They were the only two talkers to post ratings gains in the week ending Aug. 21. Judges Joe Brown and Alex were the only two courtrooms to show week-to-week increases.
WEEKLY SYNDICATED RATINGS ROUNDUP
Slow Week Shines For ‘Maury,’ ‘Doctors’
Summertime ratings for syndicated shows remained typically depressed in the week ending Aug. 21, as viewers appeared to take advantage of one of the last vacation weeks of the season. PUT continued to decline and reruns were the order of the day.
Talk Shows
The Doctors (CTD) was the biggest gainer among the top-tier talk shows, jumping 7% to a 1.5 in households. The only other talker among the top 10 to improve was Maury (NBCU), which added 5% to a 2.3, tying Live with Regis and Kelly (Disney-ABC) for the chat pack ratings lead. Live was unchanged at a 2.3.
Right behind the top two was Dr. Phil (CTD), which held steady at a 2.2; followed by Dr. Oz (Sony), which was flat at a 2.0; and Oprah (CTD), which remained at a 1.9.
Court Shows
Judge Joe Brown (CTD), which has been the No. 2 courtroom for 658 consecutive weeks (including ties), was one of only two veteran gavelers to grow from the prior session, advancing 4% to a 2.7. Joe was also up 35% from last year at this time.
BRAND CONNECTIONS
Judge Judy (CTD) continued to be the highest-rated jurist and the No. 1 show in syndication with a 6.4, which was even with the week before and up 56% from last year at this time.
Among the other courtrooms, People’s Court (WBDTD) dropped 5% to a 1.8; Judge Alex (Twentieth) rose 14% to a 1.6; while Judge Mathis (WBDTD) and Divorce Court (Twentieth) were both unchanged at 1.5.
First-Run Freshmen
Swift Justice with Nancy Grace (CTD) easily took the rookie race for the 49th week in a row, holding steady at a 1.5. Nate Berkus (Sony) climbed 13% to a 0.9; Don’t Forget the Lyrics (Twentieth) fell 13% to a 0.7, tying Karen, which stayed at a 0.7. America’s Court with Judge Ross (Entertainment Studios) spurted 25% to a new season high 0.5.
Dish Nation (Twentieth), an entertainment news program that is getting a six-week tryout, posted a 0.9 rating/2 share metered market average for its first five weeks. This was down 36% from its lead-in and down 50% from its year-ago time period average.
Game Shows
Back in the national ratings, game shows were soft. Wheel of Fortune (CTD) sank 2% to a 6.0; Jeopardy (CTD) weakened 4% to a new season low 4.8; Family Feud (Debmar-Mercury) faded 8% to a 2.3, tying Who Wants to be a Millionaire (Disney-ABC), which was flat at a 2.3; and Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? (Twentieth) was unchanged at a 1.0.
Magazine Shows
Access Hollywood (NBCU) and TMZ (WBDTD) had the best performances among the magazine strips in terms of week-to-week improvement, each spiking 6% to 1.7 and 1.9, respectively.
Entertainment Tonight (CTD) continued to top the genre with a stable 3.3; Inside Edition (CTD) picked up 4% to a 2.7; The Insider (CTD) remained at a 1.5; Extra (WBDTD) also held steady at a 1.5, while its Extra Weekend surged 29% to a 0.9.
Off-Net Sitcoms
Among off-net sitcoms, Two and a Half Men (WBDTD) was flat at a 6.0; Family Guy (Twentieth) grew 5% to a 4.5; My Wife and Kids (Disney-ABC) gained 6% to a 3.3; Seinfeld (Sony) was unchanged at a 2.7; while George Lopez Show (WBDTD) leapt 23% to a 2.7.
Off-Net Weekly Hours
Law & Order: Criminal Intent (NBCU) continued to rule the off-network weekly hours despite skidding 5% to a 3.6. Without a Trace (WBDTD) held firm at a 3.0 and tied Criminal Minds (CTD), which was down 3% to a 3.0, for second place. Monk (NBCU) was up 12% to a 2.8; while The Closer (WBDTD) was flat at a 2.5.
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