‘Wendy’ Guest Host Sherri Shepherd Boosts Ratings

After more than 25 years of ruling daily TV, Judge Judy, the current People magazine cover girl, still swings daytime syndication’s biggest gavel. The judicial juggernaut was the only courtroom in positive territory, racing to a four-week high 4.8 live-plus-same-day national Nielsen rating in the session ending Nov. 7. That was a greater rating than all of the other six court shows added together.

Dr. Phil grabbed sole possession of first place in talk with a 6% surge to a four-week high 1.8. Also of note, the Carla Pennington-produced Phil was the only talker in the top 12 pacing ahead of last year at this time, again posting a 6% improvement.

Live with Kelly and Ryan, which had been tied at the top with Phil for the past three weeks, was one of several shows preempted in some markets for Colin Powell’s funeral on Nov. 5, but took second with a 1.6.

Kelly Clarkson was also in the money, shrugging off preemptions to retain its season-high 0.9 and seizing third place in the hotly contested 15-show category. That tied both Ellen DeGeneres and Wendy Williams, the latter of which went up 13% with Sherri Shepherd filling in as the week’s guest host and hitting a new season best.

Although a majority of the first-run daytime shows are down from the same week in 2020, Clarkson, Williams, Dr. Oz and sophomore Drew Barrymore all preserved 100% of their household ratings year to year in addition to the aforementioned Dr. Phil.

In access time periods, Jeopardy inched up 2% to lead the game shows — and all of syndication — with a 5.6.

The top talk shows for the week among women 25-54 were:

• Dr. Phil (0.7, +17% from the week before)
• Live with Kelly and Ryan (0.6, -14%)
• Kelly Clarkson (0.4, unchanged), tied with Ellen DeGeneres (0.4, unchanged), Maury (0.4, +33%) and Wendy Williams (0.4,+33%)

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 means not applicable.

TALK SHOWS

Dr. Phil (CMV) 1.8+6%

Live with Kelly and Ryan (Disney-ABC) 1.6 -6%

Ellen DeGeneres (WBDTD) 0.9 -10%

The Kelly Clarkson Show (NBCU) 0.9 NC

Wendy Williams (Debmar-Mercury) 0.9 +13%

Maury (NBCU) 0.8 NC

Rachael Ray (CMV) 0.7 -13%

Steve Wilkos (NBCU) 0.6 NC

Dr. Oz (Sony) 0.6 NC

Tamron Hall (Disney-ABC) 0.6 NC

Drew Barrymore (CMV) 0.5 NC

Nick Cannon (CMV) 0.5 NC

The Real (WBDTD) 0.3 NC

The Doctors (CMV) 0.2 NC

Jerry Springer (NBCU) 0.3 NC

COURT SHOWS

Judge Judy (CMV) 4.8 +2%

Hot Bench(CMV) 1.5 NC

People’s Court (WBDTD) 0.8 NC

Judge Mathis (WBDTD) 0.6 NC

Divorce Court (Fox First Run) 0.5 NC

Judge Jerry (NBCU) 0.4 NC

Relative Justice (EW Media Group) 0.3 -25%

GAME SHOWS

Jeopardy (CMV) 5.6 +2%

Wheel of Fortune (CMV) 5.3 +6%

Family Feud (Debmar-Mercury/FMNA) 5.2 NC

You Bet Your Life (Fox First Run) 0.7 NC

25 Words or Less (Fox First Run) 0.7 NC

Funny You Should Ask(Entertainment Studios) 0.4 NC

MAGAZINE SHOWS

Inside Edition (CMV) 2.3 +5%

Entertainment Tonight (CMV) 2.1 NC

Access Hollywood (NBCU) 0.8 NC

TMZ (WBDTD) 0.7 +17%

Extra (WBDTD) 0.6 NC

Daily Mail TV (CMV) 0.5 NC

Dish Nation (Fox First Run) 0.3 NC

OFF-NET SITCOMS

Big Bang Theory (WBDTD) 2.0 +5%

Last Man Standing (Disney-ABC) 1.3 NC

Young Sheldon (WBDTD) 0.8 NC

Modern Family (Disney-ABC) 0.7 -13%

Two and a Half Men (WBDTD) 0.7 -13%

The Goldbergs(Sony) 0.8 -11%

Family Guy (Disney-ABC) 0.7 -13%

Seinfeld (Sony) 0.7 NC

Mike and Molly (WBDTD)

Black-ish (Disney-ABC) 0.5 NC

Two Broke Girls (WBDTD) 0.5 -17%

OFF-NET WEEKLY HOURS

Dateline Weekly (NBCU) 3.2 -14%

Chicago Fire (NBCU) 1.2 +9%

Law & Order: SVU (NBCU) 1.2 +33%

Chicago P.D. (NBCU) 1.2 +33%

Monk (NBCU) 1.1 +22%

American Ninja Warrior (NBCU) 0.9 +50%