Although most syndicated shows did not begin their new seasons in the session ending Sept. 2, leading into Labor Day weekend, ratings took a positive turn for several daytime shows.
CBS Television Distribution’s Dr. Phil, in the penultimate week of its 16th season, returned to original episodes and jumped 12% to a seven-week high 2.8 live plus same day household rating, according to Nielsen Media Research, leading the talk shows for the 104th consecutive session with two ties. Among daytime’s key demographic of women 25-54, Phil also led with a 1.2.
Other talkers were largely unchanged or up. Back in households, Disney-ABC’s Livewith Kelly and Ryan held steady at a second-place 1.9, despite being partially preempted in many markets for coverage of ceremonies honoring the late Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) as he lay in state at the U.S. Capitol.
Warner Bros.’ The Ellen DeGeneres Show picked up 7% to a 1.6. NBCU’s Maury was flat at a 1.3. Rounding out the top five, NBCU’s Steve improved 10% to a 1.1, with repackaged episodes on all five days. Further back, NBCU’s Steve Wilkos weakened 9% to a 1.0, tying NBCU’s out-of- production Jerry Springer and CTD’s Rachael Ray, both of which were flat.
Sony Pictures Television’s Dr. Oz stayed at its series-low 0.9 for a third straight week. Warner Bros.’ Crime Watch Daily with Chris Hansen, which is ending its three-year run, and Debmar-Mercury’s Wendy Williams each held firm at a 0.8. CTD’s The Doctors deteriorated 14% to a 0.6, tying NBCU’s exiting Harry, which gained 20%. Warner Bros.’ The Real trailed at an unchanged 0.5.
Elsewhere, first-runs top newcomers neared the end of their rookie seasons on a positive note. CTD’s DailyMailTV, although still in reruns, grew 13% to a 0.9 and held steady among women 25-54 at a 0.4.
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Twentieth’s Page Six TV strengthened 17% to a five-week high 0.7 and remained at a 0.4 in the demo, tying DailyMail.
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Entertainment Studios’ Funny You Should Ask was unchanged at a 0.5 for the seventh consecutive week, with a flat 0.2 among women 25-54. For the tenth straight week, ratings for Disney-ABC’s Pickler & Ben, produced by E. W. Scripps, were reprocessed and unavailable.
CTD’s Face the Truth, the first of two nationally syndicated first-run strips that will debut this fall, opened on Monday, Sept. 10, with a 0.4 rating/1 share in 55 metered markets, off 33% from both its lead-in and year-ago time period averages.
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The Sept. 10 premiere boosted its stations’ time-period average from last year in Los Angeles, adding 75% on KCBS at 2 p.m. and in Chicago, where it improved the time period 67% on WCIU at 8 a.m. The show’s best rating came in Richmond, Va., where it averaged a 2.9/8 on WRLH at 3 p.m., and grew the time period by 53% from last year at this time.
Back in the national ratings, CTD’s Judge Judy was the only court show to improve, climbing 3% to a 12-week high 6.7 and topping all first-run and off-net programs in households for the fifth straight week.
CTD’s Hot Bench, which was mostly in repeats, held steady at a 2.0 and ranked as the number-three show in daytime behind only Judy and Phil for the fifth consecutive session.
Warner Bros.’ People’s Court and Judge Mathis, Twentieth’s Divorce Court and Trifecta’s out-of-production Judge Faith all were flat at a 1.4, 1.0, 0.7 and 0.5, respectively.
Magazines were mostly steady despite widespread preemptions for pre-season football. The only show in the category able to advance was NBCU’s Access, which gained 10% to a 1.1. CTD’s Inside Edition and Entertainment Tonight, Warner Bros.’ TMZ and Extra and Trifecta’s Celebrity Page all were steady at a 2.7, 2.6, 1.2, 1.0 and 0.2, respectively.
Elsewhere in access, games mostly hugged the flatline although CTD’s Wheel of Fortune inched up 2% to a 5.3. Debmar-Mercury’s leader Family Feud, CTD’s Jeopardy! and Disney-ABC’s Who Wants to be a Millionaire all were unchanged at a 6.1, 5.2 and 1.5, respectively.
Disney-ABC’s viral video show RightThisMinute remained at a 1.2, while NBCU’s off-net true-crime strip Dateline was on par with the prior week’s 1.1.
Warner Bros.’ The Big Bang Theory led the off-net sitcoms, dipping 2% to a 4.0. Twentieth’s Last Man Standing and Twentieth’s Modern Family each slipped 5% to a 2.0 and 1.8, respectively. Twentieth’s Family Guy gained 7% to a 1.6. SPT’s rookie The Goldbergs grew 7% to a 1.5. Warner Bros.’ Two and a Half Men moved down 13% to a 1.3 tying Warner Bros.’ Mike & Molly, which motored ahead 8% to a 1.3. Warner Bros.’ 2 Broke Girls remained at a 1.1, tying SPT’s Seinfeld, which spiked 10% to a 1.1. Twentieth’s How I Met Your Mother moved up 11% to a 1.0. Further back, Warner Bros.’ Mom and CTD’s The Game were both unchanged at a 0.9 and 0.3, respectively.
