| First-Run | FOX | CBS | ABC | NBC | MyNet | CW | syndicator |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wheel of Fortune | 2 | 12 | 21 | 25 | 0 | 0 | CBS |
| Jeopardy! | 1 | 13 | 18 | 14 | 1 | 0 | CBS |
| Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 2 | FOX |
| Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? | 0 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Disney |
| Deal or No Deal | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | NBC |
| Entertainment Tonight | 1 | 25 | 20 | 15 | 0 | 0 | CBS |
| Access Hollywood | 5 | 0 | 1 | 19 | 0 | 0 | NBC |
| Inside Edition | 0 | 7 | 2 | 10 | 1 | 0 | CBS |
| The Insider | 2 | 9 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | CBS |
| Extra | 0 | 3 | 1 | 11 | 3 | 0 | WB |
| TMZ | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | WB |
| local news | 6 | 5 | 9 | 6 | 5 | 2 | - - |
| Judge Judy | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | CBS |
| Judge Joe Brown | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | CBS |
| Judge Mathis | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | WB |
| Judge Hatchett | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | Sony |
| The People's Court | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | WB |
| The Oprah Winfrey Show | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | CBS |
| Dr. Phil | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | CBS |
| Dr. Oz | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | Sony |
| The Doctors | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | CBS |
| Maury | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | NBC |
| Jerry Springer | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | NBC |
| Reruns | FOX | CBS | ABC | NBC | MyNet | CW | syndicator |
| Simpsons | 19 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | FOX |
| Family Guy | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 7 | FOX |
| King of the Hill | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | FOX |
| Two and a Half Men | 78 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 29 | WB |
| The Office | 9 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 8 | NBC |
| Raymond | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | CBS |
| Seinfeld | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | Sony |
| Tyler Perry's House of Payne | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 | FOX |
| Friends | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | WB |
| My Name Is Earl | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | FOX |
| George Lopez | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | WB |
| That '70s Show | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | FOX |
| Everybody Hates Chris | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | CBS |
| Half & Half | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | CBS |
| King of Queens | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | Sony |
| Fresh Prince | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | WB |
| Reba | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | FOX |
| According to Jim | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | Disney |
| Scrubs | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | Disney |
| My Wife and Kids | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | Disney |
| Andy Griffith | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | CBS |
| Dragnet | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | NBC |
| Star Trek: TNG | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | CBS |
| Law & Order: SVU | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | NBC |
| movie | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | - - |
| America's Funniest Home Videos | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | Disney |
| The Hills | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | Trifecta |
Monday-Friday; unscientific survey of affiliates in the top 100 markets, ~150 for FOX | |||||||
Lead-Ins to Prime-Time
Prime-Time Shows Staying in Their Time-Slots
| Sunday | 8:00 | 8:30 | 9:00 | 9:30 | 10:00 | 10:30 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | EM: Home Edition | Desperate Housewives | Brothers & Sisters | ||||
| CBS | The Amazing Race | Undercover Boss | ... | ||||
| NBC | Sept | pre-game | NFL game | ||||
| Jan | Minute to Win It | The Apprentice | |||||
| FOX | The Simpsons | Cleveland | Family Guy | American Dad | . . . | ||
| Monday | 8:00 | 8:30 | 9:00 | 9:30 | 10:00 | 10:30 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | Dancing with the Stars | Castle | |||||
| CBS | How I Met Your Mother | Rules of Engagement | Two and a Half Men | ||||
| NBC | Chuck | ... | ... | ||||
| FOX | Sept | House | . . . | ||||
| Jan | ... | ||||||
| Tuesday | 8:00 | 8:30 | 9:00 | 9:30 | 10:00 | 10:30 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | ... | Dancing... results | ... | ||||
| CBS | NCIS | NCIS: Los Angeles | The Good Wife | ||||
| NBC | The Biggest Loser | Parenthood | |||||
| FOX | Sept | . . . | |||||
| Jan | American Idol | ||||||
| Wednesday | 8:00 | 8:30 | 9:00 | 9:30 | 10:00 | 10:30 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | ... | Modern Family | Cougar Town | ... | |||
| CBS | ... | Criminal Minds | |||||
| NBC | ... | ... | |||||
| FOX | Sept | . . . | |||||
| Jan | |||||||
| Thursday | 8:00 | 8:30 | 9:00 | 9:30 | 10:00 | 10:30 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | ... | Grey's Anatomy | Private Practice | ||||
| CBS | CSI | The Mentalist | |||||
| NBC | Community | ... | The Office | ... | |||
| FOX | Bones | Fringe | . . . | ||||
| Friday | 8:00 | 8:30 | 9:00 | 9:30 | 10:00 | 10:30 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | Supernanny Mid | ... | 20/20 | ||||
| CBS | ... | ... | |||||
| NBC | Who Do You Think You Are? Oct. | Dateline NBC | ... | ||||
| FOX | . . . | Kitchen Nightmares Mid | . . . | ||||
| Saturday | 8:00 | 8:30 | 9:00 | 9:30 | 10:00 | 10:30 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | Sept | college football | |||||
| Jan | movie | ||||||
| CBS | . . . | . . . | 48 Hours Mystery | ||||
| NBC | . . . | . . . | . . . | ||||
| FOX | COPS | COPS | America's Most Wanted | . . . | |||
| * 7pm Sunday CBS: 60 Minutes ABC: America's Funniest Home Videos NBC: Sept: pre-game NBC: Jan: Dateline FOX: Sept: post-game |
2009-2010 Prime-Time Survivors
| Sunday | 8:00 | 8:30 | 9:00 | 9:30 | 10:00 | 10:30 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | EM: Home Edition | Desperate Housewives | Brothers & Sisters | ||||
| CBS | Sept | The Amazing Race | |||||
| Feb | Undercover Boss | ||||||
| NBC | Sept | pre-game | NFL game | ||||
| Jan | Minute to Win It | The Apprentice | |||||
| FOX | The Simpsons | Cleveland | Family Guy | American Dad | . . . | ||
| Monday | 8:00 | 8:30 | 9:00 | 9:30 | 10:00 | 10:30 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | Dancing with the Stars | Castle | |||||
| CBS | Sept | How I Met Your Mother | Two and a Half Men | Big Bang Theory | CSI: Miami | ||
| Mar | Rules of Engagement | ||||||
| NBC | Mar | Chuck | |||||
| FOX | Sept | House | Lie to Me | . . . | |||
| Jan | |||||||
| Tuesday | 8:00 | 8:30 | 9:00 | 9:30 | 10:00 | 10:30 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | Sept | various | Dancing... results | ||||
| Feb | Dancing... results | V | |||||
| CBS | NCIS | NCIS: Los Angeles | The Good Wife | ||||
| NBC | Mar | The Biggest Loser | Parenthood | ||||
| FOX | Sept | So You Think You Can Dance | . . . | ||||
| Jan | American Idol | Glee | |||||
| Wednesday | 8:00 | 8:30 | 9:00 | 9:30 | 10:00 | 10:30 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | Sept | various | The Middle | Modern Family | Cougar Town | ||
| Jan | |||||||
| CBS | Criminal Minds | CSI: NY | |||||
| NBC | Mar | Minute to Win It | Law & Order: SVU | ||||
| FOX | Sept | So You Think You Can Dance | Glee | . . . | |||
| Jan | Human Target | American Idol | |||||
| Thursday | 8:00 | 8:30 | 9:00 | 9:30 | 10:00 | 10:30 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | Grey's Anatomy | Private Practice | |||||
| CBS | Survivor | CSI | The Mentalist | ||||
| NBC | Mar | Community | Parks and Recreation | The Office | 30 Rock | The Marriage Ref | |
| FOX | Bones | Fringe | . . . | ||||
| Friday | 8:00 | 8:30 | 9:00 | 9:30 | 10:00 | 10:30 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | Sept | Supernanny | 20/20 | ||||
| Jan | various | ||||||
| CBS | Sept | Medium | |||||
| Apr | |||||||
| NBC | Mar | Who Do You Think You Are? | Dateline NBC | ||||
| May | Friday Night Lights | ||||||
| FOX | Sept | . . . | |||||
| Feb | . . . | Kitchen Nightmares | |||||
| Saturday | 8:00 | 8:30 | 9:00 | 9:30 | 10:00 | 10:30 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | Sept | college football | |||||
| Jan | movie | ||||||
| CBS | . . . | . . . | 48 Hours Mystery | ||||
| NBC | . . . | . . . | . . . | ||||
| FOX | COPS | COPS | America's Most Wanted | . . . | |||
| * 7pm Sunday CBS: 60 Minutes ABC: America's Funniest Home Videos NBC: Sept: pre-game NBC: Jan: Dateline FOX: Sept: post-game * Short-Lived Series * Returning Short Series The Bachelor ran January 4-March 1 on Monday, 8-10 on ABC. Primetime began its summer run May 7 on Fridays, 9-10 on ABC. |
2009-2010 Prime-Time Schedule
| Sunday | 8:00 | 8:30 | 9:00 | 9:30 | 10:00 | 10:30 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | EM: Home Edition | Desperate Housewives | Brothers & Sisters | ||||
| CBS | Sept | The Amazing Race | Three Rivers | Cold Case | |||
| Feb | Undercover Boss | ||||||
| NBC | Sept | pre-game | NFL game | ||||
| Jan | Minute to Win It | The Apprentice | |||||
| FOX | The Simpsons | Cleveland | Family Guy | American Dad | . . . | ||
| Monday | 8:00 | 8:30 | 9:00 | 9:30 | 10:00 | 10:30 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | Dancing with the Stars | Castle | |||||
| CBS | Sept | How I Met Your Mother | Accidentally on Purpose | Two and a Half Men | Big Bang Theory | CSI: Miami | |
| Mar | Rules of Engagement | ||||||
| NBC | Mar | Chuck | Heroes | Law & Order | |||
| FOX | Sept | House | Lie to Me | . . . | |||
| Jan | 24 | ||||||
| Tuesday | 8:00 | 8:30 | 9:00 | 9:30 | 10:00 | 10:30 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | Sept | various | Dancing... results | The Forgotten | |||
| Feb | Dancing... results | Lost | V | ||||
| CBS | NCIS | NCIS: Los Angeles | The Good Wife | ||||
| NBC | Mar | The Biggest Loser | Parenthood | ||||
| FOX | Sept | So You Think You Can Dance | . . . | ||||
| Jan | American Idol | Glee | |||||
| Wednesday | 8:00 | 8:30 | 9:00 | 9:30 | 10:00 | 10:30 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | Sept | various | The Middle | Modern Family | Cougar Town | Eastwick | |
| Jan | Ugly Betty | ||||||
| CBS | Old Christine | Gary Unmarried | Criminal Minds | CSI: NY | |||
| NBC | Mar | Minute to Win It | Mercy | Law & Order: SVU | |||
| FOX | Sept | So You Think You Can Dance | Glee | . . . | |||
| Jan | Human Target | American Idol | |||||
| Thursday | 8:00 | 8:30 | 9:00 | 9:30 | 10:00 | 10:30 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | Flash Forward | Grey's Anatomy | Private Practice | ||||
| CBS | Survivor | CSI | The Mentalist | ||||
| NBC | Mar | Community | Parks and Recreation | The Office | 30 Rock | The Marriage Ref | |
| FOX | Bones | Fringe | . . . | ||||
| Friday | 8:00 | 8:30 | 9:00 | 9:30 | 10:00 | 10:30 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | Sept | Supernanny | Ugly Betty | 20/20 | |||
| Jan | Wife Swap | various | |||||
| CBS | Sept | Ghost Whisperer | Medium | Numbers | |||
| Apr | Miami Medical | ||||||
| NBC | Mar | Who Do You Think You Are? | Dateline NBC | ||||
| May | Friday Night Lights | ||||||
| FOX | Sept | Brothers | 'Til Death | Dollhouse | . . . | ||
| Feb | . . . | Kitchen Nightmares | |||||
| Saturday | 8:00 | 8:30 | 9:00 | 9:30 | 10:00 | 10:30 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | Sept | college football | |||||
| Jan | movie | ||||||
| CBS | . . . | . . . | 48 Hours Mystery | ||||
| NBC | . . . | . . . | . . . | ||||
| FOX | COPS | COPS | America's Most Wanted | . . . | |||
| * 7pm Sunday CBS: 60 Minutes ABC: America's Funniest Home Videos NBC: Sept: pre-game NBC: Jan: Dateline FOX: Sept: post-game FOX: Jan: burn-offs of Brothers, Til Death, and reruns * Short-Lived Series Hank ran September 30-November 4 on Wednesday, 8-8:30 on ABC. Find My Family ran Nov 23- Dec on Monday, 9-10 on ABC. Romantically Challenged ran April 19-May3 and May17 on Monday 9:30-10 on ABC. Sons of Tucson ran March 14-April 4 on Sunday, 9:30-10 on FOX. Happy Town ran April 28-May 12 on Tuesday, 10-11 on ABC. The Deep End ran January 21-February 25 on Tuesday 8-9 on ABC. Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution ran March 21-April 23 on Friday 9-10 on ABC. Past Life ran February 9-18 on Thursday, 9-10 on FOX. * Returning Short Series The Bachelor ran January 4-March 1 on Monday, 8-10 on ABC. Scrubs ran December 1-January 26 on Tuesday, 9-9:30 on ABC. Better Off Ted ran December 8-January 26 on Tuesday, 9:30-10 on ABC. Primetime began its summer run May 7 on Fridays, 9-10 on ABC. |
2010-2011 Prime-Time Premiere Dates
| Sunday | 8:00 | 8:30 | 9:00 | 9:30 | 10:00 | 10:30 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | Sept | EM: Home Edition (9/26) | Desperate Housewives (9/26) | Brothers & Sisters (9/26) | |||
| CBS | Sept | The Amazing Race (9/26) | Undercover Boss (9/26) | CSI: Miami (10/3) | |||
| NBC | Sept | pre-game | NFL game (9/12) | ||||
| Jan | Minute to Win It | The Apprentice | |||||
| FOX | Sept | The Simpsons (9/26) | Cleveland (9/26) | Family Guy (9/26) | American Dad (10/3) | . . . | |
| Mid | Bob's Burgers | Cleveland | |||||
| Monday | 8:00 | 8:30 | 9:00 | 9:30 | 10:00 | 10:30 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | Sept | Dancing with the Stars (9/20) | Castle (9/20) | ||||
| CBS | Sept | How I Met Your Mother (9/20) | Rules of Engagement (9/20) | Two and a Half Men (9/20) | Mike & Molly (9/20) | Hawaii Five-0 (9/20) | |
| NBC | Sept | Chuck (9/20) | The Event (9/20) | Chase (9/20) | |||
| FOX | Sept | House (9/20) | Lonestar (9/20) | . . . | |||
| Mid | Ride-Along | ||||||
| Tuesday | 8:00 | 8:30 | 9:00 | 9:30 | 10:00 | 10:30 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | Sept | No Ordinary Family (9/28) | Dancing... results (9/21) | Detroit 1-8-7 (9/21) | |||
| CBS | Sept | NCIS (9/21) | NCIS: Los Angeles (9/21) | The Good Wife (9/28) | |||
| NBC | Sept | The Biggest Loser (9/21) | Parenthood (9/14) | ||||
| FOX | Sept | Glee (9/21) | Raising Hope (9/21) | Running Wilde (9/21) | . . . | ||
| Jan | American Idol | ||||||
| Mar | Mixed Signals | ||||||
| Wednesday | 8:00 | 8:30 | 9:00 | 9:30 | 10:00 | 10:30 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | Sept | The Middle (9/22) | Better with You (9/22) | Modern Family (9/22) | Cougar Town (9/22) | The Whole Truth (9/22) | |
| CBS | Sept | Survivor (9/15) | Criminal Minds (9/22) | The Defenders (9/22) | |||
| NBC | Sept | Undercovers (9/22) | Law & Order: SVU (9/22) | Law & Order: LA (9/29) | |||
| FOX | Sept | Hell's Kitchen (9/22) | . . . | ||||
| Nov | Lie to Me (11/10) | Hell's Kitchen | |||||
| Jan | Raising Hope | American Idol | Glee | ||||
| Thursday | 8:00 | 8:30 | 9:00 | 9:30 | 10:00 | 10:30 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | Sept | My Generation (9/23) | Grey's Anatomy (9/23) | Private Practice (9/23) | |||
| CBS | Sept | Big Bang Theory (9/23) | Shit My Dad Says (9/23) | CSI (9/23) | The Mentalist (9/23) | ||
| NBC | Sept | Community (9/23) | 30 Rock (9/23) | The Office (9/23) | Outsourced (9/23) | The Apprentice (9/16) | |
| FOX | Sept | Bones (9/23) | Fringe (9/23) | . . . | |||
| Friday | 8:00 | 8:30 | 9:00 | 9:30 | 10:00 | 10:30 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | Sept | Secret Millionaire | Body of Proof | 20/20 (9/24) | |||
| CBS | Sept | Medium (9/24) | CSI: NY (9/24) | Blue Bloods (9/24) | |||
| NBC | Sept | School Pride (10/15) | Dateline NBC (9/24) | Outlaw (9/24) | |||
| Nov | Who Do You Think You Are? | ||||||
| FOX | Sept | Human Target (9/24) | The Good Guys (9/24) | . . . | |||
| Mid | Kitchen Nightmares | ||||||
| Saturday | 8:00 | 8:30 | 9:00 | 9:30 | 10:00 | 10:30 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | Sept | college football (9/4) | |||||
| Jan | movie / reruns | ||||||
| CBS | . . . | . . . | 48 Hours Mystery (9/25) | ||||
| NBC | . . . | . . . | . . . | ||||
| FOX | COPS (9/11) | COPS | America's Most Wanted (9/11) | . . . | |||
| * 7pm Sunday CBS: 60 Minutes (9/26) ABC: America's Funniest Home Videos (9/26) NBC: Sept: pre-game NBC: Jan: Dateline FOX: Sept: post-game FOX: Mid: Simpsons rerun and American Dad * Early Premiere Outlaw: Wednesday, September 15, 10pm, following the season finale of America's Got Talent |
Last Season's 18-49 Top 20
sources: 2009-2010 (2008-2009, 2007-2008)
1 AMERICAN IDOL-TUESDAY [FOX] 9.1/24 (#1 with 9.2 in 2008-2009, #1 in 2007-2008)
2 AMERICAN IDOL-WEDNESDAY [FOX] 8.4/22 (#2 with 9.1 in 08-09, #2 in 07-08)
3 NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL [NBC] 7.2/18 (#3 with 6.5 in 08-09, #3 in 07-08)
4 UNDERCOVER BOSS [CBS] 6.2/15 (new)
5 THE BIG BANG THEORY [CBS] 5.3/13
6 GREY'S ANATOMY [ABC] 5.1/13 (#5 with 4.8 in 08-09, #18 in 07-08)
7 LOST [ABC] 5.1/12 (#11 with 4.2 in 08-09, #7 in 07-08)
8 HOUSE [FOX] 4.9/13 (#7 with 4.7 in 08-09, #4 in 07-08)
9 DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES [ABC] 4.8/11 (#4 with 5.2 in 08-09, #18 in 07-08)
10 TWO AND A HALF MEN [CBS] 4.8/12 (#6 with 2.7 in 08-09, #19 in 07-08)
11 THE OFFICE [NBC] 4.5/11 (#14 with 4.0 in 08-09)
12 SURVIVOR: HEROES AND VILLAINS [CBS] 4.5/13 (#13 with 4.2 in 08-09, #11 in 07-08)
13 DANCING WITH THE STARS [ABC] 4.4/11 (#8 with 4.6 in 08-09, #6 in 07-08)
14 THE BACHELOR [ABC] 4.4/10 (#15 with 4.0 in 08-09)
15 SURVIVOR: SAMOA [CBS] 4.3/12 (#17 with 3.8 in 08-09, #16 in 07-08)
16 GLEE [FOX] 4.3/11 (new)
17 THE BIGGEST LOSER 8 [NBC] 4.2/11 (#18 with 3.8 in 08-09)
18 NCIS [CBS] 4.0/11
19 HELL'S KITCHEN [FOX] 4.0/11 (#10 in 07-08)
20 THE MENTALIST [CBS] 4.0/11
1 AMERICAN IDOL-TUESDAY [FOX] 9.1/24 (#1 with 9.2 in 2008-2009, #1 in 2007-2008)
2 AMERICAN IDOL-WEDNESDAY [FOX] 8.4/22 (#2 with 9.1 in 08-09, #2 in 07-08)
3 NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL [NBC] 7.2/18 (#3 with 6.5 in 08-09, #3 in 07-08)
4 UNDERCOVER BOSS [CBS] 6.2/15 (new)
5 THE BIG BANG THEORY [CBS] 5.3/13
6 GREY'S ANATOMY [ABC] 5.1/13 (#5 with 4.8 in 08-09, #18 in 07-08)
7 LOST [ABC] 5.1/12 (#11 with 4.2 in 08-09, #7 in 07-08)
8 HOUSE [FOX] 4.9/13 (#7 with 4.7 in 08-09, #4 in 07-08)
9 DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES [ABC] 4.8/11 (#4 with 5.2 in 08-09, #18 in 07-08)
10 TWO AND A HALF MEN [CBS] 4.8/12 (#6 with 2.7 in 08-09, #19 in 07-08)
11 THE OFFICE [NBC] 4.5/11 (#14 with 4.0 in 08-09)
12 SURVIVOR: HEROES AND VILLAINS [CBS] 4.5/13 (#13 with 4.2 in 08-09, #11 in 07-08)
13 DANCING WITH THE STARS [ABC] 4.4/11 (#8 with 4.6 in 08-09, #6 in 07-08)
14 THE BACHELOR [ABC] 4.4/10 (#15 with 4.0 in 08-09)
15 SURVIVOR: SAMOA [CBS] 4.3/12 (#17 with 3.8 in 08-09, #16 in 07-08)
16 GLEE [FOX] 4.3/11 (new)
17 THE BIGGEST LOSER 8 [NBC] 4.2/11 (#18 with 3.8 in 08-09)
18 NCIS [CBS] 4.0/11
19 HELL'S KITCHEN [FOX] 4.0/11 (#10 in 07-08)
20 THE MENTALIST [CBS] 4.0/11
Last Season's 18-49 Ratings Stats
source: deadline
9.1 average 18-49 rating = "American Idol"
5.0 = top 7
4.5 = top 10
4.0 = top 20
3.5 = top 30
3.0 = top 50
2.5 = top 60
2.0 = top 75 / bottom 50
1.5 = bottom 25
1.0 = bottom 10
...
81 of 124 of last season's shows will return next season, a 66% success rate, with 61% for scripted and 71% for non-scripted. "Friday Night Lights," which is heading into its final season, was the only scripted show on the Big 4 that was renewed with a ranking below 70.
Top 10: scripted 6 (-"Lost"); non-scripted 4
11-20: scripted 4; non-scripted 6
21-30: scripted 7 (-"24"); non-scripted 3
31-40: scripted 8; non-scripted 2
41-50: scripted 9 (-"Heroes"); non-scripted 1 (-1 "So You...Dance" went back to summer)
51-60: scripted 7 (-2); non-scripted 3 (-1 "So You...Dance" Results went back to summer)
61-70: scripted 9 (-5); non-scripted 1
71-80: scripted 5 (-5); non-scripted 5 (-2)
81-90: scripted 4 (-4); non-scripted 6 (-1)
91-100: scripted 3 (-2) ["The Vampire Diaries" was CW's top scripted show]; non-scripted 7 (-3)
101-110: scripted 4 (-3) ["Friday Night Lights" was renewed]; non-scripted 6 (-4)
111-120: scripted 9 (-3) [All 6 renewed are CW shows]; non-scripted 1
120-124: scripted 3 (-3); non-scripted 1 (-1)
Totals: scripted 80 (-30); non-scripted 46 (-13)
9.1 average 18-49 rating = "American Idol"
5.0 = top 7
4.5 = top 10
4.0 = top 20
3.5 = top 30
3.0 = top 50
2.5 = top 60
2.0 = top 75 / bottom 50
1.5 = bottom 25
1.0 = bottom 10
...
81 of 124 of last season's shows will return next season, a 66% success rate, with 61% for scripted and 71% for non-scripted. "Friday Night Lights," which is heading into its final season, was the only scripted show on the Big 4 that was renewed with a ranking below 70.
Top 10: scripted 6 (-"Lost"); non-scripted 4
11-20: scripted 4; non-scripted 6
21-30: scripted 7 (-"24"); non-scripted 3
31-40: scripted 8; non-scripted 2
41-50: scripted 9 (-"Heroes"); non-scripted 1 (-1 "So You...Dance" went back to summer)
51-60: scripted 7 (-2); non-scripted 3 (-1 "So You...Dance" Results went back to summer)
61-70: scripted 9 (-5); non-scripted 1
71-80: scripted 5 (-5); non-scripted 5 (-2)
81-90: scripted 4 (-4); non-scripted 6 (-1)
91-100: scripted 3 (-2) ["The Vampire Diaries" was CW's top scripted show]; non-scripted 7 (-3)
101-110: scripted 4 (-3) ["Friday Night Lights" was renewed]; non-scripted 6 (-4)
111-120: scripted 9 (-3) [All 6 renewed are CW shows]; non-scripted 1
120-124: scripted 3 (-3); non-scripted 1 (-1)
Totals: scripted 80 (-30); non-scripted 46 (-13)
CBS Goes After the 18-49 Demo
Meet the stars of CBS's new Fall shows!
William Shatner (79)
Tom Selleck (65)
Swoosie Kurtz (65)
Jean Smart (58)
Jim Belushi (56)
Donnie Walberg (40)
Jerry O'Connell (36)
Alex O'Loughlin (33) in Hawaii Five-0 (42)
William Shatner (79)
Tom Selleck (65)
Swoosie Kurtz (65)
Jean Smart (58)
Jim Belushi (56)
Donnie Walberg (40)
Jerry O'Connell (36)
Alex O'Loughlin (33) in Hawaii Five-0 (42)
Scripted vs Non-Scripted
Next season, the Big networks will fill 49 primetime hours with scripted series. That's the same as 25 years ago, despite declining ratings and rising production costs. Basically, reality programming has replaced numerous movies of the week.
1986-1987
abc: 15 hours of scripted; 7 hours non-scripted/movies
cbs: 14 hours of scripted; 8 hours non-scripted/movies
nbc: 18 hours of scripted; 4 hours non-scripted/movies
Totals: 49 hours of scripted; 19 hours of non-scripted/movies
1996-1997
abc: 14 scripted; 8 non-scripted/movie
cbs: 16 scripted; 6 non-scripted/movies
nbc: 14 scripted; 8 non-scripted/movies
fox: 11 scripted; 5 non-scripted/movie
Totals: 55 scripted; 27 non-scripted/movie
2006-2007
abc: 10 scripted; 12 non-scripted; (1 hour of reruns in mid-season)
cbs: 16 scripted; 4 non-scripted; 2 hours of reruns
nbc: 11 scripted; 9 non-scripted; 2 hours of reruns
fox: 11 scripted; 5 non-scripted; (1 hour of reruns in mid-season)
Totals: 48 scripted; 34 (36) non-scripted/reruns
2010-2011
abc: 12 scrip; 10 non-scrip
cbs: 16 scrip; 4 non-scrip; 2 rerun
nbc: 10 scrip; 9 non-scrip; 3 rerun
fox: 11 scrip; 5 non-scrip; (1 mid-season rerun)
Totals: 49 scripted; 33 (34) non-scripted/reruns
1986-1987
abc: 15 hours of scripted; 7 hours non-scripted/movies
cbs: 14 hours of scripted; 8 hours non-scripted/movies
nbc: 18 hours of scripted; 4 hours non-scripted/movies
Totals: 49 hours of scripted; 19 hours of non-scripted/movies
1996-1997
abc: 14 scripted; 8 non-scripted/movie
cbs: 16 scripted; 6 non-scripted/movies
nbc: 14 scripted; 8 non-scripted/movies
fox: 11 scripted; 5 non-scripted/movie
Totals: 55 scripted; 27 non-scripted/movie
2006-2007
abc: 10 scripted; 12 non-scripted; (1 hour of reruns in mid-season)
cbs: 16 scripted; 4 non-scripted; 2 hours of reruns
nbc: 11 scripted; 9 non-scripted; 2 hours of reruns
fox: 11 scripted; 5 non-scripted; (1 hour of reruns in mid-season)
Totals: 48 scripted; 34 (36) non-scripted/reruns
2010-2011
abc: 12 scrip; 10 non-scrip
cbs: 16 scrip; 4 non-scrip; 2 rerun
nbc: 10 scrip; 9 non-scrip; 3 rerun
fox: 11 scrip; 5 non-scrip; (1 mid-season rerun)
Totals: 49 scripted; 33 (34) non-scripted/reruns
Last Season's Canceled Veterans
Law & Order (20th season - 456 episodes)
24 (8th - 192)
Scrubs (9th - 181)
Cold Case (7th - 156)
Wife Swap (6th - 126)
Numbers (6th - 118)
Ghost Whisperer (5th - 107)
Old Christine (5th - 88)
Ugly Betty (4th - 85)
'Til Death (4th - 81)
Heroes (4th - 77)
Gary Unmarried (2nd - 37)
Dollhouse (2nd - 27)
Better Off Ted (2nd - 26)
24 (8th - 192)
Scrubs (9th - 181)
Cold Case (7th - 156)
Wife Swap (6th - 126)
Numbers (6th - 118)
Ghost Whisperer (5th - 107)
Old Christine (5th - 88)
Ugly Betty (4th - 85)
'Til Death (4th - 81)
Heroes (4th - 77)
Gary Unmarried (2nd - 37)
Dollhouse (2nd - 27)
Better Off Ted (2nd - 26)
How Did Last Season's New Shows Do?
Winners: Glee, Modern Family, Cleveland, NCIS: LA, Undercover Boss, Parenthood, Vampire Diaries
Middlers: The Middle, Cougar Town, V, The Good Wife, Human Target, Life Unexpected, Community, The Marriage Ref, Minute to Win It, Who Do You Think You Are?
Losers: Flash Forward, The Forgotten, Eastwick, Melrose Place, Accidentally on Purpose, Romantically Challenged, Sons of Tucson, The Deep End, Trauma, Mercy, Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution, Find My Family, Happy Town, Past Life
Duds: Hank, Three Rivers, Brothers, The Beautiful Life, Fly Girls, High Society, Miami Medical
All 4 hospital/emergency dramas were axed. Cops went 2 for 3, lawyers 1 for 2, families 7 for 12, and sci-fi 2 for 5. Half-hour comedies and unscripteds each batted .500.
How the networks did:
FOX: 3/6
CBS: 3/6
NBC: 5/7
ABC: 4/13
CW: 2/6
FOX and CBS came up with two winners each; the other networks were lucky to get one apiece. ABC put out six new dramas in an effort to find a replacement for Lost, and came up short. Its up-side came on Wednesday, with one hit and two pedestrian sitcoms. NBC struck out all season with its new shows, until March when Parenthood debuted and continually won the time-slot. Vampire Diaries earned at least 25% higher 18-49 ratings than all other scripted CW shows.
17 shows were renewed, a remarkable improvement over the 2008-2009 season, when only 10 freshmen shows were renewed. As a group, they didn't do so well as sophomores. Last season, The Mentalist ranked #20, Lie to Me #47, Fringe #54, Castle #55, Parks #63, and 90210 #119. True Beauty was held off until the Summer season in 2010. Better Off Ted, Dollhouse, and Gary Unmarried have been canceled.
Update: Make that 18 renewals. Somehow Jamie Oliver got a second season.
Middlers: The Middle, Cougar Town, V, The Good Wife, Human Target, Life Unexpected, Community, The Marriage Ref, Minute to Win It, Who Do You Think You Are?
Losers: Flash Forward, The Forgotten, Eastwick, Melrose Place, Accidentally on Purpose, Romantically Challenged, Sons of Tucson, The Deep End, Trauma, Mercy, Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution, Find My Family, Happy Town, Past Life
Duds: Hank, Three Rivers, Brothers, The Beautiful Life, Fly Girls, High Society, Miami Medical
All 4 hospital/emergency dramas were axed. Cops went 2 for 3, lawyers 1 for 2, families 7 for 12, and sci-fi 2 for 5. Half-hour comedies and unscripteds each batted .500.
How the networks did:
FOX: 3/6
CBS: 3/6
NBC: 5/7
ABC: 4/13
CW: 2/6
FOX and CBS came up with two winners each; the other networks were lucky to get one apiece. ABC put out six new dramas in an effort to find a replacement for Lost, and came up short. Its up-side came on Wednesday, with one hit and two pedestrian sitcoms. NBC struck out all season with its new shows, until March when Parenthood debuted and continually won the time-slot. Vampire Diaries earned at least 25% higher 18-49 ratings than all other scripted CW shows.
17 shows were renewed, a remarkable improvement over the 2008-2009 season, when only 10 freshmen shows were renewed. As a group, they didn't do so well as sophomores. Last season, The Mentalist ranked #20, Lie to Me #47, Fringe #54, Castle #55, Parks #63, and 90210 #119. True Beauty was held off until the Summer season in 2010. Better Off Ted, Dollhouse, and Gary Unmarried have been canceled.
Update: Make that 18 renewals. Somehow Jamie Oliver got a second season.
Rating Borderlands
Here are each network's gaps in the 18-49 ratings between renewed and canceled scripted shows for the 2009-2010 season.
FOX: 2.8-2.1 (except 24 was canceled at 3.5)
CBS: 2.7-2.3 (Medium was renewed at 2.0. Accidentally on Purpose was canceled at 2.7)
ABC: 2.3-1.9 (Romantically Challenged was canceled at 2.6. Flash Forward was canceled at 2.8)
NBC: 2.3-1.9 (Heroes was canceled at 3.0)
CW: 0.9-0.6
FOX: 2.8-2.1 (except 24 was canceled at 3.5)
CBS: 2.7-2.3 (Medium was renewed at 2.0. Accidentally on Purpose was canceled at 2.7)
ABC: 2.3-1.9 (Romantically Challenged was canceled at 2.6. Flash Forward was canceled at 2.8)
NBC: 2.3-1.9 (Heroes was canceled at 3.0)
CW: 0.9-0.6