes: 9.0/16 (#1)
8:00 p.m. 60 Minutes: 9.2/15 (#1)
8:30 p.m. 60 Minutes/Amazing Race 12: 7.0/11 (#2)
9:00 p.m. Amazing Race 12: 6.3/10 (#2)
9:30 p.m. Amazing Race 12/Cold Case R: 6.0/ 9 (#2)
10:00 p.m. Cold Case R: 5.7/ 9 (#2)
10:30 p.m. Cold Case R/Shark R: 5.2/ 9 (#3)
Fox opened the evening with a approximate 30-minute football overrun (#1, 11.6/20 at 7 p.m.), followed by post-game The OT at a third-place 7.1/12 at 7:30 p.m. The remainder of Fox's Sunday line-up was all repeats -- The Simpsons (#3: 4.8/ 8), King of the Hill (#4: 3.7/ 6), Family Guy (#4: 4.2/ 7) and American Dad (#4: 3.8/ 6) from 8-10 p.m. Over at ABC, the four-hour repeat telecast of classic theatrical The Sound of Music was fourth overall, with a 5.0/ 8 from 7-11 p.m.
Last, and very least, was the CW's combination of CW Now (0.6/ 1), a repeat of Aliens in America (0.6/ 1), a repeat of Life is Wild (0.7/ 1) and a repeat of Crowned: The Mother of all Beauty Pageants (0.9/ 1).
Source: : Nielsen Media Research data (R = repeat)
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