Most daytime shows were hot in
the mid-sweep week ending May 16, with several talk shows -- The
Oprah Winfrey Show conspicuously not among them -- showing gains.
Among talkers moving up before, CBS
Television Distribution's (CTD) Dr. Phil rose for the fourth
straight
week, gaining 7% to 2.9, his highest rating since the first week of
March. Warner Bros.' Ellen DeGeneres advanced 9% to 2.4.
NBC Universal's Maury climbed 10% to 2.2. CTD's Rachael Ray
jumped
14% in households to 1.6 and cooked up a 29% increase among women
18-49.
NBCU's Steve Wilkos spiked 15% to a new season-high 1.5. NBCU's Jerry
Springer added 8% to 1.4.
CTD's Oprah
was the only show in the genre to decline, slipping 2% to 4.5.
Disney/ABC's Live With Regis & Kelly and CTD's The Doctors
held steady at 2.5 and 1.7, respectively. Far back in the pack, Warner
Bros.' Bonnie Hunt and NBCU's Martha Stewart were flat at
0.8 and
0.5, respectively.
Court shows were on fire with CTD's Judge Judy jumping 7% to 4.7,
its
biggest number in 10 weeks, beating Oprah for the eighth time in
the past
nine weeks. Judy has now been the top-rated show in daytime 20
times in the past 25 weeks and is running 18% ahead of last year's
delivery. Oprah is down 15%.
CTD's Judge Joe Brown surged 16% to 2.2, its best showing in five
weeks,
and took second place among the gavelers. Warner Bros. People's
Court
hopped up 11% to 2.1. Warner Bros.' Judge Mathis added 6% to
1.7. Twentieth's Judge Alex was up 7% to 1.5. Twentieth's Divorce
Court settled for an 8% increase to 1.4. Warner Bros.' Judge
Jeannine Pirro tacked on 10% to 1.1.
The top rookie, NBCU's The Office, grew 4% to 2.9 and saw its women
18-34
demo swell 13% to 2.6; it ranked second among all syndicated shows to
the
animated Family Guy (Twentieth), which logged a first-place 2.8
in the
demo. In first-run, Sony's Dr. Oz recovered 9% from the previous
week's season low to a 2.5. On the other hand, Twentieth's Are You
Smarter Than a Fifth Grader was marked down to a new series low 1.3,
after
losing 13%. That put it in a tie with Debmar-Mercury's Wendy
Williams,
which was flat at a 1.3, while Litton's Street Court trailed with
an
unchanged 0.6.
Among game shows, Debmar-Mercury's Family Feud ratcheted up 7% to
a new
season-high 1.6. Leader CTD's Wheel of Fortune accelerated 5% to
6.5. CTD's Jeopardy! tacked on 4% to 5.6. Disney/ABC's Who
Wants to Be a Millionaire was flat at 2.2.
CTD's Entertainment Tonight topped the magazines with a 4.0,
dipping 2%
from the prior session. CTD's Inside Edition rebounded 11%
from its season low the week before to a 3.1. Warner Bros.' TMZ,
NBCU's Access Hollywood and The Insider were all even with
the
week before at 2.0, 1.9 and 1.7, respectively. While Warner Bros.' Extra
was up 6% to 1.7.
Off-net sitcoms were mostly higher. Warner Bros.' Two and a Half Men
was the top laugher with a 7% pick up to 4.8. Twentieth's Family
Guy rose 10% to 3.4. CTD's Everybody Loves Raymond gained 3%
to 3.1. Sony's Seinfeld snared an 8% hike to 2.8. Warner
Bros.' George Lopez was up 4% to 2.7. Twentieth's King of the
Hill remained at last week's 2.4. Warner Bros.' Friends
upticked 5% to 2.1.
