Medical dramas used to be a sure bet on television, from "ER" to "House" to "Grey's Anatomy."
Not anymore.
Seven months after "ER" aired its series finale, the three new medical dramas on broadcast are floundering, drawing some of the lowest ratings for any first-year programs.
NBC has already said it will not order any additional episodes of "Trauma" once it has aired the initial 13. Media people are just waiting for CBS to drop the axe on "Three Rivers," its lowest-rated new show. And while NBC's "Mercy" has received a full-season order, it has finished third in its timeslot.
"Trauma," about a team of emergency first-responders, averaged a 1.9 adults 18-49 rating last week in the Monday 9 p.m. slot, losing 32 percent of "Heroes'" lead-in audience, according to Nielsen. It finished fourth in the timeslot, just barely ahead of a Univision telenovela.
"Rivers," which follows a team of transplant surgeons, averaged a mere 1.6, making it CBS's lowest-rated scripted series of the week. It airs Sundays at 9 p.m.
"Mercy," which looks at medicine from the nurses' perspective, was preempted last week by a Halloween special that averaged a 2.0 rating. Tellingly, that outrated "Mercy's" most recent episode, which managed a mere 1.9 in one of the least-competitive slots on television, Wednesday at 8 p.m. It placed third in the hour.
Perhaps the lesson to be learned is that viewers prefer their medical dramas with fewer gimmicks. "Trauma," "Rivers" and "Mercy" all try to put a new spin on the old premise of troubled doctors doing their job in a hectic hospital.
But viewers seem to prefer the old way to the new. Ratings for "Grey's" and "House" have been up this season, and they're also the two most-DVRed shows on broadcast.
Meanwhile "ER" went out strong with 16.3 million viewers last spring, the most-watched drama series finale on any network since "Murder She Wrote" in 1996.
***
In broadcast ratings for the week ended Nov. 1:
Among adults 18-49, Fox was first with a 4.8 average rating and a 13 share, followed by ABC at 2.7/8, CBS at 2.3/6, NBC at 1.9/5, Univision at 1.2/3, CW at 1.1/3, Telemundo at 0.5/1, Telefutura at 0.4/1, Ion at 0.3/1 and Azteca at 0.1/0.
Top five English-language Big Five shows (18-49s): 1. Fox’s “World Series Game 4” 7.8; 2. Fox’s “World Series Game 1” 6.3; 3. Fox’s “The OT” 6.2; 4. Fox’s “World Series Game 4 Pregame” 6.0; 5. Fox’s “World Series Game 2” 5.8.
Top five English-language Big Five shows (total viewers): 1. Fox’s “World Series Game 4” 22.76 million; 2. Fox’s “World Series Game 1” 19.51 million; 3. Fox’s “World Series Game 2” 18.90 million; 4. Fox’s “World Series Game 4 Pregame” 17.82 million; 5. ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars” 17.38 million.
Top five time-shifted English-language Big Five shows (18-49s, by Live+7 playback, week ended Oct. 11): 1. Fox’s “House” 2.7 increase (up 40 percent); 2. ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy” 2.5 increase (up 37 percent); 3. NBC’s “The Office” 2.5 increase (up 42 percent); 4. CBS’s “The Big Bang Theory” 1.6 increase (up 29 percent); 5. ABC’s “Desperate Housewives” 1.6 increase (up 30 percent).
Show on the rise: “Vampire Diaries,” CW, Thursday 8 p.m. The first-year drama posted a 2.0 rating among 18-49s, up 11 percent from a 1.8 for its previous original episode two weeks earlier.
Show on the decline: “Dancing with the Stars,” ABC, Tuesday 9 p.m. The results edition slipped 12 percent week-to-week among 18-49s, from a 3.4 rating to a 3.0.
WEEKLY PRIMETIME AVERAGES BY NETWORK Ranked on Households
Week Ending November 1
Network
Households
People 2+
Adults 18-49
Rtg%
(000)
Shr
Rtg%
(000)
Shr
Rtg%
(000)
Shr
FOX
8.8
10150
14
5.0
14680
13
4.8
6340
13
CBS
6.2
7160
10
3.4
9840
9
2.3
3050
6
ABC
6.0
6890
10
3.2
9450
8
2.7
3610
8
NBC
3.5
4010
6
1.9
5590
5
1.9
2440
5
UNI
1.7
1990
3
1.1
3250
3
1.2
1620
3
CW
1.4
1640
2
0.8
2240
2
1.1
1390
3
ION
0.6
670
1
0.3
870
1
0.3
340
1
TEL
0.5
580
1
0.3
980
1
0.5
600
1
TF
0.4
500
1
0.3
860
1
0.4
540
1
AZA
0.1
160
0
0.1
240
0
0.1
160
0
*Each rating point is equivalent to 1. 149 million homes
Source: Nielsen Media Research
SEASON-TO-DATE PRIMETIME AVERAGES BY NETWORK Ranked on Households
Week Ending November 1
Network
Households
People 2+
Adults 18-49
Rtg%
(000)
Shr
Rtg%
(000)
Shr
Rtg%
(000)
Shr
CBS
7.5
8640
12
4.1
12080
11
3.2
4240
9
ABC
6.4
7370
10
3.4
10020
9
3.0
3980
8
FOX
6.0
6840
10
3.4
9980
9
3.7
4910
10
NBC
4.7
5440
8
2.6
7540
7
2.6
3470
7
UNI
1.9
2130
3
1.2
3580
3
1.4
1840
4
CW
1.6
1900
3
0.9
2490
2
1.2
1580
3
ION
0.5
620
1
0.3
800
1
0.2
310
1
TEL
0.5
600
1
0.4
1040
1
0.5
640
1
TF
0.4
500
1
0.3
860
1
0.4
530
1
AZA
0.1
140
0
0.1
210
0
0.1
130
0
*Each rating point is equivalent to 1. 149 million homes
Note: Season-to-date estimates are a weighted average of pre-TSV and Live+SD data.
Source: Nielsen Media Research
TOP 25 PROGRAMS – BROADCAST Ranked on Households
Week Ending November 1
#
PROGRAMS
Net
HOUSEHOLDS
PERSONS 2+
Rtg%
Shr
(000)
#
Rtg%
(000)
1
FOX WORLD SERIES GAME 4(S)
FOX
13.5
22
15501
1
7.8
22761
2
FOX WORLD SERIES GAME 1(S)
FOX
11.9
19
13711
2
6.7
19511
3
FOX WORLD SERIES GAME 2(S)
FOX
11.7
19
13463
3
6.5
18897
4
DANCING WITH THE STARS
ABC
11.3
17
12962
5
6.0
17380
5
FOX WORLD SERIES GM4-PRE(S)
FOX
10.7
17
12259
4
6.1
17815
6
NCIS
CBS
10.4
16
11928
6
5.7
16697
7
OT, THE
FOX
9.8
16
11273
6
5.7
16607
8
MENTALIST, THE
CBS
9.7
16
11174
8
5.3
15528
9
DANCING W/STARS RESULTS
ABC
9.6
15
11086
10
5.2
15198
10
CSI
CBS
9.2
14
10601
10
5.2
15240
11
FOX WORLD SERIES GAME 3(S)
FOX
9.1
18
10475
8
5.3
15397
12
DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES
ABC
8.8
13
10110
12
4.8
14078
12
GREY'S ANATOMY-THU 9PM
ABC
8.8
13
10054
13
4.7
13737
14
60 MINUTES
CBS
8.4
13
9606
14
4.4
12937
15
CSI:
MIAMI
CBS
7.6
13
8680
16
3.9
11524
16
NCIS: LOS ANGELES
CBS
7.2
11
8264
18
3.8
11093
17
TWO AND A HALF MEN
CBS
7.1
11
8190
16
3.9
11411
18
SURVIVOR:
SAMOA
CBS
6.9
11
7914
15
4.2
12187
19
CASTLE
ABC
6.8
11
7762
22
3.4
9987
20
BIG BANG THEORY, THE
CBS
6.6
10
7555
20
3.7
10855
21
AMAZING RACE 15
CBS
6.5
10
7413
18
3.8
11220
21
EXTREME MAKEOVER:HM ED-8P
ABC
6.5
10
7420
20
3.7
10752
23
GOOD WIFE, THE
CBS
6.4
11
7310
25
3.2
9338
24
CRIMINAL MINDS
CBS
6.3
10
7293
22
3.4
9886
24
CSI: NY
CBS
6.3
10
7271
25
3.2
9462
Source: Nielsen Media Research
TOP 25 PROGRAMS – BROADCAST Adults 18-49
Week Ending November 1
Rank
Program
Net
Rtg%
(000)
1
FOX WORLD SERIES GAME 4(S)
FOX
7.8
10244
2
FOX WORLD SERIES GAME 1(S)
FOX
6.3
8250
3
OT, THE
FOX
6.2
8112
4
FOX WORLD SERIES GM4-PRE(S)
FOX
6.0
7845
5
FOX WORLD SERIES GAME 2(S)
FOX
5.8
7641
6
GREY'S ANATOMY-THU 9PM
ABC
5.2
6844
7
DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES
ABC
5.0
6577
8
FOX WORLD SERIES GAME 3(S)
FOX
4.7
6195
9
OFFICE
NBC
4.2
5590
10
BIG BANG THEORY, THE
CBS
3.8
4935
11
BIGGEST LOSER 8
NBC
3.7
4877
11
MODERN FAMILY
ABC
3.7
4852
11
SURVIVOR:
SAMOA
CBS
3.7
4863
14
DANCING WITH THE STARS
ABC
3.6
4691
14
MENTALIST, THE
CBS
3.6
4734
14
PRIVATE PRACTICE
ABC
3.6
4706
17
TWO AND A HALF MEN
CBS
3.5
4572
18
CSI
CBS
3.4
4509
19
AMAZING RACE 15
CBS
3.3
4375
19
BROTHERS & SISTERS
ABC
3.3
4386
19
EXTREME MAKEOVER:HM ED-8P
ABC
3.3
4395
19
NCIS
CBS
3.3
4281
23
COUGARTOWN
ABC
3.2
4167
24
30 ROCK
NBC
3.1
4016
24
CSI:
MIAMI
CBS
3.1
4081
Source: Nielsen Media Research
SPANISH-LANGUAGE TELEVISION (WEEKLY COLLAPSED) Ranked on Households
Week Ending October 25
#
PROGRAMS
Net
Rtg
P2+ (000)
1
SORTILEGIO M-F
UNI
21.3
4795
2
EN NOMBRE DEL AMOR M-F
UNI
17.1
3794
3
AQUI Y AHORA TUE
UNI
15.8
3195
4
DON FRANCISCO PRESENTA WE
UNI
14.3
2917
5
ROSA DE GUADALUPE THU-FRI
UNI
13.2
3137
6
CRISTINA MON
UNI
13.1
2561
7
GANCHO AL CORAZON M-F
UNI
12.9
2813
8
SABADO GIGANTE SAT
UNI
12.0
2455
9
VIVA EL SUENO SUN
UNI
10.2
2098
10
LUCERO: VIDA NOVELA 10/25(S)-10/25/2009
UNI
8.8
1888
11
FAMILIA P. LUCHE SAT
UNI
8.4
1831
12
MAS SABE EL DIABLO M-F
TEL
6.0
1301
12
CINE MILLONARIO
TEL
6.0
1550
14
BETTY LA FEA M-F
TF
5.7
1291
15
VICTORINOS M-F
TEL
4.6
1055
16
VECINOS M-F
TF
4.5
1065
17
FUTBOL LIGA MEX MON 10/19(S)-10/19/2009
TF
4.4
916
18
CINE EN CASA
TEL
4.0
1058
19
NINOS RICOS M-F
TEL
3.9
869
20
CINE DE LAS ESTRELLAS M-F
TF
3.7
948
21
12 CORAZONES M-F
TEL
3.6
715
22
CINE DE LAS ESTREL SUN 2
TF
3.3
779
22
VEREDICTO FINAL M-F
TF
3.3
606
22
CINE DE LAS ESTREL SUN
TF
3.3
746
22
FIESTA DE PELICULA THR
TF
3.3
713
26
CONCACAF L.D.C. TUE 10/20(S)-10/20/2009
TF
2.9
632
Source: Nielsen Media Research
HISPANIC ENGLISH-LANGUAGE VIEWING Ranked on Households
Week Ending October 25
#
PROGRAMS
Net
Rtg
P2+(000)
1
FOX MLB ALCS GAME 6(S)-10/25/2009
FOX
9.7
1911
2
FOX MLB ALCS GAME 5(S)-10/22/2009
FOX
7.9
1467
3
FOX MLB ALCS GAME 4(S)-10/20/2009
FOX
6.8
1218
4
FOX MLB ALCS GAME 6 PRE(S)-10/25/2009
FOX
6.7
1164
5
OT, THE
FOX
6.1
1214
6
GREY'S ANATOMY-THU 9PM
ABC
4.7
852
7
DANCING WITH THE STARS
ABC
4.5
866
7
NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL
NBC
4.5
890
9
DANCING W/STARS RESULTS
ABC
4.4
896
10
NCIS
CBS
3.8
670
Source: Nielsen Media Research
AFRICAN AMERICAN AUDIENCE ESTIMATES Ranked on Households
Week Ending October 25
#
PROGRAMS
Net
Rtg
P2+(000)
1
NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL
NBC
12.2
2471
2
OT, THE
FOX
12.0
2373
3
CSI: NY
CBS
10.1
1840
4
CSI:
MIAMI
CBS
9.9
1918
5
NCIS: LOS ANGELES
CBS
9.7
1739
6
FOX MLB ALCS GAME 6 PRE
FOX
9.2
1742
7
GREY'S ANATOMY-THU 9PM
ABC
8.8
1710
8
GOOD WIFE, THE
CBS
8.6
1406
9
NCIS
CBS
8.5
1575
10
FOX MLB ALCS GAME 6
FOX
8.3
1591
* Ratings based on 13.65 million African American TV homes.
Source: Nielsen Media Research
TOP 20 NETWORK SPORTS PROGRAMS Ranked on Households
Week Ending October 25
