> A seemingly atypical night turned out to be fairly typical after all. ABC:  The network preempted its entire line-up for the CMA AWARDS, and did very well, with a preliminary 4.8 that was up a tick from last year’s ceremony (and up in every half-hour from the night’s usual line-up except for MODERN FAMILY‘s [...]

> Fridays are only half a real night for the broadcast networks right now, so it stands to reason that they get only half the ratings. CBS:  Will the network accept a 1.2 from A GIFTED MAN?  (And, to be fair, along with it an older audience that gives the show double the all-ages number [...]

> The third week of a network season is a critical one.  Ratings erosion after a series or season premiere is expected and even acceptable, because it’s understood that not every viewer drawn by hype and marketing will be a satisfied customer.  But a continued fall in Week 3 can be a sign of trouble, [...]

> Don’t get too attached to those CG dinosaurs. FOX:  TERRA NOVA barely bothers with those creatures these days anyway, being more concerned with dull conspiracies among humans (points to anyone who can figure out what the “time fracture” means), and it may not be showing anything for much longer.  With just a few episodes [...]

> Dancing doesn’t mambo as fast as it used to. ABC:  The DANCING WITH THE STARS results show did a whole lot better at 9PM than The River‘s ratings, winning the hour with a 3.0 (compared to River‘s mid-1 numbers).  But the Dancing franchise is fading, and as with the performance show on Monday, Tuesday’s [...]

> Not much good news for anyone–including the night’s winner. FOX:  The network ran the table 8-10PM, but with ugly numbers:  GLEE and NEW GIRL both set season lows, and RAISING HOPE was just 0.1 above its low.  For the first time in quite a while, Glee was below a 3 rating. ABC:  LAST MAN [...]

A fond farewell to Wisteria Lane. ABC:  The bang-up season finale of ONCE UPON A TIME scored a 3.2, its best number in 2 months, sending the series to summer hiatus on a high.  DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES shuffled off its mortal coil with the same 3.2, not exactly an event number (just slightly higher than last [...]

> It being a Friday, not a single show on network television could even manage a 2 rating in 18-49s.  Even within that narrow radius, though, there was room to be a loser. CBS:  A GIFTED MAN (see our Pilot + 1 Review) had little room to fall after a blah debut, and now it [...]