This show sort of came out
of nowhere and could
have became one of two types of reality series: a monster hit like "Joe
Millionaire" or "American Idol," or a monster write down like "Mister
Personality"
or "Temptation Island 3" While it did not reach "Joe" or "Idol"
proportions,
the show did build a solid audience and it's finale drew more than
20mil
viewers, making it a lock for a second edition. But the question
remains,
will it become "American Idol" season two, or "Joe Millionaire: An
International
Affair." Only time will tell
American
Idol
Viewers:
26.0mil (2) & 22.3mil
(5)
Adults:
11.0 (2) & 9.8 (5)
Why It's A
Winner:
It could have easily cooled
off in its third
incarnation, but didn't. Ratings break new ground in the audition round
and have remained 20-30% above last year's already scary launch. Will
the
finale stack up to the 39mil who watched the second one? Yes, and
probably
more.
CBS
Viewers:
14.0mil (1)
Adults:
4.2/11 (2)
Why It's A
Winner:
After years of slowly
building something great,
CBS knew that perfection takes time. And this season, all the building
finally started to mean huge ratings gains. It won every single week of
February sweeps in viewers and was solid in adults and the younger
demos.
Even against the onslaught of "American Idol," CBS has remained firm
(fun
fact: since the launch of "Idol," "Navy NCIS" is, shockingly, the
number
two show at Tuesdays 8pm in adults 18-49). It also showed the other
networks
that younger is not necessarily better. Bravo, CBS!
CSI/CSI
Miami
Viewers:
29.8mil (1) & 20.4mil
(7)
Adults:
10.3 (4) & 7.2 (10)
Why It's A
Winner:
After a slow start to the
season (well, not really
slow, but...), these show continually built during February sweeps and
"CSI" eventually set a series record at 31mil, making it the most
watched
entertinament program so far this season. As for its younger sibling,
it
had ts best sweeps performance ever and is rapidly proving that "Law
&
Order" is not tv's franchise, "CSI" is. Example: the two "CSI"s
together
averaged 50.2mil viewers and an 17.5 rating in adults. The "Law &
Order"s
? 43.6mil and a 15.6 rating in adults for all three shows.
Super
Millionaire
Viewers:
N/A
Adults:
N/A
Why It's A
Winner:
People were skeptical when
ABC brought the show
back, but they were wrong. Though it didn't set the world on fire, it
was
very solid in every timeslot it aired and even won in some younger
demos,
like men 18-34, the demo which the networks have seen flee this season.
ABC waited, gave the show a new twist, and yes, it did have me hooked
again.
It hate to wait unitl May to see it again, but this is a smart move for
ABC and the anticipation strategy will probably pay off to bigger
ratings
next time around.
America's
Next Top Model
Viewers:
7.0mil (74)
Adults:
3.4 (41)
Why It's A
Winner:
This show singlehandedly
saved the UPN's February
sweeps and set network records in quite a few demos. It got off to a
solid
start, but soon zoomed past 7mil viewers, making it the highest rated
series
on either the WB or the UPN so far this season.
The
Apprentice
Viewers:
19.2mil (8)
Adults:
9.6 (6)
Why It's A
Winner:
People gasped when NBC
broke up its one Must-See
Thursday line-up to air this reality show. But were they right? Not at
all. "The Apprentice" has singlehandledly reinvigorated NBC's Thursday
fortunes, leading the night up over last year and giving lead-out "ER"
some rare increases over last season after hitting series lows early on.
Fear
Factor
Viewers:
16.1mil (16)
Adults:
7.1 (11)
Why It's A
Winner:
The little reality show
that could, the one that
nobody ever talks about, has gained a huge following and just wrapped
up
its best sweeps performance ever by far, setting series records in
viewers
and adults.
Cold
Case
Viewers:
16.3mil (15)
Adults:
3.4 (41)
Why It's A
Winner:
While young adults may not
see the show as their
cup of tea, yet, older viewers are watching this show en masse. while
NBC
liked to tout "Las Vegas," "Cold Case" is the true drama hit of the
season,
running away with the viewers race on Sundays and giving CBS a badly
needed
shot on the once again powerful night.
One
Tree Hill
Viewers:
4.3mil (92)
Adults:
1.7 (93)
Why It's A
Winner:
It's easy to write this
show off, but its sweeps
performances have been nothing short of amazing. It's now within a few
hundred thousand viewers of its "Gilmore Girls" lead-in, despite facing
sitcoms on ABC & NBC, "24" and the UPN's phenom "America's Next Top
Model." The fact that this show drew only 2.5mil viewers for its
premiere
back in September makes this feat all the more impressive.
JustTV: February Sweeps 2004 Wrap