TV’s six most under-appreciated shows

Week after week, shows like Fox’s “American Idol,” CBS’s “The Big Bang Theory” ABC’s “Modern Family” and NBC’s “The Voice” are lauded for their strong ratings.

While the recognition is well deserved, one effect of the buzz they attract  is to draw attention away from a number of shows that serve vital roles for their networks.

Call them broadcast’s most under-appreciated shows.

Some of these shows don’t even win their timeslots, but they are important for media people to identify because they often do well in demographics that advertisers want to reach.

Here are six under-appreciated programs buyers and planners should be aware of:

NBC’s “Parks and Recreation,” Thursdays at 8:30 p.m.

“Parks” never wins its timeslot in any demographic; in fact, it rarely even finishes second. But with “The Office” and “30 Rock” already on their way out and “Community” and “Up All Night” likely to follow, “Parks” may be NBC’s only returning Thursday sitcom next year.

The show is valuable because it has the critical cachet that NBC has always staked its Thursday night reputation on, and that’s even more valuable now that “Office” and “Rock” are leaving.

And it is produced by NBC’s Universal Studios, which means the network could benefit financially from any syndication deals “Parks” may enter after the current fifth season.

CBS’s “Blue Bloods,” Fridays at 10 p.m.

It’s often overlooked because it airs on Friday, but “Bloods” is a money-maker for CBS. It draws the second-highest average commercial price on broadcast on the night, behind Fox’s “Touch.”

The third-year cop drama is also the only Friday night show in the top 20 among total viewers this season, averaging 10.7 million, and it is strong among CBS’s key demographic of adults 25-54.

CBS’s “Rules of Engagement,” returning Feb. 4

This show is perhaps the best sixth man in recent TV history. It has come off of CBS’s bench to patch holes on Monday or Thursday nights at midseason in nearly all of its seven years, and it draws reliable, if not spectacular, ratings wherever it lands.

ABC’s “The Middle,” Wednesdays at 8:30 p.m.

Why this show is always overlooked by the Emmys and Golden Globes is a mystery. It’s got smart writing and exceptional child actors, and its ratings have risen every season of its four-year run.

Fox’s “Bones,” Mondays at 8 p.m.

No matter how poor its lead-in, and no matter how disastrous the rest of the night around it, “Bones” draws consistent ratings each year. In fact, until the premiere of “The Following” earlier this week, “Bones” was Fox’s top-rated drama, despite not winning its timeslot once this season.

CW’s “Supernatural,” Wednesdays at 9 p.m.

Much like “Bones,” this show has moved around the schedule a lot during its eight-year run. Paired with a strong lead-in, like this year’s “Arrow,” the show is one of the CW’s most reliable dramas, and ratings are actually up this year, a rarity for a program this old.

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In broadcast ratings for the week ended Jan. 20:

Among adults 18-49, CBS was first for the week with a 4.2 average rating and a 12 share, followed by Fox at 2.6/7, ABC at 1.7/5, Univision at 1.6/4, NBC at 1.2/3, Telemundo and CW at 0.6/2, UniMás and ION at 0.3/1, Estrella at 0.1/0 and MundoFox and Azteca at 0.0/0.

Top five English-language Big Five shows (18-49s): 1. CBS’s “AFC Championship” 16.8; 2. CBS’s “AFC Championship Postgame” 9.1; 3. Fox’s “American Idol-Wednesday” 6.0; 4. Fox’s “American Idol-Thursday” 5.6; 5. ABC’s “Modern Family” 4.3.

Top five English-language Big Five shows (total viewers): 1. CBS’s “AFC Championship” 47.71 million; 2. CBS’s “AFC Championship Postgame” 25.95 million; 3 CBS’s “NCIS” 22.86 million; 4. Fox’s “American Idol-Wednesday” 17.93 million; 5. CBS’s “NCIS: Los Angeles” 17.64 million.

Show on the rise: CBS’s “Hawaii Five-0,” Sunday, 10:16 p.m. Airing on a special night and time following the AFC Championship, the drama posted a season-high 3.5 rating among 18-49s.

Show on the decline: NBC’s “Deception,” Monday, 10 p.m. The new drama slipped 20 percent week-to-week among 18-49s, from a 2.0 rating to a 1.6.

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