Ratings for most syndicated shows were on the rise in the week ended April 15, as holidays, vacations and spring breaks came to a close and regular schedules resumed.
CBS Television Distribution's Dr. Phil rebounded 11% for the week to a 3.0 live plus same day national household rating, the show's best performance since the February sweep, and also improved 15% from last year. That put Dr. Phil firmly back on top of the talk pack, leading the genre for the 24th time this season.
In fact, the top six talkers all were up for the week. Disney-ABC's Live! With Kelly gained 8% to a 2.6 for second place, tying Sony's Dr. Oz ,which also added 8% to a 2.6. NBCUniversal's Maury tacked on 10% to a 2.3. Warner Bros.' Ellen added 5% to a 2.2. CTD's The Doctors improved 7% to a 1.6. CTD's Rachael Ray remained at a 1.5. NBCU's Jerry Springer sank 7% to a 1.3. NBCU's Steve Wilkos rose 9% to a 1.2. Debmar-Mercury's Wendy Williams weakened 9% to a 1.0, while Sony's Nate Berkus was flat at a 0.9.
Warner Bros.' rookie talker, Anderson, saw a big bump for the week, improving 17% week to week to a 1.4 live plus same day household rating. Anderson also improved 33% among women 25-54 to a 0.8.
Fellow freshman, Debmar-Mercury's Jeremy Kyle, on the other hand, declined 17% to a 0.5. Entertainment Studios' We the People was flat at a 0.4.
CTD's recently renewed, Excused, held steady at a 0.6 in mostly late-fringe slots.
In access, all of the magazines were either up or even with the prior week. CTD's Entertainment Tonight strengthened 3% from the prior week to a 3.5. In second place, CTD's Inside Edition also gained 3% to a 3.0. Warner Bros.' TMZ edged ahead 5% to a 2.0. NBCU's Access Hollywood earned its highest rating in four weeks, clocking a 1.9 in households, up 6%. Access also spiked 18% among women 25-54 to a 1.3. Warner Bros.' Extra! had both the largest week-to-week and year-to-year increases of any magazine, adding 7% for both the week and the year to a 1.6, and beating CTD's The Insider, which was steady at a 1.5.
Among game shows, CTD's Wheel of Fortune upticked 3% to a 6.6, and was the second-highest rated show in first-run, following CTD's Judge Judy. CTD's Jeopardy! remained flat at a 5.5. Debmar-Mercury's Family Feud was flat at a 2.9, while Disney-ABC's Who Wants to Be a Millionaire added 4% to a 2.6.
CTD's Judge Judy led the court rooms, increasing 6% to a 6.7, leading all of first-run syndication. CTD's Judge JoeBrown was flat at a 2.6. Warner Bros.' People's Court lost 5% to a 1.9. Twentieth's Judge Alex, Warner Bros.' Judge Mathis and Twentieth's Divorce Court all were flat at a 1.4, 1.4 and 1.3, respectively. CTD's Swift Justice recovered 10% to a 1.1 after falling to a new season low in the prior week. Entertainment Studios' America's Court improved 13% to a 0.9.
Warner Bros.' freshman off-net sitcom, The Big Bang Theory, continued to lead all of syndication, adding 3% to a 7.1. Warner Bros.' Two and a Half Men perked up 5% to a 5.8. Twentieth's Family Guy gained 8% to a 4.3. Twentieth's How I Met Your Mother slid % to a new season-low 2.7. Sony's Seinfeld, CTD's Everybody Loves Raymond and Twentieth's King of the Hill all were unchanged at a 2.4, 2.4 and 2.3, respectively. Warner Bros.' Friends increased 5% to a 2.2. Twentieth's That 70s Show stayed at a 1.5, while NBCU's The Office was downsized 7% to a 1.4.
NBCU's 30 Rock slipped 8% to a 1.2 in late fringe. Twentieth's It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia was unchanged at a 1.2, while Sony's ‘Til Death deteriorated 17% to a 0.5.
