Kelly Clarkson was the sole syndicated strip to score a new season high in the week ended December 4, climbing 11% for the week and the year to a 1.0 live plus same day national household rating, according to Nielsen. That was the highest rating for NBCUniversal’s Kelly Clarkson since the week ended January 24.
Some of Kelly Clarkson’s guests for the week included Dead to Me’s Christina Applegate, who has been facing health issues due to a multiple sclerosis diagnosis; Broadway and Frozen star Idina Menzel, who has a new documentary special about her journey to performing solo concerts at dream destination Madison Square Garden out on Disney Plus; and Catherine Zeta-Jones, who stars in Netflix’s new hit series, Wednesday.
The week featured strong recoveries for many access shows after a tough Thanksgiving week that included preemptions for World Cup soccer on Fox, NFL and college football on Big Four affiliates, and Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and the National Dog Show on NBC.
Daytime was a different story, however. Morning and afternoon shows still had to compete with or be preempted by five days and more than 36 hours of World Cup matches on Fox, including the USA’s victory over Iran on November 29. (The U.S. Men’s National Team went on to be defeated by the Netherlands on December 3.)
Disney’s Live with Kelly and Ryan led talk at a 1.5 for a 28th straight week, including eight ties with CBS Media Ventures’ Dr. Phil. For its part, Phil clocked the category’s biggest comeback, climbing 27% to match its season-high 1.4.
Live has now been first or tied for first 65 times in the last 80 weeks. Among daytime’s key demographic of women 25-54, Live led with a 0.5, followed by Phil at a 0.4. Kelly Clarkson, Disney’s Tamron Hall and CBS’ Drew Barrymore all tied at a 0.3.
Tamron Hall, in fourth place in talk, held steady at its season-high 0.8 and beat its year ago performance by 14%. CBS’ Rachael Ray recovered 17% to a 0.7, tying Drew Barrymore, which gave back 13%.
NBCU’s conflict talkers Steve Wilkos and the out-of-production Maury maintained a 0.5 and a 0.4, respectively. That was followed by the Jerry Springer combo of court-and-talk repeats, which stayed put at a 0.3 for the 12th straight week.
All three rookie talkers – Debmar-Mercury’s Sherri, Warner Bros.’ Jennifer Hudson and NBCU’s Karamo – were coded out and retitled for the week as World Cup specials, so their weeks of ratings were not included in their shows’ season average.
Repeats of CBS’ out-of-production Judge Judy continued to lead the courts at a steady 3.9. CBS’ Hot Bench was the only court to rise, rebounding 10% to a 1.1. Warner Bros.’ People’s Court and Judge Mathis both settled at a 0.6 and 0.5, respectively. Wrigley Media’s Relative Justice remained at a 0.3 for a fifth week. Fox’s Divorce Court was coded out.
Similarly, Trifecta’s freshman true crime strip iCrime with Elizabeth Vargas was retitled for the World Cup, while Entertainment Studios’ rookie court We the People with Judge Lauren Lake leveled off at a 0.3 for a third week.
Without two days of preemptions, the top three game shows snapped back from the prior week’s season lows.
CBS’ Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune both boomeranged back 27% to a 5.7 and a 5.2, respectively. Debmar-Mercury’s Family Feud finished 12% better at a third-place 4.6, while it returned to the syndication lead among women 25-54 at a 1.5.
CBS’ freshman Pictionary held at a 0.4 for a second week, tying Entertainment Studios’ Funny You Should Ask accelerated 33%. Fox’s 25 Words or Less and You Bet Your Life with host Jay Leno were both labeled World Cup specials for a second week.
CBS’ Inside Edition retook the magazine lead with a 28% rebound from the prior week’s season low to a 2.3. CBS’ Entertainment Tonight was a strong second, regaining 16% to match its season-high 2.2. NBCU’s Access Hollywood and Warner Bros.’ Extra each held their ground at a 0.7 and a 0.5, respectively. Fox’s TMZ and Dish Nation were both renamed for the World Cup and thus coded out.
Warner Bros.’ The Big Bang Theory blew up 13% to lead the off-network sitcoms at a 1.8. Disney’s Last Man Standing leapt 11% to a 1.0. Warner Bros.’ Two and a Half Men marshaled a 17% increase to a 0.7, tying Disney’s Modern Family and Warner Bros.’ Young Sheldon, both of which broke even. Sony Pictures Television’s The Goldbergs stayed at a 0.6 for an eighth straight week. Sony’s Seinfeld celebrated Festivus with a second 0.5, tying Disney’s Family Guy, which sank 17% to a new season low, and CBS’ rookie The Neighborhood, which stayed put for a 12th consecutive week. Finally, Disney’s Black-ish backtracked 20% to a 0.4, tying Warner Bros.’ Mom, which moved up 33%. ■
