Jeopardy! returned to the syndication lead in the week ended Sept. 26 as superstar contestant Matt Amodio continued his dominant run. Jeopardy! jumped 6% to a 5.4 live plus same day national household rating, according to Nielsen Media Research.
That tied Debmar-Mercury’s Family Feud to end up in the syndication lead for the first time since the week ended April 18, 2021, when CBS Media Ventures’ Jeopardy! was guest-hosted by Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
Feud, which will debut its new season Oct. 11, was in repeats all week and inched up 2%.
The week was hosted by sitcom star Mayim Bialik, who replaced ousted executive producer and host Mike Richards and is expected to host until Nov. 5, when Jeopardy! top player and consulting producer Ken Jennings will take over through the end of the year.
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Amodio, a Yale Ph.D. candidate, had won more than $1 million as of Sept. 26, making him the third-highest regular season money winner. He’s in second place, behind only Jennings with 74, for most consecutive wins with 34 thus far.
CBS’ Wheel of Fortune rolled ahead 4% to a 5.0.
Fox’s rookie You Bet Your Life, starring Jay Leno, added 14% to a 0.8. Fox’s 25 Words or Less, hosted by Meredith Vieira, and Entertainment Studios’ Funny You Should Ask stayed put with a 0.7 and 0.4, respectively.
Disney’s internet video show RightThisMinute remained at a 0.6 for the seventh straight week.
Magazines were all steady to higher for a second straight week, with a week that included next-day coverage of the 73rd Primetime Emmys.
CBS’ Inside Edition and Entertainment Tonight both moved ahead, with Inside Edition adding 10% to a 2.3 and Entertainment Tonight advancing 5% to a 2.2. NBCUniversal’s Access Hollywood and Warner Bros.’ TMZ retained a 0.8 and 0.7, respectively. Warner Bros.’ Extra held its ground at a 0.6, tying CBS’ DailyMailTV, which improved 20%. Fox’s Dish Nation held at a 0.3 for the 54th time in the past 56 weeks.
In daytime, some shows ran into preemptions for coverage of President Joe Biden’s remarks in front of the United Nations General Assembly on Sept. 21.
CBS’ Dr. Phil reclaimed the talk lead after debuting its 20th season in the prior week, increasing 6% for the week and 29% for the prior two weeks to a 19-week-high 1.8.
Among daytime’s key demographic of women 25-54, Dr. Phil tied Disney’s Live with Kelly and Ryan with a 0.6, followed by Warner Bros.’ Ellen DeGeneres and NBCU’s Kelly Clarkson, both of which were at a 0.4.
Live, which has been first or tied for first 48 times in the past 55 weeks, gave back 6% to a 1.6 in households.
Ellen Degeneres preserved a third-place 1.0 and remained at a 14-week high. Over the past two weeks in which the show’s final season debuted, Ellen’s ratings have improved 25%.
Kelly Clarkson, which premiered its third season, clocked a 0.9 for a second week, tying NBCU’s Maury, which rebounded 13%.
CBS’ Rachael Ray realized a 0.7 for a seventh straight week. Disney’s Tamron Hall and Debmar-Mercury’s Wendy Williams both gave back 14% to a 0.6, tying Sony’s Dr. Oz, which was stable.
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CBS’ Drew Barrymore, early in its sophomore season, stayed at a 0.5, tying NBCU’s Steve Wilkos, which weakened 17% to a new series low.
NBCU’s out-of-production syndicated version of Jerry Springer stayed at a 0.3, tying Warner Bros.’ The Real, which held steady for the 19th straight week.
CBS’ The Doctors stayed at a 0.2 for the 31st consecutive week.
CBS’ Judge Judy, in repeats, jumped 4% to a nine-week-high 4.5, leading all of daytime and ranking as syndication’s fourth-highest series.
CBS’ Hot Bench sustained a 1.6 for a second week. Warner Bros.’ People’s Court and Judge Mathis managed an unchanged 0.8 and 0.6, respectively. Fox’s Divorce Court climbed 25% to a 0.5. NBCU’s Judge Jerry stayed at its series-low 0.4 for a second week.
Warner Bros.’ The Big Bang Theory led the off-network sitcoms with a 9% gain to a 2.4. Disney’s Last Man Standing stepped up 7% to a 1.5. Disney’s Modern Family forged ahead 13% to a 0.9, tying Warner Bros.’ Two and a Half Men, which held steady for a third week. Sony’s Seinfeld, which debuts on Netflix on Oct. 11 TKTK, recovered 13% to a 0.8, tying Sony’s The Goldbergs, which was flat for a second week. Disney’s Family Guy fell 13% to a 0.7. Warner Bros.’ Two Broke Girls earned a 0.6 for the third week in a row. Warner Bros.’ Mom stood pat at a 0.5, tying Warner Bros.’ Mike & Molly and Disney’s Black-ish, both of which backtracked 17% to new series lows.
