TVSquad

NBC couldn't have asked for a better Olympian than Michael Phelps. His chase after Mark Spitz's record has been a huge draw for viewers. So, it came as no surprise when I saw that Saturday night, with the record breaking 8th gold, did huge numbers, clocking in with 31.1 million viewers. What did come as a surprise was the big event from 18 years ago that topped Phelps reaching his goal. Surely it had to be something like a big sporting event, a dramatic news special, or something of the sort, right?

Not quite. Saturday, Feb. 24, 1990, 31.4 million viewers tuned in to watch Empty Nest. Wow. That says much more about the growth of cable TV and how the big networks have abandoned Saturday than it does about the success of the Olympics. At a time when half that number is the stuff of a hit show, it seems strange to think that 31 million people were watching Empty Nest.

Pew Research Center's biannual survey on how Americans get their news revealed significant shifts underway from print to new media, and even from television to the internet. But it looks like that idiot box remains our number one source for just what's going on in the world around us. The article shows the demographics to be pretty much where you'd expect them to be as far as who goes where for their news. The younger, more affluent and/or more educated you are the more likely you are to go online for your news. The older, poorer and less educated you are the more likely you are to rely on the TV.

I live in a pretty small town that's chock full of poor, uneducated people and I can assure you that most of those citizens still think of computers as that fancy technology they use in them colleges and whatnot. And the Internets, well that's where you go for sin! But the young people, who have grown up with computers and the web are more savvy than their parents and if they can afford a computer, then they're online. Most are playing World of Warcraft, but they're still on there.

Recently, TV columnist Aaron Barnhart took note of the fact that Oprah Winfrey's show is sinking in the ratings. Her talk show, which is the centerpiece of her multimedia success -- a success that has made her the richest woman in show business -- has been losing ratings consistently for the last six months. At first blush, the politically minded of you might think it's because she endorsed Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, but I think it's more than that. After all, if anything, the vast amount of grassroots support that the Senator from Illinois has engendered might be a plus for Oprah rather than a minus.

Therefore, there have to be other factors to explain why Oprah's landmark TV talk show has lost its luster -- at least ratings-wise. I've come up with six possible reasons.

Various polls taken on Monday indicate that approximately 1 billion people, or 15 percent of the world, tuned in to the opening ceremonies of the 2008 Olympic Opening Ceremonies in Beijing. NBC has certainly scored a much-needed ratings gold mine with this (they held off showing the Opening Ceremonies for 12 hours in order to reach a prime-time audience).

Admittedly, I was hesitant when I heard the Olympics were in Beijing (I still am). They don't have the best record for human rights. I was worried that the revolution would begin sometime during the track and field events.

The Nielsen ratings for last Friday night showed that NBC did really well with the Olympic opening ceremonies. Good for NBC, bad for fans of CBS's Swingtown. It didn't take a psychic to predict that all that NBC Universal hype would draw those who love pomp and spectacle. It also didn't take a seer to see that CBS wasn't giving Swingtown a fair shot by asking it to go up against the Olympics.

Still, in CBS's defense, Swingtown just hasn't grabbed the kind of ratings all summer long -- mostly on Thursday nights -- to warrant the network believing that it has a potential hit on its hand. The New York Times pondered Swingtown's fate, too.

I think it does, but only if CBS gives Swingtown some time. I'm not alone in thinking this either. Josef Adalian agrees, as do and many TV Squad readers have expressed their passion for this show. Will CBS hear them as they chant, "All we are saying, is give Swingtown a chance."

Here are the weekly cable ratings, by number of viewers.

While I'm really, really happy that Burn Notice grabbed the #6 slot this week, I'm a little bummed out that Mad Men didn't make the top 10. In fact, it didn't even make it in anywhere near the top 10, despite getting two million viewers for its season premiere. Still, that's better than the ratings for last season.

1. The Closer (TNT)
2. NASCAR Sprint Cup (ESPN)
3. Saving Grace (TNT)
4. Monk (USA)
5. Hannah & Miley (Disney)
6. Burn Notice (USA)
7. Monday Night RAW (USA)
8. Law and Order: CI (USA)
9. Yankees vs. Red Sox (ESPN)
10. In Plain Sight (USA)

Here are the weekly TV ratings, by number of viewers.

Anyone else sick of the summer? These are, as the cliche goes, the dog days. I'm sick of seeing America's Got Talent in the top slot, all of the CBS cop shows (repeats, no less), and reality/game shows. Flashpoint got in the top 20 again on its new Thursday night at 10pm slot.

1. America's Got Talent (NBC)
2. Wipeout (ABC)
3. Two and a Half Men (CBS)

Well, crap. I don't think there is really any way to spin this in a good way. ABC Family has cut the order for Middleman episodes from 13 to 12. That's rarely a good sign. Television history isn't exactly full of stories that go, "Then they cut the episode order, and everything was frickin' awesome." All is not lost though. Please join me in taking solace in the fact that the show hasn't actually been canceled.

A quick trip to Radio Free Javi, where you should go for all of your Grillo-Marxuachian news, tells a little more of the tale. As Javi puts it, the show is getting great reviews and the network loves it, but the ratings have not been stellar. He adds that the decision to drop the 13th episode was a joint one, between himself and the network. A possible silver lining is his mention of pooling their resources to make the finale the biggest and best that it can be. So, tell your friends to watch, and tell them to tell their friend with the Nielsen box to watch. The Middleman really is a good show and deserves to make it to a second season.

Here are the weekly TV ratings, by number of viewers.

What, no America's Got Talent in the top spot or Wipeout in the #2 spot this week? Nope, thanks to FOX's All-Star Game. Wipeout fell all the way to #7, beaten by repeats of Criminal Minds and CSI.

CBS' Flashpoint came in at #18, which explains why they moved Swingtown to Fridays at 10 and put Flashpoint on Thursdays at 10.

1. MLB All-Star Game (FOX)
2. America's Got Talent (NBC)
3. MLB All-Star Pre-Game Show (FOX)

Despite rumors and conspiracy theories about Bravo trying to sabotage Project Runway because the show is leaving them for Lifetime, the premiere had the most viewers for a premiere that the network has ever seen, 2.9 million. That was enough to make Bravo the #1 cable network from 9-10 in all key demographics. And Project Runway was the top ranked cable telecast for the day in adults 18-49.

That's certainly cause for celebration, but there's more good news. The fourth episode of Shear Genius managed a milestone of its own, becoming just the fifth Bravo show to top 2 million viewers for an episode. The others are Queer Eye, Top Chef, Project Runway, and The Real Housewives of Orange County. Completing the trifecta of personal bests, Flipping Out broke a million viewers for the first time.

The success sets the stage for a very interesting ratings drama once Project Runway debuts on Lifetime. Will the fans follow the show to Lifetime? And will the Lifetime audience embrace a show that seems to fit the network's brand about as well as a new season of Queer Eye on Spike? I'd prefer to see it stay at Bravo, but I'm all kinds of curious to watch the change play out.

Here are the weekly cable ratings, by number of viewers.

Yes! The second season premiere of Burn Notice hit #2 this week! Sure, it was expected, but that doesn't mean it's not fantastic news. USA has a ton of shows in the top 10, actually, taking six of the spots. Those Sprint Cup races seem to make an appearance every week now, as do Army Wives on Lifetime and something on Disney Channel that features a Hannah and/or a Jonas brother.

1. Monday Night RAW (USA)
2. Burn Notice (USA)
3. Sprint Cup - Chicago (TNT)
4. In Plain Sight (USA)
5. Monday Night RAW (USA)
6. Law and Order: CI (USA)
7. Picture This (ABC Family)
8. Camp Rock (Disney)
9. Law and Order: SVU (USA)
10. Army Wives (Lifetime)

Here are the weekly TV ratings, by number of viewers.

Doing the ratings during the summer is rather boring. America's Got Talent and Wipeout are on top again, and the rest of it is the usual mix of other reality shows and game shows and the CBS lineup of crime crime crime, which even gets big ratings when they're repeated, for some reason. Even the newest crime drama Flashpoint grabbed the #15 slot with its premiere, and it's on Friday nights.

1. America's Got Talent (NBC)
2. Wipeout (ABC)

Another week, another petition to save a show.

Producers of ABC's spy reality series The Mole have created a web site to save the ratings-challenged show -- Save The Mole. Right now the site consists of an open letter to fans from Scott Stone and Clay Newbill, the producers of the show.

They say that while a lot of critics agree that the show is one of the smarter reality shows, it's not doing well in that all-important 18 to 49 demographic. Those specific ratings are stale, but there's still time to save the show. They want hardcore fans to get other friends to watch the show, post on the ABC message boards, and go to the Mole Facebook page. They also announce that FOX Reality Channel will have a marathon of the current season this Sunday at 11 AM.

The site is very low-tech. Just black text on a white background with a couple of images. It's rather 1997-ish, but I actually like it.

Numbers don't lie -- although some people can manipulate them -- but in all the ways that matter for television, the second season debut for USA's Burn Notice was a 100% hit. The spy caper-drama did something that brings smiles to the lips of all cable execs, it beat first run episodes of ABC and CBS programs.

I'm generally not a numbers person. (I freely admit that I sucked at algebra.) However, the Burn Notice success in Nielsen ratings and key demographics -- 1.8 rating/6 share among adults 18-49 and approximately 5.4 million viewers overall -- is impressive. It built on last season's numbers considerably -- 35% in viewership.

At least CBS is having a little fun with their new summer reality competition.

The network sent out a press release saying that the premiere of Greatest American Dog got the highest prime-time audience among dogs since an episode of Lassie in 1974. They also say that the show won its time slot against Ugly Betty "in dog-patrolled households, canine viewers, upscale purebreds, Heinz 57 (mutt) adults, and the advertiser-coveted 1.79-7 year-olds."

The press release goes on to say that the show did better than the network thought, especially since the test audience of dogs in Las Vegas didn't show numbers this high. The number should go higher later today when "factoring in dogs who know how to use their paws to program their DVRs."