Prime-Time Ratings: Weekend Highlights

-Friday's Losers (excluding repeats):
Duel (ABC), 20/20 (ABC) and the night overall

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-Ratings Breakdown:
CBS won this first Friday of the May 2008 sweeps, with a non-spectacular first-place finish in every half-hour care of Ghost Whisperer (Viewers: 9.00 million; A18-49: 2.3 rating/9 share), Moonlight (Viewers: 7.99 million; A18-49: 2.1/ 6) and Numb3rs (Viewers: 9.61 million; A18-49: 2.2/ 7). Comparably, however, Moonlight versus older skewing year-ago occupant Close to Home (Viewers: 9.16 million; A18-49: 2.1/ 7 on April 27, 2007) was only equal among adults 18-49 (and down by 1.17 million total viewers).

Despite kicking off the May sweeps, 27 percent of Friday's schedule was repeats and 62 percent was non-scripted programming.

NBC finished a distant second overall with its combination of a one-hour repeat of Most Outrageous Moments (Viewers: #3, 3.96 million; A18-49: #5, 0.9/ 3 from 8-9 p.m.) and a two-hour edition of Dateline (Viewers: 6.69 million; A18-49: 1.9/ 6 from 9-11 p.m.).

ABC was third in total viewers, but fifth among adults 18-49 as a result of a repeat of America's Funniest Home Videos (Viewers: #2, 5.02 million; A18-49: #2, 1.3/ 5), waiting-to-be canceled game show Duel (Viewers: #5, 3.73 million; A18-49: #5, 1.0/ 3), and 20/20 (Viewers: #3, 4.98 million; A18-49: #3, 1.6/ 5). Without the benefit of a decent lead-in, 20/20 is floundering.

The CW's departing Friday Night Smackdown! was on the map, with 4.21 million viewers (#4) and a third-place 1.3/ 4 among adults 18-49 (tied with Fox). And repeat theatrical 13 Going on 30 on Fox scored a minimal 3.80 million viewers (#5) and a 1.3/ 4 in the demo (#3t) from 8-10 p.m. The sad reality of Friday remains declining HUT levels, a reflection of network programming viewers are not interested in watching.

Friday 4/25/08
Note: The following results are based on the fast affiliate ratings (Live Plus Same Day data).

Household Rating/Share
CBS: 5.6/10
NBC: 4.0/ 7
ABC: 3.0/ 5
Fox: 2.6/ 5
CW: 2.4/ 4

-Total Viewers:
CBS: 8.87 million, NBC: 5.78, ABC: 4.58, CW: 4.21, Fox: 3.80

-Adults 18-49:
CBS: 2.2 rating/7 share, NBC: 1.6/ 5, Fox and CW: 1.3/ 4 each, ABC: 1.2/ 4

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-Saturday's Winners:
Nothing

-Saturday's Losers (excluding repeats):
The night overall. Pathetic, isn't it?

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-Ratings Breakdown:
With the top-rated network, Fox, at less than six million viewers and under a 2-rating among adults 18-49, there is very little of note of say on the always dreaded Saturday. With that in mind, a double dose (original and repeat) of Fox's Cops opened the evening with 4.95 million viewers and a 1.7 rating/6 share among adults 18-49 from 8-9 p.m. That led into America's Most Wanted at 6.02 million viewers and a 2.0/ 7 in the demo at 9 p.m. Both non-scripted series ranked first in their time periods.

CBS was second overall in total viewers and third among adults 18-49 with its combination of a repeat of Cold Case (Viewers: #2, 4.45 million; A18-49: #3, 0.8/ 3), a repeat of CSI: NY (Viewers: #2, 5.44 million; A18-49: #3, 1.0/ 3) and 48 Hours Mystery (Viewers: #1, 5.78 million; A18-49: #2, 1.4/ 5). NBC was just the opposite -- third in total viewers and second among adults 18-49 -- with its encore line-up of Medium (Viewers: #4, 2.81 million; A18-49: #4, 0.6/ 2), Law & Order: Criminal Intent (Viewers: #4, 3.61 million; A18-49: #4, 0.9/ 3) and Law & Order (Viewers: #3, 4.99 million; A18-49: #3, 1.1/ 4).

A repeat of theatrical Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire on ABC capped off the evening with 4.62 million viewers (#3) and a 1.6/ 5 among adults 18-49 (#2) from 8-11 p.m. What a night!

Saturday 4/26/08
Note: The following results are based on the fast affiliate ratings (Live Plus Same Day data).

Household Rating/Share
CBS: 3.5/ 7
Fox: 3.4/ 7
ABC: 2.9/ 5
NBC: 2.6/ 5

-Total Viewers:
Fox: 5.48 million, CBS: 5.22, ABC: 4.62, NBC: 3.80

-Adults 18-49:
Fox: 1.8 rating/6 share, ABC: 1.6/ 5, CBS: 1.1/ 4, NBC: 0.8/ 3

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-Yesterday's Winners:
60 Minutes (CBS), Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (ABC), Desperate Housewives (ABC), Cold Case (CBS), Brothers & Sisters (ABC)

-Yesterday's Losers (Excluding Repeats):
Everybody Hates Chris (CW), Aliens in America (CW)

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-Ratings Breakdown:
Led by the strength of Desperate Housewives, ABC dominated Sunday in the overnights with a healthy 24 percent advantage over second-place CBS. Third overall in the metered markets was NBC, followed by Fox and the CW.

CBS granddaddy 60 Minutes won the 7 p.m. hour, with a 7.5 rating/14 share in the overnights. Second was NBC's Dateline (5.0/ 9), followed by the first hour of an expanded edition of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition on ABC (4.3/ 8), repeats of Fox's King of the Hill (2.3/ 4) and The Simpsons (2.9/ 5), and a repeat of America's Next Top Model on the CW (0.9/ 2). Despite the third-place overnight finish, look for Extreme Makeover: Home Edition to win the hour among adults 18-49 once the fast nationals are posted at PIFeedback.com.

The regularly scheduled portion of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition finished first in the overnights from 8-9 p.m., with a 7.3/12. Also airing in the hour was a repeat of USA drama Monk on NBC (#2t, 4.4/ 7), Fox's combination of The Simpsons (#2: 4.6/ 8) and King of the Hill (#4: 3.8/ 6), the season-finale of CBS' winter edition of Big Brother (#4, 4.0/ 7), and CW duo Everybody Hates Chris (1.1/ 2) and Aliens in America (0.9/ 1). While the ratings were not exactly stellar for Big Brother this time around (don't shoot the messenger, folks), that certainly does not mean I will miss the upcoming summer season, which begins on Sunday, July 13. It's my favorite guilty pleasure. As for last night, congratulations to bug-eyed Adam Jasinski

ABC's Desperate Housewives at 9 p.m. was the top-rated show of the evening, with a 10.0/15 in the overnights -- 22 percent above the 8:30 p.m. portion of lead-in Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (8.2/13). Second was CBS' Cold Case (7.6/12), which deserves accolades for building by a hefty 95 percent out of the second half of lead-in Big Brother (3.9/ 6 at 8:30 p.m.), followed by Fox's animated Family Guy (4.7/ 7) and American Dad (3.8/ 6), a repeat of USA drama Psych on NBC (2.7/ 4), and CW sitcoms The Game (1.4/ 2) and a repeat of Girlfriends (1.2/ 2).

Must see ABC drama Brothers & Sisters dominated at 10 p.m., with a 7.7/13 in the overnights. If you happened to miss last night's episode (the best, I think, of the series to-date), it is now available at abc.com. Emmy voters, take note!

Rounding off the 10 p.m. hour was a repeat of NBC's Law & Order: SVU (4.7/ 8) and a repeat of Showtime drama Dexter on CBS (4.5/ 7). Too bad these cable repeats have not fared better on the broadcast networks.

Sunday 4/27/08
Note: The following results are based on the metered market ratings.

Household Rating/Share
ABC: 7.3/12
CBS: 5.9/10
NBC: 4.2/ 7
Fox: 3.7/ 6
CW: 1.1/ 2

-Percent Change From the Year-Ago Evening (Sunday, April 29, 2007)
ABC: - 5, NBC: -11, Fox: -14, CW: -27, CBS: -28

Source: Nielsen Media Research data

-- Marc Berman

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