Frigid temperatures kept audiences indoors during the week ending Jan. 19, swelling ratings for weekly hours. A tribute to the late Maurice Gibb led the pack, according to Nielsen Media Research.
“Entertainment Tonight’s” weekend edition surged 57 percent in the national household scores, thanks to a retrospective of the life of deceased Bee Gee musician Maurice Gibb, who died earlier in the week. The tribute pushed “ET” to a 4.7 rating, topping last year’s score by 18 percent.
Second place went to Warner Bros.’ off-net hour of “ER,” which jumped 33 percent to a new season high of 2.8. That was followed by a tie for third between Twentieth’s “The Practice,” up 9 percent to a 2.5, and MGM’s “Stargate SG-1,” down 4 percent for the week.
Among the court shows, Paramount’s duo of “Judge Judy” and “Judge Joe Brown” scored new bests this season. “Judy” topped the genre once again and was up 2 percent to a 5.7, while “Brown” grew 3 percent to a 3.7 rating.
In the off-net ranks, Sony’s “Seinfeld” was bolstered by its prime-time runs on TBS to best “Friends” for the fifth time in the past six weeks. The strip was unchanged for the week at a 7.8, matching its season high, while Warner Bros.’ “Friends” slipped 4 percent to a 7.6 score.
Talk shows flat
Overall, talk shows finished the week generally flat or slightly higher. The genre was led by King World’s “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” unchanged at a 5.7, followed by rookie “Dr. Phil” at a 4.8, also even for the week. Among the biggest movers were, however, NBC Enterprises’ “The John Walsh Show” rising 15 percent to a 1.5 rating, Universal’s duo of “Jerry Springer” and “Crossing Over With John Edward” were up 8 percent to scores of 2.7 and 1.4, respectively, and NBC’s “The Other Half” reaching a season high of 1.0, up 11 percent.
The debut of Twentieth’s “Good Day Live” was unable to post gains this week after a debut of 0.8. The series was even in its second week.