Ratings Chart Attack!

ABC’s “Ugly Betty” and “Grey’s Anatomy” decided to stay in the cellar last night, tying the shows’ series lows in ratings.

“Betty” pulled down a 2.4 rating/7 share and “Grey’s” brought in a 6.1/16 in the 18- to 49-year-old demographic, according to preliminary Nielsen research. That’s flat from last week, and the bottom for both series in the numbers.

“Lost” (4.9/13) hoisted itself up 4% from last week. With that, ABC squeaked out a first-place finish with a 4.4/12.

Close on ABC’s heels, CBS (4.3/12) aired an average “Survivor” (4.1/12), a 15% improved “Without a Trace” (3.8/10) and a sweeps-infused “Two and a Half Men” writers crossover episode of “CSI” (4.9/13). The stunt didn’t bump “CSI,” as the show decreased 4% week-to-week.

“Scrubs” (2.5/7) ended its NBC run on the low side, down 14% from last Thursday. “My Name Is Earl” (2.6/8) declined 7%. The season finale of “30 Rock” (2.6/7) stayed flat, while “The Office” lowered the bar again on its season low with a 3.6/9, down 10%.

“ER” (2.9/8) bottomed out yet again, dropping a tick from last week’s former series low. NBC (2.8/8) finished in third place for the night.

Fox’s (2.0/5) “Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?” (1.9/6) and “Don’t Forget the Lyrics!” (2.0/5) declined substantially from last week, by 14% and 20%, respectively.

“Smallville” (1.5/5) and “Supernatural” (1.0/3) dipped a tick for The CW (1.3/4).

Programming note: I’ll be in New York City next week live-blogging and video-blogging from the broadcast networks’ upfront presentations. Tune in next week to TVWeek.com as our reporters will let you know if your 100-to-1 bet that ABC will renew “Cavemen” over picking up “Scrubs” paid off (it probably won’t, but then again “According to Jim” is still on the air…).

The veritable gimmick month that “Deal or No Deal” is going through hasn’t been doing well, as “Deal” tied its worst performance ever in the ratings.

In recent weeks, “Deal” has brought on spring break partiers, Chewbacca and the president of the United States, all to lackluster numbers. Last night, host Howie Mandel dealt in Estonia, posting a 1.8 rating/5 share in the 18- to 49-year-old demographic, according to preliminary Nielsen data.

The show slipped 10% week-to-week, and was the third lowest rated show for Wednesday. “Deal” didn’t help lead-out “Law & Order” (2.8/8), which dipped to a season low. NBC finished third for the night with a 2.2/6.

Fox’s (5.0/14) “American Idol” (8.0/20) won again in convincing fashion, despite being down 5% from last week. “Back to You” (2.0/6) slipped 23% to join the ranks of several other shows this month that reached a series low. “’Til Death” (1.9/6) was down a tick from last week.

Prime-time “The Price Is Right” on Wednesdays continued its disappointing returns, tying its 1.7/5 from last week. When it aired in prime-time on Fridays, “Price” posted ratings 29% higher than its Wednesday showings.

“Criminal Minds” (3.1/8) dipped 6% and “CSI: NY” (3.3/9) rose a tick from last week. CBS ended up second for the night with a 2.7/7.

ABC’s (2.1/6) “Wife Swap” (2.5/8) posted a gain of 14%, winning the 8 p.m. hour. “Supernanny” declined 14% to a 1.9/5, a low not seen since October 2005 when the show ran on Fridays. A Barbara Walters special (2.0/5) finished last in the 10 p.m. time slot.

“America’s Next Top Model” (2.0/6) on The CW (1.5/4) stayed steady from last week in 18-49, but took a rocky 21% dip in the network’s target demo of 18-34 (1.9/7). “Farmer Wants a Wife” (1.0/2) was flat from last week.

Odds and Ends:

- Spanish-language Univision tends to get overlooked in terms of ratings coverage, but it consistently beats English-speaking broadcast networks on a nightly basis. Look for Univision numbers to appear more regularly in this blog. Speaking of which, Univision ended the night with a 1.8/5 (which would be 20% higher than The CW), up a tick from last week.

- While it might not seem like it, we’re right in the middle of May sweeps. As of day 13 of the sweep (the period runs April 24-May 22 this time around), Fox is leading in the 18- to 49-year-old demo with a 3.8/11 average, down 11% from last year. Fox is the closest to its mark from last year, with the other broadcast nets down nearly 17% from 2007.

ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars” and “Women’s Murder Club” posted ratings gains this week, with “Stars” hitting a season high on Tuesday.

ABC finished the night in second place with a 3.0 rating/8 share in the 18-49 year old age group, according to preliminary Nielsen research.

“Stars” (4.4/11) rebounded 7% over last week, and was helped by a “Stars” special (2.4/7) lead-in. “Club” (2.2/6) also bounced up 22%, the third-highest rating for the program.

But “American Idol” (8.2/23) and Fox (6.7/18) rumbled to another no-sweat win yesterday. “Idol” fell 9% from last week. “Hell’s Kitchen” (5.2/13) also dipped 4%. Those numbers may change when final results come in because “Idol” ran two minutes into the 9 p.m. time slot, affecting the measurement.

“NCIS” (2.8/8) hit its previous season average on CBS (2.3/6), while “Shark” (2.2/5) stayed flat.
NBC’s “Law & Order: SVU” (3.5/10) struck out against primary election news coverage, falling 15% to a series low. NBC (2.1/6) ended up fourth.

The CW’s (0.9/2) “Beauty and the Geek” (0.7/2) and “Reaper” (1.0/3) were both down a tick from last week.

NBC’s “Deal or No Deal” bottomed out to its worst Monday showing to date, while CBS and Fox tied for the top ratings spot.

“Deal” dropped 21% in the 18-49 demographic to a 2.3 rating/6 share, according to preliminary Nielsen numbers. The show is off 34% from its previous season average. “Medium” floated up a tick to a 3.2/9. NBC placed fourth for the night with a 2.6/7.

Fox (3.8/10) and CBS (3.8/10) finished tied for first, with Fox’s “House” (5.0/12) tumbling 14% from last week to its lowest rating since November 2005. “Bones” fell 16% from last week to a 2.7/8.

CBS’ comedies in the 8 p.m. hour dipped slightly. “The Big Bang Theory” (2.8/9) fell 2/10ths of a ratings point from last week, and “How I Met Your Mother” (3.5/10) slipped 8%.

“Two and a Half Men” stayed steady at 4.8/12, while “Rules of Engagement” (3.9/10) dipped a tenth of a ratings point. “CSI: Miami” (4.0/11) hopped up slightly.

ABC’s (3.4/9) “Dancing With the Stars” (4.2/12) chalked up a loss of 7% week-to-week.
Both “Samantha Who?” (3.0/7) and “The Bachelor” (2.4/6) were down a tick.

“Gossip Girl” (1.0/3) over on The CW (1.0/3) is starting to show some deterioration, as the show fell 23% in the 18-49 demo, and dropped 32% in 18- to 34-year-olds to a 1.3/4. “Girl” took a 25% hit week-to-week in females 18-34 as well, from a 2.6/8 to a 2.1/6.

“One Tree Hill” also fell week-to-week, down 17% in 18-49 (1.0/3) and dipping 18% in 18-34.

(Editor: Baumann)

Whether it was daylight-saving time or the release of “Grand Theft Auto IV” earlier in the week, Fox’s Sunday animation block fell considerably from last week, with “The Simpsons” matching its second-lowest rating ever.

“The Simpsons” garnered a 3.0 rating/9 share in the 18- to 49-year-old demographic, according to preliminary Nielsen numbers, dipping 19% from last week.

More telling are the week-to-week stats for “The Simpsons’” core 18-34 male audience, which tumbled 28% (from 5.3/17 to 3.8/14). “King of the Hill” (2.7/8) dropped 10% in 18-49 from last week. “Family Guy” (3.9/10) and “American Dad” (3.4/8) both stumbled by 9%.

If we want to get into even wackier stats that lend themselves to this “GTA: Grand Television Absence” theory (patent pending), consider males 12-17. Looking at the preliminary half-hour breakdowns, “The Simpsons” dropped 31% week-to-week in males 12-17 (from 4.9/16 to 3.4/13) while “Family Guy” fell almost a full ratings point, from a 6.2/19 to a 5.3/18. Interestingly, “American Dad” was pretty stable in both males 18-34 and 12-17 ratings.

Fox ended the night in second place with a 2.6/8.

On the front end, first-place ABC (4.2/12) saw some nice gains over its sluggish Sunday last week. “Desperate Housewives” (6.2/16) posted a 5% increase from last week. “Brothers & Sisters” (3.9/10) was up a tick, and “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” (4.1/12) jumped two ticks. “America’s Funniest Home Videos” celebrated its 400th episode of crotch-crushing fun with an on-par 2.4/9.

CBS (1.8/5) wrapped up its run of “Dexter” with two back-to-back episodes (1.5/4 and 1.8/5), slightly below average. “Cold Case” (2.4/7) also ended its season, down 11% from last week’s 9 p.m. showing. “60 Minutes” (1.5/5) ran flat.

NBC’s (1.2/4) re-airing of USA’s “Monk” (0.9/3) and “Psych” (1.0/2) continues to flounder. “Dateline” (1.2/4) dipped 25%.

The CW (0.5/1) was flat week-to-week.

Friday

CBS (2.2/7) won another Friday, thanks to new episodes of “Ghost Whisperer” (2.3/8), “Moonlight” (2.1/7) and “Numb3rs” (2.4/7), up 14% from last week.

NBC (1.7/6) placed second with a new “Dateline” (1.9/6), flat from last week.

Third-place ABC (1.2/4) brought out a special “20/20” (1.6/6), along with an average “Duel” (1.0/3) and a down “20/20” (1.2/4).

The CW (1.2/4) beat Fox (1.1/4) by a tick with its “Friday Night Smackdown!” (1.2/4) against Fox’s movie “Are We There Yet?” (1.1/4).

Saturday

Fox finished first with NASCAR coverage (2.4/8), followed by ABC (2.0/7), CBS (1.1/4) and NBC (1.0/3).

After an unexpectedly disappointing return from ABC’s lineup last Thursday, the trend continues as “Ugly Betty” and “Grey’s Anatomy” chalked up series lows in the 18- to 49-year-old demographic.

Even with a guest appearance by “Project Runway” winner Christian Siriano, “Betty” scored a 2.4 rating/7 share, according to preliminary Nielsen ratings, a tick down from last week. “Grey’s” dipped 8% from last week to a 6.0/15. After bottoming out last week, both shows pushed the needle down further this week. Despite that, however, “Grey’s” was the highest-rated show of the night.

“Lost” dropped 9% to a 4.8/13. ABC placed first for the night with a 4.4/12.

CBS’ (4.1/11) “Survivor” (4.0/12) slipped 7% from last Thursday. “CSI” gained ground to the tune of 6%, ending with a 5.0/13. “Without a Trace” stayed flat with a 3.3/9.

NBC’s (3.0/8) “My Name Is Earl” rebounded from a series low last week, up 17% to a 2.8/9. “Scrubs” (2.9/8) and “30 Rock” (2.6/7) were around average, while “The Office” dipped a tick (3.9/10) for its second consecutive season low.

“Are You Smarter Than a 5fth Grader?” (2.2/7) kicked up slightly from last week, while “Don’t Forget the Lyrics” was average (2.5/6). Fox finished fourth with a 2.3/6.

The CW’s (1.3/3) “Supernatural” (1.0/3) and “Smallville” (1.5/5) were flat.

Most people chose “no deal” Wednesday as “Deal or No Deal” tied its second lowest performance to date, according to preliminary Nielsen research.

“Deal” brought in a 2.0 rating/6 share, down 17% from last week. “Law & Order” (3.0/8) took a hit as well, stumbling 19%. NBC placed third for the night with a 2.3/6.

At the front end, Fox’s (5.2/14) “American Idol” unsurprisingly rolled on as the highest-rated show of the night with an 8.1/21, off 6% from a week ago. “’Til Death” (2.0/7) and “Back to You” (2.5/7) saw drops from last week as well, 13% and 7%, respectively.

CBS’ (2.7/7) “The Price Is Right” (1.7/5) came on down to a Wednesday prime-time showing, taking “Big Brother’s” slot. “Price” slid 23% from its Friday night showings. “Criminal Minds” (3.2/8) and “CSI: NY” (3.1/8) placed near their previous season averages.

“Wife Swap” (2.2/7) and “Supernanny” (2.2/5) were flat for ABC (2.1/6), while “Boston Legal” (1.9/5) tripped over its Wednesday time period premiere. “Legal” fell 21% off its Tuesday average, but improved on “Men in Trees’” season-to-date average in the slot by 19%.

“Farmer Wants a Wife” (1.0/3, 1.0/3 in 18- to 34-year-olds) debuted on The CW (1.5/4), down 23% at 9 p.m. in the 18-34 demo from “Crowned’s” debut in the time period in December.

“America’s Next Top Model” was essentially flat from last week with a 2.0/6 in the 18-49 demo and a 2.4/8 among 18- to 34-year-olds.

The folks over at Nielsen have put down their copies of “Grand Theft Auto IV” long enough to release Tuesday’s preliminary numbers.

“American Idol” tentatively fell again from last week to an 8.7 rating/24 share in the 18- to 49-year-old demo, off 3%. “Idol,” being live, will see some change once final numbers are released by Nielsen. “Hell’s Kitchen” increased 12% to a 5.5/14. Fox finished first for the night with a 7.1/19.

ABC and CBS tied for second with a 2.4/6. ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars Results Show” (4.0/10) fell 7%. “Women’s Murder Club” (1.9/5), which moved into its new home at 10 p.m., was off the mark by 21% from “Boston Legal’s” season-to-date average in that slot.

“According to Jim” (1.2/3, 1.4/4) was right around average.

CBS’ “NCIS” (3.0/8) stayed flat, while “Shark” (2.2/5) swam into the space vacated by “Big Brother,” down a tick from the time-period average. A special “CSI” filled in “Shark’s” usual slot at 10 p.m.

NBC (2.1/6) felt clip-tastic as “Most Outrageous Moments” (1.2/3) and an “SNL” prime-time special frontloaded the schedule. A new “Law & Order: SVU” (4.1/11) perked up slightly from last week.

The CW (0.9/2) ran “Beauty and the Geek” (0.8/2), which was on par, and “Reaper” (1.1/3), up slightly from last week.

A fun fact on “Reaper”: The show obtains the largest gain in ratings from Live+Same Day numbers (which is used in this blog) and Live+7 data (which factors in DVR views). “Reaper” tends to move the needle about 25% between the two stats, from a 1.2 to a 1.5.