‘Bonnie’ First Look

Three weeks into its season, “The Bonnie Hunt Show” from Warner Bros. posted its first national numbers last week, putting up figures that placed it near the rear of the ratings pack among freshman first-run syndicated shows. Among other first-year shows, NBC Universal’s “Deal or No Deal” improved its household ratings by 13% week-to-week for the week of Sept. 22, posting a 1.7, the show’s best week yet. CBS Television Distribution’s “The Doctors” declined 8% to a 1.2. Sony Pictures Television’s “Judge Karen,” with a 1.0 rating, and Program Partners’ “Family Court With Judge Penny,” with a 0.6, were both flat compared with the previous week. The first week’s numbers for Debmar-Mercury’s “Trivial Pursuit: America Plays” were not available due to reprocessing. Debmar’s “House of Payne” entered daily syndication during the week of Sept. 22, pulling in a 2.0 rating. Entertainment magazine shows benefited from the Emmys during the week, as five out of the six programs in the genre boosted ratings week-to-week. CBS Television Distribution’s “Entertainment Tonight” led the group with a 4.2 rating, increasing 14% from the previous week. The rating is “ET’s” highest since May sweeps. “Bonnie Hunt’s” first two weeks of ratings had been sent back to Nielsen Media Research for reprocessing and won’t be available until later in the month. Taking in a 0.8 household rating, the show placed fourth among the rookies for the week of Sept. 22. “‘The Bonnie Hunt Show’ has performed exactly as we expected it would so far, and we are confident it will grow,” said Ken Werner, Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution president. “We are excited about the show creatively, and stations, critics and reps have all told us they like the program and are optimistic about its prospects once viewers settle into their regular habits and patterns in the coming weeks.” The end of daylight-saving time in early November and the move into fall’s colder weather may help “Bonnie Hunt” by putting more viewers in front of their televisions. Over the past five years, many talk shows have fought to establish multiple-year presences on station schedules. During that time period, of the18 talk shows that launched, five have pulled in a 0.8 or lower rating in their third week. Among that group, the only show to make it to a second season is Twentieth Television’s “The Morning Show with Mike and Juliet.”

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Posted Oct 12 2008, 11:45 PM by News