Last summer, it seemed perhaps the “Big Brother” phenomenon had run its course. Ratings for the show declined despite the fact that CBS ran an all-star edition of the longest-running current summer reality show, and newer shows like Fox’s “Hell’s Kitchen” and NBC’s “America’s Got Talent” pulled better ratings.
But this summer, when virtually every new show has tanked, even a lower-rated “Brother” may be a boon for CBS.
The eighth edition of the show, in which 14 roommates are locked together in a house for several months as cameras roll, premieres tonight at 8, and it comes after two of the network’s summer programs have flopped hard.
“Creature Comforts,” an animated comedy, was yanked off the schedule last week after dismally low ratings, including a 1.3 adults 18-49 rating in its final episode. “Pirate Master,” the reality adventure show from “Survivor” executive producer Mark Burnett, fell to just a 1.6 in its most recent outing.
Next to them, “Brother’s” ratings look spectacular. The show averaged a 2.9 for the Tuesday and Thursday editions last year, down 9 percent from 2005’s 3.2 average but still CBS’s top-rated original program of the summer.
Even if “Brother” falls further, it should give CBS a boost. The network averaged just a 1.6 rating and 5 share in 18-49s last week, placing third among the Big Four networks.
CBS also hopes to give “Brother” a slight boost with a new offering. The network will air a live, unedited and presumably racy feed of the “Brother” house from midnight to 3 a.m. on CBS-owned Showtime’s ShoToo.
“Brother” will air on CBS on Thursday and Sunday at 8 p.m. and Tuesday at 9 p.m.
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A look at this week’s top TV draws |
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THURSDAY, JULY 5
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Time
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Network
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Program
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Description
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8 p.m.
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CBS
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"Big Brother" (R)
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Season premiere. Season eight kicks off with the contestants entering this year's compound.
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8 p.m.
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ESPN2
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"MLS Soccer" (S)
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Tonight's game between New York and Houston could be entertaining.
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9 p.m.
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ESPN
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"Ultimate NASCAR" (S)
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Series premiere. First of an eight-parter looking at the history of stock car racing.
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9 p.m.
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Sundance Channel
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"Jon Safran vs. God" (N)
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Safran takes his shtick to Salt Lake City to examine the lives of Mormons.
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10 p.m.
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Bravo
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"Hey Paula" (R)
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Paula calls her PR team together to discuss how to handle some recent bad press.
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10 p.m.
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USA
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"Burn Notice" (D)
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Michael helps a friend of Madeline recover money lost in a scam.
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FRIDAY, JULY 6
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Time
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Network
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Program
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Description
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7 a.m.
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ABC
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"Good Morning America" (N)
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Singer Norah Jones performs.
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8 p.m.
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Sci Fi Channel
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"Doctor Who" (D)
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Season premiere. The Doctor finds a bride who had gone missing.
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9 p.m.
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Fox
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"Standoff" (D)
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A witness in a trial involving the mob is kidnapped.
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9 p.m.
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Discovery
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"Man vs. Wild" (N)
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In Australia, Bear shows viewers how to survive without dehydrating themselves.
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10 p.m.
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CMT
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"Born Country" (R)
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Singles living in rural areas try to make love connections.
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10 p.m.
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Showtime
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"Filthy Gorgeous" (D)
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Drama looking at the escort service business in New York City.
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SATURDAY, JULY 7
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Time
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Network
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Program
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Description
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9 a.m.
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NBC
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"Tennis" (S)
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The women's final from Wimbledon.
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3 p.m.
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CBS
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"PGA Golf" (S)
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Third round of the AT&T National, a new tournament hosted by Tiger Woods.
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3:30 p.m.
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Fox
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"Major League Baseball" (S)
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It's Twins-White Sox, Padres-Braves or Angels-Yankees.
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8 p.m.
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NBC
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"Live Earth: The Concerts for a Climate in Crisis" (A)
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Ann Curry and Carson Daly host a highlights show of today's concerts while making what we can only imagine is very stilted small talk.
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10 p.m.
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A&E
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"Confessions of a Matchmaker" (R)
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A pastor is picky about his potential future wife, and a woman who still lives with her parents wants to find a match.
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10:30 p.m.
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HBO
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"Boxing" (S)
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Wladimir Klitschko defends his heavyweight title against Lamon Brewster.
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SUNDAY, JULY 8
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Time
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Network
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Program
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Description
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9 p.m.
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NBC
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"Tennis" (S)
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The men's final from Wimbledon; will Federer make it five in a row?
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1 p.m.
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Fox
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"Formula One Racing" (S)
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It's a big day for sports in England: coverage of the British Grand Prix.
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3 p.m.
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CBS
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"PGA Golf" (S)
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Final-round coverage of the first-ever AT&T National.
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3 p.m.
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NBC
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"Senior Golf" (S)
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Final round of the U.S. Senior Open, won last year by Allen Doyle.
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10 p.m.
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HBO
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"Entourage" (C)
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Eric has to go back on his word with a Hollywood big shot, and Ari botches the handling of a secret script.
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10 p.m.
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VH1
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"Flavor of Love Girls: Charm School" (R)
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Sort of a season recap as the show's stars reunite for the first time since taping.
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10:30 p.m.
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HBO
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"Flight of the Conchords" (C)
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Yoko Ono alert: Jemaine and Murray think Bret's girlfriend is trying to break up the band.
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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.
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