Fireworks For ‘Wendy Williams’ In July 4 Week

Talk shows had the most to celebrate in the session ending July 5, which included the big Independence Day holiday weekend.

At the top of the pack, Live with Kelly & Michael rose 4% for both the week and the year, to a 2.7 live-plus-same-day national Nielsen rating. Among women 25-54, Live also led the talkers with a 1.3 demo rating, although it was tied by Wendy Williams. This marks the first time Wendy won a share of first place in the key women 25-54 demo. In households, Wendy raced ahead 13% to a 1.8, the show’s highest rating in 18 weeks, and leaped 29% from last year, the most of any talk show.

Other talkers in the plus column were:

• Steve Harvey, which spurted 6% to a 1.7, and surged 21% from last year, the third greatest annual improvement in talk.

• Rachael Ray, which rallied 8% to a 1.3, and rose 20% among women 25-54.

• Dr. Oz, which climbed 8% to a 1.3, tying Rachael.

• The Doctors and The Real, which both climbed 11% to a 1.0.

In addition, Jerry Springer soared 27% from last year, the second biggest annual gain of any talk show, while Steve Wilkos improved 17% from the same week a year ago.

Also of note, an all-repeat week of Dr. Phil still finished in second place with a 2.4. And, Wendy, Maury and Ellen DeGeneres were all locked in an unusual three-way tie among talk shows at a 1.8, with Steve Harvey only a tenth of a point behind.

Judge Judy continued to preside as the No. 1 syndicated show overall for the eighth time in the past 10 weeks with a 6.4.

In access, Entertainment Tonight was the magazine leader with a 3.0, which was down 3% for the week, but still up 7% from last year at this time.

Access Hollywood had the strongest annual increase in the category, shooting up 25% from last year to a 1.5.

Family Feud was tops among game shows for the fourth consecutive week, holding steady at a 6.2. Year to year, Feud was up 44%, by far the most of any show in the category. Jeopardy fell 2% for the week to a second-place 6.0, while Wheel of Fortune slipped 3% to a new-season-low 5.8 and finished third for a second consecutive week.

Meanwhile, in the metered markets, the Boris & Nicole test averaged a 0.8 rating/3 share in the first week of its four-week trial. This was down 27% from its average lead-in and flat compared to year-ago time period shows, which included last July’s Hollywood Today Live test and the cancelled Bethany in its largest DMAs.

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

• Live with Kelly & Michael (1.3, -7% from the week before), tied with Wendy Williams (1.3, +8%)
• Maury (1.2, -8%)
• Dr. Phil (1.1, -15%)
• Steve Wilkos (1.0, +11%), tied with Ellen DeGeneres (1.0, -9%)
• Jerry Springer (0.9, unchanged)

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

1. Live with Kelly & Michael (Disney-ABC) 2.7 +4%

2. Dr. Phil (CTD) 2.4 -8%

3. Ellen DeGeneres (WBDTD) 1.8** -5%

3. Maury (NBCU) 1.8 -5%

3. Wendy Williams (Debmar-Mercury) 1.8 +13%

6. Steve Harvey (NBCU) 1.7 +6%

7. Steve Wilkos (NBCU) 1.4 NC

7. Jerry Springer (NBCU) 1.4 NC

9. Dr. Oz (Sony) 1.3 +8%

9. Rachael Ray (CTD) 1.3 +8%

11. The Real (WBDTD) 1.0 +11%

11. The Doctors (CTD) 1.0 +11%

13. Meredith Vieira (NBCU) 0.9 NC

14. The Better Show (Meredith) 0.1 NC

INTERNET VIDEO

1. Right This Minute (MGM) 1.3 -13%

COURT SHOWS

1. Judge Judy (CTD) 6.4 -4%

2. Hot Bench (CTD) 1.9 NC

3. People’s Court (WBDTD) 1.6 -6%

4. Divorce Court (Twentieth) 1.4 NC

5. Judge Mathis (WBDTD) 1.3 +8%

6. Paternity Court (Orion Television) 1.1 NC

7. Judge Faith (Trifecta) 0.7 NC

MAGAZINE SHOWS

1. Entertainment Tonight (CTD) 3.0 -3%

2. Inside Edition (CTD) 2.9 NC

3. TMZ (WBDTD) 1.7 NC

4. Access Hollywood (NBCU) 1.5 NC

5. Extra (WBDTD) 1.3 NC

6. The Insider (CTD) 1.2 NC

7. Dish Nation (Twentieth) 1.0 NC

8. Intelligence for Your Life (IFYL) 0.2 NC

8. OK! TV (Trifecta) 0.2 NC

GAME SHOWS

1. Family Feud (Debmar-Mercury/FMNA) 6.2 NC

2. Jeopardy (CTD) 6.0 -2%

3. Wheel of Fortune (CTD) 5.8** -3%

4. Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (Disney-ABC) 1.6 NC

5. Celebrity Name Game (Debmar-Mercury/FMNA) 1.3 NC

OFF-NET SITCOMS

1. Big Bang Theory (WBDTD) 4.8** -9%

2. Modern Family (Twentieth) 3.0** -3%

3. Two and a Half Men (WBDTD) 2.6** -7%

4. Family Guy (Twentieth) 2.4 NC

5. Mike and Molly (WBDTD) 2.1 -5%

6. Seinfeld (Sony) 1.9 NC

7. The Middle (WBDTD) 1.8 NC

8. How I Met Your Mother (Twentieth) 1.7** -19%

9. The Cleveland Show (Twentieth) 1.6 +7%

10. King of the Hill (Twentieth) 1.5 +7%

OFF-NET WEEKLY HOURS

1. Law & Order: Criminal Intent (NBCU) 4.3 -2%

2. Law & Order: SVU (NBCU) 3.4 +10%

3. Blue Bloods (CTD) 2.0** -13%

4. Castle (Disney-ABC) 1.8 NC

4. The Mentalist (WBDTD) 1.8 +13%

6. The Good Wife (CTD) 1.5 +7%