Game Shows Score Big, Set Season Highs

The often hotly contested talk show race turned into a runaway as Dr. Phil opened up a huge advantage in the session ending Nov. 20, which included the third full week of the sweep.

Phil rolled to its 11^th straight weekly victory and matched its second-highest rating of the season with a 3.6 live-plus-same-day national Nielsen rating, which was 44% ahead of second-place Ellen DeGeneres’ 2.5. Phil widened its lead with a 3% advance, while Ellen was unchanged.

Live with Kelly, which tied Ellen in the prior frame, finished right behind it with a 2.4, dipping 4%.

Sophomore Crime Watch Daily continued to be the only show in the category besides Phil to outperform its year-ago stats, growing 11% to a 1.0.

In access, every game show scored a new season high, with leader Family Feud climbing 3% to a 7.0; runner-up Wheel of Fortune adding 5% to a 6.4; Jeopardy inching up 3% to a 6.0; Who Wants to Be a Millionaire perking up 6% to a 1.7; and Celebrity Name Game gaining 8% to a 1.4.

The biggest positive move among all shows was generated by The Insider, which surged 20% to a 1.2 with a series of in-depth reports on Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly.

Stablemate Entertainment Tonight topped the mags for the 16^th consecutive week, spiking 6% to a 3.4.

The highest rated show on the entire chart was Judge Judy, which became syndication’s No.1 strip overall for the 16th week in a row with a 7.2, up 1%.

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

• Dr. Phil (1.6, -6% from the week before)
• Ellen DeGeneres (1.2, unchanged)
• Live with Kelly (1.1, -8%)
• Maury (1.0, unchanged)
• Wendy Williams (0.9, -10%), tied with Steve Wilkos (0.9, -10%) and Jerry Springer (0.9, +13%) 

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. Dr. Phil (CTD) 3.6 +3%

2. Ellen DeGeneres (WBDTD) 2.5 NC

3. Live with Kelly (Disney-ABC) 2.4 -4%

4. Steve Harvey (NBCU) 1.6 -6%

4. Maury (NBCU) 1.6 +7%

6. Wendy Williams (Debmar-Mercury) 1.5 NC

7. Rachael Ray (CTD) 1.4 +8%

7. Steve Wilkos (NBCU) 1.4 NC

9. Jerry Springer (NBCU) 1.3 NC

10. Dr. Oz (Sony) 1.2 -8%

11. Crime Watch Daily with Chris Hansen (WBDTD) 1.0 NC

12. The Real (WBDTD) 0.9 +13%

12. The Doctors (CTD) 0.9 NC

DAYTIME ROOKIE SHOWS

1. Harry (NBCU) 1.1 -8%

COURT SHOWS

1. Judge Judy (CTD) 7.2 +1%

2. Hot Bench (CTD) 2.5 +4%

3. People’s Court (WBDTD) 1.7 NC

4. Judge Mathis (WBDTD) 1.4* +8%

5. Divorce Court (Twentieth) 1.0 NC

6. Judge Faith (Trifecta) 0.8 NC

GAME SHOWS

1. Family Feud (Debmar-Mercury/FMNA) 7.0* +3%

2. Wheel of Fortune (CTD) 6.4* +5%

3. Jeopardy (CTD) 6.0* +3%

4. Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (Disney-ABC) 1.7* +6%

5. Celebrity Name Game (Debmar-Mercury/FMNA) 1.4* +8%

INTERNET VIDEO

1. Right This Minute (Disney-ABC) 1.5 NC

MAGAZINE SHOWS

1. Entertainment Tonight (CTD) 3.4 +6%

2. Inside Edition (CTD) 3.0 NC

3. TMZ (WBDTD) 1.6 NC

4. Access Hollywood (NBCU) 1.5 +7%

5. Extra (WBDTD) 1.3 NC

6. The Insider (CTD) 1.2 +20%

7. Dish Nation (Twentieth) 0.8 NC

8. Celebrity Page (Trifecta) 0.3 NC

OFF-NET SITCOMS

1. Big Bang Theory (WBDTD) 5.8* +9%

2. Modern Family (Twentieth) 3.0* +11%

3. Two and a Half Men (WBDTD) 2.5* +4%

4. Family Guy (Twentieth) 2.0 +5%

5. Mike and Molly (WBDTD) 1.9 +6%

6. Two Broke Girls (WBDTD) 1.8 +6%

6. Last Man Standing (Twentieth) 1.8 NC

8. The Cleveland Show (Twentieth) 1.4 +8%

8. How I Met Your Mother (Twentieth) 1.4 +8%

10. Seinfeld (Sony) 1.3 +8%

10. King of the Hill (Twentieth) 1.3 +8%

OFF-NET WEEKLY HOUR DRAMAS

1. Law & Order: SVU (NBCU) 4.2 +5%

2. Blue Bloods (CTD) 1.9 -5%

3. Castle (Disney-ABC) 1.5 NC

3. CSI Miami (CTD) 1.5 +7%

5. American Ninja (NBCU) 1.3 -7%

6. Rizzoli & Isles (WBDTD) 1.1 -8%

6. Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD (Disney-ABC) 1.1 +10%