Primetime Ratings, Thursday, 3/27/14

 

 

CBS had a much better Thursday this week than last, winning in all measures.

Speaking of which, the first NCAA March Madness game of the night earned a 2.0, while the second game rose to a 2.6. Thankfully for the Eye, those numbers are more than double what last Thursday's college hoops outings drew.

Over on ABC, the penultimate episode of 'Once Upon a Time in Wonderland' rose two tenths to a 1.0. For reference, the now canceled spin-off hasn't broken the 1.0 threshold since back in October. 'Grey's Anatomy' also bumped up two tenths, posting a 2.6. 'Scandal' finished things by rising two tenths to a 3.1, topping the night in both the 18-49 demo and total viewers.

'Hell's Kitchen' rose one tenth to a 1.9, and seems to be settling into a normal range. Conversely, 'American Idol's (truncated) results show fell to a 1.9, marking the first time the veteran reality series has ever fell below a 2.0 in its decade-plus existence. The series premiere of Christopher Meloni fronted comedy 'Surviving Jack' earned an okay enough for FOX, but hardly great overall 1.3.

NBC's only new offering, 'Parenthood,' impressively rose a tenth to a 1.4, proving itself entirely lead-in independent. It's not often that a 10 p.m. show's lead-in goes away and its ratings go up. The CW was host to a mild shocker, as usually reliable drama 'The Vampire Diaries' plunged down three tenths to a series low of 0.8. 'Reign' followed that by dropping to a 0.6.

Key: Broadcast Network - Show Name - 18-49 Rating - 18-49 Share - Total Viewers In Millions

8PM

CBS - NCAA March Madness (Dayton/Stanford) - 2.0 - 7 - 7.11

FOX - Hell's Kitchen (N) - 1.9 - 6 - 5.39

NBC - Hollywood Game Night (R) - 1.1 - 4 - 4.28

ABC - Once Upon a Time in Wonderland (N) - 1.0 - 3 - 3.35

CW -  The Vampire Diaries (N) - 0.8 - 2 - 1.73

9PM

ABC - Grey's Anatomy (N) - 2.6 - 7 - 8.42

FOX - American Idol (N) - 1.9 - 6 - 7.98

NBC - Hollywood Game Night (R) - 1.1 - 3 - 3.69

CW - Reign (N) - 0.6 - 2 - 1.40

9:30PM

FOX - Surviving Jack (Series Premiere) - 1.3 - 4 - 5.15

10PM

ABC - Scandal (N) - 3.1 - 9 - 9.01

CBS - NCAA March Madness (UCLA/Florida) - 2.6 - 9 - 7.23

NBC - Parenthood (N) - 1.4 - 4 - 4.40

Source: Nielsen Media Research

PRIMETIME PROGNOSTICATION

The five main factors I consider when making a prediction are thus:

1. Does the show win its timeslot, and how often? (CW shows are exempt from this criteria.)

2. How do the show's ratings compare to similar programs on the same network? (Self explanatory.)

3. How long has the show been on the air? (Veteran series are always more likely to get renewed.)

4. Does the show have any high-profile leads? (Never discount star power.)

5. How much does the show cost to make? (Approximately, exact TV budgets are hard to come by.)

Newly updated predictions are in bold.

Once Upon a Time in Wonderland - Guaranteed Cancellation Canceled 3/28/14 *Correct Prediction

Grey's Anatomy - Guaranteed Renewal

Scandal - Guaranteed Renewal

The Big Bang Theory - Guaranteed Renewal Renewed 3/12/14 *Correct Prediction

The Millers - Guaranteed Renewal Renewed 3/13/14 *Correct Prediction

Two and a Half Men - Likely Renewal Renewed 3/13/14 *Correct Prediction

The Crazy Ones - Likely Cancellation

Elementary - Likely Renewal Renewed 3/13/14 *Correct Prediction

The Vampire Diaries - Already Renewed

Reign - Already Renewed

Surviving Jack - Too Soon to Tell

Community - Likely Renewal

Parks and Recreation - Guaranteed Renewal Renewed 3/19/14 *Correct Prediction

Parenthood - Likely Renewal

Prediction Stats

Shows correctly predicted (so far) - 22
ABC - Mind Games, Once Upon a Time in Wonderland
CBS - 2 Broke Girls, The Big Bang Theory, Blue Bloods, Criminal Minds, CSI, Elementary, The Good Wife, Hawaii Five-0, The Millers, NCIS, NCIS: Los Angeles, Person of Interest, Two and a Half Men
FOX - Brooklyn Nine-Nine, New Girl, Raising Hope
NBC - Chicago Fire, Chicago P.D., Grimm, Parks and Recreation

Shows incorrectly predicted (so far) - 3 - The Following, The Mindy Project, Mom

Current accuracy rate: 88%