Most syndication shows were flat or down slightly in the
week ending April 18, as mid-spring PUT levels dropped by an average of more
then 3.5 million viewers from the week prior.
Rookie champ NBCU's The Office
was a bright spot, however, climbing 7% to 3.1, its highest household rating in
four weeks. Even better, the show spiked
15% in W18-34 to a 2.7 and 9% in W18-49 to a 2.5 and ranked no. 1 in both demos
among all shows in syndication.
Other new off-net sitcoms included CBS Television's (CTD) Everybody Hates Chris, which rose 13% to
1.7 and Twentieth's My Name Is Earl,
which fell 6% to 1.6.
In first-run, Sony's Dr.
Oz weakened 4% to 2.4. Twentieth's Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader sank
7% to a new season-low 1.4.
Debmar-Mercury's Wendy Williams
jumped 30% to 1.3 and Litton's Street
Court continued to hang out far back at an unchanged 0.6.
Elsewhere in daytime, CTD's Oprah declined 5% to 3.8, losing to Judge Judy (CTD) for the fifth week in a row. Judy
was off 4% to 4.4, but was 7% ahead of last year at this time. Oprah
was down 19% from last year. Among other
talkers, CTD's Dr. Phil held steady
at 2.4. Disney/ABC's Live With Regis and Kelly fell 8% to
2.4. Warner Bros.' Ellen Degeneres and NBCU's Maury
were unchanged at 2.1 and 1.9, respectively.
CTD's The Doctors slipped 6%
to 1.7. CTD's Rachael Ray remained at a 1.5.
NBCU's Jerry Springer was up
8% to 1.4. NBCU's Steve Wilkos and Warner Bros.' Bonnie
Hunt were both flat at 1.2 and 0.8, respectively. NBCU's Martha
Stewart tumbled 17% to 0.5.
CTD's Judge Joe Brown
was the no. 2 court show with a 2.1, down 5% from the prior session. Warner Bros.' People's Court was flat at 2.0.
Warner Bros.' Judge Mathis
slid 6% to 1.5. Twentieth's Judge Alex and Divorce Court
and Warner Bros.' Judge Jeannine Pirro
were all unchanged at 1.4, 1.3 and 1.0, respectively.
Game shows did little.
CTD's Wheel of Fortune got a
flat 6.5. CTD's Jeopardy faded 2% to 5.4.
Disney/ABC's Who Wants to Be a
Millionaire dwindled 4% to 2.3.
Debmar-Mercury's Family Feud
remained unchanged at 1.4.
CTD's Entertainment
Tonight topped the magazines with a steady 4.1. CTD's Inside
Edition stumbled 3% to 3.0. Warner
Bros.' TMZ gained 5% to 2.0. NBCU's Access
Hollywood was flat at 1.9. The
Insider was down 6% to 1.7. Warner
Bros.' Extra was unchanged at 1.7.
Off-net sitcoms were mixed.
Warner Bros.' Two and a Half Men
receded 2% to 4.6. Twentieth's Family Guy was down 3% to 3.2. CTD's Everybody
Loves Raymond, Sony's Seinfeld
and Warner Bros.' George Lopez were
all flat at 3.0, 2.8, and 2.7, respectively.
Twentieth's King of the Hill
erased 4% of its ratings to 2.3. Warner
Bros.' Friends added 5% to 2.2. House
of Payne was unchanged at 1.7. Frasier grew 7% to 1.5. Sony's King
of Queens tumbled 7% to a new season-low 1.4.
