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CBS Drama Slips in Ratings, Equals All-Time Low; ABC Show Sinks Even Lower

Nov 5, 2012  •  Post A Comment

A CBS drama series that has traditionally been in the top 20 among broadcast shows is showing signs of weakness in its fourth season. “The Good Wife” slipped to a 1.7 average rating in the key 18-49 demo Sunday night, according to Nielsen overnights, equaling its all-time low, TVbytheNumbers.com reports.

Meanwhile, ABC’s “666 Park Avenue” appears to be in trouble, delivering its lowest number to date: a 1.4 average in 18-49, down two-tenths from the previous week.

The piece notes that significant adjustments are expected to the numbers for the night due to live football broadcasts and overruns on NBC, CBS and Fox.

NBC took its usual easy Sunday night win on the strength of its “Sunday Night Football” telecast.

NBC finished the night with a 6.1 average rating for prime time in viewers 18-49, topping CBS (3.3 average), ABC (2.3) and Fox (2.0). Total viewers saw a closer battle, but NBC prevailed with 15.9 million to 13.7 million for CBS, 7.2 million for ABC and 4.4 million for Fox.

Other than NFL overrun at 7 p.m. (8.5 average rating for the half-hour in viewers 18-49), CBS’s top show of the night was “60 Minutes” with a 3.8 average. With football overrun affecting all shows’ start times, “The Amazing Race” delivered a 2.5 and “The Mentalist” rose one-tenth from last week to a 1.9.

NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” averaged a 7.3 in the 18-49 demo for prime time.

ABC’s “Once Upon a Time” was up one-tenth from a week ago to a 3.5 average in 18-49. “Revenge” slipped one-tenth to a 2.6.

On Fox, “The Simpsons” led the way with a 2.6 in viewers 18-49, while “Family Guy” delivered a 2.5, “American Dad” pulled a 1.9, “Bob’s Burgers” earned a 1.8 and “The Cleveland Show” had a 1.9.

4 Comments

  1. I’m waiting for the headlines on one of the “Historic Lows” stories to be, “No one at all watched this show last night.”

  2. If CBS would do something about the inevitable football overruns and get its Sunday nights on a stable schedule, The Good Wife and The Mentalist might get some better numbers. Bump 60 minutes to 8:00, either move The Amazing Race to another night or hold it until football is over and fill the time between 7:00-8:00 with post-game coverage. Problem solved.

  3. The Kalinda as a sado masochist is what destroyed the loyal audience. No one wanted to see that; and many loyal viewers, especially women, tuned out.

  4. CBS put their most popular shows on Sunday night and the football schedule overruns have taken away viewers, espcially in households where football is a passion. I start my DVR at 60 minutes every Sunday night and record all the way through he 11:00 news so that I don’t miss The Good Wife and the Mentalist because of overruns. These two shows should have been left on their original nights.

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