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Bigger 'Bang' for
the buck these days

Hits series high, beating 'Dancing with the Stars'

By Louisa Ada Seltzer
Nov 17, 2008

One of the smartest programming moves CBS has made in the past year was swapping the Monday comedies “The Big Bang Theory” and “How I Met Your Mother” last spring.

Both shows’ ratings are up this year over the same timeslot last year, and over recent weeks the second-year sitcom “Bang” has begun picking up the sort of media attention that helped push “Mother” to series highs last season.

The show follows two nerdy guys and their hot-girl neighbor who tries to help them develop their real-world smarts. On tonight’s episode at 8 p.m., Leonard unwittingly interferes with Wolowitz’s new relationship.

“Bang” hit a series-high 3.9 adults 18-49 rating last week and drew 10.01 million viewers, also an all-time best. The show even managed to top timeslot competitor “Dancing with the Stars” on ABC in 18-49s, and in turn helped lead-out “Mother” to a season-high 4.1 in the demo.

CBS swapped “Bang” and “Mother” last spring, when the shows were two of the first to return from the writers’ strike hiatus. “Bang” had been far outperforming “Mother” in the fall, and CBS wanted to lead off the night with its stronger show.

Thanks partly to two highly touted Britney Spears cameos, “Mother’s” ratings immediately soared, while “Bang” saw its ratings fall a bit in the less-watched 8 p.m. slot. At 8:30, the show had been enjoying a pre-“Two and a Half Men” bump that “Mother” began to enjoy.

This season, “Bang” has settled into its new slot as well as seen creative improvements. The three lead characters’ personalities have become less stereotypical and the plotlines more realistic, leading to recent praise from publications like Entertainment Weekly and TV Guide.

A look at this week’s top TV draws
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 17
Time	Network	Program	Description
7 p.m.	ESPN2	“College Basketball” (S)	The season kicks off with a first-round game in the NIT Season Tip-Off between Eastern Michigan and Purdue.
8:30 p.m.	CBS	“How I Met Your Mother” (C)	Robin meets up with her old group of party girls.
8:30 p.m.	ESPN	“Monday Night Football” (S)	Tonight is brought to you by the letter B: Browns versus Bills in Buffalo.
9 p.m.	NBC	“Heroes” (D)	Nathan finds out the truth about his father.
9 p.m.	CBS	“Two and a Half Men” (C)	Alan tries to punish Jake, but it doesn’t work out so well.
9 p.m.	CW	“One Tree Hill” (D)	Lucas turns Karen’s Café into a nightclub.
10 p.m.	ABC	“Boston Legal” (D)	Alan and Shirley defend a woman who says she was fired for voting for John McCain.
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 18
Time	Network	Program	Description
6 p.m.	ESPN	“College Basketball” (S)	Richmond faces Syracuse in the CBE Classic.
8 p.m.	Fox	“House” (D)	House and the crew try to treat a teen with heart issues.
8 p.m.	CBS	“NCIS” (D)	The crew takes part in a war game.
9 p.m.	Fox	“Fringe” (D)	A musical prodigy is kidnapped.
9 p.m.	ESPN	“College Basketball” (S)	Great early-season matchup between Kentucky and North Carolina.
10 p.m.	NBC	“Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” (D)	Stabler goes undercover to hunt down animal smugglers.
10 p.m.	FX	“The Shield” (D)	Olivia helps the Strike team track down a Mexican drug lord.
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19
Time	Network	Program	Description
8 p.m.	CW	“America’s Next Top Model” (R)	Season finale. One of the final three is bounced after a cosmetics shoot, then a winner is selected.
8 p.m.	Telemundo	“Soccer” (S)	World Cup qualifier between Honduras and Mexico should draw a large Hispanic audience.
9 p.m.	ABC	“Private Practice” (D)	Addison helps two pregnant women, each with the same husband.
9 p.m.	CBS	“Criminal Minds” (D)	Jason Alexander guests as a serial killer who turns himself in.
9 p.m.	National Geographic Channel	“The Real George Washington” (N)	A new look at our first president using modern-day forensics.
10 p.m.	CBS	“CSI: NY” (D)	Two guys named Mac Taylor are killed within a short span, so Mac must protect himself.
10 p.m.	NBC	“Law & Order” (D)	A woman who escaped a polygamist cult is somehow connected to a murder.
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 20
Time	Network	Program	Description
7 a.m.	NBC	“Today” (N)	Musical legend Tony Bennett guests.
7:30 p.m.	ESPN	“College Football” (S)	Important ACC game between Miami and Georgia Tech.
8 p.m.	CW	“Smallville” (D)	Doomsday tries to kidnap Chloe at her wedding.
9 p.m.	CBS	“CSI” (D)	A mother and child are killed in a double homicide.
9 p.m.	ABC	“Grey’s Anatomy” (D)	Lexie and Sadie have what should be a routine surgery go wrong.
10 p.m.	NBC	“ER” (D)	Can ratings stay up after Anthony Edwards’ guest appearance last week?
10 p.m.	CBS	“Eleventh Hour” (D)	Hood looks into a government experiment involving soldiers.
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 21
Time	Network	Program	Description
8 p.m.	CW	“Everybody Hates Chris” (C)	Chris goes out with a nerdy girl so her feelings aren’t hurt.
8 p.m.	CBS	“Ghost Whisperer” (D)	Melinda tries to help a guy with amnesia.
9 p.m.	History Channel	“Gangland” (N)	A look at the gang culture in New Orleans.
10 p.m.	Sci Fi Channel	“Sanctuary” (D)	Will looks into a suicide with help from a teen artist.
10 p.m.	CBS	“Numb3rs” (D)	A passenger train crashes into a freighter carrying toxic materials.
10 p.m.	USA	“The Starter Wife” (D)	Molly and Zach discuss their relationship after dealing with Molly’s stalker.
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 22
Time	Network	Program	Description
Noon	ABC	“College Football” (S)	Michigan might be struggling this year, but its annual date with Ohio State is always a big one.
3:30 p.m.	ABC	“College Football” (S)	Another Big Ten game, this between Michigan State and Penn State, could decide the conference title.
8 p.m.	Fox	“Cops” (R)	Cops in Las Vegas hear gunshots and investigate.
8 p.m.	ABC	“College Football” (S)	Huge Big 12 game between Texas Tech and Oklahoma.
9 p.m.	Fox	“America’s Most Wanted” (N)	Investigating drug smugglers in the Caribbean.
10 p.m.	HBO	“Boxing” (S)	Ricky Hatton versus Paulie Malignaggi for the junior welterweight title.
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 23
Time	Network	Program	Description
3:30 p.m.	ABC	“Soccer” (S)	The Major League Soccer championship game.
8 p.m.	Fox	“24: Redemption” (M)	Jack Bauer helps school kids in Africa while a new president is inaugurated in the U.S.
8 p.m.	ABC	“American Music Awards” (A)	The 36th annual event, hosted this year by Jimmy Kimmel.
8:15 p.m.	NBC	“Sunday Night Football” (S)	The Colts take on the Chargers in an AFC battle.
9 p.m.	History Channel	“Cities of the Underworld” (N)	A look at the underground of Belgium, including World War I-era tunnels and trenches.
10 p.m.	Showtime	“Californication” (C)	Hank actually turns down an offer for sex.
10 p.m.	HBO	“Entourage” (C)	Season finale. With the movie shoot all done, Vince and the guys head to New York City.
A = awards show or special, C = comedy, D = drama, DD = daytime drama, G = game show, K = kids, M = movie, N = news/documentary, R = reality, S = sports, T = talk/variety show.