Primetime Ratings, Thursday, 3/20/14

 

 

With CBS' normal line-up preempted, ABC and FOX split the Thursday victory.

'Once Upon a Time in Wonderland' matched the 0.8 it's drawn for the last several weeks. Its ratings are stable in their awfulness, if nothing else. 'Grey's Anatomy' bumped up a tenth to a 2.4. 'Scandal' rose a tenth as well, earning a 2.9.

The honeymoon period for the new season of 'Hell's Kitchen' didn't last long, with the veteran reality program dropping two tenths to a 1.8. Still, that number is over 200% higher than the dismal 0.8 'Rake' last earned in the Thursdays at 8 p.m. timeslot.

The once dominant 'American Idol' dropped two tenths to a 2.0. This represents the umpteenth series low the show has set in 2014. Methinks it would be wise to cancel 'AI' after this season, and save FOX the embarrassment of it drawing 1.5s by this time next year.

The first night of NCAA March Madness disappointed all around, with both primetime games topping out in the low 1s. This really makes me wonder why CBS even bothers airing the tournament anymore. The Eye's usual line-up of 'Big Bang,' 'Millers,' '2.5 Men,' 'Crazy Ones,' and 'Elementary' would have at the very least doubled what the games averaged among the coveted 18-49 demographic. I know the ratings tend to go up once the later rounds begin, but those are still weeks away.

After spending almost a month at 1.0, 'Community' finally managed to rise to a 1.1, its highest rating since January. The finally (officially) renewed 'Parks and Recreation' matched last week's 1.2, while 'Parenthood' increased one tenth to a 1.3. As for The CW, 'The Vampire Diaries' rose a smidge to a 1.1, while' Reign' shocked everyone by jumping up two tenths to a 0.7.

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

8PM

FOX - Hell's Kitchen (N) - 1.8 - 6 - 5.34

NBC - Community (N) - 1.1 - 4 - 3.32

CW -  The Vampire Diaries (N) - 1.1 - 4 - 2.28

CBS - NCAA March Madness (Wolford/Michigan) - 1.0 - 4 - 3.79

ABC - Once Upon a Time in Wonderland (N) - 0.8 - 3 - 3.51

8:30PM

NBC - Parks & Recreation (N) - 1.2 - 4 - 3.05

9PM

ABC - Grey's Anatomy (N) - 2.4 - 7 - 8.09

FOX - American Idol (N) - 2.0 - 6 - 8.41

CBS - NCAA March Madness (Arizona State/Texas) - 1.3 - 4 - 3.64

NBC - Hollywood Game Night (R) - 0.9 - 3 - 2.87

CW - Reign (N) - 0.7 - 2 - 1.61

10PM

ABC - Scandal (N) - 2.9 - 9 - 9.08

NBC - Parenthood (N) - 1.3 - 4 - 4.22

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

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

No Scripted Programming Available

Community - Likely Renewal

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

Parenthood - Likely Renewal

Prediction Stats

Shows correctly predicted (so far) - 20
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: 87%