‘Dr. Phil’ Is Syndication’s New Top Talker

Dr. Phil (CTD) took over as syndication’s No. 1 talk show in the week ending June 5, the first full week following the end of the May sweeps. As expected, ratings for most shows fell sharply as sweep advertising and promotion concluded and many programs went into reruns.

Talk Shows

Phil was the highest-rated talker for the week, which  included the low-rated Memorial Day holiday. Although Phil was preempted in several markets and slipped 19% from the week before to a 2.6, that was still up 8% from last year at this time.

Live with Regis and Kelly (Disney-ABC) was the No. 2 talk show with an unchanged 2.4; Oprah (CTD) plunged 61% to its lowest rating ever, a third-place 2.3 as the show went out of production and was replaced in some markets.

Next in line, Maury (NBCU) dropped 5% to a 2.0; Dr. Oz (Sony) tumbled to a new season low sinking 5% to a 2.0; and Ellen DeGeneres (WBDTD) skidded 10% to a 1.8.

Court Shows

Top strip Judge Judy (CTD) was one of the few to buck the down trend, jumping 3% to a 6.5 and widening her lead over all syndicated shows. Among courtrooms following Judy, Judge Joe Brown (CTD) eased 4% to a 2.5; People’s Court (WBDTD) was flat at a 1.8; Judge Alex (Twentieth) and Divorce Court (Twentieth) were each down 6% to a 1.5; Judge Mathis (WBDTD) was unchanged at a 1.5; and Judge Jeanine Piero (WBDTD) trailed with a flat 0.8.

Game Shows

Ratings for game shows were soft. Both Wheel and Jeop stumbled to new season lows — wheel sliding 10% to a 5.7 and Jeop losing 9% to a 4.9. Feud was unchanged at a 2.3; Who fell 4% to a 2.2; and Fifth weakened 9% to a 1.0.

Maazine Shows

Magazines, which had been boosted dramatically by the Arnold Schwarzenegger scandal in the prior weeks, were all down by double digits as the story ran its course.

Leader Entertainment Tonight (CTD) was off 13% to a 3.4; Inside Edition (CTD) faded 10% to a 2.8; TMZ (WBDTD) eroded 13% to a 2.0; Access Hollywood (NBCU) dipped 10% to a 1.8; The Insider (CTD) was down 12% to a 1.5; and Extra (WBDTD), which did not air in 16 markets including Los Angeles — mainly to French Open tennis coverage — also gave back 12% to a 1.5.

First-Run Freshmen

Swift Justice with Nancy Grace (CTD) won the rookie race for the 38^th consecutive week, holding steady at a 1.6. The already canceled Don’t Forget the Lyrics (Twentieth) overtook Nate Berkus (Sony) and moved into second place with an 11% gain to a 1.0. Berkus fell 20% to new season low 0.8; Judge Karen’s Court (Litton) declined 13% to 0.7; and America’s Court with Judge Ross (Entertainment Studios) was down 25% to a 0.3.

Off-Net Sitcoms

Two and a Half Men (WBDTD) fell 6% to a 5.8, but still led the off-net sitcoms. Family Guy (Twentieth), My Wife and Kids (Disney-ABC) and George Lopez Show (WBDTD) were all flat at 4.5, 3.0 and 2.7, respectively, while Everybody Loves Raymond (CTD) and The Office (NBCU) were each up 8% to a 2.7.

Off-Net Weekly Hours

Law & Order: Criminal Intent (NBCU) regained the lead among off-net weekly hours with a 52% spike to a 3.5. Criminal Minds (CTD) dropped to second with an unchanged 3.0; Monk (NBCU) added 4% to a 2.7; Without a Trace (WBDTD) advanced 4% to a new season high 2.6; and The Closer (WBDTD) grew 9% to a new season high 2.5.