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ABC's 'V' has year's
top scripted debut


Much-hyped sci fi show averages a 5.0 in 18-49s

Nov 4, 2009

All the hype over the premiere of ABC’s “V” paid off. The new sci fi drama scored the best debut for any new scripted show this season.

“V” averaged a 5.0 adults 18-49 rating, according to Nielsen overnights, bettering the fall’s previous best premiere, a 4.9 for Fox’s “The Cleveland Show.”

The rating was especially impressive because it came at 8 p.m., without any network lead-in to build on. That means people were tuning in specifically to see “V,” whose average rose from a 4.9 in its first half hour to a 5.1 in its second.

“V” even outdraw CBS’s red-hot “NCIS” among 18-49s, though the latter’s strength is in total viewers. It was the first time “NCIS,” which averaged a 4.2, has been beaten this season.

The show posted ABC’s best ratings in the timeslot in three years, and it finished as the No. 1 show of the night on any network, boosting ABC to No. 2 for the evening behind CBS.

Oddly, the big numbers came a day after a shakeup occurred behind the scenes at “V,” which will air four episodes this month before taking a hiatus and returning this spring. The showrunner has been replaced and one executive producer exited.

“V” is a remake of a popular 1980s NBC miniseries about what happens when a group of aliens land on Earth and offer cures for much of what ails us. The question is at what cost.

***

CBS was first for the night among 18-49s with a 3.4 average overnight rating and a 9 share. ABC was second at 3.3/9, NBC third at 3.0/8, Fox fourth at 2.4/6, Univision fifth at 1.3/4 and CW sixth at 0.9/2

As a reminder, all ratings are based on live-plus-same-day DVR playback. Seven-day DVR data won’t be available for several weeks. Thirty-three percent of Nielsen households have DVRs.

At 8 p.m. ABC was first with a 5.0 for “V,” followed by CBS with a 4.2 for “NCIS.” NBC was third with a 3.1 for the first hour of “The Biggest Loser,” Fox fourth with a 2.4 for “So You Think You Can Dance,” Univision fifth with a 1.3 for “El Nombre del Amor” and CW sixth with a 1.1 for “90210.”

NBC took the lead at 9 p.m. with a 3.8 for more “Loser,” while CBS remained second with a 3.5 for “NCIS: Los Angeles.” ABC slipped to third with a 3.1 for “Dancing with the Stars,” Fox was fourth with a 2.4 for more “Dance,” Univision fifth with a 1.6 for “Sortilegio” and CW sixth with a 0.8 for “Melrose Place.”

CBS was first at 10 p.m. with a 2.7 for “The Good Wife,” while ABC and NBC tied for second at 2.0, ABC for “The Forgotten” and NBC for “The Jay Leno Show,” which posted its best rating in four weeks. Univision was fourth with a 1.1 for “Aqui y Ahora.”

Among households, CBS led the night with a 9.8 average overnight rating and a 16 share. ABC was second at 7.6/12, NBC third at 5.0/8, Fox fourth at 3.8/6, Univision fifth at 1.9/3 and CW sixth at 1.3/2.



Toni Fitzgerald is a staff writer for Media Life.




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