Judges Rule Despite Widespread Preemptions

Viewers ruled in favor of Judge Jerry and Judge Judy in the session ending Dec. 15. Both courtroom shows overcame preemptions for the impeachment hearings that plagued virtually everything in daytime.

Hot rookie Judge Jerry staring Jerry Springer spiked 22% to a 1.1 live-plus-same-day national Nielsen, its highest rating since its Sept. 9 premiere week.

Making the transition from talk show mainstay to court shot success look easy, Jerry has been the strongest of the new gavelers by far for 14 weeks in a row and shot up 25% to a 0.5 in the coveted women 25-54 demo.

Judge Judy, the ratings gold standard, scored a nosebleed-level 6.7, ruling over all courtrooms for a whopping 1,212 straight weeks. In addition, Judy was syndication’s No. 1 program in households for the 19^th time in the past 20 weeks and climbed 4% among women 25-54 to a first-place 2.4.

The recently renewed bright spots Tamron Hall and The Kelly Clarkson Show held their ground at a 0.9 and a 1.3, respectively, despite massive impeachment hearings preemptions.

For Clarkson, which is sporting the biggest start for a talker in seven years, it marked a 14^th week as the top-rated new show by open daylight.

Another freshman chatfest, Mel Robbins, was well behind the top two, remaining at a 0.4 for the 10^th consecutive week.

Among the daytime veterans, Dr. Phil continued to have the right medicine, leading the talk category for the 170^th time in the last 171 weeks with a 2.4.

The week’s top-rated daytime talk shows in the women 25-54 demo were:

• Dr. Phil (1.0, unchanged from the week before)
• Live with Kelly and Ryan (0.9, unchanged), tied with Ellen DeGeneres (0.9, unchanged)
• Wendy Williams (0.7, +17%)
• Kelly Clarkson (0.6, unchanged)
• Maury (0.5, -17%)

In the household rating rankings that follow, % change is from the previous week; * indicates a new season-high rating; ** indicates a new season low; NC indicates no change from the previous week; NA mean not applicable.

TALK SHOWS

Dr. Phil (CTD) 2.4 -4%

Ellen DeGeneres (WBDTD) 2.2* +5%

Live with Kelly and Ryan (Disney-ABC) 2.0 -5%

Wendy Williams (Debmar-Mercury) 1.3 NC

Maury (NBCU) 1.1 NC

6. Rachael Ray (CTD) 1.0 -9%

Steve Wilkos (NBCU) 0.9 -10%

Dr. Oz (Sony) 0.8 -11%

The Real (WBDTD) 0.6 NC

The Doctors (CTD) 0.4 NC

Jerry Springer (NBCU) 0.4 NC

FIRST-RUN ROOKIES

The Kelly Clarkson Show (NBCU) 1.3 NC

Judge Jerry (NBCU) 1.1 +22%

Tamron Hall (Disney-ABC) 0.9 NC

25 Words or Less (CTD) 0.9 NC

America Says (Sony) 0.7 NC

Mel Robbins (Sony) 0.4 NC

Personal Injury Court (MGM) 0.5 NC

Protection Court (Trifecta) 0.3 NC

COURT SHOWS

Judge Judy (CTD) 6.7 NC

Hot Bench(CTD) 2.0 NC

People’s Court (WBDTD) 1.3 -7%

Judge Mathis (WBDTD) 0.9 NC

Divorce Court (20th Television) 0.7 NC

Caught in Providence (Debmar-Mercury) 0.5 NC

GAME SHOWS

Jeopardy (CTD) 6.4 +3%

Wheel of Fortune (CTD) 6.3 +5%

Family Feud (Debmar-Mercury/FMNA) 5.8 +2%

Funny You Should Ask(Entertainment Studios) 0.5 NC

OFF-NET CRIME

Dateline M-F (NBCU) 1.1 NC

Live PD: Police Patrol (Sony) 1.1 +10%

Chicago P.D. (NBCU) 0.9* +13%

MAGAZINE SHOWS

Inside Edition (CTD) 2.8 +4%

Entertainment Tonight (CTD) 2.6 NC

TMZ (WBDTD) 1.1 NC

Access Hollywood (NBCU) 1.4 NC

Extra (WBDTD) 0.9 NC

Daily Mail TV (CTD) 0.8 NC

Celebrity Page (Trifecta) 0.2 NC

OFF-NET SITCOMS

Big Bang Theory (WBDTD) 3.0 NC

Last Man Standing (20th Television) 2.0 +5%

3. Modern Family (20th Television) 1.5 NC

Two and a Half Men (WBDTD) 1.4* +8%

Family Guy (20th Television) 1.3 NC

The Goldbergs(Sony) 1.2 -8%

Seinfeld (Sony) 1.0 +11%

Mike and Molly (WBDTD) 0.9 NC

Black-ish (Disney-ABC) 0.9 -10%

Two Broke Girls (WBDTD) 0.9 NC

Mom (WBDTD) 0.9 -10%

OFF-NET WEEKLY HOURS

Dateline Weekly (NBCU) 3.1 NC

NCIS: New Orleans (CTD) 1.5* +15%

Law & Order: SVU (NBCU) 1.5* +15%

Castle (Disney-ABC) 1.1 +10%

Chicago P.D. (NBCU) 1.0 -9%