Judge Judy, which concluded original production two years ago, led the courts in the week ended October 23. Court was the only genre in which all of the top-three strips improved. CBS Media Ventures’ Judge Judy jumped 8% to a 4.1 live plus same day national household rating, according to Nielsen.
Following Judge Judy, CBS' Hot Bench — which introduced two new panelists in Judge Yodit Tewolde and Judge Rachel Juarez on October 31 — hit a new season high, hiking 8% to a 1.3, making it the top-rated court show in original production.
Warner Bros.' People's Court climbed 14% to a new season-high 0.8. Warner Bros.' Judge Mathis and Fox’s Divorce Court, now starring Star Jones, were both on par with their prior week’s 0.6 and 0.5, respectively. Wrigley Media’s sophomore Relative Justice jumped 33% to a 0.4. Newcomers Trifecta’s true-crime series iCrime with Elizabeth Vargas and Entertainment Studios’ We the People with Judge Lauren Lake both held steady at a 0.5 and 0.3 in their sixth weeks.
Syndies were largely affected by baseball playoffs that continued in the week ending October 23, with stronger-than-usual competition coming from five National and American League Championship games and the fifth and final game of the American League Division Series on cable and live streaming October 18-21. Those games and heavy preemptions for Fox’s carriage of the October 19 game softened ratings for many shows, which had also been battered by baseball in the prior week.
Disney’s Live with Kelly and Ryan, which was the only first-run strip to improve in the prior week, held steady at its season-high 1.6 and remained the top talker for the 22nd straight week, including eight ties with CBS Media Ventures’ Dr. Phil. Among daytime’s key demographic of women 25-54, Live led at a 0.6, followed by Phil at a 0.4.
Back in households, Dr. Phil secured second place with an 8% spike to a 1.4 to match its season high.
NBCUniversal’s Kelly Clarkson ranked third, scoring a 0.9 for the sixth straight week.
CBS’ Drew Barrymore stayed at a 0.8 for a sixth consecutive week. The show — which is now produced as two half-hour episodes the ratings of which are cumed by Nielsen – had its biggest day since its September 2020 debut across all 56 metered markets for a full hour interview with George Clooney on October 21, hitting a 0.9 single day national household rating.
CBS’ Rachael Ray rose 17% to a 0.7, tying Disney’s Tamron Hall, which stayed put. Reruns of NBCU’s out-of-production Maury moved up 25% to a 0.5, tying NBCU’s steady Steve Wilkos. NBCU’s Jerry Springer talk-and-court combo remained at a 0.3.
Debmar-Mercury’s Sherri, starring Sherri Shepherd, stayed at a 0.7 for a sixth straight week to lead the rookie talkers, down 14% compared to last year’s premiere week of Debmar-Mercury’s now-canceled Wendy Williams, which was guest-hosted by Whitney Cummings and averaged a 0.8.
Warner Bros.’ Jennifer Hudson, also in its sixth week, stayed at a 0.6 despite having no primary run in three of the top 25 markets, including Los Angeles, when it was preempted by baseball on October 19. Hudson was 50% higher than the year-ago rating for Debmar-Mercury’s Nick Cannon, the show it mainly replaced on Fox stations in top markets.
NBCU’s Karamo, starring Karamo Brown, was steady at a 0.3 in its fifth week.
CBS’s Jeopardy! stayed at a 5.2 for a third week to lead the games and all of syndication for the sixth straight week, including one tie with Debmar-Mercury’s Family Feud. CBS’s Wheel of Fortune and Feud each inched up 2% to a 4.8.
Fox’s 25 Words or Less leapt 14% to a 0.8 and for the first time this season beat sister show You Bet Your Life with host Jay Leno, which stood pat at a 0.7 for a third straight week. Rookie Pictionary starring Jerry O’Connell drew a 0.4 for a second week. Entertainment Studios’ veteran Funny You Should Ask answered with a 0.3 for a third consecutive week.
CBS’ Inside Edition increased 5% to a 2.2 to lead the magazines. Sister show Entertainment Tonight, NBCU’s Access Hollywood, Fox’s TMZ, Warner Bros.’ Extra and Fox’s Dish Nation all held their ground at a 2.0, 0.7, 0.6, 0.5 and 0.2, respectively.
Off-net sitcoms leaders Warner Bros.’ The Big Bang Theory and Disney’s Last Man Standing were in line with the prior week’s 1.9 and 1.0, respectively. Disney’s Modern Family finished 14% higher at a 0.8. Warner Bros.’ Young Sheldon and Two and a Half Men made it a dozen weeks in a row in lockstep at a 0.7. Disney’s Family Guy gave back 14% to a 0.6, tying Sony Pictures Television’s The Goldbergs, which held steady for a second week. Sony’s Seinfeld skidded 17% to a new season-low 0.5, tying CBS’ newcomer The Neighborhood, which has been steady all six weeks it’s been on the air. Disney’s freshman American Housewife recovered 33% to a 0.4, tying Disney’s Black-ish, which was steady for the 11th consecutive week. ■
