Week 36 Ratings (Final Week of Season); How the Sitcoms Did; Final Season Ratings

Week 36 numbers (final three nights of the seasons, Mon-Wed):

Households: FOX: 15.2/23.4; CBS 7.1/11.1; ABC: 6.5/10.1; NBC: 5.3/8.3; The WB: 1.3/2.1; UPN 1.3/2.0.
Total Viewers: FOX: 26.36 million; CBS: 10.91 million; ABC: 10.17 million; NBC: 7.98 million; The WB: 1.96 million; UPN: 1.79 million.
Adults 18-49: FOX 10.4/26.3; ABC: 3.9/9.9; CBS: 3.4/8.5; NBC: 2.7/6.8; The WB: 0.8/1.9; UPN: 0.7/1.9.

Final May Sweep Numbers:

Households: CBS: 8.1 rating/13 share (- 8 from last season), Fox: 7.0/12 (+ 8), NBC: 6.1/10 (- 3), ABC: 6.0/10 (- 8), WB and UPN: 1.8/ 3 (-22 each).
Total Viewers: CBS: 12.47 million (- 8), Fox: 11.61 (+ 9), ABC: 9.30 (- 5), NBC: 9.16 (- 1), WB: 2.71 (-20), UPN: 2.65 (-23).
Adults 18-49: Fox: 4.8/13 (+ 7), CBS: 3.6/10 (-12), ABC: 3.5/10 (- 5), NBC: 3.1/ 9 (- 3), WB: 1.1/ 3 (-21), UPN: 1.1/ 3 (-27).

Analysis: The final three nights of the season was dominated by Fox, thanks to American Idol and House. Nothing else was even close. ABC's Lost and CBS's CSI: Miami finished strong but everything else didn't compete with Fox's reality juggernaut. On Monday, NBC's Deal or No Deal won the opening hour among total viewers. Fox was strong with the first half of 24's season finale and ABC put up a fight with an Oprah Winfrey special. Lost in the mix were CBS's 8 p.m. hour comedies. 9 p.m. saw a battle between the CBS comedies and the final hour of Fox's 24 season finale. The Apprentice and the first half of ABC's series finale of Alias didn't do so well. Monday's highest rated show, CSI: Miami, scored 19.96 million viewers, more than 2 million from last week when it faced the second half of the monster season finale of Grey's Anatomy. Tuesday was all Fox with American Idol & House, with 31.78 and 25.47 million viewers. Both were up more than 3 million viewers from last week. I wonder if House can still draw 20 million viewers in the fall without American Idol? I have no doubt it will win its hour, but I think it will be in the range of 18-20 million, but come next January, it will be back to 22-25 million. CBS aired the Acedemy of Country Music Awards and did 12.02 million, down from its usual Tuesday average. Law & Order: SVU was not on tonight for NBC and thus NBC was a distant 4th place tonight--NBC aired the 10.5 sequel which bombed. ABC did OK with the new Stephen King movie doing 7.5 million, better than what their comedies did. The last night of the season, Wednesday, it was again Fox, as the Idol season finale was too much for everyone with 36.38 million from 8 to 10 p.m. It peaked in the final half hourwith well over 42 million. Up big from last year by far. Who would have thought a series in its 5th cycle would actually grow from cycle 4? Will CBS or ABC be aggressive next season against AI? The two-hour season finale of Lost on ABC did just fine oppostie AI juggernaut scoring an average of 17.84 million viewers, but it did much better in the 10 p.m. hour when there was no AI. Well that's a wrap to this season. We will be back with analysis in the fall, we will still give you repeat numbers for sitcoms this summer, but the real ratings will return in September! Stay tuned below for final season numbers.


Monday Sitcoms

• The King of Queens (CBS) - 8.39 million for the season finale.
• Two and a Half Men (CBS) - Season finale did very good with 15.51 million.
• New Adventures of Old Christine (CBS) 2 episodes - 8:30 p.m. didn't do as well as How I Met Your Mother would have done, 7.53 million...9:30 did way better with 13.06 million.
• One on One (UPN), All of Us (UPN), Girlfriends, Half & Half (UPN) - Repeats...
  

Tuesday Sitcoms

None.

Wednesday Sitcoms

None.


Final 2005-06 Season Numbers
September 19, 2005 through May 24, 2006

Households:
CBS: 8.2 rating/13 share (- 2 from last season), ABC: 6.9/11 (+ 6), NBC: 6.4/10 (- 2), Fox: 6.2/10 (+ 2), WB: 2.1/ 3 (- 5), UPN: 2.1/ 3 (- 9).

Total Viewers:
CBS: 12.60 million (- 2), ABC: 10.80 (+ 7), Fox: 10.10 (+ 1), NBC: 9.72 (- 1), WB: 3.12 (- 7), UPN: 3.11 (- 7).

Adults 18-49:
Fox: 4.1/11 (no change), ABC: 4.0/11 (+ 8), CBS: 3.8/10 (- 5), NBC: 3.3/ 9 (- 6), UPN and WB: 1.3/ 3 (- 7).

Adults 18-34:
Fox: 3.9/12 (+ 3), ABC: 3.2/10 (+ 7), CBS and NBC: 2.6/ 8 (-10), UPN: 1.4/ 4 (no change), WB: 1.4/ 4 (- 7).

Adults 25-54:
CBS: 4.8/12 (- 2), ABC: 4.6/11 (+ 7), Fox: 4.4/11 (+ 2), NBC: 3.9/10 (- 7), WB: 1.3/ 3 (- 7), UPN: 1.2/ 3 -14).

- CBS, Fox and ABC all had something to write home about this season. NBC didn't do so well again this season coming in 4th in total viewers and adults 18-49.