Jeopardy! regained the game and syndication lead in the week ended December 5 after falling to a season low in the little-watched Thanksgiving week. That upward trend was repeated across shows that air in prime access time-slots, even though there were preemptions for the NFL’s Thursday Night Football on Fox December 2 and the PAC-12 National Championship college football game on ABC December 3.
CBS Media Ventures’ Jeopardy! rebounded 30% to a 5.7 live plus same day national household rating, according to Nielsen Media Research. In second place in both overall syndication and the games, Debmar-Mercury’s Family Feud was fueled 8% to a 5.3. Right on Feud’s heels, CBS’ Wheel of Fortune, which, like Jeopardy!, is produced by Sony Pictures Television, accelerated 18% to a 5.2.
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Fox’s 25 Words or Less stayed at a 0.7 for a third straight week, tying Fox’s rookie You Bet Your Life, hosted by Jay Leno, which stayed put for a tenth straight week. Entertainment Studios’ Funny You Should Ask answered with a 0.4 for the sixth consecutive week.
Disney’s internet video show RightThis Minute marshaled a 20% improvement to a 0.6.
The top six magazines all moved up. CBS’ Inside Edition upticked 5% to a 2.2. CBS’ Entertainment Tonight surged 25% to a 2.0. NBCUniversal’s Access Hollywood spiked 14% to match its season-high 0.8, despite being broken out due to NBC’s annual Christmas in Rockefeller Center special on December 1, featuring Kelly Clarkson.
Fox’s TMZ ticked up 17% to a 0.7. Warner Bros.’ Extra jumped 20% to a 0.6, tying its season high although its primary run was preempted in the top-five markets by Thursday Night Football.
CBS’ DailyMailTV rose 25% to a 0.5. Fox’s Dish Nation netted an unchanged 0.2.
CBS’ Dr. Phil added 20% to a 1.8 to retake the talk lead for the fourth time in the past five weeks. Disney’s Live with Kelly and Ryan snared second place, advancing 6% to a 1.7.
Among daytime’s key demographic of women 25-54, Live led with a 0.7 followed by Phil at a 0.6. NBCU’s Kelly Clarkson and Warner Bros.’ Ellen DeGeneres tied for third in the key demo at a 0.4.
Ellen, in its 19th and final season, held its ground at a 1.0 to match its season high. Over the past four months, Ellen has had the most improved ratings of any talk show, growing 150% since dropping to a four-way tie for eighth in the Summer Olympics to third place in talk overall.
Kelly Clarkson also held at its season-high 0.9.
NBCU’s conflict talker Maury, which will end production after this season and head into repeats on TV stations, moved up to fifth place with a 14% gain to a 0.8.
Disney’s Tamron Hall, CBS’ Rachael Ray and Debmar-Mercury’s Wendy Williams, which was guest-hosted by Leah Remini and Michelle Visage, all stayed at a 0.7.
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Sony Pictures Television’s Dr. Oz, which will end its 13-season syndicated run on Friday, January 14, was stable at a 0.6. Dr. Oz was broken out of Nielsen’s national ratings on December 2 and 3 after the show was pulled in Pennsylvania and New York City starting Wednesday, Dec. 1 as a result of host Dr. Mehmet Oz’s U.S. Senate run in Pennsylvania. The show fell 43% from a 0.7 individual day rating on Monday, Nov. 29 to a 0.4 on Wednesday, December 1. Dr. Oz also is down 14% compared to the same week last year.
Also: ‘The Good Dish’ to Replace ‘Dr. Oz’ in January
NBCU’s Steve Wilkos stayed at a 0.6 for a sixth straight week, tying Dr. Oz.
CBS’ Drew Barrymore stayed put at a 0.5 and was the only talker in the top 12 to hold 100% of its household rating from last year at this time. Debmar-Mercury’s newcomer Nick Cannon claimed a 0.4 for the fourth straight week.
NBCU’s out-of-production Jerry Springer sat at a 0.3 for the 11th consecutive week, tying Warner Bros.’ The Real, which registered a 0.3 for the 11th time in 12 weeks this season.
CBS’ The Doctors operated at a 0.2 for the 39th straight week.
CBS’ Judge Judy dipped 2% to a 4.7 to lead the courts and rank as syndication’s fourth-highest rated show despite no longer being in original production. CBS’ Hot Bench backtracked 7% to a new season-low 1.4. Warner Bros.’ People’s Court and Judge Mathis each maintained a 0.8 and 0.6, respectively. Fox’s Divorce Court climbed 25% to a 0.5. NBCU’s Judge Jerry held at a series-low 0.4 for the eleventh straight week, tying Wrigley’s newbie Relative Justice, which jumped 33% after four weeks at a 0.3.
Warner Bros.’ The Big Bang Theory exploded 17% to a 2.1 to lead the off-network sitcoms. Disney’s Last Man Standing sprinted 8% to a 1.4. Disney’s Modern Family forged ahead 13% to a 0.9, tying Warner Bros.’ rookie Young Sheldon, which strengthened 29%. Sony’s The Goldbergs gained 14% to a 0.8, tying Warner Bros.’ Two and a Half Men, which also moved up 14%. Disney’s Family Guy garnered a 0.7 for a fifth consecutive week. SPT’s Seinfeld slipped 14% to a new series low 0.6, tying Disney’s Black-ish and Warner Bros.’ 2 Broke Girls, both of which grew 20%.
