The Sunday Night Football matchup featuring the Dallas Cowboys vs. the Washington Redskins led all 18-49 year old viewing for the week. Heroes fell from the top 20, landing at number 27, and also trailing NBC shows 30 Rock (#24) and Law & Order: SVU (#25). The most-watched 60 Minutes since 1999 led all total broadcast viewing, but was second to the Dallas Cowboy effect among 18-49 year olds. Desperate Housewives, Grey's Anatomy and House rounded out the top 5. CBS' top ranked show among 18-49 year olds was CSI at number six, though CBS did average the most 18-49 viewers during primetime last week.
Nielsen Top Twenty Shows Among 18-49 year olds for the week ending November 16, 2008:
| Rank | Shows | R=Repeat S=Special P=Premiere | Net | 18-49 Rating | 18-49 Viewers (000) |
| 1 | NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL | NBC | 7.4 | 9,783 | |
| 2 | 60 Minutes | CBS | 6.3 | 8,325 | |
| 3 | DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES | ABC | 6.2 | 8,221 | |
| 4 | GREY'S ANATOMY-THU 9PM | ABC | 5.7 | 7,554 | |
| 5 | HOUSE | FOX | 5.5 | 7,319 | |
| 6 | CSI | CBS | 5.1 | 6,783 | |
| 7 | CMA AWARDS(S) | S | ABC | 5.0 | 6,585 |
| 8 | TWO AND A HALF MEN | CBS | 4.9 | 6,498 | |
| 9 | SUNDAY NIGHT NFL PRE-KICK | NBC | 4.6 | 6,040 | |
| 10 | DANCING WITH THE STARS | ABC | 4.2 | 5,552 | |
| 11 | Family Guy | FOX | 4.2 | 5,527 | |
| 12 | HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER | CBS | 4.2 | 5,504 | |
| 13 | OFFICE | NBC | 4.1 | 5,357 | |
| 14 | SURVIVOR: GABON | CBS | 4.0 | 5,333 | |
| 15 | NCIS | CBS | 4.0 | 5,234 | |
| 16 | Mentalist, THE | CBS | 4.0 | 5,230 | |
| 17 | BIG BANG THEORY, THE | CBS | 3.9 | 5,110 | |
| 18 | Simpsons | FOX | 3.9 | 5,092 | |
| 19 | FRINGE | FOX | 3.8 | 5,029 | |
| 20 | Criminal Minds | CBS | 3.8 | 5,018 |
Nielsen TV Ratings Data: ©2008 The Nielsen Company. All Rights Reserved.
All numbers are Live + SD (live, plus same day DVR viewing)
No!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Not Heroes
FRINGE though continues to quietly pull decent numbers for FOX. I’m not a big fan, but those aren’t bad.
Simpsons is down lower for yet another year: less and less people watching and i’m guessing its 18-49 numbers go down as well.
Heroes game was cancelled:
http://arstechnica.com/journals/thumbs.ars/2008/11/07/heroes-game-cancelled-by-ubisoft
Possibly because of loss of veiwers? No commercialism in it anymore.
I’m happy to see Fringe holding a top 20 spot in the coveted 18-49 demo. It’s really the only show on any broadcast network holding my attention this year, largely due to John Noble’s work as Dr. Bishop. Can’t honestly say I think Anna Torv is a breakout star, but she’s doing OK. Joshua Jackson keeps getting better by the episode. The plotlines themselves are pretty good in a “WTF was that?!?” kind of way, reminiscent of the Twin Peaks vibe (not actual plot lines, but general aura).
I still watch “House” for Hugh Laurie and Robert Sean Leonard too, but it’s lost a bit of its edge IMHO.