Word from NBC today is that two of its comedies deserve an extra couple of episodes each.
Community - starring Joel McHale – has been given an extra 3 episodes this season, taking its total to 25. The freshman show has continued to improve in its Thursday 8pm timeslot, setting a timeslot high just last week.
Parks & Recreation on the other hand has not fared so well. The show -starring Amy Poehler – has been given an extra 2 episodes, taking its total to 24. The sophomore show has averaged less than Community – despite having it as a lead in.
Am I happy? Yeppers. Two of my favorite TV shows getting extra episodes is just what the doctor ordered.
Last night ABC were the winners with the Greys Anatomy/Private Practice crossover, Bones set season highs and 30 Rock was beaten by Community.
ABC won the night starting off with an ABC News special on the Haiti Earthquake (1.4, 5.4 million). This lead into a Grey’s Anatomy/ Private Practice crossover event which averaged 11.9 million viewers and a 4.5 (18-49) rating.
FOX and CBS tied for second place but I’m gonna lead with FOX first because they generally have a better 18-34 rating. At 8pm, Bones set season highs, posting a 3.3 (18-49) rating and 10.7 million viewers – a season high. At 9, Fringe posted its best numbers (in that timeslot) in a while against less competition (notably missing: The Office), posting a 2.6 (18-49) rating and 6.6 million viewers.
CBS was third for the night with an original episode of CSI, which posted a 3.3 (18-49) rating and 15.4 million viewers. At 10, The Mentalist improved on its lead in (in the key demo) with a 3.4 (18-49) rating but had slightly less viewers (15.3 million).
NBC was horrible, posting its worst night for a while (with all new airings). At 8, Community continued to grow, posting a 2.3 (18-49) rating and 5.4 million viewers leading in to Parks & Recreation, which posted an average 2.1 (18-49) rating and 4.6 million viewers. At 9, 30 Rock showed us why it needs the office as a lead in – a 2.3 (18-49) rating and just 5.1 million viewers (yep, that’s right – 30 Rock was beaten by Community last night). At 10, Leno (and Jimmy Kimmel reading the 10 @ 10) posted an average 1.3 (18-49) rating and 4.4 million viewers.
The CW was last, wanna know any more?
Full Breakdown:
8:00 – FOX – Bones – 3.3 (18-49) rating – 10.7 million viewers
NBC – Community – 2.3 - 5.418 million
CBS – The Mentalist (repeat) - 2.0 - 9.6 million
ABC – Haiti News Special – 1.4 - 5.4 million
CW – Vampire Diaries (repeat) – 0.7 - 1.7 million
8:30 - NBC Parks and Recreation 2.1 6 4.593
9:00 – ABC - Grey’s Anatomy – 4.8 (18-49) rating - 12.7 million viewers
CBS – CSI – 3.3 – 15.4 million
FOX – Fringe – 2.6 - 6.7 million
NBC – 30 Rock – 2.3 - 5.1 million
CW – Supernatural (repeat) – 0.6 - 1.3 million
9:30 – NBC – 30 Rock – 2.3 - 5.0 million viewers
10:00 – ABC – Private Practice – 4.3 (18-49) rating – 11 million viewers
CBS – The Mentalist – 3.4 - 15.3 million
NBC – The Jay Leno Show – 1.4 - 4.4 million
The Musician/Actor is set to appear in an episode airing in January.
Black, of course, is no stranger to appearing in NBC shows. He had a cameo in last years post-Superbowl episode of The Office, playing a movie star in a film within the show with Jessica Alba and Cloris Leachman.
“Community” – which stars The Soup presenter Joel McHale centres around a smarmy lawyer who is disbarred and forced to attend a local community college where he befriends a band of misfits. The show is gaining a lot of critical praise but has clearly been scheduled wrong.
In my opinion, this show is too good to get canceled and is in need of a shot in the arm. Is Black the actor to do it. I don’t think so.
ABC was all in repeats this week, so CBS saw a rise in all shows (and won the night) and NBC saw minor gains.
CBS led off the night with Survivor: Samoa, which equalled its season high among A18-49 (4.2 rating). At 9, CSI climbed to a 3.9 – a solid number for the once powerhouse. At 10, The Mentalist was roughly level with its last original outing with a 3.6 rating and just under 16.5 million viewers.
NBC was second for the night with their usual comedy lineup. Community posted a 2.2 A18-49 rating and 5.5 million viewers, up slightly from last week. Parks & Rec was level with its last original ep, posting a 2.1 rating and just under 5 million viewers. At 9, The Office jumped slightly to a 4.2 rating and 8.5 million viewers – the leading demo numbers for the night. 30 Rock posted a season high in A18-49 with a 3.2 rating.
FOX was just beaten out into fourth with Bones, which posted season highs in both the key 18-49 demo (3.1 rating) and viewers (10.5 million) Fringe fell slightly from last weeks 2.5 to a 2.3 A18-49 rating – still above their season average though.
ABC was all in repeats with FlashForward (1.0, 3.96 million), Grey’s Anatomy (1.4, 4.9 million) and Private Practice (1.2, 3.9 million). The CW was also in repeats with The Vampire Diaries (0.7, 1.7 million) and Supernatural (0.7, 1.4 millon)
Full Breakdown:
Flashforward (R) - 3.96 million viewers - 1.0 A18-49
A 9pm without Grey’s Anatomy and with a CSI rerun saw The Office take advantage to be the highest rated show of the night in the key adult demo.
Overall, CBS won the night with Survivor Samoa having the best hour of the night (3.9 A18-49) and CSI (2.3) & The Mentalist (2.6) posting solid numbers for reruns. ABC was second for the night with FlashForward posting season lows in the key demo (2.2) and viewers (7.3 million). At 9, there was no Grey’s Anatomy but a double Private Practice, which posted a 3.3 rating and 9.5 million viewers.
FOX was third last night with a brand new Bones at 8, which drew just under 10 million viewers and a 2.9 rating. Against lesser competition Fringe bounced back from its last original airings 2.0 rating to a 2.5, proving to FOX that it isn’t the creative direction of the show, it’s the timeslot. NBC was fourth for the night even though Community and Parks & Recreation were up vs. last week, averaging a 2.2 rating. At 9, The Office was the top rated show of the night posting a 4.1 rating, followed by a solid ep of 30 Rock (3.0)
The CW was in repeats with The Vampire Diaries and Gossip Girl averaging a 0.7 rating and just under 2 million viewers.
Full Breakdown:
8:00 – CBS – Survivor: Samoa (Adults 18-49 rating) – 3.9 - 12.8 million
FOX – Bones – 2.9 – 10 million viewers
ABC – FlashForward – 2.2 – 7.3 million
NBC - Community – 2.2 - 5.4 million
CW – The Vampire Diaries (repeat) - 0.8 - 2 million
8:30 - NBC Parks and Recreation – 2.1 (Adults 18-49 rating) - 4.8 million viewers
9:00 – FOX – Fringe – 2.5 (Adults 18-49 rating) - 6.9 million viewers
ABC – Private Practice – 3.1 – 9.3 million
CBS – CSI (repeat) – 2.3 - 9.9 million
NBC - The Office – 4.1 – 8.1 million
CW – Supernatural (repeat) - 0.8 - 1.9 million
9:30 – NBC – 30 Rock – 3.0 - 6.2 million
10:00 – ABC – Private Practice – 3.4 (Adults 18-49 rating) - 9.7 million viewers
CBS – The Mentalist (repeat) - 2.6 – 10.7 million
NBC – The Jay Leno Show – 1.5 – 4.7 million
FOX bounced back from last weeks season lows on a night where Grey’s Anatomy carried ABC to victory.
At 8, Survivor: Samoa opened the night for CBS in the lead, pulling a 4.0 rating and just over 13 million viewers, up slightly vs. last week. Bones beat FlashForward for the first time to take second place for FOX (2.9 vs. 2.7). Community & Parks and Recreation fell a couple of ticks from last week to post a 2.1 rating and 4.8 million viewers. The Vampire Diaries was last with a 2.0 rating and 4.6 million viewers, solid for the CW.
At 9, Grey’s Anatomy took over for ABC, pulling a 5.5 rating and 14.3 million viewers. The CSI crossover event seemed to do the trick for this weeks episode, the show pulling a 4.1 rating, up 0.7 vs. last week. The Office (4.0) and 30 Rock were steady with last week, averaging around a 3.5 rating and 6.7 million viewers – good enough for 3rd place. Fringe got back to its series average this week (2.2), up 0.5 from last weeks series low (1.7). Supernaural was als0 up vs. last week, pulling a 1.4 rating and 2.8 million viewers.
At 10, Private Practice had a small gain (0.4) up to a 3.9 rating from last weeks 3.5. The Mentalist was second with a 3.5 rating and 15.2 million viewers to take second place for the hour. Leno was last with a 1.6 rating and 4.6 million viewers, down vs. last week.
Thursday nights ratings saw FlashForward fall to new lows and NBC’s 8pm comedies rise in the key demo but once again it was Grey’s Anatomy that took the win for ABC.
Survivor: Samoa won the 8pm hour (3.5, 12.3 million) for CBS beating out FlashForward on ABC which pulled its lowest figures to date (2.5, 8.6 million) even though there was a death storyline. Bones was third for FOX with a 2.5 rating and 8.4 million viewers, down from it’s last fresh episode. Community was fourth on NBC, up .3 from last week as was Parks & Rec which posted a 2.2 rating, up .2 from last week. The Vampire Diaries was level with last weeks 2.0/4.2 million.
At 9, Grey’s Anatomy took a firm lead for the alphabet, drawing 13.5 million viewers and a 5.0 rating, roughly level vs. last week. CSI took second for CBS, pulling a 3.4 rating and just over 15 million viewers. A combo of The Office (3.9) and 30 Rock (2.9) also had a 3.4 rating but only had 7 million viewers between them. Fringe also plunged to new lows this week, drawing under 5 million viewers and a 1.7 (eek!) rating. Supernatural was fourth for The CW, pulling 2.7 million viewers and a 1.2 rating, steady with last week.
At 10, Private Practice just kept hold of the lead with a 3.5 rating and 9.2 million viewers, ahead of The Mentalist, which drew a 3.4 rating and 15.3 million viewers. Leno was last (i’m getting sick of writing that, I may start to leave Leno off) with a 1.6 rating and 4.7 million viewers.
I just looked at last nights TV ratings and what occurs to me? Other than The Office, all of the shows that I watch on a Thursday are not doing so well ratings-wise so I decided that I would write this post, looking at how the shows that I watch are doing creatively vs. their ratings.
Today’s Post: NBC Thursday Night Comedies.
Community Creatively – 4 (out of 5) stars – My new favorite show of the Fall season. It’s completely crazy and the characters are mostly unrelatable but I like that. It’s what attracted me to my favorite TV family, the Bluth’s of Arrested Development. If they keep developing the characters like they have been lately it’ll keep getting funnier.
Ratings – 2 stars – a 2.1 rating last night and around 5 million viewers. It and Parks & Rec have already been given a back 9 pickup so that’s not a worry. Will need to work on that to get a sophomore season.
Parks and Recreation:
Creatively – 4 stars - I love this show. Like a schoolchild, this show seems to have been revitalised by the break and fine tuned the characters so that they complement each other. I loved last nights episode and that they have shown that Tom has feelings, which has lacked thus far.
Ratings – 2 stars – not great. Last night they posted a 2.1 18-49 rating which is poor, even by NBC standards. The good news is that they’re up vs. the beginning of the year. Will probably need to gain an extra 500,000 viewers in that demographic to have a chance at a 3 season.
The Office Creatively – 3 stars – I really don’t know about this season. I loved the wedding and ‘The Lover’ but the others haven’t really thrilled me. I’m not sure whether i’m burnt out on the main characters and need to see more of the others. Jims promotion isn’t working for me at all.
Ratings – 5 stars – It wouldn’t be five stars on CBS or FOX, but a consistent 4.2 rating (which is double parks&rec and community) is exactly what the network needs. It is number 2 for NBC in primetime, behind only Sunday Night Football.
30 Rock
Creatively – 3 stars – Although it has only been 3 episodes, I’m not loving this season so far. Sure they have some good one-liners but one liners do not make a show. They need to make Liz the ’straight man’ again, which seems to have gotten further and further away since the beginning of last season. Plus, the side stories aren’t that great either.
Ratings – 3 stars – A 3.0 rating last night. Not bad, but not great either. Will be safe for another season if the numbers continue in that way.
Next Up: How I Met Your Mother/ Cougar Town/ Greek
