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How sweet it is:
'Beauty and the Geek'

WB reality show pulled at young, believing hearts

By Toni Fitzgerald

   With the popularity of dating shows like “Joe Millionaire” and “For Love or Money,” which relied on some element of deception, the networks got the idea that viewers prefer their romance with a heavy dose of cynicism.
  Generally they don’t. They want to see nice people getting together in a somewhat believable relationship. And they’d rather see no match at all than one that looks as fake as that of Bob “The Bachelor” Guiney’s.
   That appears to be especially true of the young, idealistic audience watching the WB, and it’s why the WB’s recently concluded “Beauty and the Geek” worked: It seemed sweet and real and it didn’t give us any bogus pairings we didn’t believe. 
   The six-episode series averaged a 2.0 rating among viewers 12-34, better than any other WB reality or summer show in recent memory.
   It grew 34 percent from 3.2 million total viewers for its debut to 4.3 million for last Wednesday’s finale.
   Much has been made of the WB’s inability to launch a successful reality franchise. The most recent “High School Reunion,” for example, averaged just a 1.4 12-34 rating. And last spring’s “The Starlet” averaged a 1.2.
  But it wasn’t reality that was the WB’s problem, it was the shows themselves. “Beauty” worked because the show encouraged the gorgeous girls and awkward guys to work together instead of against each other, as so many reality dating shows seem to do.
   We didn’t suffer through any unbelievable relationships, either. None of the couples professed undying love, just as we knew they wouldn’t. That certainly pleased the show’s core audience of females 12-34, where the show averaged a 2.5 rating.
   And some of the challenges were laugh-out-loud funny, such as watching the geeks trying to answer pop culture trivia. We enjoyed laughing with them, not at them for a change.
   In other broadcast ratings for the week ended July 10:

Among adults 18-49, ABC and CBS tied for first with a 2.0 rating and 7 share, followed by another tie in third between Fox and NBC with 1.9/6. UPN was fifth with 1.0/3 and the WB sixth with 0.8/3.

Among adults 18-34, Fox was first with a 2.0 rating and 8 share, followed by ABC with 1.6/6. Tied at third were CBS and NBC with 1.4/5, followed by UPN at fifth with 1.0/4 and the WB sixth with 0.8/3.

Among adults 25-54, CBS was first with a 2.6 rating and 8 share, ABC second with 2.4/7, NBC third with 2.3/7, Fox fourth with 1.9/6, UPN fifth with 0.9/3 and WB sixth with 0.8/2.

Top five (18-49s): 1. ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars” 6.7; 2. CBS’s “CSI” 4.8; 3. CBS’s “Big Brother 6” 3.4; 4. CBS’s “Without A Trace” 3.4; 5. Fox’s “Family Guy” 3.3

Top five (total viewers): 1. ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars” 22.4 million; 2. CBS’s “CSI” 15 million; 3. CBS’s “Without a Trace” 12.3 million; 4. ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars” (July 6) 10.3 million; 5. CBS’s “CSI: NY” 9.8 million

Bottom five (18-49s): 110. UPN’s “One on One” (July 4 special) 0.6; 111. WB’s “Charmed” 0.6; 112. UPN’s “Veronica Mars” 0.5; 113. WB’s “Seventh Heaven” 0.5; 114. WB’s “Summerland” 0.4

Bottom five (total viewers): 110. WB’s “7th Heaven” 1.27 million; 111. UPN’s “Veronica Mars” 1.27 million; 112. UPN’s “Half and Half” (July 4 special) 1.25 million; 113. UPN’s Movie Friday 1.25 million; 114. WB’s “Summerland” 960,000

Show on the rise: “Average Joe 4,” NBC, Tuesday 8 p.m. Maybe people are interested in seeing what a made-over Average Joe looks like. Or maybe President Bush just didn’t make a good lead-in for the show’s debut two weeks ago. Whatever the case, the returning reality series saw week-to-week gains among total viewers, up 14 percent to 4.9 million. Among viewers 18-49, the show’s ratings grew 5 percent to a 2.0, still poor but at least an improvement.

Show on the decline: “The Cut,” CBS, Wednesday 8 p.m. This show may have the lamest catchphrase on TV, Tommy Hilfiger’s “You’re out of style.” It certainly hasn't caught on with viewers. Last week, “The Cut” averaged 4 million total viewers, down 15 percent from the week before. Among 18-49s, the show fell 7 percent to a 1.3 rating.

   

PRIMETIME AVERAGES BY NETWORK
Ranked on Households
Week Ending July 10

Network

Households

People 2+

Adults 18-49

Rtg%

(000)

Shr

Rtg%

(000)

Shr

Rtg%

(000)

Shr

CBS

5.1

5550

9

2.6

7350

8

2.0

2630

7

NBC

4.1

4510

8

2.1

5780

6

1.9

2460

6

ABC

4.1

4460

7

2.2

6130

7

2.0

2610

7

FOX

2.9

3180

5

1.6

4410

5

1.9

2480

6

UPN

1.6

1700

3

0.8

2310

3

1.0

1300

3

WB

1.4

1490

2

0.7

1930

2

0.8

1100

3

PAX

0.4

470

1

0.2

590

1

0.1

170

0

* Each rating point is equivalent to 1.096 million homes
Source: Nielsen Media Research

 

SEASON-TO-DATE PRIMETIME AVERAGES BY NETWORK
Ranked on Households
Week Ending July 10

Network

Households

People 2+

Adults 18-49

Rtg%

(000)

Shr

Rtg%

(000)

Shr

Rtg%

(000)

Shr

CBS

7.9

8640

13

4.4

12100

11

3.7

4820

10

NBC

6.2

6790

10

3.3

9220

9

3.3

4280

9

ABC

6.1

6740

10

3.4

9480

9

3.5

4560

10

FOX

5.7

6250

9

3.3

9260

9

3.8

4950

11

UPN

2.2

2390

4

1.2

3240

3

1.3

1710

4

WB

2.1

2320

3

1.1

3160

3

1.3

1690

4

PAX

0.4

460

1

0.2

600

1

0.1

170

0

* Each rating point is equivalent to 1.096 million homes
Source: Nielsen Media Research 

 

NETWORK TV
Ranked on Households
Week Ending July 10

#

PROGRAMS

Net

HOUSEHOLDS

PERSONS 2+

Rtg%

Shr

(000)

#

Rtg%

(000)

1

DANCING WITH THE STARS

ABC

14.2

23

15523

1

8.0

22363

2

CSI

CBS

9.7

16

10676

2

5.4

14905

3

WITHOUT A TRACE

CBS

8.3

14

9144

3

4.4

12332

4

DANCING W/THE STARS-7/6(S)

ABC

7.0

13

7622

4

3.7

10271

5

CSI: NY

CBS

6.7

11

7394

5

3.5

9753

6

60 MINUTES

CBS

6.5

13

7142

6

3.4

9522

7

LAW AND ORDER:SVU

NBC

6.3

11

6867

7

3.1

8555

8

LAW AND ORDER:CRIM INTENT

NBC

5.9

10

6429

7

3.1

8674

9

CBS SUNDAY MOVIE

CBS

5.7

10

6204

13

2.7

7634

10

BIG BROTHER 6-THU

CBS

5.5

10

6064

9

3.0

8474

10

LAW AND ORDER WED 9PM

NBC

5.5

9

6060

13

2.7

7579

12

48 HOURS MYSTERY TUESDAY

CBS

5.4

9

5885

13

2.7

7474

12

CROSSING JORDAN

NBC

5.4

9

5968

10

2.8

7814

14

DATELINE SUN-7PM

NBC

5.2

10

5745

10

2.8

7718

15

BOSTON POPS FIREWORKS(S)

CBS

5.1

11

5622

10

2.8

7712

16

COLD CASE

CBS

5.0

9

5486

13

2.7

7401

16

DATELINE NBC SPECIAL 7/6(S)

NBC

5.0

8

5458

18

2.5

6903

18

20/20-FRI

ABC

4.9

9

5380

23

2.4

6703

18

48 HOURS MYSTERY

CBS

4.9

10

5347

18

2.5

6947

18

HOUSE

FOX

4.9

8

5381

13

2.7

7593

21

LAW &ORDER 7/6(S)

NBC

4.8

9

5241

23

2.4

6620

21

LOST

ABC

4.8

8

5293

18

2.5

7059

23

CSI:MIAMI SPC(S)

CBS

4.7

10

5114

18

2.5

7079

24

DATELINE FRI

NBC

4.6

9

5072

27

2.3

6382

25

EVERYBDY LOVES RAYMND SPC(S)

CBS

4.4

10

4791

27

2.3

6439

25

EXTREME MAKEOVER:HM ED-8P

ABC

4.4

8

4798

23

2.4

6798

25

MACY'S 4TH JULY FIREWORKS(S)

NBC

4.4

9

4802

18

2.5

6987

25

PRIMETIME LIVE

ABC

4.4

8

4845

27

2.3

6351

25

TWO AND A HALF MEN SPC(S)

CBS

4.4

9

4873

23

2.4

6711

Source: Nielsen Media Research

 

TOP 25 PROGRAMS – BROADCAST
Adults 18-49
Week Ending July 10

Rank

Program

Net

Rtg%

(000)

1

DANCING WITH THE STARS

ABC

6.7

8737

2

CSI

CBS

4.8

6216

3

BIG BROTHER 6-THU

CBS

3.4

4472

3

WITHOUT A TRACE

CBS

3.4

4462

5

FAMILY GUY SP-7/10 9:30P(S)

FOX

3.3

4287

6

FAMILY GUY

FOX

3.2

4180

7

CSI: NY

CBS

3.1

4025

8

LAW AND ORDER:SVU

NBC

3.0

3958

9

SIMPSONS

FOX

2.8

3682

10

DANCING W/THE STARS-7/6(S)

ABC

2.7

3446

10

HOUSE

FOX

2.7

3496

12

EXTREME MAKEOVER:HM ED-8P

ABC

2.6

3357

12

PRINCES OF MALIBU

FOX

2.6

3328

14

FIRE ME PLEASE

CBS

2.5

3189

14

LAW AND ORDER:CRIM INTENT

NBC

2.5

3281

14

LOST

ABC

2.5

3197

17

ACCORDING TO JIM 9PM

ABC

2.4

3155

17

DATELINE SUN-7PM

NBC

2.4

3105

19

20/20-FRI

ABC

2.3

2958

19

48 HOURS MYSTERY TUESDAY

CBS

2.3

2974

19

AMW: AMERICA FIGHTS BACK

FOX

2.3

3026

19

CROSSING JORDAN

NBC

2.3

3046

23

LAW AND ORDER WED 9PM

NBC

2.2

2798

23

WILL &GRACE 7/7 9:30(S)

NBC

2.2

2807

25

COPS 2

FOX

2.1

2708

25

CSI:MIAMI SPC(S)

CBS

2.1

2705

25

DATELINE FRI

NBC

2.1

2667

25

DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES

ABC

2.1

2725

25

GREY'S ANATOMY

ABC

2.1

2747

25

RODNEY

ABC

2.1

2728

25

THAT '70S SHOW-THU 8:30P

FOX

2.1

2721

25

WILL &GRACE 7/7 9P(S)

NBC

2.1

2718

25

WWE SMACKDOWN!

UPN

2.1

2719

Source: Nielsen Media Research

 

CABLE TV
Ranked on Households
Week Ending July 10

BASIC CABLE

#

PROGRAM NAME

NET

Households 

Persons 2+

(000)

Rtg %

(000)

1

MONK

USA

4295

3.9

6375

2

INTO THE WEST(S)-07/08/2005

TNT

3135

2.9

4389

3

REAL WORLD XVI

MTV

2880

2.6

3471

4

FAMILY GUY

ADSM

2827

2.6

3788

5

LAW & ORDER

TNT

2762

2.5

3509

6

FAMILY GUY

ADSM

2743

2.5

3625

7

CLOSER, THE

TNT

2710

2.5

3777

8

FUTURAMA

ADSM

2696

2.5

3482

9

LEGALLY BLONDE(S)-07/09/2005

TBSC

2691

2.5

3607

10

WWE ENTERTAINMENT (WWE RAW ZONE)

SPIKE

2563

2.3

3957

11

FAMILY GUY

ADSM

2506

2.3

3500

12

FAMILY GUY

ADSM

2498

2.3

3301

13

LEGALLY BLONDE(S)-07/10/2005

TBSC

2456

2.2

3354

14

LAW & ORDER: SVU

USA

2443

2.2

3101

15

SPONGEBOB

NICK

2441

2.2

3040

PAY CABLE

#

PROGRAM NAME

NET

Households 

Persons 2+

(000)

Rtg %

(000)

1

TROY

HBO

1701

1.6

2426

2

SIX FEET UNDER

HBO

1622

1.5

2234

3

ENTOURAGE

HBO

1374

1.3

1951

4

ANCHORMAN: THE LEGEND OF

HBO

1323

1.2

1734

5

I, ROBOT

MAX

1180

1.1

1674

* Ratings based on 109.6 million U.S. TV homes. One ratings point represents 1.096 million homes.
Source: Nielsen Media Research

 

SYNDICATION
Ranked on Households
Week Ending July 3

#

 PROGRAMS

Syndicator

Households

US Rtg%

(000)

1

WHEEL OF FORTUNE

KIN

6.9

7585

2

JEOPARDY

KIN

6.0

6565

3

OPRAH WINFREY SHOW (AT)

KIN

5.7

6205

4

EVRY LVS RAYMOND-SYN (AT)

KIN

5.4

5928

5

SEINFELD (AT)

SPT

5.2

5645

6

SEINFELD-WKND (AT)

SPT

5.0

5438

7

DR. PHIL SHOW

KIN

4.6

5036

8

JUDGE JUDY (AT)

PRM

4.5

4984

8

CSI-SYN (AT)

KIN

4.5

4980

8

FRIENDS (AT)

WB

4.5

4961

11

ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT(AT)

PRM

4.2

4563

12

EVBDY LVS RAYMOND-WKD-SYN

KIN

3.6

3914

13

WHEEL OF FORTUNE WKND

KIN

3.4

3740

14

LIVE WITH REGIS AND KELLY

BV

3.3

3588

15

INSIDE EDITION

KIN

3.1

3396

15

JUDGE JOE BROWN (AT)

PRM

3.1

3368

17

MILLIONAIRE (AT)

BV

3.0

3314

18

ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT WKD

PRM

2.9

3196

18

MAURY (AT)

NBU

2.9

3179

20

MALCOLM IN-MIDDLE SYN(AT)

2/T

2.8

3101

20

KING OF THE HILL-SYN(AT)

2/T

2.8

3083

22

COPS-SYN (AT)

2/T

2.7

2981

22

THAT 70S SHOW-MF-SYN (AT)

2/T

2.7

2949

24

WARNER BROS. VOL 37

WB

2.6

2825

24

PEOPLE'S COURT (AT)

WB

2.6

2810

Source: Nielsen Media Research

 

SPANISH-LANGUAGE TELEVISION
Ranked on Households
Week Ending July 10

#

PROGRAMS

Net

NHTI

(000)

1

MADRASTRA M-F

UNI

23.7

2581

2

APUESTA POR UN AMOR M-F

UNI

22.1

2416

3

INOCENTE DE TI M-F

UNI

20.5

2235

4

DON FRANCISCO PRESENTA-WE

UNI

19.7

2144

5

CASOS VIDA R: ED. ESP TUE

UNI

18.5

2015

6

AQUI Y AHORA-THU

UNI

17.8

1943

7

COPA ORO 2005 05 7/8(S)-07/08/2005

UNI

16.1

1759

8

CRISTINA-MON

UNI

15.3

1671

9

SABADO GIGANTE-SAT

UNI

14.1

1539

10

VER PARA CREER-SUN

UNI

11.6

1269

11

OTRO ROLLO HSTR DIEZ 7/10(S)-07/10/2005

UNI

9.6

1050

12

ASI ES GILBERTO GLESS SAT

UNI

9.1

997

13

MUJER EN EL ESPEJO M-F

TEL

6.3

688

14

CANTINFLEANDO 7/9(S)-07/09/2005

TEL

4.9

534

14

DECISIONES M-F

TEL

4.9

533

14

PLATEADOS M-F

TEL

4.9

528

17

AMARTE ASI M-F

TEL

4.7

512

18

COPA ORO TF 07/07/05-4(S)-07/07/2005

TF

4.4

480

18

CINE LAS ESTREL2 SUN

TF

4.4

479

20

CINEMUNDO DEL SABADO

TEL

4.3

471

21

COPA ORO TF 07/10/05-10(S)-07/10/2005

TF

4.0

435

22

RIPLEY'S SUN

TEL

3.9

420

23

CINEMUNDO PREMIER

TEL

3.8

416

24

SIN FRONTERAS

TEL

3.5

381

25

CINE LAS ESTREL 07/04/05(S)-07/04/2005

TF

3.0

331

* Nielsen Hispanic Television Index; ratings based on 9.7 million Hispanic TV homes.
Source: Nielsen Media Research

 

NETWORK SPORTS
Ranked on Households
Week Ending July 3

#

PROGRAMS

Net

Episode

Households

Persons 2+

US Rtg%

Shr

(000)

(000)

1

DAYTONA 400
(S)-7/2

NBC

NASCAR
NEXTEL
CUP

5.5

13

6019

8308

2

DAYTONA 400
 RAIN DEL(S)-7/2

NBC

3.6

8

3969

5234

3

WIMBLEDON
UPDTE-WED
(S)-6/29

NBC

3.5

8

3856

4685

4

WIMBLEDON
UPDTE-MON
(S)-6/27

NBC

3.4

8

3680

4569

5

WIMBLEDON -SAT(S)-7/02

NBC

3.4

11

3747

4616

6

WIMBLEDON
UPDTE-THU
(S)-6/30

NBC

3.3

8

3577

4157

7

NASCAR TNEUP
SAT(S)-7/02

NBC

3.3

8

3588

4562

8

WWE SMCKDWN!

UPN

3.2

6

3544

5252

9

CIALIS WEST.
OPEN-SUN
(S)-7/3

ABC

3.1

9

3428

4416

10

WIMBLEDON
UPDTE-TUE
(S)-6/28

NBC

3.1

7

3422

4146

11

WIMBLEDON
UPDTE-FRI
(S)-7/1

NBC

2.9

7

3132

3887

12

CIALIS WEST.
OPEN-SAT
(S)-7/2

ABC

2.1

6

2273

2843

13

WIMBLEDON
SUN(S)-7/\3

NBC

2.1

7

2352

2750

14

FOX SAT.
BASEBALL

FOX

VAR. TEAMS AND TIMES

2.0

6

2164

2710

15

WIMBLEDON
THU(S)-6/30

NBC

1.8

5

2002

2296

16

WIMBLEDON
FRI(S)-7/01

NBC

1.6

5

1709

1954

17

WIMBLEDON
MON(S)-6/27

NBC

1.5

5

1629

1764

18

WIMBLEDON
TUE(S)-6/28

NBC

1.5

5

1696

1906

19

WIMBLEDON WED(S)-6/29

NBC

1.5

5

1603

1739

20

NASCAR PREV(S)-7/2

NBC

1.3

4

1447

1579

21

NBC SPORTS
 SPEC. 7/2(S)

NBC

VLYBALL

0.9

3

985

1139

22

HSBC WMN
WRLD MTCH
PLY-SA(S)-7/2

CBS

0.8

2

885

1095

23

HSBC WMN
 WRLD MTCH
PLY-SU(S)-7/3

CBS

0.8

2

852

978

24

NBA INSIDE
STUFF-ABC

ABC

0.7

2

755

804

25

PGA TOUR:
COUNTDOWN
TO AIR(S)-7/03

ABC

0.7

2

720

935

26

THIS WEEK IN
BASEBALL

FOX

0.7

2

740

787

27

NBC SPORTS
SPEC. 7/3(S)

NBC

VLYBALL

0.7

2

776

880

28

CBS SPORTS
PRESENTS
.(S)-7/02

CBS

NCAA:
SPRING
HGHLTS

0.6

2

604

650

Source: Nielsen Media Research


July 13, 2005 © 2005 Media Life


- Toni Fitzgerald is a staff writer for Media Life.


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