Show Falls 14 percent in 18-49s in second airing
By Toni Fitzgerald
March 6, 2007
Finding a show that can hold hit “Heroes’” lead-in on Monday nights is proving difficult for NBC. After bumping its highly touted but fading “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip” from the 10 p.m. Monday slot for dark new drama “The Black Donnellys,” the latter showed declines in its second week despite a bigger “Heroes” lead-in.
“Donnellys” averaged a 3.0 adults 18-49 rating, according to Nielsen overnights, down 14 percent from last week’s 3.5 overnight average, which did include a very small "Heroes" runover.
The show fell 18 percent, from a 3.3 to a 2.7, from its first half hour to its second, mirroring the declines that “Studio 60” registered early in its run. And it fumbled more than half its big “Heroes” lead-in of 6.6.
Last week “Donnellys” retained 55 percent of “Heroes’” 18-49 audience. This week it retained just 45 percent, despite airing against a repeat of CBS’s “CSI: Miami,” which usually dominates the timeslot.
“Donnellys” dipped below “Studio 60’s” season-to-date 3.5 average, though it’s still above what the show averaged in its last few original outings.
This may eventually prompt NBC to try another show in the 10 p.m. slot before the season ends. “Donnellys” should stay put for at least a few weeks as “Heroes” slips into reruns, and perhaps be replaced when new “Heroes” return.
Just which show could get the desirable slot is uncertain. The network also tried “Friday Night Lights” in a one-time stunt last fall, but it fared about the same as “Studio 60.”
Still, even the 10 p.m. speed bump didn’t stop NBC from winning another competitive Monday night. It took first with a 5.0 average rating and a 13 share. Fox finished second at 4.4/11, rerun-heavy CBS third at 3.9/10, ABC fourth at 3.0/8, Univision fifth at 1.7/4 and CW sixth at 0.8/2.
At 8 p.m. NBC led with a 5.4 rating for “Deal or No Deal,” followed by a 3.9 for Fox for “Prison Break.” ABC and CBS tied for third at 3.2, ABC for a repeat of “Wife Swap” and CBS for a repeat of “How I Met Your Mother” (3.2) and the finale of “The Class” (3.2, a few ticks above its season average), with Univision fifth with a 2.3 for “La Fea Mas Bella” and the CW sixth with a 0.8 for repeats of “Everybody Hates Chris” and “All of Us.”
NBC extended its lead at 9 p.m. with a 6.6 rating for “Heroes,” the night’s top-rated show among viewers 18-49. Fox was second with a 4.9 for “24,” CBS third with a 4.4 for a repeat of “Two and a Half Men” (4.5) and a new “Rules of Engagement” (4.3), and ABC third with a 3.7 for “Supernanny.” Univision remained fifth that hour with a 1.6 for “Mundo de Fieras” and CW sixth with a 0.8 for repeats of “Girlfriends” and “The Game.”
At 10 p.m. CBS took the lead with a 4.2 for a repeat of “CSI: Miami,” with NBC falling to second with a 3.0 for “Donnellys.” ABC was third that hour with a 2.2 for “What About Brian” and Univision fourth with a 1.2 for “Cristina.”
CBS finished first on a competitive night among households, averaging an 8.1 rating and 13 share to NBC’s 8.0/13. Fox was third at 6.9/10, ABC fourth at 5.1/8, Univision fifth at 2.1/3 and CW sixth at 1.3/2.
