It looks as though viewers are starting to notice that ABC’s “Desperate Housewives” has returned from hiatus. Sunday’s No. 1 show grew for the second straight week, following two series lows last month, giving ABC an easy victory for the night.
“Housewives” averaged a 6.2 adults 18-49 rating, according to Nielsen overnights, up 7 percent over last week’s 5.8 overnight though still below its prestrike average.
That came after “Housewives” hit back-to-back series lows upon its return from writers’ strike hiatus in mid-April. The show did see 10 percent growth in seven-day DVR playback ratings released last week, and the ratings decreases have also been seen for other shows coming back from the strike.
That’s led to speculation that audiences could grow once viewers realize that their favorite shows are in fact back on the air after a long hiatus.
ABC was first for the night among viewers 18-49 with a 4.2 average overnight rating and a 12 share. Fox was second at 2.6/8, CBS third at 1.8/5, NBC fourth at 1.2/4, Univision fifth at 1.1/3 and CW sixth at 0.5/1.
ABC was first during each hour of the night, starting with a 2.4 at 7 p.m. for “America’s Funniest Home Videos.” CBS was second with a 1.5 for “60 Minutes,” Fox third with a 1.4 for repeats of “King of the Hill” and “The Simpsons,” NBC fourth with a 1.2 for “Dateline,” Univision fifth with a 0.9 “Noche de Estrellas” and CW sixth with a 0.4 for a repeat of “America’s Next Top Model.”
At 8 p.m. ABC was first with a 4.1 for “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” up a bit from last week, while Fox moved to second with a 2.9 average for “The Simpsons” (3.0) and “King of the Hill” (2.7). CBS was third with a 2.4 for “Cold Case,” Univision fourth with a 1.1 for the first of three hours of “Premios TV y Novelas,” NBC fifth with a 0.9 for “Monk,” and CW sixth with a 0.4 for “Everybody Hates Chris” (0.4) and “Aliens in America” (0.4).
ABC led again at 9 p.m. with a 6.2 for “Housewives,” followed by Fox with a 3.5 for “Family Guy” (3.9, down from a 4.3 last week) and “American Dad” (3.1). CBS was third with a 1.5 for “Dexter,” Univision fourth with a 1.2 for the second hour of “Premios,” NBC fifth with a 1.0 for “Psych” and CW sixth with a 0.6 for “The Game” (0.6) and a repeat of “Girlfriends.”
At 10 p.m. ABC led again with a 3.9 for “Brothers & Sisters,” while CBS and NBC tied for second at 1.8, CBS for another hour of “Dexter” and NBC for a repeat of “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.” Univision was fourth that hour with a 1.4 for the final 60 minutes of “Premios.”
ABC also finished first for the night among households with a 7.4 average overnight rating and a 13 share. CBS was second at 5.7/10, Fox third at 3.3/6, NBC fourth at 3.1/5, Univision fifth at 1.5/3 and CW sixth at 0.9/1.
