On a night with the return of Jack Bauer and the premiere of Human Target, it was CBS’ NFL coverage that led the eye to victory.

CBS’ coverage of the Jets/Chargers game averaged a solid 11.3 (18-49) rating and 34.1 million viewers at 7, beating out NBC’s red carpet coverage of the Golden Globes, which pulled just a 2.4 (18-49) rating and 9.4 million viewers. America’s Funniest Home Videos was fourth wtih a 1.7 (18-49) rating, beating out a rerun of last seasons 24 finale, which drew just 3.7 million viewers and a 1.2 (18-49) rating.

NBC’s Golden Globes coverage then kicked in, dominating the rest of the night for the peacock, averaging a 4.7 (18-49) rating and just under 14 million viewers.

FOX had the series premiere of Human Target last night, pulling a 2.9 (18-49) rating and 10.1 million viewers – a solid start (and it grew over the hour). 24 then returned with a two-hour season premiere, pulling a 3.9 (18-49) rating and 11.4 million viewers – down over 10% from last seasons opener.

ABC went with reruns and then a brand new Desperate Housewives, which fell to just a 3.7 (18-49) rating and 11.2 million viewers – a season low. Brothers and Sisters was also well down, posting a 2.7 rating and 8.1 million viewers.

CBS went with 60 minutes at 8 (which had the NFL lead-in), posting a very solid 4.5 (18-49) rating and 16.5 million viewers. At 9, Cold Case was up vs. its season average, posting a 2.5 (18-49) rating and 10.7 million viewers.

Full Breakdown

7:00 – CBS - NY Jets v. San Diego – 11.3 (18-49) rating - 34.1 million viewers
NBC – 2010 Golden Globe Red Carpet – 2.4 - 9.4 million
ABC – America’s Funniest Home Videos – 1.7 - 7.3 million
FOX – 24 (R) – 1.2 - 3.7 million 

8:00 - NBC – 67th Golden Globe Awards (8-11pm) – 4.7 (18-49) rating – 14 million viewers
CBS – 60 Minutes - 4.5 – 16.5 million
FOX – Human Target (premiere) – 2.9 - 10.1 million
ABC – Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (repeat) – 1.8 – 6.4 million

9:00 – FOX – 24 (premiere) – 3.9 (18-49) rating - 11.5 million viewers
ABC – Desperate Housewives – 3.7 - 11.2 million
CBS – Cold Case - 2.5 - 10.7 million

10:00 - FOX – 24 (premiere) – 3.9 - 11.3 million
ABC – Brothers & Sisters – 2.7 – 8.1 million
CBS – NCIS (repeat) – 2.1 - 9.5 million

In a fierce match-up that saw the Philadelphia Eagles overcome the New York Giants, it was NBC who were the biggest winners.

Sunday Night Football averaged a solid 7.0 (18-49) rating average between 8.30 and 11pm to give NBC the win over a CBS which was heavily influenced by an NFL overrun and solid 60 Minutes.

FOX’s animation lineup were all new last night but only Family Guy shone with a 3.8 (18-49) rating, still down over the last few new episodes. Brothers underperformed at 7pm, averaging just a 1.1 (18-49) rating which effectively led FOX to last place.

America’s Funniest Home Videos was poor for ABC at 7, averaging just a 2.2 (18-49) rating. Desperate Housewives was replaced by a solid ep of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition which averaged a 3.5 rating at 9pm. The Oprah White House Special which replaced Brothers & Sisters averaged a 2.9 rating, down from B&S’ season-to-date average.

Winners:
Sunday Night Football (NBC)
NFL Overrun (CBS)
Family Guy (FOX)
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (ABC)

Losers:
Brothers (FOX)
Cold Case (CBS)
Oprah Special (ABC)
America’s Funnies Home Videos (ABC)

Full Breakdown:

7:00 – CBS – NFL overrun / 60 Minutes - 5.2 (18-49) rating – 18.5 million viewers
NBC – Football Night In America - 3.0 – 8.6 million
ABC – America’s Funniest Home Videos - 2.2 – 8.7 million
FOX – Brothers – 1.1 - 3.1 million

8:00 – NBC Football Night In America – 5.0 (18-49) rating - 14 million viewers
FOX – The Simpsons – 3.2 - 7.1 million
CBS – 60 Min./ The Mentalist (repeat) – 2.2 – 10.8 million
ABC Extreme Makeover: Home Edition 2.7 – 9.3 million

8:30 NBC – Sunday Night Football (8.30-11pm) - 7.0 (18-49) rating – 19 million viewers
FOX – The Cleveland Show – 3.0 - 6.5 million

9:00 – FOX – Family Guy – 3.8 (18-49) rating – 7.7 million viewers
ABC – Extreme Makeover: Home Edition – 3.5 - 11.2 million
CBS – Mentalist / Cold Case – 2.0 – 9.9 million

9:30 – FOX – American Dad – 3.1 (18-49) rating - 6.2 million viewers

10:00 – ABC – Oprah Primetime Special – 2.9 (18-49) rating – 11.8 million viewers
CBS – Cold Case / Criminal Minds (repeat) – 2.3 - 8.8 million

Another week another series low? Let’s look at what’s happened in the world of TV renewals and cancellations.

Yesterday news broke that Three Rivers has been pulled from CBS’ Sunday lineup, to be replaced by an unspecified crime drama (could they have been more vauge?). The show was averaging just a 1.7 18-49 rating, which still doesn’t explain to me why they kept it around for as long as they did. In other news, TNT show Raising The Bar has been canceled after two seasons. Oh, and Hank was unsurprisingly canceled by ABC.

Ugly Betty – I’ve given up all hope for Ugly Betty. The show, now in it’s fourth (and what will be its final) season posted series lows again on Friday. It drew just 3.3 million viewers (down 700,000) and just a 0.9 rating. Now I’m not saying this to be mean but this show will be lucky if it reaches the end of the season. Those numbers are Dollhouse low and without the advantage of being dirt cheap to make. There was a rumor that Betty would be moving to Wednesdays which gave the fans some hope, but honestly I don’t think it would make that big of a difference. It looks like Mode is another publication which has seen its viewership drop.
My Prediction: Still gone by the end of the season ((AT BEST)).

Fringe - A couple of weeks ago the show posted a 1.7 rating and under 5 million viewers and I recognised that people may have been confused with the scheduling because of the World Series. However, last week the show posted just a 2.0 rating, its second lowest figure of the series-to-date. I know that FOX had to sacrifice something in the 9pm Thursday timeslot but why Fringe? I believe that Sou You Think You Can Dance could pull the same numbers as they are now if they were put there. Bones and Fringe should have been on Tuesday. Now I don’t watch the show but I have seen some of the coverage and it seems that fans and critics are in agreement - that the show’s creative direction has never been better. Maybe FOX were looking for a sacrificial lamb, just like they did with the O.C. a couple of years ago. Also, FOX just announced that Fringe will go on a 7 week hiatus soon. Hiatus’ are always good for the ratings, right?
My Prediction: If FOX don’t do something, it’ll be canceled.

FlashForward – I’d just like to welcome this show to the main list. I’m saying that because it’s a worry that it’s here. Did I think that after the solid numbers it opened with it would be here? No, but sometimes even i’m surprised. Am I worried. No. This show isn’t going to last past the end of the season and i’m glad. Maybe with a probable end date the show can end on a creative high, on the date of the FlashForward itself. I really wanted this show to have the chops to be the new LOST but it wasn’t. I know it isn’t Thanksgiving any more but i’m thankful that it will just be a one season story. I think that premise suited one season, which is what it will be. If you don’t believe me, just look at the A18-49 trend. It started with a 3.7 rating and has been dropping a couple of points every week, last time out pulling just a 2.4 rating.
My Prediction: 22 eps and out, which i’m happy about.

Cold Case – Maybe the problem isn’t its lead in? I’ve been thinking that Three Rivers was damaging the shows ratings but last week it was moved to the earlier slot with a solid Survivor Samoa Lead in and still only pulled a 2.0 rating (which is still up but not as much as I thought). Maybe viewers have just outgrown this show and it needs to drive off into the sunset? It will be interesting to see what it can do when the NFL regular season finishes at the beginning of next month.
My Prediction: Sorry fans, but say goodbye after 22.

The Others -

- Smallville – Posted a solid 1.2 rating on its last new airing. I’m really quite happy with the creative direction of the show, which has vastly improved the CW’s friday performance. Will be picked up for next year.

- The Forgotten - Will end its 18 episode run and be gone.

- Hank - pulled from ABC’s schedule and canceled.  

- The Middle – I said last time out that if ABC paired with Modern Family it would probably do much better. It was (a rerun anyway) and it did. I think it will get a second season. Hey, if they renewed Better Off Ted…..

- Trauma - 13 Episodes. NBC has pulled the plug.

- Dollhouse – Canceled. Last few eps are due to begin airing again on Fri. Dec. 4

- Brothers - Didn’t air last week due to a The 40 year old Virgin, which out-rated it by over 75%. Possibly run until the end of the season.

- Law and Order – Posted solid numbers on Friday. I’m really not sure. Possible 21st season……

- Gary Unmarried/ New Adventures of Old Christine – Nothing special. Similar to last season. Possible 2010 pickup.

- Heroes - Now that House is back on FOX, Heroes dropped to a 2.2 rating on its last original airing, definitely not enough to save this expensive show. Gone after 18.

Sunday night saw the Eagles/Bears game go head to head with the American Music Awards with one winner – NBC.

Overall the contest was close, with NBC slightly edging out ABC between 7pm-8pm which made all the difference when calculating the averages.

An NFL overrun helped CBS win the 7pm slot and also threw off the numbers in for CBS a little. Then it was the Eagles/ Bears game and the AMA’s trading blows until 11 pm.

The AMA’s beat Sunday Night Football between the hours of 8-11 with a controversial Adam Lambert performance that has received 1,500 complaints thus far. They also posted their best A18-49 numbers in 5 years! Sunday Night Football still averaged a 5.5 rating though, a solid evening for NBC.

Fox’s Animation Domination linuep wasn’t performing that well though, posting just a 2.7 A18-49 average for the night, almost a season low. CBS’ experiment, where they swapped Cold Case and Three Rivers around didn’t work, they still averaged roughly the same as last week.  

Full hourly Breakdown:

7:00 – CBS – NFL Overrun/60 Minutes - 4.7 A18-49 rating – 18.5 million viewers

NBC – Football Night In America – 2.8 – 7.4 million

ABC – NASCAR (Ford 400)/ America’s Funniest Home Videos - 1.8 - 6.1 million

FOX – Brothers/ The Simpsons (R) - 1.5 - 3.3 million

8:00 – NBC – Football Night In America - 5.1 A18-49 rating - 14.1 million viewers

ABC – 2009 American Music Awards – 4.6 – 12.8 million

CBS – 60 Minutes/ The Amazing Race - 3.5 – 14.3 million

FOX – The Simpsons/ The Cleveland Show - 3.3  – 6.8 million

9:00 – ABC – 2009 American Music Awards - 6.2 A18-49 rating - 15.5 million viewers

NBC – Sunday Night Football: Philadelphia v. Chicago – 5.7 - 15.5 million

FOX – Family Guy/ American Dad - 3.3 - 6.4 million

CBS – The Amazing Race/ Cold Case - 2.7 - 10.3 million

10:00 – ABC – 2009 American Music Awards - 5.7 A18-49 rating - 14.1 million viewers

NBC – Sunday Night Football: Philadelphia v. Chicago – 5.6 - 14.3 million

CBS – Cold Case/ Three Rivers - 2.0 - 8.5 million

Last night saw the Colts beat the Patriots with a last gasp attack and it was NBC which reaped the benefits.

At 7pm, a football overrun helped FOX win the hour with The OT from 7.30-8. Football Night in America was second for NBC, pulling in a 2.7  rating and 7.3 million viewers.

As usual, Sunday Night Football won the night for NBC, averaging a 7.5 rating and just under 19 million viewers. In other news, Three Rivers and Cold Case were up a couple of ticks vs. last week, The Simpsons got a nice post- NFL bump and Brothers and Sisters were up 9% from last weeks series low (2.9 vs. 3.2).

7pm -
FOX – Football Overrun/ The OT - 6.6 rating (A18-49) – 17.5 million viewers. 
NBC – Football Night in America – 2.7 rating (A18-49) – 7.3 million viewers
CBS – 60 Minutes – 2.2 rating (A18-49) – 12.2 million viewers
ABC – America’s Funniest Home Videos - 2.2 rating – 8.5 million viewers

8pm -
NBC – Football Night in America/ SNF – 6.7 rating (A18-49) – 16.25 million
FOX – Simpsons/ Cleveland Show – 3.8 rating (A18-49) – 8 million viewers
ABC – Extreme Makeover: Home Edition – 3.6 rating (A18-49) – 11.58 million
CBS – The Amazing Race – 3.2 rating (A18-49) – 11.64 million viewers.

9pm -
NBC – Sunday Night Football – 7.7 rating (A18-49) -  20.9 million viewers.
ABC – Desperate Housewives – 4.9 rating (A18-49) – 14.4 million viewers. 
FOX - Family Guy/ American Dad – 3.5 rating (A18-49) – 7.1 million viewers
CBS – Three Rivers – 2.0 rating (A18-49) – 8.5 million viewers

10pm -
NBC – Sunday Night Football – 7.0 rating (A18-49) – 17.5 million viewers.
ABC – Brothers and Sisters – 3.2 rating (A18-49) – 10.2 million viewers.
CBS – Cold Case - 2.1 rating (A18-49) – 9.2 million viewers.

To view the latest What’s Next To Be Cancelled #6, Click Here

So, it’s Tuesday again and time to look at what’s transpired in the world of television renewals and cancellations.

In an update from last week, Eastwick has been canceled, The Forgotten has been extended by 5 episodes (?) and ABC show Let’s Dance has been pulled from the schedule before it was even aired. There was also some news on CBS where  #1 (A18-49) network comedy The Big Bang Theory and #1 scripted show (in viewers) NCIS have been extended to 24 eps, as has How I Met Your Mother, NCIS: LA, CSI: Miami and Two and a Half Men with Criminal Minds, CSI: NY, The Good Wife, CSI, and The Mentalist, all having 1 extra ep ordered and Numb3rs has had its episode order reduced to 16.

This week I’m going to start with Fringe - Ruh-roh, a 1.7 rating and under 5 million viewers? Indeed. Fringe has its worst week of its relatively short life last Thursday which is a problem for them and for FOX. Last year the show was doing so well (even before Idol started airing) averaging and solid late 2’s/early 3’s and since then the show has gotten better. Now this is one of the rare incidences where I believe that most of this is caused by the timeslot and not the show itself. FOX needs to find a slot where this works or it will be gone by the end of the year. The problem is that FOX’s schedule is full of solid shows this year (both creatively and in the ratings). I think the 1.7 rating though can be attributed to not many people knowing it was on due to the World Series being cut short.

Ugly Betty – Ugly Betty posted series lows again last Friday and unless something drastic happens this show might not even make it until the end of the season. The dramedy, now in its 4th season posted just a 1.2 rating in the finals and just over 4 million viewers. Oops….spoke too soon. Apparently ABC are moving it to Wednesday nights. This could be in place of either Eastwick, which was canceled earlier today or a replacement for Hank/ The Middle. My bet – it replaces Eastwick.
My Prediction: Still gone by the end of the season. Renewed (geddit?) interest will lead to better ratings though.

Three Rivers – I really don’t know what’s going on over at CBS. The only reason that I can see as to why this is still on the air is because the shows advertising was pre-sold at a nice rate. Either that or it’s Julie Chen’s favorite new show and Les Moonves, the CBS president, doesn’t want to piss off his new wife! The show averaged just a 1.8 rating last week which was up but is still not good enough (even for NBC!) but it lived to see another day.
My Prediction: As soon as the prepaid ad money runs out, so does its luck.

Cold Case – Just a short one today on this. What I can’t understand is why Numb3rs’ episode order was cut short but not this show? The former is a better performer and is on Friday to boot. It pulled a 1.6 rating this week, up slightly from last week but still nothing to write home about and is still CBS’ worst performing scripted show. Yes, worse than Three Rivers even.
My Prediction: I can’t see how but it’ll make it to 22 and finish

The Others -

- Smallville – Posted series highs last week and isn’t going anywhere, even if Zod gains the powers of the yellow sun. Will be picked up for next year.

- The Forgotten - Will end its 18 episode run and be gone.

- Hank - Fell to a series low 1.2 rating this week. Hasn’t got a chance of a back 9 pickup & lucky to finish its limited run.

- The Middle – I don’t know. If paired with Modern Family it would probably do much better. Wait and See…..

- Trauma - 13 Episodes. NBC has pulled the plug.

- Dollhouse – Replaced by a Bones rerun which outrated it by 50%. 13 and out.

- Brothers - Didn’t air due to a House rerun which also outrated it by 50%. Possibly run until the end of the season.

- Law and Order – Posted its season best numbers on Friday (1.7/1.8) Was I wrong to count it out so early? Nope. 18 and Out.

- Gary Unmarried/ New Adventures of Old Christine – A 2.0 rating last week. Nothing special. Similar to last season. Possible 2010 pickup.

- Heroes - Now that House is back on FOX, Heroes dropped to a 2.3 rating last night which definitely isn’t enough to save this expensive show. Gone after 18.

Although I’m not a fan of this show, a lot has been written about the demise (by me included) of FOX’s new sitcom, Brothers. I think it was written too soon….

I accept that yes, Brothers would be in serious danger of cancellation if just the Friday numbers were counted. The show is currently averaging just a 0.8 average 18-49 rating and around 2 million viewers on Fridays alongside ‘Til Death and Dollhouse. But it’s not those numbers I’ve been taking notice of.

Last night, FOX aired Brothers in the 7pm slot as they have been all season and the show pulled a 2.3 rating and 5.7 million viewers. While not exactly Family Guy numbers, a 2.3 is solid for a show that airs a 7. I think that if FOX can pair it with a show that isn’t Til Death on a night that isn’t Friday they could have a (somewhat minor) hit on their hands.

Am I saying it won’t get cancelled? No. Am I saying it has a fighting chance? Absolutely.

A 20 minute NFL overrun on CBS messed with the hourly numbers, but we still know that NBC and Sunday Night Football won the night in the key demographics.

At 7 pm, The 20 minute NFL overrun/60 Minutes won the hour for CBS drawing 15.6 million viewers and a 5.0 rating. Second was NBC’s Football Night In America with a 3.3 rating and 9 million viewers. A combination of Brothers (2.3) and an American Dad (2.1) rerun took third for FOX. ABC’s coverage of the NASCAR: Dickies 500 race and a half hour America’s Funniest Home Videos drew 6.5 million viewers and a 1.9 rating.

At 8, Football Night in America/ Sunday Night Football took the lead for NBC, with 18.2 million viewers and a 6.2 rating.  A Family Guy rerun replaced The Simpsons this week and combined with Family Guy Presents: Seth & Alex’s Almost Live Comedy Show drew a 3.6 rating and 7 million viewers. The end of 60 Minutes and beginning of The Amazing Race brought in 13 million viewers and a 3.5 rating – good enough for 3rd. Extreme Makeover: Home Edition took last place for ABC with a 3.0 rating and just under 10.5 million viewers.

At 9, Sunday Night Football continued to grow, bringing in 20.8 million viewers and a 7.5 rating – the highest of the night. Desperate Housewives took over the #2 spot for ABC with a 4.3 rating and 13.2 million viewers, down slightly vs. last week. A new Family Guy/ Cleveland Show combo took 3rd for FOX with a 3.6 rating and 7 million viewers, also down vs. last week. The end of The Amazing Race and Beginning of Three Rivers placed CBS in last for the hour, with a 2.2 rating and 8.6 million viewers.

The end of the Cowboys/Eagles game on NBC brought in a 7.4 rating and 18.4 million viewers, rounding off a good night for the peacock. Brothers and Sisters fell to season lows with a 2.9 rating and 9 million viewers for the alphabet. The end of Three Rivers/beginning of Cold Case brought in 8.2 million viewer and a 1.8 rating to end the night for CBS.

The reality show following the Jackson family will premiere Dec. 13 on A&E with back-to-back hourlong episodes airing from 9 p.m. EST.

The show is focusing on Jackie, Tito, Marlon and Jermaine as they are preparing to go back on tour and how they are still affected by their brothers death 4 months ago.

The network has so far only ordered 6 episodes but as always with A&E, if the ratings are good enough there could be more (if it’s anything like Jon & Kate + 8 there could be a couple of thousand!).

Thus far it is unknown whether Michael’s children will take any part although there have been reports that they won’t.

CBS won last night with 7.9 million viewers and a  1.8 A18-49 rating beating out ABC (5.9 million, 1.7), an improved NBC (7 million, 1.6),  FOX (4 million, 1.2) and The CW: (2 million, 0.9).

At 8pm, Law & Order posted season highs in both viewers (7.99 million) and the key demo (1.8) to take the top spot away from Ghost Whisperer (7.93 million, 1.8) for the first time this season. Supernanny was third over on ABC with a 1.3 rating and 4.75 million viewers. A ‘House‘ rerun took fourth for FOX (1.2, 3.91 million) just beating out Smallville (1.2, 2.67 million) but was still over 50% better than Til Death/Brothers which it has replaced for sweeps.

At 9, Law & Order continued the trend and set season highs again, posting a 1.9 rating and just under 8.5 million viewers. CBS was a clear second with Medium, averaging a 1.8 rating and 7.58 million viewers. ABC was third with a brand new Ugly Betty, drawing 4.76 million viewers and a 1.3 rating – another series low. A rerun of Bones was fourth for the hour, pulling a 1.2 rating and 4.1 million viewers, again an improvement over the show it replaced (Dollhouse) by over 50%. An America’s Next Top Model rerun was last for The CW with a 0.5 rating and 1.2 million viewers.

At 10, a 20/20 with special guest Rhianna drew the nights highest numbers for ABC, pulling a 2.7 rating and 8.18 million viewers, significantly building on its lead in (Ugly Betty). Numb3rs was up a tick vs. last week, pulling a 1.8 rating and 8.09 million viewers which was perhaps a reaction to the shows episode order being cut from 22 to 16 earlier this week. Last but least was The Jay Leno Show, pulling NBC’s average down nicely and proving all of Hollywood right with a 1.2 rating and 4.6 million viewers.