Viewers love to get their Big Bang Theory fix! The Bill Prady/Chuck Lorre comedy earned a 4.3 rating/11 share last night and averaged a timeslot-winning 13 million viewers — just one reason that CBS won yet another Thursday in the key demo (3.3/9) and viewers (13.5 million), according to preliminary ratings. $#*! My Dad Says earned a 3.1/9 and 10 million viewers, followed by CSI (3.1/8, 14.3 million) and The Mentalist (3.0/9, 14.3 million).
One buzz-killer at another network forwarded this little stat about the 8:30 p.m. timeslot that’s still worth repeating: Through nine telecasts, $#*! My Dad Says is down 18 percent from Survivor’s performance in the time period last fall. But it doesn’t really make a difference, does it? William Shatner is still bringing the viewers and Survivor is doing just fine on Wednesdays. So there you go.
ABC was second for the night in the demo (3.1/9) and viewers (8.9 million). After airing A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving at 8 (2.2/6, 7.3 million), ABC picked things up with Grey’s Anatomy (4.3/11 and 11.3 million) and Private Practice (2.9/9 and 8 million).
Fox was third for the night in the demo (2.3/6) and viewers (7.1 million), with Bones posting a 2.7/8 and 9.3 million, followed by Fringe (1.9/5, 4.8 million). NBC was fourth with a 2.2/6 and 4.9 million viewers, with Community earning a 1.9/6 and 4.4 million, followed by 30 Rock (2.3/6, 5.1 million), The Office (3.7/10, 7.2 million) and Outsourced (2.7/7, 5.4 million). The Apprentice (1.2/3, 3.5 million) delivered an all-time franchise low at 10. Don’t worry, folks, its almost over and then onto the much more interesting celebrity edition!
The CW was fifth for the night in the demo (1.1/3) and sixth in viewers behind Univision (3.2 million versus 3.8 million).
Due to NFL Preemptions in roughly 4 percent of the country, Fast Nationals for CW are inflated. The CW aired repeats of Vampire Diaries and Nikita, each at a 1.1/3.
Image Credit: 1973 United Feature Syndicate Inc; Douglas Gorenstein/NBC; Liane Hentscher/Fox
One of the saddest aspects of the new TV season was CBS sensing “blood in the water” and scheduling TBBT opposite Community. I love TBBT and watch it in DVR, but Community is a truly original piece of work and one of the most slyly subversive shows on the air today. It’s a shame.
Community is awesome. I don’t even watch Big Bang Theory. I hate laugh track sitcoms. If I want laugh tracks, I’ll watch reruns of “One Day At A Time”.
I for one think Outsourced is pretty good. It just needs to find its legs. The Office and 30 Rock are plugging along, but to me the best of the quartet is currently Community.
TBBT doesn’t use a laugh track. It’s performed in front of a live audience. Even the blue screen and on-location material is performed for the audience without sets or props so that the laughter can be captured. I’ve attended tapings and the show doesn’t need a laugh track-if anything they reduce the actual laughter-the studio audience is very enthusiastic and responsive.
They reduce the actual laughter? How can that be? It’s so over the top as it is. What is it like before they reduce it? Just complete screaming the entire time?
It is a shame. Community since the latter half of the first season and now in the second has had some truly brilliant setups, and they take their homages farther than any other show I’ve seen.
How are the numbers for 30 Rock and Community so low? What the hell is wrong with people?
Not everyone likes the same thing.
Somehow more people are watching Outsourced than these 2 great shows. That show is epically bad.
Not too many people like comedy that they have to think about before they lol. Unfortunately, it’s a victim of the dumbing down of America
I bet NBC wishes now they had Medium’s 7 mill viewers 2 years ago. Its so ironic–their ratings are not good enough for CBS’s average; but are above average for NBC. I hate to see that show get cancelled.
CBS put TBBT ahead of Shatner’s show because it would have died anywhere else.
By “it”,I hope you mean Shatner’s show, but grammatically, you have it the other way around.
Community was awesome last night, I don’t see TBBT making a blanket fort or having a gun shoot out scene. This show just knows how to take it to the next level, but still make it relatable. I wish my college was more like Community.