Saggy sitcom hits a series best 5.7 in 18-49s
By Toni Fitzgerald
March 15, 2007
As expected, Fox’s struggling sitcom “’Til Death” hit a series best last night airing behind “American Idol” for the first time. The question now is how many of those viewers will return next week, now that they’ve sampled the Brad Garrett show.
“Death” averaged a 5.7 adults 18-49 rating in the 9:30 p.m. slot, according to Nielsen overnights, more than doubling its season-to-date average and retaining 58 percent of “Idol’s” healthy 9.9 lead-in.
That’s a better percentage than two sitcoms that debuted behind “Idol” last year. “Free Ride” retained just 49 percent, and “The Loop” held 57 percent. Of course, “Idol” also had a higher rating in both those outings last year, so “Death” was behind the 6.5 averaged by each.
What’s critical for shows leading out of “Idol” is that retention rate. Very few lead-outs of mega-hit shows retain the 80 percent level that’s considered good. For “Idol,” retention of 60 to 70 percent is generally admirable.
What remains to be seen is whether viewers liked what they saw of the sitcom, meaning next week’s ratings will reflect more of “Death’s” own strength or weakness. The show, about an older married couple and a pair of newlyweds, has received mixed reviews, and averaged just a 2.2 rating Thursday night, where it aired before moving to Wednesday this week.
Meanwhile, also last night, ABC’s “Lost” dipped to another series low, averaging a 5.2 18-49 rating and 12.11 million total viewers.
Fox was first for the night among 18-49s with a 5.6 average rating and a 16 share. ABC was second at 3.2/9, CBS third at 2.6/7, NBC fourth at 2.1/6, the CW fifth at 2.0/6 and Univision sixth at 1.6/5.
At 8 p.m. Fox led with a 3.4 for “Bones,” followed by a 2.4 for the CW’s “America’s Next Top Model.” ABC, NBC and CBS all tied for third at 2.3, ABC for “George Lopez” (2.2) and a repeat of “According to Jim” (2.3), NBC for “Dateline” and CBS for “Jericho,” with Univision sixth with a 1.8 for “La Fea Mas Bella.”
At 9 p.m. Fox extended its lead, averaging a 7.8 rating for its “Idol” results show (9.9) and “Til Death” (5.7). CBS moved to second that hour with a 2.7 for a repeat of “Criminal Minds,” with ABC third with a 2.2 average for “According to Jim” (2.3) and “In Case of Emergency” (2.0). That left NBC fourth with a 2.1 for “Crossing Jordan,” Univision fifth with a 1.7 for “Mundo de Fieras” and CW sixth with a 1.6 for a repeat of “Pussycat Dolls Present: Search for the Next Doll.”
ABC took the lead at 10 p.m. with a 5.2 for “Lost,” followed by CBS with a 2.7 for a repeat of “CSI: NY,” NBC with a 1.9 for a repeat of “Medium” and Univision with a 1.4 for “Don Francisco Presenta.”
Fox also led the night among households with a 9.4 average rating and a 15 share, with CBS second at 6.4/10, NBC third at 5.0/8, ABC fourth at 4.9/8, CW fifth at 3.1/5 and Univision sixth at 2.1/4.
