Overnights
Big chill for CBS's Sunday dramas
By Toni Fitzgerald
Nov 2, 2009 - 12:00:28 PM

CBS's Sunday dramas seem to be wilting against tough competition. The much-maligned new drama "Three Rivers" is dropping a good chunk of its lead-in from "The Amazing Race," which in turn has sent lead-out "Cold Case" plunging to series lows.

"Rivers" managed a mere 1.7 adults 18-49 rating last night at 9 p.m., according to Nielsen overnights, holding just 53 percent of the solid 3.2 lead-in from "Race."  

At 10 p.m., "Cold" sank to a series-low 1.6 rating, down 11 percent from last week's 1.8.

That's down a full point from the 2.6 that "Cold" averaged on the same night last year, though it was airing at 9 p.m., when more viewers tend to tune in.

Still, the low ratings for "Cold," now in its seventh season, have led to speculation that CBS may kill off "Rivers" and return "Cold" to the earlier timeslot, hoping that its numbers will perk up without the tiny lead-in.

And "Cold" did face tough competition from Fox's World Series game four coverage last night, which looks to have been the highest-rated game yet among 18-49s.

Fox led the night among 18-49s with a 7.4 average overnight rating and an 18 share. ABC was second at 3.4/8, CBS third at 2.2/5, NBC fourth at 1.4/4 and Univision sixth at 0.7/2.

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.

Also, ratings for Fox’s World Series coverage are approximate as fast nationals measure timeslot and not actual program data.

At 7 pm. Fox was first with an 8.8 rating for NFL overrun and “The OT,” followed by CBS with a 2.1 for “60 Minutes.” ABC was third with a 2.0 for “America’s Funniest Home Videos,” NBC fourth with a 0.8 for “Football Night in America” and Univision fifth with a 0.7 for the end of a Mexican league soccer game and “Maria de Todos los Angeles.”

Fox was first again at 8 p.m. with a 7.4 for its first hour of World Series coverage, while ABC moved to second with a 3.4 for “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.” CBS was third with a 3.2 for “Race,” NBC fourth with a 1.4 for the first hour of the movie “National Treasure” and Univision fifth with a 0.7 for the first half of “Vive el Sueño.”

At 9 p.m. Fox led with a 6.8 for baseball, with ABC second with a 4.9 for “Desperate Housewives.” NBC was third with a 1.9 for its movie, CBS fourth with a 1.7 for “Rivers” and Univision fifth with a 0.8 for more “Sueño.”

Fox led again at 10 p.m. with a 6.6 for more baseball, followed by ABC with a 3.3 for “Brothers & Sisters.” NBC was third with a 1.7 for its movie, CBS fourth with a 1.6 for “Case” and Univision fifth with a 0.5 for “Quien Tiene la Razon.”

Fox was also first for the night among households with a 12.5 average overnight rating and a 20 share. ABC was second at 6.5/10, CBS third at 6.3/10, NBC fourth at 2.5/4 and Univision fifth at 1.1/2.



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