Wednesday featured a few goodbyes (so long, Masterchef and Big Brother 12) and a couple of hellos (welcome to your new night, Survivor!) but it was the finale of America’s Got Talent that helped NBC win the night among total viewers. NBC averaged 14.3 million, besting CBS at 9.26 million. But both networks ended up tying for first place among the important adults 18-49 demographic, according to fast national results from Nielsen.
Let’s start with NBC. America’s Got Talent owned the 8-10 p.m. timeslot in viewers, but didn’t start to show strength across the key demographics until it came time to declare the winner during the second hour. The finale was up 32 percent versus last week’s performance among adults 18-49 and up 6 percent versus last year’s finale on Sept. 16. Unfortunately, the strength of the annual talent show didn’t do much for the debut of the Jimmy Smits starrer Outlaw: The drama only averaged a 2.4/7 among adults 18-49 and was down 31 percent from the Thursday premiere of The Jay Leno Show last Sept. 16. Ouch. Still, it was up 4 percent from last season’s Mercy debut and 9 percent from last season’s Trauma debut — and, at 10.85 million, it won its time slot in viewers, so the news wasn’t all that bad for NBC’s new drama.
On CBS, the return of Survivor (with Jimmy Johnson!) was up 8 percent from the Samoa premiere on Sept. 17, 2009 in adults 18-49 but down 13 percent from the Heroes vs. Villains debut on Feb. 11. It averaged 11.95 million and came in second to the first hour of Talent. The Big Brother finale was up 7 percent from last week in adults and up 4 percent from last year’s finale on Sept. 15. It averaged 7.88 million viewers.
On Fox, Masterchef wrapped the summer as the No. 1 new series among adults 18-49. The two-hour finale averaged 4.73 million viewers. ABC ran comedy repeats.
can you write a little smaller
lol i was thinking the same thing!
they fixed it.
People will watching anything. What a sad commentary on America.
i for one was glued to my tv with cbs through the night from survivor premiere to big brother finale they should do this every year its makes for a great night!
I was right thee with you, great 3 hrs. of TV.
Should be there, right there with you
I watched The Outlaw with Jimmy Smits after the American’s Got Talent finale. I would have watched it even if it didn’t follow that show. Loved The Outlaw and will be watching each week.
Surely you must have been drinking to love that awful show.
I was drinking and I DIDN’T LIKE THE SHOW! Who are we kidding with kiddie ‘opera’ singer. She may not have lipsynced but somethink wasn’t right…..maybe I should’ve started drinking sooner to fully appreciate the absurdity of that performance.
you are an ignorant fool
Zelda, I’m with you. I think the only way I could stand to watch something as mindless as AGT would to be half in the bag.
Spoken like a true alcoholic do-nothing trailer trash ho.
I was very disappointed with the Outlaw. I love Jimmy Smitz but somewhere I got lost in the translation of the plot…did not hold my interest Was this just a preview?? or will the show have the same format weekly…..totally disjointed.
That’s “Smits” – Love him doing anything. Just nice to look at him for an hour.
I like Smits too but I’ll look at a photograph instead of this hot-mess show every week.
I think that the switch of CBS shows to different nights, Survivor to Wed, Big Bang Theory to Thurs may be because of viewer moods. Sometimes people get worn out of seeing their favorite show on one night and that why Survivor’s Thurs. ratings fell last spring. So Wed is a better fit.
I think that America’s Got Talent gained viewers the second hour because of the high intensity to see if Jackie Evancho or Michael Grimm would win it. And because it was a close top 4–all of them were equally strong in their performances.
jackie should of won!!!
I think zelda is a idiot. Also I think the winner outcome was a huge frame job. That poor girl was 100 times better than that clown who won it, what a disgrace and I will never watch the freaken show again
you’re right – Zelda is a d*uchebag.
Rich, seriously…would you want your 10 year old thrut into that whole arena…she’s got plenty of time to mature to a point where she can handle the pressure much better. Besides, she’s been noticed and she’ll have a deal anyway that may get her more than a million dollars.
she held up very well for the past 2 months
I LOVE MONEY 4 airs tonight on Vh1 at 11pn ET!! Finally…
Can’t stand Survivor but will Have to watch to see how Jimmy Johnson handles his HAIR in the bush. Surely there are no blow dryers available.
I don’t consider myself a TV PERSON. But, some shows like masterchef and america’s got talent plus what good stuff is on the dish make me think of having 3 tv sets in one room! It is tempting at times.
Jimmy Smits is a 1 hit wonder boy= LA Law.
ooop’s…forgot NYPD Blue. He was ok in that.