NBC jumped gun "Providence"
     In an amazing about face, NBC's president has announced that he may have been too hasty in announcing that "Providence" will go off the air in December. The president that that his decision was right and wrong, and now the cancellation has been reversed... maybe. The network will air "Mr. Sterling" in the slot in January, and if it sticks, "Providence" probably won't be back. But if it doesn't, the net always has a fall-back plan. So don't get out those hankies just yet- the show that just wouldn't die may not be dying after all. (November 27)

"Angel" to Wednesdays
    It started on Tuesdays, then went ot Mondays, then to Sundays, and now it's going to Wednesdays. Officially cancelling "Birds of Prey," the WB announced that it will move "Angel" to Wednesdays as a slew of new shows will take to the air in January.
     It's Sunday slot will be taken up by the new reality series "High school Reunion," and repeats of that show will air Thursdays at 8pm. This means that "Family Affair" and "Do Over: will probably leave the air for good next month. Coming into Thursdays at 9:30pm will be "The Surreal House," which combines several faded stars in a "Real World" type house.... oops, can I print that? The original title of the series was "The Surreal World," but MTV got a little huffy and made the producers change it. All these changes take place the week of January 9th. (November 27)

"Idol" slots set
    And Fox will air "American Idol" on.... Tuesdays and Wednesdays. The hour edition will air on Tuesdays at 8pm while the half hour eidtion will go on Wednesdays, probably at 8pm. If Fox wants to expand the Wednesday edition to an hour, however, "Fastlane" may be jumping off the sched.
    So where, exactely, does this leave "That 70s Show" ? I'm not quite sure right now. A likely spot is Mondays at 9pm, which has been a mess so far this season. And "Fastlane" ? It's probably off to Fridays for the drama, or even Thursdays. But none of this is cast in stone, remember, just like Fox's fate. (November 27)

As NBC jumps, CBS falters on Thursday
    With a very "special" one hour "Will & Grace" in the mix, NBC knew it would be a big night. But they probably had no idea that it would be this big: "W&G" almost set a series record, NBC grabbed its highest adults average on the night, and "Friends" unceeded "CSI" as the top show for the first time since premiere week. "Will & Grace" was the big story as the show drew a huge 24.9mil at 8:30pm, jumping to 25.3mil at 9pm. A special clip show followed at 9:35pm with 23.3mil viewers. while just a few hundred thousand viewers shy of a series record, that wasn't enough to beat out "CSI" in the hour (26.7mil), though it did topple the series in adults (11.8 to 9.2 in the hour) for the first time in a number of weeks. NBC got a huge start from "Friends" (27.1mil, 12.6 in adults), while it ended off good with "ER" (25.9mil, 12.2 in adults). CBs did get a decent start with "Survivor" (20.2mil, 7.7 in adults), but faltered at 10pm with a season low "Without A Trace" (13.8mil, 4.6 in adults).
     And then, as always, there were the rest. ABC was third at 8pm with Thanksgiving specials from Charlie Brown (8.0mil) and "Winnie The Pooh" (6.7mil), while the UPN was fourth (5.6mil for the night). Fox's "30 Seconds To Fame" (4.7mil, 5.3mil) started to show some signs of life, though very little, as the WB flunked with the movie "Gossip" (1.9mil). At 9pm, Fox moved into third with the repeat special "Stupid Behavior Caught on Tape" (6.6mil). The UPN was fourth with ABC fell with "20/20" (5.6mil). At 10pm, "Primetime Thursday" was at a now average 7.2mil. 
     On the week, there's actually somewhat of a race going on. NBC lead with 16.2mi, while CBS is second at 14.7mil. ABC isn't too far behind at 13.8mil, while Fox is way behind with just 7.8mil. The WB lead the UPN as usual 5.3 to 4.5mil. In adults, 
it's no so close. NBC leads with a big 6.7/16 rating. ABC is second at a 5.8/14, while CBS has fallen to a 4.8/12. Fox is last and least at a minicule 3.5/9. (November 22)

"Med" for a full season
     CBs has announced that it will renew the low rated "Presidio Med" for a full season and yank the drama immediately. Contradictory, no? It does promise that it will try to relaunch it in Jaunary when the sched is less competitive. (November 22)

"Bachelor" finale is huge, "Ed" up
     ABC's finale of "The Bachelor" notonly eclipsed late spring's finals but also hit 26mil viewers overall and a 12.0/28 rating in adults, drawfing the competition. It peaked at 10:30pm with more than 29mil viewers and a huge 13.7/34 rating in adults. It also averaged a gigantic 16.7/39 in women 18-34, its strongest demo. This performance is ABC's best with regularly scheduled program since the height of "Millionaire," and it's best with a non-game show since "Home Improvement" went off the air. Wow.  But that didn't exactely kill the competition, it only made it look insignificant. NBC's "The West Wing" fell ot a season low of 15.4mil viewers, off a few hundred thousand from last week. CBS's special "Victoria's Secret Fashion Show" drew 10.5mil, two mil below what ABC drew with it last season. It also drew a 3.9/8 rating in adults, not entirely bad for CBS. Fox's "Fastlane" slipped slightly to 6.5mil, while it looks like the WB made a good decision to drop "Birds of Prey." The show slipped further to only 3.6mil viewers this week, while "The Twilight Zone" dropped to a series low 2.8mil.
      At 8pm, ABC won again, kind of "My Wife & Kids" (13.4mil) hit a 5.0/14 in adults, winning in both counts, while "George Lopez" hit a series high 13.2mil and a 5.2/13 in adults, the first time its increased adults lead-in. While "Ed" was second at 8pm, it jumped to 14.3mil viewers at 8:30pm, actually giving it a win in the hour with 13.4mil viewers, its best numbers since its series premiere. The show was second in adults at a 4.6/12 in the hour. Interestingly enough, "Ed" has been consistantly chasitised for not equaling its timeslot lead-outs on the night. Well, all that changed as "The West Wing" dropped to a 4.8/12 at 9pm from "Ed"s 5.0/13 at 8:30pm. Go "Ed" ! Whatever sparked this series two weeks ago to jump by 2mil viewers, NBC and the cast and crew have to be loving it. Instead of being question for keeping it for so long, NBC looks to have been waiting for viewers to discover it. And they have. The same cannot be said of Fox's "Bernie" (8.8mil) nor "Cedric" (8.7mil), which continue to slump from year ago averages. CBS's "The Amazing Race" is much the same, as it only drew 7.8mil viewers, the same as last week. "Enterprise" was an okay 5.2mil at 8pm, while "Dawsons Creek" (4.3mil) slumped.
      In the late hour, as ABC rolloed over the competition, "Law & Order" (18.4mil) actually performed quite well, though at a 6.0/15 rating in adults, it was at a season low. CBS's "60 Minutes II" (6.5mil) was a veeeerrry distant third in the hour. (November 21)

"Agency," "Homicide" switch
     With "Robbery Homicide Division" dying on Fridays and "The Agency" not doing spectacularly on Saturdays, CBS has done something maybe smart- switching them, at least for a little. "The Agency" will air Friday at 10pm on December 6th, while "RHD" will air on Saturdays for two weeks starting on November 30th. This is good news for "RHD" as "The District," its new lead-out, is also a cop show. That show has been doign amazingly well this year, peaking two weeks ago at 12.8mil viewers. "Hack," meanwhile, may make more appropriate lead-in for "The Agency," maybe. 
      In other CBS news, the net has picked up more episodes of its dead drama "Presidio Med." Lords only knows why. Last Wednesday it dropped to a series low 5.8mil, worse than last season's "Wolf Lake" ever did. (November 21)

"Oliver Beene" gets more episodes
      Fox, which is seeing some Sunday weakness so far this season (which is still better than the rest of its line-up, which seems to be collapsing), has given the mid season comedy "Oliver Beene" 4 more episodes to proove its stuff, bringing the total to 10. It will probably bow in January at 7:30pm. (November 21)

ABC's new trouble spot: Tuesday at 9pm
     Just when ABC thought its troubles on Tuesday were over, 9pm is starting to look like sh-t. "Life With Bonnie" started the hour with a tiny 8.4mil, while the funny "Less Than Perfect" (8.3mil) held onto most of that. That was fifth in the hour for the second straight week. "Smallville" (9.1mil) was a very strong fourth, while "24" was third at an even 10.0mil viewers. "The Guardian" held onto 13.0mil despite "Frasier" hitting 18.2mil viewers in the middle of Niles' heart-arc. But "Hidden Hills" was unimpressive at 10pm, dropping 38% of "Frasier"s aud, falling to 11.4mil. The UPN programmed "Girlfriends" (2.2mil) and "One On One" (2.1mil) to virtually no aud.
      At 8pm, the roles were reversed as NBC lost out and ABC won. Though "JAG" (15.6mil) was first, "8 Simple Rules" (13.0mil) and "Jim" (12.6mil) were first in adults. "That 70s Show," though slipping to an average of 8.7mil viewers in the hour, was a very close second in adults. "Just Shoot Me" (6.7mil) and "The In Laws" (7.5mil), both ready to be canned, were fourth, though they will probably slip behind "Gilmore Girls" (6.5mil) in adults. "Buffy," meanwhile, hit a off 4.4mil in 6th. 
     Later in the night, "Judging Amy" (14.2mil) won in viewers, "Blue" (12.6mil) in adults, while "Dateline" (10.5mil) lost in both. (November 20)

"Do Over," "Family" cut even more
     Just a day after the WB picked up "Grounded For Life" and cut "Do Over and "Family Affair" by 3 episodes, they have cut four more. The series have been reduced to just 15 episodes and will probably not air through the spring as the WB had previously promised. (November 20)

UPN comedies get more episodes
     Conversely, the UPN has added three episodes to "Girlfriends" and "The Parkers" and one more to "One On One" and "Half And Half." Though the series' overnight ratings have been less than perfect this season, their viewer averages are higher than ever. (November 20)

"Third Watch" incredible
     "Third Watch" hit a huge season high on Monday, taking advantage of a good lead-in and actually doing some damage to the other nets in the hour. The show attracted 13.5mil viewers at 9pm and a 5.3/12 in adults, great considering it was not a "special" episode. This actually hurt "Raymond," which fell to 20.5mil viewers and a 7.1/17 rating in adults. "Raymond," though still very highly rated, has been generally slipping this season, the first time it's ever done so. "Still Standing" fell to 15.2mil at 9:30pm and a 5.4/12 rating in adults, beind "TW," which jumped to a 5.6/13 in the half hour. But overall, it was ABC that took the hour as football kept up in the high end range (18.4mil) for the third straight week, something that ABC has to be loving. Fox's special "Funniest Animal Outtakes" drew an anemic 7.6mil and just a 3.1 rating in adults. "Everwood" (6.0mil) was fifth, while "Girlfriends" (4.0mil) and "Half & Half" (3.5mil) had an off night in sixth.
      Going back an hour, it was a very tight race for first for the first time this season. "King of Queens" (13.6mil) and "Yes, Dear" (13.8mil) were barely above "Fear Factor" (13.6mil) in total viewers. But "FF" held the advantage in adults with a 5.7/14 to CBS's 4.6/11. ABC was a strong third with "20/20" (10.4mil), while "Boston Public" (9.4mil) was a disappointing fourth in all aspects. "7th Heaven" (7.6mil) was fifth, while "The Parkers" (3.7mil) and "One On One" (4.3mil) were sixth.
      At 10pm, it was rather disappointing as football won, and "CSI Miami" (17.0mil) fell to season lows. "Crossing Jordan" was still a distant third (11.5mil).
      Compared to last season, the most impressive gains were made by "Third Watch," which was up an amazing 44%. Here's for a fifth season on the "Watch." (November 19)

"Birds of Prey" a goner, "Grounded" to WB
      In a surprize decision, the WB has decided to cancel the drama "Birds of Prey." Yes, the show has dropped from a 7.6mil viewer premiere to 4.0mil for its last episode. But apparently, the show is very expensive to produce and the WB has decided to to bother with it. The last airdate has not yet been set.
      Speaking of not bothering with it, the WB has decided to cut by 3 the number of episodes of the flailing "Family Affair" and "Do Over." To replace it, the WB is picking up Fox's sitcom "Grounded For Life," which Fox has not even announced cancelled. In what may be precedent setting, Fox did not pick up more than 13 episodes of the series this season, and it wasn't looking like Fox would (it's only aired twice so far this season). So the producers sold the back nine to the WB. It will on Fox until February or March and then switch to the WB. But with the show having no future on the net, don't look for any new episodes to give the WB any promotional push. (November 19)

"Firefly" picked up for two more
     What's up with a two episode order? I don't know, but that's what "Firefly" has been given on top of its original 13 episodes. Six additional scripts of the series have been ordered, so this means that two will actually be made. The show is averaging just 4.8mil viewers on Friday nights, but that number has been steady for the last few weeks. (November 19)

NBC wins four straight nights
    Thanks to surprizingly strength on Saturday, NBC has won four straight nights in some way (Wedneday, Friday & Saturday in viewers, Thursday and Saturday in adults) its longest winning streak in quite some time. the net got huge mileage on Saturday with the movie "Hunter" (10.3mil), sending CBS's combo of "Angel" (7.6mil) "The District" (9.6mil) and "The Agency" (8.1mil) to season lows. Fox did win in adults, but two episodes of "Cops" (6.9mil, 8.0mil) and "AWM" (7.5mil) were no challenge in total viewers. ABC was second in adults on the night, but didn't exactely get what it was hoping for with "The Sixth Sense" (6.4mil).
     Back up a night to Friday, all of NBC series were off from the previous weeks season highs, but still, "Providence" (11.0mil), "Dateline" (11.3mil) and "SVU" (16.2mil) were the run away winners on the night. Over on ABC, which was second, "AFV" got off to a season high 10.3mil viewers and a win in adults. "Drew Carey" dropped to 6.5mil, but sadly, that still represents some of his best numbers of the season. "Whose Line" (5.9mil) lead into a mediocre "20/20" (9.3mil). Over on CBS, "48 Hours" continues t show huge strength at 8pm with 9.4mil, while "Hack" (10.0mil) continues to be strong at 9pm. But its "Robbery Homidice Division" (6.5mil) that keeps the net from really breaking out. Over on Fox, "Firefly" (4.8mil) is still a downer at 8pm, but "John Doe" (6.6mil) continues to shine (in a weird way) at 9pm.
     Going back to Thursday, both Fox and ABC were the real stories - of how they're falling apart on the night. ABC drew only 4.2mil at 8pm for the concert to benefit World's Children's Day, while Fox was marginally better with 4.5mil tuning in for "30 Seconds To Fame." From 9 to 11pm, ABC aired another disappointing movie, this time "My Best Friend's Wedding" to the tune of 5.9mil viewers, while Fox aired "World's Wildest Poilce Chases" to only 4.5mil, which has to be a record low for that franchise.
     Getting to the good stuff, it was a race between NBC and CBS on the night. At 8pm, "Friends" got off to a not spectacular 25.3mil, but "Scrubs" (20.0mil) held onto a best yet 80% of that audience, and actually beat out "Survivor" in adults for the half hour. Looks like people wrote off this quirky drama-sitcom too quickly (one complaint though-  the show is really moving too far into soap-ville). But "Survivor" was no slouch- it drew 21.6mil viewers as the tribes merged, its highest total in weeks. At 9pm, "CSI" (29.7mil) blew away the competition on all counts as both "Will & Grace" (19.1mil) and "Good Morning Miami" (15.0mil)
fell further behind. At 10pm, "ER" (24.3mil) continued to slip, while "Without A Trace" (15.7mil) continued to be a solid alternative. 
     Elsewhere on the night, the UPN was third overall as "Smackdown" hit 5.7mil, while the WB saw some strength after 9pm with "Family Affair" (2.3mil) and "Do Over" (2.1mil) disappointing, but "JKX" (3.0mil, 2.7mil) finding an audience. (November 17)

"Ed" sees huge boost
     Maybe it was a Neilsen anomily, but "Ed" saw its biggest ratings of the season on Wednesday, its highest numbers in fact since it moved to Wednesday. The show won the 8pm hour with 12.6mil viewers, beating out ABC strong combo of "My Wife & Kids" (13.1mil) & "George Lopez" (11.5mil) and CBS's season high "60 Minutes II" (11.4mil). "Ed" was only second in adults though at a 4.5/12, first at 8:30pm but way behind at 8pm. ABC won that demo as usual. Fox's combo of "Bernie Mack" (8.0mil) and "Cedric" (7.6mil) fell to their worst numbers of the season, while both "Enterprise" (5.0mil) and "Dawsons Creek" (4.4mil) were at average numbers.
     But at 8pm is where ABC really started to shine. "The Bachelor" hit a season high 17.8mil viewers, only 300,000 viewers off what the final drew last April. "The West Wing" fell even further behind at 15.8mil, while third (albeit distant) went to "The Amazing Race" (7.7mil), which is slipping every week. "Fastlane" perked up to 7.0mil, though still nothing to crow about. On the WB, "Birds of Prey" hit a series low 4.0mil viewers, while "The Twilight Zone" was unimpressive at 3.1mil. 
     At 10pm, "Law & Order" (19.0mil) took it, but a special "PrimeTime Thursday" with J.Lo brought in 15.4mil viewers and a 7.1 rating in adults, nearly on par with the performance of "20/20" a week earlier. "Presidio Med" got caught in the crossfire, though, drawing only 5.8mil viewers. 
     Week to date- get this- ABC is actually leading! The net is averaging 13.9mil viewers to NBC & CBS's 13.3mil. Fox is way behind at 8.4mil, while the WB is drawing a strong 6.1mil and the UPN sits at 4.4mil. In adults, ABC is also leading at a 5.8/16 rating. NBC is second at a solid 5.0/14, while CBS has slipped to a 4.0/11. Fox sits at a weak 3.8/9, while the WB lead the UPN 2.9/7 to 2.0/5. (November 14)

Bottom falls out of "Bonnie"
     ABC's "Life With Bonnie," which maybe the oddest new show of the season, is having a tough go of it lately. Not only is the show is getting progressively less funny, but the ratings are also going south. The show drew only 8.0mil viewers on Tuesday and a tiny 3.6/9 in adults. Granted, the show did go up against the second biggest "Frasier" (17.1mil- 6.9/16) of the year, but it was still down 64% from its lead-in. But it was good news for the sparkling "Less Than Perfect." Though it only drew 9.2mil viewers in the slot, it was up over "Bonnie" for the first time ever, recording a 3.8/10 in adults."Hidden Hills" led it in the demo, but at 11.7mil viewers and a 5.2/14 in adults, it was down 32% in viewers and 25% in adults from "Frasier."
"The Guardian" was second in the slot (13.1mil, 2.9/7), though "24" was second in adults (10.1mil, 5.0/14), but down 25% over the last three weeks. "The Guardian" was actually 5th in adults, likely behind "Smallville" (8.5mil), which was just about tied for 4th in viewers. The UPN's special "WWE Spuer Tuesday" drew an okay 3.6mil.
      Moving down an hour, there were no clear winners. "8 Simple Rules" (12.8mil, 5.0/15) and "Jim" (12.4mil, 5.3/15) won in adults, though "JAG" won in viewers (15.0, 3.1/8). Fox's sinking "That 70s Show" still managed third in the hour (8.5mil; 7.7mil, 4.4/13), second in adults. NBC's dead duo of "Just Shoot Me" (6.9mil, 2.9/8) and "The In Laws" (7.8mil; 3.1/8) were fourth on all counts. "Gilmore Girls" (6.5mil) was fifth overall, while "Buffy" (4.8mil) was still sixth. At 10pm, the strongest "Dateline" in two seasons drew 14.8mil viewers, while "Amy" (13.3mil) and "Blue" (12.2mil) sunk to season lows. (November 13)

Fox picks up dramas
     Somewhat surprizingly, Fox has picked up a full season of both "Fastlane" and "John Doe." The latter really isn't a huge surprize. After "Doe" premiered to almost 10mil viewers in September, its consistantly averaged more than 6mil viewers, and last week it hit its highest numbers since its premiere. "Firefly," which aired before it, also hit 4.7mil, its highest ratings in 4 weeks. But don't hold your breath for a full season order.
     Surprizingly, "Fastlane" has also been picked up. Though the show debuted well, its averaging what "Doe" is now, except that "Fastlane" is down more than 30% from "Bernie Mack" last season, and it airs on Wednesday, a higher profile night. Look for a full season for "Cedric" pretty soon. (November 13)

"CSI Miami" back up on Monday
     "CSI Miami" hit its second highest numbers of the season on Monday, hitting 20.0mil viewers and a 7.1/17 rating in adults, off about 14% from its premiere nearly two months ago, but up 10% over its floating average over the last few weeks. ABC Monday Night Football drew on amazingly strong 19.3mil from 9pm to midnight, its best performance of the season, up slight from last weeks previous season high. "Crossing Jordan" (9.8mil) hit a season low under the intense competition. 
     But an hour earlier, CBS lost for the first time in ages. "Raymond" (20.9mil) and "Still Standing" (16.4mil) slipped behind the first hour of ABC's football coverage, which drew more than 20mil viewers. NBC was third, but distant at 12.0mil, while Fox's "TV's Funniest Game Show Moments 2" drew a laughably low 8.1mil viewers. "Everwood" was fifth (6.2mil), while "Girlfriends" and "Half & Half" drew 4.7mil and 4.1mil, respectively.
     In the first hour of primetime, "King" (14.3mil) and "Dear" (14.4mil) won in viewers, but a season high "Fear Factor" (13.6mil) won in most of the younger demos. ABC was third, but got its best results of the season with the Monday premiere of "Monk" (10.2mil), while Fox slipped to 9.2mil with the softening "Boston Public." "7th Heaven" was 5th (7.8mil), while "The Parkers" (4.0mil) and "One On One" (4.4mil) drew average numbers. (November 12)

"Drew" flops on Friday
     ABC's latest attempt to salvage "The Drew Carey Show" has failed, and meiserably. The show got a decent lean-in with "Funniest Videos" (9.1mil), but "Drew" only managed 5.5mil viewers from 9-10pm. that was down 40% from its lead-in, but down only 15% from last aired there last year, "Thieves." Will ABC move "Drew" again? It's running out of slots, but a solution is Saturdays at 8pm, where the bar is low enough the Drew Carey may just be able to get his engourged belly under it. ABC was second at 10pm with "20/20" (7.9mil), though it obviously suffered from a very weak lead-in. 
     Overall, NBC won the night in grand fashion. "Providence" ticked up to a season high 11.7mil as the series winds down. CBS was second with the surprizingly strong "48 Hours Investigates" (9.6mil), ABC was third, while Fox's "Firefly" (4.4mil) continued to await its walking papers. At 9pm, "Dateline" (11.7mil) was the winner, as usual, though "Hack" (10.1mil) is turning into a real player of CBS. Fox was third as "John Doe" (6.3mil) took a step up from last week, while ABC was dead.
At 10pm, "SVU" (17.0mil) scored its best numbers of the season, overcoming ABC and CBS's "I can't beleive it hasn't been cancelled!" "Robbery Homicide Division" (7.0mil).
     Compared to last season, ABC was up 15%, CBS 14%, while NBC lost 3% and Fox 23%. In all, the nets averaged 35.2mil viewers, even from last season.
     Week to date, CBS has a slight edge over NBC, 15.2mil to 15.1mil. ABC sits at 10.5mil, Fox is at a low 6.9mil, while the WB (M-Thurs) is leading the UPN 5.6mil to 4.3mil. (November 9)

Bigger comedies lead to bigger numbers
     NBC once again "supersized" its Thursday night sitcoms and saw ratings shoot upwards. "Friends" (27.1mil) won from 8 to 8:47pm, "Will & Grace" (22.3mil overall) won from 8:48 to 9:30, and was second until 9:25pm. After that, "Scrubs" dropped off to 16.9mil, though at 76% retention, that's not at all bad for the medcom. At 10pm, "ER" sunk to 24.4mil viewers, certainly not catching any fire that the early evening saw.
     CBS was second on the night, though "Survivor" (19.2mil), "CSI" (27.7mil) and "Without A Trace" (14.7mil) all fell to season lows. The UPN was a surprizing third on the night, averaging 5.7mil viewers with "Smackdown!" ABC was fourth with a weak showing from the movie "Galaxy Quest" (4.8mil) and "Primetime" (6.0mil), while Fox did absolutely nothing with two episodes of "30 Seconds To Fame" (3.8mil; 4.4mil) while the special "World's Wildest Police Chases" moved up to fourth at 9pm with 6.0mil viewers. The WB was dead last, though "Family Affair" (2.7mil) and "JXK" (2.9mil; 2.4) drew some pretty solid numbers (compared to what it's done lately), though "Do Over" (1.9mil) flopped at 8:30pm.
     So far this week, the nets are performing better than at any other time so far this season. CBS is running away with 16.9mil (thanks to the CMA awards). NBC has 15.5mil, while ABC has sunk to 11.3mil thansk to Thursday. Fox is out of it at only 7.3mil, while the WB is at a strong 5.6mil compared to the UPN's 4.3mil. In adults, NBC is atop as usual at a 6.5 rating. CBS is a strogn second at a 5.6 while ABC is third at a 4.7. Fox, at a 3.3 rating, is barely floating above the WB (2.7), while the UPN is out of it (2.2). (November 8)

The WB's record Tuesday
     In what's becoming a weekly headline, the WB set more huge records on Tuesday night. Both "Gilmore Girls" (7.0mil) and "Smallville" (9.5mil) set series records in viewers and set WB records on the night. The net also averaged a network record 3.7/8 rating in adults on the night, ranking it third, ahead of ABC, CBS and the UPN. it also scored various wins in the more narrow demos. Congrats, WB. (November 8)

ABC & CBS split Wednesday win
     The usual Wednesday winner, NBC, was not to be found on top of either the total viewers list nor the adults list on Wednesday night as the other nets strutted their stuff- and it worked. CBS won the night in viewers with the "2002 Cotunry Music Awards" (18.3mil), averaging a very strong 6.0/16 rating in adults for the night. ABC, meanwhile, drew an average of 14.1mil viewers on the night, third under NBC (15.3), but a run away first in adults at a 6.7/18. NBC was third in the demo at a 5.2/14.
     Starting off at 8pm, as usual, after CBS, next down the line was.... "Ed" ? The show drew a much stronger than usual 11.1mil viewers and a 3.8/10 in adults. "My Wife & Kids" (11.4mil) and "George Lopez" (10.4mil) took a hit on ABC, but combined for a 4.7/14 in adults, second in the hour. Fox was fourth with "Bernie Mack" (7.8mil) and "Cedric" (7.7mil) settling into frustratingly low numbers and a very low 3.3/8 in adults, last in the hour on the big 4. On the UPN, "Enterprise" walked away with 5.4mil viewers, while "Dawsons Creek" took about 4.3mil.
     At 9pm, ABC finally won. After two weeks of watching "The Bachelor" bubble just under "The West Wing" in viewers, it busted through last week with 16.2mil tuning in for the third to last episode. "The West Wing" (16.0mil) wasn't too far behind, though in adults, the spread was huge (7.8/21 vs 5.6/15). Well, it guess it would be misleading to say the ABC won, because it was actually CBS that took those honours. Fox was fourth as "Fastlane" (6.8mil) hit a series low at a tiny 2.9/6 in adults. "Birds of Prey" (4.3mil) continued to hold on, while "The Twilight Zone" (3.3mil) is looking weaker and weaker.
     In the late hour, Ozzy Osbourne may be popular, but he's no Jerry Orbach, apparently. "Law & Order" (18.8mil) beat out a special Osbourne "20/20' (15.3mil). CBS was second in the hour, the only timeslot it lost on the night. But in adults, it was no contest. "20/20" drew a 7.7/22 rating, way above "Law" (6.2/17), while CBS (5.7/16) slipped behind. 
     Compared to last season, the nets were stuck between winners and losers. The biggest loser was the UPN, down 24%. Fox dropped 11% while NBC lost 6%. On the flipside, CBS was up 3%, the WB 26%, while ABC battled to a 53% gain, showing just how successful it actually is this season. In total, the nets were up 5%. (November 7)

"Smallville" shoots past 9mil
     It's always hard to estimate the ratings for the UPN and WB before the finals numbers come. The overnights tend to be falsely high, and usually the series draw a number of viewers at or just above their overnight rating. The exception? The WB's "Smallville." Last week the show drew 8.2mil off a 5.7 in the overnights for multiplier of 1.43. And this wasn't an exception. "Smallville" is the best case scenario when it comes to the mini nets and the overnights.
     Thus, the 6.7 rating it drew last night could calculate into as many as 9.5mil viewers, pending, of course, final revision. If this is true, it would be the series highest rated telecast ever as well as the WB's highest rated outside of "7th Heaven" (which has broken 10mil more than once) and on Tuesday night. So what's behind the gain? Nothing apparent as few nets gave up ground on the night. CBS won with a relocated "Judging Amy" (14.7mil) doing extremely well, up abut 2mil from "The Guardian" last week. NBC was second with the tail end of "Fear Factor" (12.3mil) and another record low showing for "Frasier" (12.5mil). Fox slipped to third, down from first, with "24" (11.7mil), though at a 5.9 rating in adults, it easily won the hour. The WB was fourth overall (potentially), while ABC slipped to fifth "Life With Bonnie" (10.3mil), though "Less Than Perfect" (8.2mil) dropped to its worst numbers yet, probably due to the "Frasier" competition. The last episode of "Haunted" (1.6mil) drew only 17% of its next closest competitor.
       At 8pm, it was a mixed plate. "JAG" (15.7mil) won in viewers, but "8 Simple Rules" (13.2mil) / "According To Jim" (12.6mil) tied "Fear Factor" for the lead in adults at a 4.8. Fox was fourth with "Fox's Funniest Outtakes" (9.2mil), while "Gilmore Girls" (6.2mil) was a solid fifth. "Buffy" (4.8mil) was last. In the race of the 10pm election coverage, NBC took 9.5mil, leading CBS (8.5mil) and ABC (7.0mil). (November 6)

"24" not so great the second time around
     It seemed like a smart thing for Fox to do: cancel "girls club" and replace it, at least temporarily, with repeats. The first week would be "24." Hindsight is 20/20, so they say. The show drew a pathetic 4.1mil viewers on Monday, less thana  third who tuned in last Tuesday. That's almost a million viewers worse than "girls club" last week, a show that Fox is stuck with. It was sixth in the slot, even behind "Girlfriends" (4.5mil) and "Half & Half" (4.0mil). It could have had something to do with the competition in the hour. CBS won with a season low score for "Raymond" (20.5mil), while "Still Standing" slipped to 15.8mil, letting ABC's strong football coverage take the hour (19.3mil overall). NBC was third with the surprizingly strong movie "Carrie" (12.2mil overall), giving NBC its best Monday demo scores of the season. "Everwood" was fourth (6.3mil).
       Backing up an hour, CBS won, though both "King" (14.4mil) and "Dear" (13.8mil) are starting to slip. NBC was second, while ABC's "20/20" (10.4mil) gave the net its best scores of the season in the hour. "Boston Public" was not so luck, slipping to a series worst 9.0mil viewers. "7th Heaven" (7.7mil), meanwhile, nearly doubled both "The Parkers" (3.8mil) and "One On One" (4.2mil). At 10pm, under the weight of football, "CSI Miami" slipped to 17.8mil, its second worst numbers of the season.
      Compared to last season, it took only one network to destory the gains of the rest. ABC, NBC and the WB were each up a solid 9%, while CBS increased by a season low 5%. Meanwhile, the UPN was off a not too bad 13%, but Fox fell 42%, bringing the nets to an average of 62.8mil viewers this season, down 2%. (November 5)

UPN cuts "Haunted"
      It will probably shock and sadden absolutely nobody, but the UPN has decided that it will not air "Haunted" after this episode. Cue tears. (November 5)

"The Mole"s are picked
     ABC has officially announced the roster for the first celebrity edition reality show (well, besides, "Fear Factor" and the like). And it will be... Stephen Baldwin, Corbin Bernsen, Kathy Griffin, Kim Coles,  Michael Boatman, Erik von Detten (from the still to come "Dinotopia") and supermodel Frederique.
     The net has not set an airdate, but it will not air in November as it's too late to schedule it. Look for it in February if you're
deparate. (November 4)

CBS makes sched changes
     CBS has made two changes to its November sweeps schedule. Insignifcant as they may be, they show how concerned CBS is aboout maximizing its ratings, not just about hurting the other nets.
      In the first, CBS will move the Thankgiving Day edition of "Survivor" to Wednesday to avoid the usual turkey day drop-off. This will also give a boost to "The Amazing Race," which has seen fading ratings of late.
      In the second, the previously announced "Victoria's Secret Fashion Show," which was scheduled to air Wednesday November 20th at 9pm, will move up an hour to 8pm to accomodate the finale of "The Bachelor." And let the letters of protest begin! (November 4)

WB renewed stinkers
     Only two weeks after the WB renewed "Family Affiar," "Do Over" and "Jamie Kennedy" for a full season, they all hit series lows. At 2.0mil for the first two, 1.7mil for "JKX" and 1.3mil for the cancelled "Off Centre," the WB got its worst results for new prorgramming on Thursday ever, and now they're stuck with them. The next lowest rated net, the UPN with "Smackdown!" (5.0mil) drew more than double what they managed. Even Fox, with the weak season premiere of "30 Seconds to Fame" (4.2mil; 5.0mil) and the special "Funniest Wedding Outtakes" (6.0mil) was considerably ahead. ABC was third on the night withthe pilot of "Monk" (7.8mil) and "PrimeTime" (7.0mil).
      And then came the real race- CBS and NBC. NBC opened up the night on a positive note with "Friends" (24.5mil- though it was a season low). "Scrubs" (18.4mil)  sppears to be finding an audience as it lost only a quarter of "Friends" aud this time around, down from a third at the beginning of the season. Of course, it did help that "Survivor" (19.6mil) hit a season low. "Friends" drew a 11.8/32 in adults, while "Scrubs" held an even better 80% of that audience at a 9.4/24. "Survivor" averaged an 8.1 rating.
     At 9pm, "CSI" (28.0mil- 10.8 in adults) hit a season low, but still smashed "Will & Grace" (17.1mil- 9.0/21). "Good Morning Miami" (14.4mil- 7.4/18) hit a season low when following a new "Will," but still held onto a solid 84% of viewers and 82% in adults. At 10pm, it was "ER" (23.7mil) over "Without a Trace" (16.0mil), but the margin was only 48% this time around. (November 1)

"Bram & Alice" let go
     CBS has decided not to continue with the critcally panned series "Bram & Alice" after only 4 airings. Ratings have deacresed each week, but that's a bit unfair considering that it airs at scattered time across the country because of football overruns. (November 1)
                                                                                          >>>October 2002 News>>>