One of the most popular programs in the nation, CBS’ ‘Blue Bloods’ starring Tom Selleck won again on Friday.
Friday, 03.14.14
Friday belongs to CBS with a powerful veteran lineup that cleaned up once again last night. At 8P, the season finale of ‘Undercover Boss’ won the time period with 7.07 million viewers. At 9P, with an excellent episode of a fateful chase for a killer turned into an attempt to save the person’s life and the beginning of a mystery arc that will take us down a path McGarrett’s father once took, ‘Hawaii Five-0’ was also tops in its time slot with another 10+ million evening with 10.06 million viewers. The only problem one could have with this episode is that guest star, Golden Globe and Emmy Award winner, Tom Berringer, had less then five minutes on the screen. It was great that he was given the time. It was bad he wasn’t given more. At 10P, the power of Friday, ‘Blue Bloods’ had Danny chasing another mystery and Frank giving advice that changed the day as it again was the top program of the night and the top program in its time period as 12.02 million viewers tuned in. NOTE: CBS had preemptions/delays in 4.3% of the US due to ACC (NC State-Syracuse/Clemson-Duke) and SEC (Kentucky-LSU/Georgia-Ole Miss) basketball tournaments. Ratings are tentative and likely to change. Remember, its ‘March Madness’ time.
ABC finished Friday in prime time nearly 3.5 million viewers behind the Tiffany Network. At 8P, ‘Last Man Standing’ pulled in 4.9 million viewers while at 830P, ‘The Neighbors’ dropped a but with 3.9 million viewers. At 9P, ‘Shark Tank’ increased the audience big time with 7.4 million viewers. And at 10P, the Alphabet Network presented ’20/20′ which kept much of that audience as it had 7.1 million viewers as it covered the subject of ‘murder for hire’. NOTE: ABC’s Friday lineup was pre-empted for local high school and college sports coverage in 3.6% of the U.S.
NBC began the evening with it’s news magazine at 8P, ‘Dateline’ and drew a respectable 6.38 million viewers. But at 9P, ‘Grimm’ began falling off the charts as it could only draw 5.41 million viewers. Then at 10P, ‘Hannibal’ put the Peacock Network into the dumps with only 2.59 million viewers tuning in to programming on 30 Rock.
Greg Kinnear as Keegan, comes back to celebrate victory at the law firm but is greeted by silence in ‘Rake’ on Friday in an episode titled, ‘Staple Holes’.
Then there was FOX. The Animal Network of Broadcast began at 8P with ‘Rake’ and despite its cultish charm and the crafting of one of the most difficult characters (Keegan) on television by Greg Kinnear, even the death of his nemesis, the Mayor of Los Angeles, could bring in the viewers as only 1.91 million tuned in in the death bed position on Friday for FOX. The episode was beautifully crafted in the beginning with the usual threats against Keegan, but in the end, it became mangled and completely against concept as the hero was left adrift and as it was his time to celebrate, everyone else was not. The lack of victory which would have saved the episode, was cut into a chastisement because the firm could not go on billing for an additional eight months. It is the first time when it was clear the writers were already looking for new jobs because of the program’s failure to draw an audience. Trouble is, the reason for that lack of support, is squarely at the hands of the writers. It was fait accompli for ‘Enlisted’ at 9P which could only draw 1.57 million and at 930P for ‘Raising Hope’ which drew even less, with 1.55 million viewers watching.
The CW began at 8P presented a rerun of ‘Who’s Line Is It Anyway?’ which brought in 1.36 million viewers. And at 9P, ‘Colin & Brad: Two Man Group’ pulled in 945,000 viewers.
For The Record
CBS was again #1 for the third straight day with 9.72 million viewers. ABC was #2 with 6.32 million viewers. NBC finished #3 with 4.98 million viewers. Fox barely beat The CW with 1.73 million viewers. The CW finished Friday with 1.15 million viewers.
Today In TV History
Walter Cronkite was the host of CBS’ ‘The Morning Show’ which began in 1954.
On this date in 1954, CBS television debuted its ‘Morning Show’ and it was hosted by Walter Cronkite.
Cable News
HBO’s ‘Game of Thrones’
HBO and Facebook are teaming up to stream the red carpet premiere of ‘Game of Thrones’ season four on March 18 through Facebook Live. Fans can ask questions on the show’s Instagram and Facebook pages, and cast members will respond. Following the red carpet, which will air at 6 p.m. ET on Facebook.com/GameofThrones or FacebookLive.com, fans will get an exclusive look at a new trailer from the season.
ESPN’s coverage of the men’s 2013-14 college basketball regular season was the network’s most-viewed and highest-rated ever, averaging 1,454,000 viewers and a 1.0 HH US rating. It marks the third consecutive year ESPN has set a viewership record for its game telecasts, surpassing the past two seasons by 6 percent (vs. 1,370,000 viewers in 2012-13) and 7 percent (vs. 1,353,000 in 2011-12). The 1.0 average HH US rating is up 11 percent over the 0.9 HH US rating ESPN averaged for 2011-12 and 2012-13. For the season, ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU combined to televise 586 games exclusively – the most extensive coverage on television and more than every other network combined – averaging 501,000 total viewers.
Welcome to new visitors from the U.S., Canada, Mexico, the UK, France, Germany, Hungary, Japan, Australia and Brazil.
Across The Pond
BBC’s ‘Jonathon Creek’ #1 in the UK on Friday.
BBC One began at 7P with ‘The One Show’ which pulled in 3.91 million viewers and a 20.1% share of the available audience on Friday. At 8P, ‘The Question of Sport’ brought in 2.98 million viewers (14.4%). At 839P, ‘Room 101’ brought in 3.44 million (15.3%). But it was at 9P with ‘Jonathan Creek’ that it was able to present Friday’s (March 14) highest-rated TV show outside of soaps as the final episode of the mystery series was seen by 5.41 million viewers (25.2%). At 1045P, ‘New Tricks’ completed the evening with 1.85 million viewers (15.2%).
ITV at 8P presented ‘Student Nurses: Bedpans and Bandages’ was the network’s highest-rated program outside of soaps with 2.62 million viewers (11.9%). At 9P, the fourth episode of ‘Edge of Heaven’ dropped significantly with only 1.51 million viewers (6.8%) tuning in.
BBC Two began at 8P with ‘Mastermind’ and it was once again BBC Two’s highest-rated show of the evening, bringing in 2.31 million viewers (10.5%). At 830P, ‘Gardeners’ World’ held most of the audience with 2.21 million (9.8%). But at 9P, with all sorts of competition from BBC One and ITV, ‘I Was there: The Great War Interviews’ could only pull in 1.48 million (6.9%. At 10P, ‘QI’ was seen by 1.51 million (8.4%). at 1030P, ‘Newsnight’ 810,000 viewers (5.9%) at 10.30pm.
Channel 4 at 8P presented ABC’s ‘Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ as it drew 1.18 million viewers (5.3%). At 9P it presented ‘Gogglebox’ and it was the was the channel’s highest-rated show with 2.15 million viewers (10%). At 10P, ‘The Last Leg’ pulled in 1.21 million viewers (7.3%).
Channel 5 at 9P presented the timely ‘The Plane That Vanished: Live’ was a ratings success as the investigation into the disappearance of the Malaysian Airlines flight was seen by 1.29 million viewers (6%). ‘Ice Road Truckers’ was viewed by 968,000 (4.4%), down from last week.
Down Under
Seven, with ‘Seven News’ was the top network on Friday in Australia.
It was once again a two channel night in Australia as Seven (31.6% share of the available audience) battled ahead of Nine (30.3%) to finish on top on one of the lowest viewing nights of the year as no program drew over 1 million viewers.
The lead story on Friday was the fate of HH 370 as the possibility of a pilot being involved was divulged.
Seven won with news. The #1 program on the evening was ‘Seven News’ which drew 997,000 viewers. ‘Seven News/Today Tonight’ pulled in 864,000 viewers to finish #4. #7, ‘Better Homes and Gardens’ had 746,000 loyalists watching.
Nine had its top program the news as well as the #2 program was ‘Nine News’ which could only dew 974,000 viewers.#3 was ‘Nine News 6:30’ which drew 935,000 viewers. #6 was ‘A Current Affair’ which pulled in 765,000 viewers. #9 for the evening was ‘Friday Night NRL Live’ which had 652,000 viewers. And #10 was ‘Hot Seat’ which drew 539,000 viewers.
ABC1 did get into the game, not with news, but with the #1 drama on Friday, ‘The Doctor Blake Mysteries’ which was the #5 program of the night and drew only 848,000 viewers. #8 went to ‘ABC News’ which could only pull in 662,000 viewers.
As you can see, no matter where you are in the world, people were…
Switching Channels.
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