No wonder CBS is eyeing a spinoff of “Criminal Minds.” After years of lukewarm results for shows ranging from “Joey” to “Law & Order: Trial By Jury,” spinoffs are hot again.
The season’s top-rated new comedy, “The Cleveland Show,” and top-rated new drama, “NCIS: Los Angeles,” are both spinoffs. ABC’s “Private Practice,” a spinoff of “Grey’s Anatomy,” is one of the few returning programs to see year-to-year gains.
Even the No. 1 show among total viewers this year, “NCIS,” is a spinoff of the long-forgotten “JAG.”
For the week ended Oct. 18, the most recent available, Fox’s “Cleveland,” a spinoff of “Family Guy,” averaged a 3.8 rating among adults 18-49, according to Nielsen. That was No. 1 among all new shows and No. 15 overall on broadcast.
“NCIS: LA,” spun off of the original “NCIS,” averaged a 3.4, first among new dramas, third among new shows behind “Cleveland” and ABC’s Modern Family,” and tied for 20th overall. The show also finished fourth overall in total viewers with 15.4 million.
“NCIS” was tops with total viewers for the fourth straight week, averaging 21 million, its second-biggest audience ever.
And “Practice,” the third-year show set in a Los Angeles clinic, averaged a 3.8 in 18-49s, tying for 12th for the week and well up from the same week last year.
So why all the love for spinoffs, after a few years of merely so-so results?
Give some credit to placement. Three of the shows are spinoffs of programs that are still airing, and they’re paired along with those shows, ensuring that viewers who already watch the original will be funneled right into its spawn.
“Practice,” for instance, moved behind “Grey’s” on Thursday nights last winter, and its ratings immediately spiked from what it had been averaging on Wednesday, where it was not being promoted alongside “Grey’s.” And already this season, a character from “Grey’s” has crossed over to “Practice.”
“NCIS: LA” airs after “NCIS.” In fact, during premiere week, a character was shown on “NCIS” saying he was flying to Los Angeles, and an hour later, he showed up on “NCIS: LA.” That's the sort of continuity that keeps people watching.
“Cleveland” actually leads into “Guy,” but it airs in the middle of a two-hour animation block. It’s virtually assured that if you like one of Fox’s four shows between 8 and 10 p.m. Sunday, you’ll like them all, including “Cleveland.”
These spinoffs also came at the right time. “Joey” premiered after “Friends” had already gone off the air, and the “L&O” craze was waning by the time “Trial by Jury” debuted. By contrast, ratings for “Guy,” “Grey’s” and “NCIS” are all up this year.
Finally, though none of the shows are critical favorites, they’re all remarkably close in tone to the shows they spun off of. If you’ve ever suffered through an episode of “Joey,” you know how important that is.
***
In broadcast ratings for the week ended Oct. 18:
Among adults 18-49, CBS was first with a 3.2 average rating and a 9 share, followed by Fox at 3.1/9, NBC and ABC at 2.6/7, Univision at 1.3/4, 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. NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” 7.2; 2. Fox’s “House” 5.2; Tie-3. ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy” and CBS’s “The Big Bang Theory” 5.0; 5. CBS’s “Two and a Half Men” 4.8.
Top five English-language Big Five shows (total viewers): 1. CBS’s “NCIS” 21.04 million; 2. NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” 18.17 million; 3. ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars” 16.79 million; 4. CBS’s “NCIS: Los Angeles” 15.38 million; 5. CBS’s “CSI” 15.38 million.
Top five time-shifted English-language Big Five shows (18-49s, by Live+7 playback, week ended Sept. 27): Tie-1. Fox’s “House” and ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy” 2.8 increase (up 34 percent); 3. NBC’s “The Office” 2.1 increase (up 43 percent); 4. CBS’s “The Big Bang Theory” 1.7 increase (up 30 percent); 5. NBC’s “Heroes” 1.7 increase (up 46 percent).
Show on the rise: “So You Think You Can Dance,” Fox, Wednesday 8 p.m. The dance competition jumped 12 percent week to week among 18-49s from a 2.5 rating to a 2.8.
Show on the decline: “Lie To Me,” Fox, Monday 9 p.m. The Tim Roth drama slid 10 percent week to week among 18-49s from a 3.1 to a 2.8.
WEEKLY PRIMETIME AVERAGES BY NETWORK Ranked on Households
Week Ending October 18
Network
Households
People 2+
Adults 18-49
Rtg%
(000)
Shr
Rtg%
(000)
Shr
Rtg%
(000)
Shr
CBS
7.5
8580
12
4.1
11880
11
3.2
4160
9
ABC
5.8
6700
10
3.1
9030
8
2.6
3430
7
FOX
4.8
5570
8
2.8
8140
7
3.1
4020
9
NBC
4.7
5360
8
2.5
7410
7
2.6
3360
7
UNI
1.8
2010
3
1.2
3360
3
1.3
1710
4
CW
1.5
1700
2
0.8
2260
2
1.1
1400
3
ION
0.6
700
1
0.3
910
1
0.3
350
1
TEL
0.6
670
1
0.4
1140
1
0.5
720
2
TF
0.5
530
1
0.3
920
1
0.4
570
1
AZA
0.1
150
0
0.1
220
0
0.1
140
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 October 18
Network
Households
People 2+
Adults 18-49
Rtg%
(000)
Shr
Rtg%
(000)
Shr
Rtg%
(000)
Shr
CBS
7.7
8860
13
4.2
12400
11
3.4
4410
9
ABC
6.4
7350
11
3.4
9970
9
3.0
3960
8
NBC
4.9
5680
8
2.7
7840
7
2.8
3620
8
FOX
4.7
5400
8
2.7
7960
7
3.2
4250
9
UNI
1.9
2150
3
1.3
3660
3
1.4
1890
4
CW
1.6
1870
3
0.8
2450
2
1.2
1560
3
TEL
0.5
610
1
0.4
1050
1
0.5
650
1
ION
0.5
590
1
0.3
750
1
0.2
290
1
TF
0.4
510
1
0.3
880
1
0.4
530
1
AZA
0.1
140
0
0.1
200
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 October 18
#
PROGRAMS
Net
HOUSEHOLDS
PERSONS 2+
Rtg%
Shr
(000)
#
Rtg%
(000)
1
NCIS
CBS
12.9
20
14768
1
7.2
21035
2
NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL
NBC
10.9
17
12505
2
6.2
18170
3
DANCING WITH THE STARS
ABC
10.8
16
12378
3
5.7
16789
4
CSI
CBS
9.7
15
11103
4
5.3
15376
4
MENTALIST, THE
CBS
9.7
16
11130
6
5.2
15080
4
NCIS: LOS ANGELES
CBS
9.7
15
11090
4
5.3
15384
7
60 MINUTES
CBS
9.2
14
10562
7
4.9
14317
8
DANCING W/STARS RESULTS
ABC
9.1
14
10491
9
4.8
13955
9
GREY'S ANATOMY-THU 9PM
ABC
8.9
14
10239
11
4.7
13786
10
CSI: NY
CBS
8.8
15
10054
13
4.6
13402
11
DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES
ABC
8.7
13
9990
11
4.7
13677
11
GOOD WIFE, THE
CBS
8.7
15
9994
17
4.4
12978
11
TWO AND A HALF MEN
CBS
8.7
13
9958
7
4.9
14174
14
CRIMINAL MINDS
CBS
8.5
13
9792
9
4.8
13917
14
CSI:
MIAMI
CBS
8.5
14
9801
15
4.5
13273
16
BIG BANG THEORY, THE
CBS
8.0
12
9198
15
4.5
13068
17
HOUSE
FOX
7.9
12
9036
13
4.6
13498
18
SUNDAY NIGHT NFL PRE-KICK
NBC
7.1
11
8166
18
4.1
12003
19
SURVIVOR:
SAMOA
CBS
7.0
11
8025
19
4.0
11779
20
PRIVATE PRACTICE
ABC
6.8
12
7798
21
3.5
10360
21
BROTHERS & SISTERS
ABC
6.6
11
7589
23
3.3
9722
22
CASTLE
ABC
6.5
11
7523
23
3.3
9768
23
AMAZING RACE 15
CBS
6.4
10
7367
20
3.7
10923
24
EXTREME MAKEOVER:HM ED-8P
ABC
6.3
10
7237
21
3.5
10329
25
BONES
FOX
5.9
10
6788
23
3.3
9587
25
LAW AND ORDER:SVU
NBC
5.9
9
6760
30
3.0
8773
Source: Nielsen Media Research
TOP 25 PROGRAMS – BROADCAST Adults 18-49
Week Ending October 18
Rank
Program
Net
Rtg%
(000)
1
NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL
NBC
7.2
9534
2
HOUSE
FOX
5.2
6792
3
BIG BANG THEORY, THE
CBS
5.0
6563
3
GREY'S ANATOMY-THU 9PM
ABC
5.0
6589
5
TWO AND A HALF MEN
CBS
4.8
6276
6
DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES
ABC
4.6
6104
7
NCIS
CBS
4.5
5899
7
SUNDAY NIGHT NFL PRE-KICK
NBC
4.5
5978
9
FAMILY GUY
FOX
4.2
5470
10
OFFICE
NBC
4.1
5348
10
SIMPSONS
FOX
4.1
5414
12
CSI:
MIAMI
CBS
4.0
5246
13
CLEVELAND
FOX
3.8
4935
13
CRIMINAL MINDS
CBS
3.8
4941
13
HELL'S KITCHEN
FOX
3.8
5031
13
PRIVATE PRACTICE
ABC
3.8
5058
17
CSI
CBS
3.6
4800
17
DANCING WITH THE STARS
ABC
3.6
4683
17
HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER
CBS
3.6
4696
17
MODERN FAMILY
ABC
3.6
4791
21
BIGGEST LOSER 8
NBC
3.5
4624
21
MENTALIST, THE
CBS
3.5
4641
21
NCIS: LOS ANGELES
CBS
3.5
4563
21
SURVIVOR:
SAMOA
CBS
3.5
4624
25
GLEE
FOX
3.4
4532
Source: Nielsen Media Research
SPANISH-LANGUAGE TELEVISION (WEEKLY COLLAPSED) Ranked on Households
Week Ending October 11
#
PROGRAMS
Net
Rtg
P2+ (000)
1
MANANA PARA SIEMPRE M-F
UNI
28.8
7160
2
SORTILEGIO TUE
UNI
19.7
4399
3
CRISTINA 10/6(S)-10/06/2009
UNI
18.7
3892
4
SORTILEGIO WED
UNI
18.6
4191
5
SORTILEGIO THU
UNI
17.5
4060
6
EN NOMBRE DEL AMOR M-F
UNI
17.0
3859
7
SORTILEGIO FRI
UNI
16.6
3759
8
DON FRANCISCO PRESENTA WE
UNI
14.2
2849
9
GANCHO AL CORAZON M-F
UNI
13.7
2937
10
ROSA DE GUADALUPE THU-FRI
UNI
12.1
2707
11
VIVA EL SUENO SUN
UNI
11.2
2457
12
SABADO GIGANTE SAT
UNI
9.9
2114
13
QUIEN TIENE RAZON? EE SUN
UNI
9.7
1946
14
MARIA TODOS ANGELES SUN
UNI
7.0
1544
15
BETTY LA FEA M-F
TF
6.5
1454
16
FAMILIA P. LUCHE SAT
UNI
6.2
1329
17
CINE NUESTRO
TEL
5.3
1544
17
VECINOS THR
TF
5.3
1214
19
MAS SABE EL DIABLO M-F
TEL
5.2
1084
20
VECINOS WED
TF
4.8
1184
20
VECINOS FRI
TF
4.8
1101
20
VECINOS TUE
TF
4.8
1174
23
LUCERO:VIDA NOVELA 10/11(S)-10/11/2009
TF
4.6
1070
24
VICTORINOS M-F
TEL
4.1
959
25
CINE DE LAS ESTREL SUN
TF
4.0
1032
25
NINOS RICOS M-F
TEL
4.0
854
Source: Nielsen Media Research
HISPANIC ENGLISH-LANGUAGE VIEWING Ranked on Households
Week Ending October 11
#
PROGRAMS
Net
Rtg
P2+(000)
1
FAMILY GUY
FOX
4.8
1115
2
DANCING WITH THE STARS
ABC
4.5
853
3
GREY'S ANATOMY-THU 9PM
ABC
4.4
771
4
CLEVELAND
FOX
4.2
1008
4
NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL
NBC
4.2
835
6
DANCING W/STARS RESULTS
ABC
4.1
741
7
CSI:
MIAMI
CBS
4.0
707
8
AMERICAN DAD
FOX
3.9
919
8
SIMPSONS
FOX
3.9
856
10
DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES
ABC
3.8
720
Source: Nielsen Media Research
AFRICAN AMERICAN AUDIENCE ESTIMATES Ranked on Households
Week Ending October 11
#
PROGRAMS
Net
Rtg
P2+(000)
1
NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL
NBC
11.8
2215
2
CSI:
MIAMI
CBS
10.2
1818
3
NCIS: LOS ANGELES
CBS
9.3
1699
4
GOOD WIFE, THE
CBS
9.1
1611
5
DANCING WITH THE STARS
ABC
9.0
1555
6
CSI: NY
CBS
8.8
1564
7
SUNDAY NIGHT NFL PRE-KICK
NBC
8.5
1605
8
60 MINUTES
CBS
8.4
1535
9
NCIS
CBS
8.3
1582
10
HOME DEPOT PRIME CLG FTBL
CBS
7.9
1558
* 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 11
