Post by Forever Xena on Feb 21, 2006 14:04:30 GMT -6
'Anatomy' of Sunday Nights Changing
Monday, February 20, 2006
12:31 PM PT
If it had happened only once, it could have been considered a fluke. But then Sunday night, it happened again. Now, we may almost have a trend on our hands.
For the second straight week, ABC's young-doctors-in-love drama "Grey's Anatomy" beat its Sunday-night lead-in, the heretofore indomitable "Desperate Housewives," in the ratings on Sunday (Feb. 19). The show's feat is all the more impressive for having taken place opposite heavier-than-usual competition from NBC's coverage of the Winter Olympics.
"Grey's Anatomy" gathered about 24.3 million viewers on Sunday, continuing a run of big audiences that began with its post-Super Bowl broadcast on Feb. 5. That episode brought in close to 38 million people, the most for the post-game program in five years.
The Super Bowl episode ended in a cliffhanger, and 25.4 million people tuned in Feb. 12 to see its resolution. That night was also the first time "Grey's Anatomy" had improved on an original "Desperate Housewives."
With the cliffhanger in the past, it wouldn't have been a shock if "Grey's" had dipped back closer to its pre-Super Bowl level, which was still pretty high -- the show averaged 17.9 million viewers per week through the end of January, ninth-best in all of primetime. But Sunday's episode maintained the momentum, beating "Housewives" again in both viewers and adults 18-49.
It's not as if the Emmy-winning "Housewives" has gone into the tank the past two weeks, either: The past two airings have drawn 23.4 million and 23.3 million viewers, slightly better than its season average.
Additionally, "Grey's" has sustained its big audience opposite Winter Olympics coverage that's also drawing around 20 million viewers. It's true that the Olympics aren't the ratings force this year that they've been in the past, but they're still a big step up from NBC's regular programming. Sunday, for example, NBC had 18.6 million viewers in the 10 p.m. hour; normal time-slot occupant "Crossing Jordan" is averaging 11.6 million for the season
Monday, February 20, 2006
12:31 PM PT
If it had happened only once, it could have been considered a fluke. But then Sunday night, it happened again. Now, we may almost have a trend on our hands.
For the second straight week, ABC's young-doctors-in-love drama "Grey's Anatomy" beat its Sunday-night lead-in, the heretofore indomitable "Desperate Housewives," in the ratings on Sunday (Feb. 19). The show's feat is all the more impressive for having taken place opposite heavier-than-usual competition from NBC's coverage of the Winter Olympics.
"Grey's Anatomy" gathered about 24.3 million viewers on Sunday, continuing a run of big audiences that began with its post-Super Bowl broadcast on Feb. 5. That episode brought in close to 38 million people, the most for the post-game program in five years.
The Super Bowl episode ended in a cliffhanger, and 25.4 million people tuned in Feb. 12 to see its resolution. That night was also the first time "Grey's Anatomy" had improved on an original "Desperate Housewives."
With the cliffhanger in the past, it wouldn't have been a shock if "Grey's" had dipped back closer to its pre-Super Bowl level, which was still pretty high -- the show averaged 17.9 million viewers per week through the end of January, ninth-best in all of primetime. But Sunday's episode maintained the momentum, beating "Housewives" again in both viewers and adults 18-49.
It's not as if the Emmy-winning "Housewives" has gone into the tank the past two weeks, either: The past two airings have drawn 23.4 million and 23.3 million viewers, slightly better than its season average.
Additionally, "Grey's" has sustained its big audience opposite Winter Olympics coverage that's also drawing around 20 million viewers. It's true that the Olympics aren't the ratings force this year that they've been in the past, but they're still a big step up from NBC's regular programming. Sunday, for example, NBC had 18.6 million viewers in the 10 p.m. hour; normal time-slot occupant "Crossing Jordan" is averaging 11.6 million for the season