Last year’s ranking: Unranked
The real winner here could be the Tribune station group, which picked up the shows that landed in the first-ever tie in the “Most Bankable” list. The tie is fitting, however, as both series debuted this season in off-net syndication and both already are competing weekly for the top spot among all off-net strips.

“Who would have ever guessed that a bunch of animated characters would have more star power than the cast of ‘Friends’?” one voter said of Twentieth’s “Family Guy.”

“This naughty family comedy headlined by Charlie Sheen has burst on the syndication scene with a ratings impact reminiscent of the days of yore,” said another of “Two and a Half Men.”
The two series have exchanged places almost weekly this season behind “Everybody Loves Raymond,” the No. 1 show in the category, with both averaging a 4.1 compared with “Raymond’s” 4.2 this season.

“Family Guy” can boast of incredible demographics as well as the top spot among the key male demos. “Men,” meanwhile, can brag that it scored those household numbers without a cable run factored in, unlike “Family Guy” and “Raymond.”

Nevertheless, the debut of these two performers has freshened up sagging ratings overall for the entire off-net category, with once-dominant performers “Raymond,” “Seinfeld” and “Friends” all down by double digits compared to 2006.