American Idol also took the top two spots of the top 20 list that really matters, but ABC rounded out the top five of the top shows among 18-49 year olds with Grey's Anatomy, Desperate Housewives and one of the best episodes of LOST ever.
Hell's Kitchen, which joined Idol in the overall top 20 list where it was #17, jumps up to number seven in this list. Gordon Ramsay has some strong 18-49 year old legs. Although it didn't make the overall top 20, Family Guy joins the FOX family on this list at #11. Stewie is an 18-49 year old force to be reckoned with! The Simpsons makes this list as well at #19. Bart still draws a youthful crowd.
CBS placed every show in its Monday night lineup on this list except The Big Bang Theory which seems to be hampered by the 8pm time slot, and How I Met Your Mother, though on a 18-49 ratings basis, Mother was tied for 19th even without Britney. I have zero doubt HIMYM will be renewed. But in 18-49 viewers, it fell to #21. Nonetheless, Two and a Half Men (#6), Rules of Engagement (#14), and CSI: Miami (#11) all made this list.
As predicted, directly up against new episodes of CSI (#8) and Grey's Anatomy (#3), NBC's The Office dipped to number 16 - last week it was number 5.
ABC's Brothers & Sisters joined the aforementioned ABC shows along with Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (#17) and both airings of Dancing with the Stars (#8 and #13). ABC had seven shows in the top twenty, followed by CBS and FOX with five each and NBC with three.
Joining The Office for the peacocks were both Law & Order (#20) and Law & Order: SVU (#15). While the original L&O had over a million more viewers overall, SVU outperformed the original in the 18-49 demo.
Though ABC had more shows in the top 20 and CBS had as many as FOX, the strength of Idol still left FOX more youthful in the 18-49 and 18-34 and 25-54 age demos for the week. That and American Dad and King of the Hill both making the top 25 for FOX in the 18-49 demo (sadly, we can only report data for the top 20).
Over time I've seen a few comments about why are King of the Hill and American Dad still even on - the answer is because they do very well among 18-49 year olds! NCIS, Without a Trace, Medium and even granddaddy ER, also made the top 25.
Nielsen Top Twenty 18-49 Shows by viewers for the week ending 04/27/08:
| Rank | Shows | ORIG | P18-49 RATING (LIVE+SD) | # Viewers 18-49 (LIVE+SD) (000) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | American Idol-TUESDAY | FOX | 9.0 | 11,857 |
| 2 | American Idol-WEDNESDAY | FOX | 8.6 | 11,323 |
| 3 | GREY'S ANATOMY-THU 9PM | ABC | 6.5 | 8,525 |
| 4 | Desperate Housewives | ABC | 5.9 | 7,697 |
| 5 | LOST | ABC | 5.3 | 6,985 |
| 6 | Two and a Half Men | CBS | 5.0 | 6,524 |
| 7 | HELL'S KITCHEN | FOX | 4.9 | 6,378 |
| 8 | CSI | CBS | 4.7 | 6,146 |
| 9 | Dancing with the Stars | ABC | 4.3 | 5,661 |
| 10 | SURVIVOR: MICRONESIA | CBS | 4.3 | 5,611 |
| 11 | CSI: MIAMI | CBS | 4.3 | 5,603 |
| 12 | Family Guy | FOX | 4.3 | 5,593 |
| 13 | DANCING W/STARS RESULTS | ABC | 4.2 | 5,468 |
| 14 | Rules of Engagement | CBS | 4.1 | 5,408 |
| 15 | Law And Order:SVU | NBC | 4.0 | 5,259 |
| 16 | OFFICE | NBC | 4.0 | 5,212 |
| 17 | Extreme Makeover:HOME ED. | ABC | 3.9 | 5,125 |
| 18 | BROTHERS & Sisters | ABC | 3.8 | 5,011 |
| 19 | Simpsons | FOX | 3.7 | 4,833 |
| 20 | Law And Order | NBC | 3.7 | 4,818 |
Nielsen Ratings Data: ©2008 Nielsen Media Research, Inc. All Rights Reserved
I don’t get advertisers. They pay for viewers that don’t watch ads.(DVR) And I think they may overvalue young viewers. Hear me out.
Aging Boomers, now over the age of 50, have access to huge amounts of disposable incomes, and they spend it. Us folks in the demo have so much less money to spend in this struggling economy. My parents spend a lot more money than me.
I don't get advertisers. They pay for viewers that don't watch ads.(DVR) And I think they may overvalue young viewers. Hear me out.
Aging Boomers, now over the age of 50, have access to huge amounts of disposable incomes, and they spend it. Us folks in the demo have so much less money to spend in this struggling economy. My parents spend a lot more money than me.
Dave, I agree with you and CBS certainly does. I think the advertisers feel it’s more easy to influence you than your parents, and I’m guessing they have a gazillion dollars worth of research to back that thinking up so it may be true, but somewhat meaningless when *your* version of Gossip Girl has no advertisements in it whatsoever!
Dave, I agree with you and CBS certainly does. I think the advertisers feel it's more easy to influence you than your parents, and I'm guessing they have a gazillion dollars worth of research to back that thinking up so it may be true, but somewhat meaningless when *your* version of Gossip Girl has no advertisements in it whatsoever!
And to think NBC was about to cancel “Law & Order” after 17 seasons. I bet it is glad it rethought that now that it is one of their top 3 shows among viewers 18-49.
And to think NBC was about to cancel “Law & Order” after 17 seasons. I bet it is glad it rethought that now that it is one of their top 3 shows among viewers 18-49.
My taste is definitely not the taste of the public, as far as I can tell. For whatever reason, for reasons I don’t want to go into, people watching TV seem far more sexually repressed than when they are out in real life, judging the jejune nature of popular shows. They hide nothing when it comes to violence, but they tease the s***t out opf everybody with their sexual-tension come-ons followed by endless stupid ads. I’ve seen this far too damn often to condone it, or to condone TV period. But given that, I still don’t like ABC’s half-assed attempts to sex up TV. It’s formulaic and by-the=book, unlike even basic cable ( rarely) or premium. They can win their little victories now and again, but only prudes and morons enjoy these network shows. Soap operas are a sign of TRADITIONALISM
My taste is definitely not the taste of the public, as far as I can tell. For whatever reason, for reasons I don't want to go into, people watching TV seem far more sexually repressed than when they are out in real life, judging the jejune nature of popular shows. They hide nothing when it comes to violence, but they tease the s***t out opf everybody with their sexual-tension come-ons followed by endless stupid ads. I've seen this far too damn often to condone it, or to condone TV period. But given that, I still don't like ABC's half-assed attempts to sex up TV. It's formulaic and by-the=book, unlike even basic cable ( rarely) or premium. They can win their little victories now and again, but only prudes and morons enjoy these network shows. Soap operas are a sign of TRADITIONALISM
well something happened and my most passionate comments got lost. My point was: ABC was a winner with Grey’s. I admit it: they held their viewers and won with the 18-35. Congratulations.
well something happened and my most passionate comments got lost. My point was: ABC was a winner with Grey's. I admit it: they held their viewers and won with the 18-35. Congratulations.
Dave/Robert -
I seem to remember a similar discussion a few months ago.
The 50&up crowd doesn’t change their product affiliation based on commercials. We’ve made up our minds and we’re branded for life.
You youngsters are still making some of those decisions and companies are looking to grab you now and make you a lifer.
Someday I’ll regale you with the brands I landed on years ago, the reason why and for how long I’ve been with them.
p.s. a majority of my decisions are now based on cost unless something has a special ‘taste’ to it.
Dave/Robert -
I seem to remember a similar discussion a few months ago.
The 50&up crowd doesn't change their product affiliation based on commercials. We've made up our minds and we're branded for life.
You youngsters are still making some of those decisions and companies are looking to grab you now and make you a lifer.
Someday I'll regale you with the brands I landed on years ago, the reason why and for how long I've been with them.
p.s. a majority of my decisions are now based on cost unless something has a special 'taste' to it.