US REPORT: MAY 9, 2018

ROSEANNE remains solid; NCIS finale jumps up with exit of Pauley Perrette; latest pickups/cancellations/renewals for 2018-19 broadcast season; more Royal Wedding documentaries on horizon

BROADCAST RATINGS:

Network Average:

Broadcast Primetime Live + Same Day – Tuesday, May 8, 2018

Ratings Report:

• ROSEANNE won the night overall for ratings among 18-49s, ticking up a tenth from last week to land at a 2.6. However, it was NCIS on CBS that drew the largest audience; the exit of long-time cast member Pauley Perrette gave the show a four-tenths bump in ratings over last week, earning a 1.6 and drawing in 14.79 million viewers overall. BULL also benefitted from the NCIS lead in, ticking up two tenths for a 1.3 season finale. NCIS: NEW ORLEANS was off by a tenth, earning a 0.8.
• On ABC, aside from the ROSEANNE performance, it was a pretty quiet night on the network. Both THE MIDDLE (1.5) and BLACKISH (1.2) remained steady, while SPLITTING UP TOGETHER (1.0) and FOR THE PEOPLE (0.5) dropped a tenth (I’d be shocked if FOR THE PEOPLE came back next season, despite its Shondaland pedigree).
• NBC’s night was also mostly flat, with THE VOICE (1.2) and RISE (0.7) each remaining steady with last week’s ratings, while CHICAGO MED climbed a tenth to 1.0 (still curious to see what happens to this solid performer with the recent pickup of NBC’s medical pilot NEW AMSTERDAM to series).
• The LETHAL WEAPON finale ticked up a tenth for Fox, earning a 0.8 for the night while the search to replace the actor playing Martin Riggs continues (Clayne Crawford exited the series this season amid a slew of allegations about his abusive behavior on and off set, as well as being formally reprimanded by Fox twice during his tenure on the show). Two back-to-back episodes of NEW GIRL earned 0.5 each, in line with last week.
• On CW, THE FLASH rose a tenth to 0.7 while recently renewed THE 100 earned its usual 0.4.

CABLE RATINGS:

Top 25 Original Programs on Cable – Monday, May 7, 2018

Of Note:

• As we get deeper into NBA playoff season, ratings are predictably rising higher and higher as the Finals approach, while TNT continues to reap the benefits of broadcasting the games. The Raptos vs Cavaliers game drew the highest numbers, with a 2.3 rating among 18-49s and 5.9 million viewers, a 28% increase in rating and 26% rise in audience over last week. Following behind was the 76ers and Celtics game, scoring a 1.2 and 3.4 million viewers. Rounding out the top three was INSIDE THE NBA PLAYOFFS, even with last week’s 1.1 rating.
• WWE MONDAY NIGHT RAW, usually a top performer on cable Mondays fell a bit this week. The 3-hour broadcast was down to a peak 0.9 rating this week, two tenths below last Monday’s performance. Also falling a tenth was VH1’s LOVE AND HIP HOP ATLANTA (1.1).

OTHER NEWS:

• FX and Hulu have landed first-run North American rights to THE WEEKLY, a new weekly documentary series from The New York Times and production company Left/Right (part of Red Arrow Studios). FX has committed to a minimum of 30 episodes, with the series scheduled to premiere later this year. Hulu will be the exclusive SVOD streaming home to new episodes the day after air on FX. FX will additionally make commercial and commercial-free versions of the shows on its VOD services FXNOW and FX+. The narrative documentary news program will feature one or two of the NYT’s biggest and most important visual stories each week and will follow the stories and the reporters that work on them every step of the way as they chase information, conduct interviews, etc.
• Latest announcements from the pickup front below:
  • NBC
    • RENEWAL: AP BIO (Season 2)
    • PICK UP: ABBY’S (comedy)

Abby’s is set at the best bar in San Diego, home to good prices, great company and, of course, Abby. This unlicensed, makeshift bar nestled in her backyard is the opposite of everything annoying about today’s party scene: no cell phones, earn your seat at the bar, and honor the bets you win (and lose). While the show is multi-cam, instead of being shot in a studio, it is shot outside in front of a live audience, giving it a livelier, spontaneous feel than other multi-cams I’ve seen.

• PICK UP: I FEEL BAD (comedy)

Centers around a woman trying to be the perfect mom, boss, wife, friend, and daughter, when in fact, she’s just trying to figure it out like the rest of us.

• ABC
  • LIKELY PICK UP: A MILLION LITTLE THINGS (drama)

A team of down-and-out women in suburban Arizona fight their way to the top of the cutthroat world of a multi-level marketing cosmetics business.

• FOX
  • PICK UP: THE PASSAGE (drama, starring Mark Paul Gosselaar)

Series centers around a secret government medical facility experimenting with a dangerous virus that could either cure all disease or cause the downfall of the human race. At the heart of the story is a 10 year old girl chosen to be a test experiment and the federal agent (Gosselaar) assigned to be her surrogate father during the trial.

• CW
  • CANCELLED: VALOR (1 season – no surprise here; the show was pretty much DOA since it started)
• And finally, two new documentaries from National Geographic centering around the Royal Wedding on 19 May:
  • PRINCE HARRY’S STORY: FOUR ROYAL WEDDINGS | Spun Gold | 1x60

Distributor: All3Media International

The one-hour special focuses on the marriages of Charles, Prince of Wales, and Diana, Princess of Wales; Charles, Prince of Wales and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall; Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge; and Prince Harry’s own upcoming wedding to Meghan Markle.

• OPERATION ROYAL WEDDING | 1x60 | Air: 23 May

Looks at how the royals pull off the biggest event of the year, casting a light on the unsung heroes who ensure every detail of the modern-day fairy-tale wedding is perfect.