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and, yes, finales
Season's 'Friends' soars, 'X-Files' limps off
By Mike Jasik
TV series are like milk: Some are merely past their prime, while others are truly expired.
Two of the big finales of the past week, those of NBC's "Friends" and Fox's "The X-Files," illustrated this difference perfectly.
Heading into its ninth and final season, "Friends" is, by anyone's reckoning, a show whose best days are behind it.
Still, Thursday's one-hour season conclusion, in which Rachael gave birth to Ross's baby and got engaged to Joey, logged the second-highest ratings numbers for any "Friends" episode ever.
Three days later, the series finale of "The X-Files" only proved that those who said the show should have ended with the departure of star David Duchovny were right.
Capping off a nine-season run, the two-hour episode earned only a 6.3 adult 18-49 rating and a little over 13 million total viewers, numbers it regularly collected during its prime years.
The 18-49 rating for the "Friends" finale was a huge 17.0, and the episode drew nearly 35 million viewers, second only to a post-Super Bowl "Friends" special on Jan. 28, 1996.
It stands as the highest-rated entertainment show of the year, beating even the Academy Awards on ABC and the ad-free 9/11 special on CBS.
With such a huge base to work with, the following one-hour finale of NBC’s “Will & Grace” similarly drew one of its biggest audiences, collecting a 12.0 in adults 18-49 and almost 24 million viewers.
“ER” finished off the night with a 13.0 among adults 18-49, a slight drop from the 13.9 the exit of Dr. Mark Greene captured the week before.
NBC cleaned up for the week with a 6.1 adult 18-49 rating, CBS had a 4.8, Fox a 3.8, ABC a 3.4, the WB a 1.8 and UPN a 1.7.
The “Friends” hullabaloo obscured the still strong, if gradually ebbing, pull for CBS’s “Survivor” franchise.
The finale of “Survivor: Marquesas” on Sunday, set against the end of “The X-Files,” the “Cosby” reunion special on NBC and “The Practice” on ABC, still came through with a solid 10.4 in adults 18-49.
Its 25.9 million total viewers represented less than a 5 percent drop from the 27.2 million who tuned into the finale of last fall’s “Survivor: Africa” edition.
The Thursday episode, facing a gigantic “Friends,” put together only a 7.5 adult 18-49 rating, its lowest of the season, but only a small dip from several episodes late in the season which hovered between 7.7 and 8.2 in the demo.
The post-finale reunion, hosted by Rosie O’Donnell, logged a decent 8.0.
The month’s only reunion special with break-out numbers ended up being “The Cosby Show: A Look Back” on NBC.
Two hours of Huxtables nostalgia collected a 7.7 adult 18-49 rating, drawing more than 18 million people, though still not close to the 30 million who tuned into “Carol Burnett: Show Stoppers” in November.
Fox and CBS, choosing series less fresh in the minds of younger viewers, failed to connect with their reunion programs.
Fox’s “M*A*S*H: 30th Anniversary Reunion Special” came away with a 4.0 in adults 18-49, while CBS’s “The Mary Tyler Moore Reunion” managed only a 3.7.
After bursting out of the gates with a 6.0 adult 18-49 rating and 17 million viewers over a week ago, the following second and third parts of ABC’s “Dinotopia” miniseries sagged to a disappointing 4.7 and 4.0 in adults 18-49, drawing 25 million viewers combined.
For a regular whodunit thriller those numbers would be adequate; for a special effects-heavy large-scale series costing $85 million they’re not.
|
PRIMETIME AVERAGES BY NETWORK Week Ending May 19, 2002 |
|||||||||
|
|
HOUSEHOLDS |
PERSONS 2+ | ADULTS 18-49 | ||||||
|
Net |
Rtg |
(000) |
SHR |
Rtg |
(000) |
SHR |
Rtg |
(000) |
SHR |
|
NBC |
9.5 |
9990 |
16 |
5.4 |
14540 |
14 |
6.1 |
7750 |
17 |
|
CBS |
8.8 |
9310 |
15 |
5.2 |
14140 |
14 |
4.8 |
6060 |
13 |
|
ABC |
6.1 |
6390 |
10 |
3.6 |
9600 |
9 |
3.4 |
4270 |
9 |
|
FOX |
5.3 |
5610 |
9 |
3.1 |
8450 |
8 |
3.8 |
4790 |
10 |
|
WB |
2.8 |
2910 |
5 |
1.5 |
4170 |
4 |
1.8 |
2230 |
5 |
|
UPN |
2.6 |
2690 |
4 |
1.5 |
4000 |
4 |
1.7 |
2170 |
5 |
|
PAX |
0.8 |
860 |
1 |
0.4 |
1140 |
1 |
0.3 |
330 |
1 |
| Source: Nielsen Media
Research |
|||||||||
|
NETWORK TV |
|||||
|
|
|
|
ADULTS 18-49 |
||
|
# |
PROGRAMS |
Net |
Rtg% |
Shr |
(000) |
| 1 | FRIENDS | NBC | 17.0 | 44 | 21580 |
| 2 | ER | NBC | 13.0 | 32 | 16530 |
| 3 | WILL & GRACE | NBC | 12.0 | 28 | 15310 |
| 4 | SURVIVOR: MARQEUSAS FINALE | CBS | 10.4 | 23 | 13270 |
| 5 | CSI | CBS | 9.7 | 23 | 12320 |
| 6 | SURVIVOR: MARQEUSAS REUNION | CBS | 8.0 | 19 | 10240 |
| 7 | COSBY SHOW: A LOOK BACK | NBC | 7.7 | 17 | 9840 |
| 8 | SURVIVOR: MARQUESAS | CBS | 7.5 | 20 | 9560 |
| 9 | FRASIER | NBC | 7.0 | 18 | 8890 |
| 10 | EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND | NBC | 6.8 | 16 | 8680 |
| Source:
Nielsen Media Research
|
|||||
|
NETWORK TV |
||||||||
|
|
|
|
HOUSEHOLDS |
PERSONS 2+ |
||||
|
# |
PROGRAMS |
Net |
Rtg% |
Shr |
(000) |
# |
Rtg% |
(000) |
|
1 |
FRIENDS |
NBC |
21.1 |
34 |
22302 |
1 |
12.9 |
34910 |
|
2 |
E.R. |
NBC |
17.5 |
28 |
18471 |
2 |
10.2 |
27474 |
|
3 |
CSI |
CBS |
16.3 |
25 |
17210 |
3 |
10.0 |
26973 |
|
4 |
WILL & GRACE |
NBC |
14.6 |
22 |
15449 |
5 |
8.8 |
23653 |
|
5 |
SURVIVOR MARQUESAS FINALE(S) |
CBS |
13.4 |
21 |
14122 |
4 |
9.6 |
25867 |
|
6 |
LAW AND ORDER |
NBC |
12.8 |
21 |
13471 |
8 |
6.8 |
18302 |
|
7 |
EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND |
CBS |
12.7 |
19 |
13444 |
6 |
7.2 |
19410 |
|
8 |
CSI-10PM(S) |
CBS |
11.4 |
18 |
12016 |
8 |
6.8 |
18262 |
|
9 |
FRASIER |
NBC |
11.3 |
17 |
11957 |
12 |
6.4 |
17231 |
|
10 |
COSBY SHOW: A LOOK BACK(S) |
NBC |
11.2 |
17 |
11850 |
8 |
6.8 |
18485 |
|
11 |
SURVIVOR: MARQUESAS |
CBS |
11.1 |
18 |
11746 |
7 |
7.1 |
19151 |
|
12 |
WEST WING |
NBC |
10.4 |
17 |
10988 |
13 |
5.8 |
15542 |
|
13 |
BECKER |
CBS |
10.3 |
15 |
10917 |
13 |
5.8 |
15733 |
|
14 |
SURVIVOR: MARQ REUNION(S) |
CBS |
10.2 |
17 |
10811 |
11 |
6.6 |
17891 |
|
15 |
CROSSING JORDAN |
NBC |
10.1 |
16 |
10704 |
15 |
5.5 |
14763 |
|
16 |
LAW AND ORDER:SVU |
NBC |
10.0 |
18 |
10573 |
17 |
5.3 |
14274 |
|
17 |
60 MINUTES |
CBS |
9.7 |
18 |
10192 |
17 |
5.3 |
14347 |
|
18 |
JUDGING AMY |
CBS |
9.4 |
15 |
9925 |
20 |
4.9 |
13288 |
|
19 |
PRACTICE, THE |
ABC |
9.2 |
15 |
9697 |
15 |
5.5 |
14897 |
|
20 |
JAG |
CBS |
8.7 |
14 |
9136 |
23 |
4.8 |
12838 |
|
20 |
MARY TYLER MOORE REUNION(S) |
CBS |
8.7 |
14 |
9214 |
27 |
4.6 |
12506 |
|
22 |
NBC FUNNIEST OUTTAKES(S) |
NBC |
8.5 |
14 |
8986 |
23 |
4.8 |
12980 |
|
23 |
GUARDIAN, THE |
CBS |
8.2 |
12 |
8672 |
30 |
4.4 |
11772 |
|
23 |
KING OF QUEENS |
CBS |
8.2 |
14 |
8656 |
27 |
4.6 |
12332 |
|
23 |
SCRUBS |
NBC |
8.2 |
12 |
8684 |
27 |
4.6 |
12495 |
| Source: Nielsen Media
Research |
||||||||
|
CABLE TV |
|||||
| BASIC CABLE | |||||
|
House- |
House- holds |
Persons 2+ |
|||
|
# |
PROGRAM NAME |
Net |
(000) |
Rtg % | (000) |
|
1 |
OSBOURNES |
MTV |
4706 |
4.5 |
7254 |
|
2 |
WWF ENTERTAINMENT (RAW ZONE) |
TNN |
4145 |
3.9 |
6773 |
|
3 |
WWF ENTERTAINMENT (RAW) |
TNN |
3636 |
3.4 |
6201 |
|
4 |
NBA PLAYOFFS (LAKERS/SPURS) |
TNT |
3546 |
3.4 |
4438 |
|
5 |
REAL WORLD XI |
MTV |
3404 |
3.2 |
4480 |
|
6 |
DEEP BLUE SEA |
TBS |
3339 |
3.2 |
5244 |
|
7 |
NBA PLAYOFFS (SPURS/LAKERS) |
TBS |
2962 |
2.8 |
3718 |
|
8 |
NBA PLAYOFFS (MAVERICKS/ KINGS) |
TNT |
2898 |
2.7 |
3913 |
|
9 |
SPONGEBOB |
NICK |
2816 |
2.7 |
3820 |
|
10 |
SPONGEBOB |
NICK |
2806 |
2.7 |
3786 |
|
11 |
SPONGEBOB |
NICK |
2788 |
2.6 |
3620 |
|
12 |
NBA PLAYOFFS (KINGS/ MAVERICKS) |
TNT |
2787 |
2.6 |
3632 |
|
13 |
SPONGEBOB |
NICK |
2606 |
2.5 |
3429 |
|
14 |
SPONGEBOB |
NICK |
2595 |
2.5 |
3856 |
|
15 |
SPONGEBOB |
NICK |
2439 |
2.3 |
3507 |
|
PAY CABLE |
|||||
|
House- |
House- holds |
Persons 2+ |
|||
|
# |
PROGRAM NAME |
Net |
(000) |
Rtg % |
(000) |
|
1 |
SIX FEET UNDER |
HBO |
3776 |
3.6 |
5792 |
|
2 |
SOPRANOS, THE |
HBO |
2756 |
2.6 |
3916 |
|
3 |
WCB: 5/11/02 (TRINIDAD VS. CHERIFI) |
HBO |
2750 |
2.6 |
3851 |
|
4 |
DR. DOOLITTLE 2 |
HBO |
2628 |
2.5 |
3696 |
|
5 |
WCB: 5/11/02 (PRE 2) |
HBO |
2377 |
2.3 |
3331 |
*Coverage area ratings are within each cable network's universe. |
|||||
|
SYNDICATION |
||||
|
|
Households |
Households |
||
|
# |
PROGRAM NAME |
Syndicator |
Rtg % | (000) |
|
1 |
WHEEL OF FORTUNE |
KIN |
8.9 |
9362 |
|
2 |
JEOPARDY |
KIN |
7.7 |
8099 |
|
3 |
FRIENDS-SYN (AT) |
WB |
6.8 |
7203 |
|
4 |
JUDGE JUDY (AT) |
PRM |
5.9 |
6186 |
|
4 |
SEINFELD (AT) |
CTS |
5.9 |
6185 |
|
6 |
ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT(AT) |
PRM |
5.8 |
6076 |
|
7 |
OPRAH WINFREY SHOW (AT) |
KIN |
5.7 |
6011 |
|
8 |
EVRY LVS RAYMOND-SYN (AT) |
KIN |
5.6 |
5941 |
|
9 |
SEINFELD-WKND (AT) |
CTS |
4.7 |
4981 |
|
10 |
WHEEL OF FORTUNE WKND |
KIN |
4.0 |
4221 |
|
Source: Nielsen Media Research |
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|
NETWORK
SPORTS |
|||||||
|
|
House- |
House- |
House- |
Persons 2+ |
|||
|
# |
Net |
PROGRAMS |
Episode |
US Rtg% |
Shr |
(000) |
(000) |
| 1 |
NBC |
NBA PLAYOFF- SUN-GM3 |
LA LAKERS AT SAN ANTONIO |
6.3 |
14 |
6671 |
9366 |
| 2 |
NBC |
NBA PLAYOFF- SUN-GM2 |
DETROIT AT BOSTON |
4.7 |
13 |
4963 |
7153 |
| 3 |
NBC |
NBA PLAYOFF- SA.(S)- 05/11/2002 |
SACRA- |
3.8 |
11 |
4033 |
5074 |
| 4 |
NBC |
NBA PLAYOFF- SUN-GM1 |
NEW JERSEY AT CHAR- |
3.7 |
12 |
3942 |
5357 |
| 5 |
UPN |
WWF SMACKDOWN! |
3.6 |
6 |
3806 |
5748 |
|
| 6 |
CBS |
BYRON NELSON GOLF-SU(S)- 05/12/2002 |
VERIZON |
3.3 |
9 |
3499 |
4780 |
| 7 |
CBS |
BYRON NELSON GOLF-SA(S)- 05/11/2002 |
VERIZON |
2.7 |
8 |
2846 |
3604 |
| 8 |
ABC |
HERSHEY'S FIG SKTNG CHL(S)- 05/12/2002 |
1.7 |
4 |
1796 |
2414 |
|
| 9 |
ABC |
NHL PLAYOFFS ON ABC-SAT 4(S)- 05/11/2002 |
ST LOU AT DET/SAN JOSE AT COLO |
1.5 |
4 |
1589 |
2388 |
| 10 |
ABC |
INDY 500 TIME TRIALS- SAT(S)- 05/11/2002 |
1.1 |
4 |
1129 |
1456 |
|
| 11 |
ABC |
USA SOCCER NAT VS URUGUAY (S)- 05/12/2002 |
0.8 |
2 |
858 |
1173 |
|
| 12 |
PAX |
TD WATER- |
0.1 |
1 |
143 |
152 |
|
| 13 |
PAX |
WAL-MART FLW TOUR |
0.1 |
0 |
66 |
<< |
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Source: Nielsen Media Research |
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May 22, 2002 © 2002 Media Life
-Mike Jasik is a staff writer for Media Life
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