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ABC wants you this summer
    Following suit with NBC & Fox, this week ABC announced big plans for the normally dormant summer season. The big news: "The Mole" will be coming back, but with a new name. But since it's late, I'll post the news up on TV Talk tomorrow (April 26). Sorry for the teaser..... (April 26, 12:56am)

"Bachelor" heats up
    There appears to be some hope for ABC yet. It's finally got a show that's actually growing in viewers- "The Bachlor." The penultimate installement heated up on Monday night, jumping to by far its best ratings yet- 13.2mil viewers. Not only was it a close second in the slot to "Raymond" (15.4mil) and "Becker" (14.0mil), but it actually won in adults and most of the younger demos. Yes, ABC actually won something... scary, huh? With the last episode airing Thursday night, ABC might actually get a foothold in May sweeps. Elsewhere in the hour, "Third Watch" (11.3mil) was a solid third, but the news wasn't so good for "Ally McBeal." It slipped to just 8.5mil viewers, its worst non-Olympics performance of the season. "Angel" (4.0mil) was way back in fifth, followed closely by repeats of "The Parkers" (3.7mil) and "Girlfriends (3.4mil).
     At 8pm, it was NBC that had the win, even with a repeat of "Fear Factor" (11.8mil). CBS was second, coming up from last week with "Yes, Dear" (11.1mil) and the sure-to-be-renewed "Baby Bob" (11.5mil). Fox's "Boston Public" was third (10.7mil), while "Americas Funniest" (8.8mil) scored typical ratings for ABC. "7th Heaven" (7.5mil) wasn't too far back, leaving "The Hughleys" (3.0mil) and "One On One" (3.1mil) to pick up what was left.
     In the late hour, a repeat "Crossing Jordan" (10.3mil) beat out a special "First Monday" (9.6mil) and the ABC special "Talking to The Dead" (9.5mil), although the latter won most of the young demos.
     Compared to last season, the results weren't bad, but one network really saved the day. Starting with the losers, Fox was the biggest, down 18%, NBC dipped 11% and CBS 7% ("Raymond" was new last year). On the winners side, the UPN was up 3%, the WB 9% (on comparable line-ups), but ABC was the big winner, up a whopping 44%. In total, the nets drew 52.2mil viewers this season, down only 1% from last year's 52.9mil, based on an almost entirely new line-up. (April 20)

Good news amongst the bad on Thursday
    There was soem bad new from the broadcast nets on Thursday night, but amongst the bad new, there was also some good. First the bad: overall ratings slid 15% compared to last season. But now the good news: some shows airing repeats this season were off only marginally compared to new episodes last year.
     Starting at 8pm, two episodes of "Friends" drew 16.6mil and 17.1mil- in repeats. Last season, the 8pm episode of the series was even, compared to a new episode, while the second episode  was up 51% versus a new episode of "The Weber Show" from last season. But "Survivor" won the hour, drawing 19.7mil viewers. "WWF Smackdown!" was second, drawing 4.8mil in the hour, leaving "Whose Line" in fourth (4.6mil; 4.9mil). Fox slid off the map once again with "The Family Guy" (4.0mil) and "Greg The Bunny" (3.2mil), while "Gilmroe Girls" was too far behind at 2.6mil.
     At 9pm, it was "CSI"s turn to share the good news. A repeat of that show drew 22.3mil viewers, off only 5% from the 23.5mil a new episode drew last season. A new "Will & Grace" (15.7mil) was up 12% over a new episode last season, but "Just Shoot Me" dropped to only 11.6mil, down 13% from last season. From 8-10pm, NBC 13% this season with only 50% new episodes, compared to an all new line-up last season. "Millionaire" was steady from last week at 8.4mil. This week last season, it dropped below 15.0mil (14.8mil) for a Thursday episode for the very first time since it exploded. The UPN was third at 6.5mil (5.7mil overall), while Fox drew only 3.6mil and 3.8mil for an hour of "King Of The Hill." "Charmed" was not too far behind, drawing 2.9mil.
     In the late hour, it was close, but "ER" (12.9mil) overpowered a Rosie-themed "PrimeTime Thursday" (12.5mil). "The Agency" (10.3mil) was third.
     Compared to last season, even network was down. The UPN lost the least, down 3%. NBC lost 13%, but aired all new shows last season compared to just 2 out of 6 half hours this season. CBS and ABC both lost 17%, Fox lost a quarter of its audience, while the WB dropped 30%, but mostly because of a new episode of "Charmed: last season. Overall, the nets drew 52.2mil this season, down 15% from last year's 61.7mil. But last year, the line-ups were 80% new, while this year that figure stood at only 50%. (April 19)

Everybody's a loser on Wednesday
    In a week that will likely be the lowest rated in the history of regular season network tv, Wednesday offered no exception. None of the nets did well, and a few even drew worse than bad, whatever that is.
    Starting out at 8pm, "60 Minutes II" won, if you can call it that. It drew 9.2mil viewers, a spec above NBC's special "Ships at War" (9.1mil). ABC's combo of "My Wife & Kids" and "The George Lopez" drew just 8.8mil, while Fox fell way tot he bottom of the big 4 with "That 80s Show" (5.4mil) and "Grounded For Life" (6.3mil). "Dawsons Creek" (4.0mil) drew modestly for the WB, while "Enterprise" aired its umpteenth repeat in a row, this coming coming up with 3.5mil. 
    At 9pm, "The West Wing" (11.1mil) won with its worst repeat ratings of the season. "The Amazing Race 2" was actually on of the sole winners on the night, drawing 10.0mil, winning in adults. Fox's "The Bernie Mack Show" did well (9.6mil), but "Greg The Bunny" (7.0mil) couldn't hold on. Over on ABC two episodes of "The Job" slipped to 7.3mil. "Felicity" (3.6mil) did okay in the hour, but the ratings bottom seemed to fall out of "Wolf Lake" (2.3mil).
    In the late hour, "Law & Order" came up with 15.4mil for a repeat, leaving "48 Hours" (9.4mil) and "20/20 Downtown" (7.8mil) in the dust.
    Compared to last season, CBS was the sole network showing a gain, it was up 22%. On the losers side, the WB was down only 2% on the same lineup, NBC and Fox both dropped 17% on mixed line-ups, the UPN dropped 27% from a new line-up, while ABC fell 30% based on a new line-up. In total, the nets drew 43.1mil viewers this year, down 15% from last year's 50.9mil. (April 17)
 

Bye-Bye "Ally McBeal"
    One of the fun guessing games this season was trying to figure out if Fox would pull the plug on "Ally McBeal." But yesterday, David E. Kelley beat them to the punch, saying that he would end the drama on May 20th. This comes just a few days after the series' first two hour special drew only 9.3mil viewers, and barely took third in the slot in adults, a demo it used to own.
     But there is a sense of watch what you say here. Back in a 1998 interview with Entertainment Weekly (when the show was the talk of everything), DEK said he picture "Ally" as a five year show. Well, it's season 5. Talk about irony. He also added "I'm sure Fox would love to have Calista come back to read the phone book." Now that she's availiable, are we talking a new series here? (April 17)

Everbody's a loser on Tuesday
    After mediocre Monday finished, 5 of the six networks came wheasing across the finish line on Tuesday, showing huge year over year declines. At 8pm, the "winner" was "JAG," though at just 10.6mil viewers for a repeat, is winner the right word to use? Over on NBC, there was some good news from "Watching Ellie." It climbed back up to 8.1mil viewers, up almost a million from last week. It did lose from "Will & Grace" (8.7mil), though its adults ratings, at a 3.5/10, has been the same over the last three weeks. ABC was third with the limping "Dharma & Greg" (7.3mil) and "Spin City" (7.6mil), while Fox did slightly worse with "That 70s Show" (7.0mil) and "Andy Richter" (6.7mil). "Gilmore Girls" (5.1mil) was a very strong fifth, while "Buffy" (2.6mil) tumbled with a repeat.
     At 9pm, "NYPD Blue" came out the least of the losers, coming up with just 11.4mil for a new effort. "Frasier" tied it at 9pm, though "Scrubs" (9.6mil) fell off that 9:30pm. CBS's "The Guardian" slipped to 9.3mil for a 9pm repeat, while "24" slipped off to 8.1mil. "Smallville" did extremely well at 6.1mil, while "Buffy" drew just over a third of that, 2.2mil for a repeat.
In the late hour, "Philly" (9.6mil) barely won out over "Dateline NBC" (8.8mil), though "Judging Amy" (10.6mil) beat them all.
     Compared to last season, only the WB was up, it increased 17%. Other than that, it was pretty ugly. CBS dropped 9% on all all repeat line-up from last season, the UPN dropped 19% from repeats, as did NBC, though it aired all new episodes last year. Fox lost 20%, while ABC plunged 35%. In total, the nets drew only 44.1mil, dropping an astounding 19% of last year's 53.8mil average. (April 17)

"Once & Again: goes out with a whimper
    "Once & Again" ended with a whimper on Monday night, bringing to a close one of the best dramas of the century (the 2000's). The show aired its season finale to just 7.8mil viewers at 10pm, losing the slot to "Crossing Jordan" (12.8mil) and what was probably the series finale of "Family Law" (9.3mil). It the premiered in September of 1999 to 16.9mil viewer on Tuesday night, but slid in the ratings since.
    Monday night was not so kind to another series on the chopping block- "Ally McBeal." That show returned to the schedule after a five week absense to just 9.3mil viewers, this despite its first ever two bhour long episode featuring Christina Ricci and Matthew Perry. Next weekt he show take son Heather Lockler. The winner at 9pm was "Raymond" (16.1mil), though as a repeat it drew far fewer viewers than usual. "Becker" (13.6mil) lost a big portion of its lead-in, as goes without saying. "Third Watch" was second in the hour (10.5mil), btu was followed closely by "The Bachelor" (10.4mil), which rebounded from 8.6mil viewers last week. Fifth was close, but the return of "Angel" had just enough steam to take it, drawing 3.7mil viewers. The UPN regulars drew 3.5mil and 3.6mil in repeats, almost sending "Angel" to a death sentence.
    At 8pm, "Fear Factor" aired its first repeat, drawing a solid 12.9mil. CBS's comedies fell, thanks to "Yes, Dear" (10.4mil). But "Baby Bob" still showed some life, increasing to 10.8mil. ABC's "Funniest Videos" was fourth (8.1mil) behind the first hour of "Ally," which "7th Heaven" aired a new episode for the first time in weeks to a low 7.3mil. "The Hughleys" (2.9mil) and "One On One" (3.2mil) were strong in repeats.
    Compared to last season, all the nets lost but two, with one surprizingly up. Starting with the the bad, Fox dropped 16% from last season's original line-up, UPN dropped 13%, but aired all new episodes last season, CBS was down 8% on a comparable line-up, while NBC dropped on Monday for the first time in a very long time, down 3%. Why? This week last season it launched "The Weakest Link," which has a phenominal start, but look where it is only a season later.... So that leaves... the WB (up 10%) and ABC (up a third). In total, the nets drew 50.5mil viewers this season, down only 2% from last year's 51.7mil. (April 16)

CBS edges NBC on repeat Thursday
    CBS had the upper hand on Thursday, thanks to repeats of the key series on NBC. CBS started the winning out with a low rated installment of "Survivor" at 8pm, drawing 19.4mil viewers to "Friends" 16.8mil average in the hour. NBC did win out in adults, but not by much. Third in the hour belonged to (or rather fell into the hands of) the UPN, whose "Smackdown! drew 5.1mil viewers. ABC's "Whose Line?" combo was next, at a pathetic 4.6mil and 5.1mil. Not to be outdone, Fox did even worse, coming up with only 4.8mil for "Family Guy" and 3.7mil for "Greg The Bunny." The WB's "Gilmore Girls" was not too far behind, drawing 2.7mil.
    At 9pm, "CSI" won big, raking up 21.6mil for a repeat episode. Though NBC won in adults, once again, "Will & Grace" (16.4mil) and "Just Shoot Me" (14.7mil) were no match in viewers. Third, and I mean that in the sarcastic sense, went to "Millionaire" (8.0mil), followed by "Smackdown!" (6.9mil in the hour, 6.0mil overall). Over on Fox, things got even worse at 9pm. "The Family Guy" managed 4.4mil at 9pm, but "Andy Richter" crashed to only 3.1mil at 9:30pm, slipping behind even "Charmed" (3.2mil). Why does Fox keep airing these show if they know they're going bomb? At 10pm, a repeat "ER" (14.8mil) had the edge over a strong "PrimeTime Thursday" (12.1mil) and a weak repeat of "The Agency" (9.1mil).
     Compared to last season, there was only one winner, and that was NBC, up 38%. On this night last year, it aired the pilot episodes of "Friends, "W&G" and "ER" to ugly ratings. On the losers side, the UPN slid 8%, Fox just 11% (shockingly), the WB 19% and ABC 27%. Surprizingly, the biggest loser of the night was CBS, which dropped 28%. This week last season, it drew 27.6mil for "Survivor: Outback," 23.4mil for a new "CSI," but what really killed it this season was the 18.9mil that a repeat "CSI" drew at 10pm. In total, the nets dropped a big 11% of their viewership, going from 60.1mil to 53.2mil. (April 12)

"Family Law" gone, "Race 3" to come
    It was a good news/bad news situation for CBS on Thursday (well, good news on both side for people who enjoy quality tv). CBS announced that it's benching the last two episodes of "Family Law" to be replaced by a special and an episode of "48 Hours." CBS says the show might be back next season, but look at the facts. It's not airing it during sweeps and replacing it with a newsmagazine, and one that's not "60 Minutes." Odds for next season: slim to none.
    But in the same breath, CBS announced that it's seeking contestants for "The Amazing Race 3." But auditions won't likely be held until July, so having it air over the summer, or even in the fall, is impossible. Is a mid season birth in the works? It's highly likely. The show ranks second in viewers and adults in its Wednesday timeslot. (April 12)

"The Bachelor" to come back
    ABC might have a show that approached being a hit. so what does it do? Cancels it, what'ya think? No, actually, it's bringing the marginally successful "The Bachelor" was for a second season, likely to air this fall. The show wraps up its run in two weeks (with episodes on April 15, 22 and the finale on Thursday, April 25th). (April 12)

Fox wants you over the summer
    Why go out and do somethig with yourself over the summer when you can stay inside and watch Fox? This is what the network wants you to think, and it's prepared an agressive summer schedule, much like NBC's, to air over the warm months. Here are the highlights. "American Idol" (like Popstars, starts Tuesday, June 11, 9pm, half hour live episode Wednesday, 9:30pm). "I Want A Husband: Alaska" (like a female "The Bachelor," premieres Thursday, May 23, 9pm, continues for four weeks. "Beyoind Belief" - remember this series that Fox has already cancelled a number of times? Well, its back, airing Thursday May 30th at 8pm for 13 episodes.
      "The Cedric Show"- Fox will premiere this comedy sometime over the summer with 8 episodes. Fox news magazine- what was the Fox newsmag that aired a few years back? "The Fox Files?" I don't remember, but its back, thanks to Fox News. "Celebrity Boot Camp." 5 episodes. 5 celebrities. now you just have to find 5 stars willing to degrade themselves on national tv. Why not ask the stars of "Yes, Dear" ? "Mike Darnell Project" -a reality show with no details of yet. There are also 10 hours of original hit programming sitting on the shelf, waiting to go. My guess? 5 episodes of "That 70s Show," 2 "The Simpsons," a "Malcolm" and whatever the hell's left of "Titus." In total, there's 80 original hours up for your pleasure. With roughly 250 hours of primetime programming during the summer months, that's only 32%. Hey Fox, NBC (at 40%) already got you beat. (April 12)

Exactely one winner on Wednesday
    In a season that's becoming a "just-best-left-forgotten" scenario, it was case in point on Wednesday as only one winner could be called. And that winner was "Law & Order," which drew 10.4mil viewers, crushing "48 Hours" (8.5mil) and tyhe fast fading "20/20 Downtown" (6.2mil).
    The "forgotten" word would be best to describe every other slot in the night, from 8pm right through to 10pm. Starting out early, CBS took the hour with "60 Minutes II" (10.0mil), but ABC's repeat "My Wife & Kids" (10.1mil) and "The George Lopez Show" (9.1mil) were first in adults, second in viewers. "Ed" lost steam in third (9.2mil), while Fox's duo of "That 80s Show"  (6.2mil) and "Grounded For Life" (6.8mil) took another step close to cancellation. "Dawsons Creek" landed in sixth (3.8mil), while a repeat 'Enterprise" (3.5mil) was close behind.
    At 9pm, "The West Wing" took it on a repeat (13.1mil), leaving nothing for anybody else. "The Amazing Race 2" (9.6mil) was a distant second, followed by a little competition between Fox and ABC. "The Drew Carey Show (9.3mil) beat out "Bernie Mack" (9.0mil) at 9pm, but "Greg The Bunny " (8.0mil) had "The Job"s number (7.6mil) at 9:30pm. In total, Fox took it by a fraction. Fifth belonged to "Felicity" (3.7mil), while "Wolf Lake" (2.5mil) continues to do surprizingly well on the UPN.
    But as bad as the ratings got, only one thing was worse: last season. 4 of the six nets actually grew from last year, while two stumbled badly. Starting with the good, CBS was up 25%, NBC 17% (based on all repeats last season), while Fox and the WB both posted 15% gains. On the losers side, it was ABC, down 20%, and the UPN, down 32%, although last year it ran an all new line-u, featuring the premiere of "Special Unit 2." In total, the nets drew 45.7mil viewers this season, up 4% from last year's 43.7mil. (April 11)

Record lows abound for ABC on Tuesday
    It was a record Tuesday for ABC- for futility. Three of its four series airing on the night set new series lows, while the other wasn't exactely a becon in the storm. "Dharma & Greg" started off the night with a record low 6.8mil, followed by "Spin City" with an even worse 6.2mil. This will likely be the final nail in the coffin for both series. But it wasn't as if they fell that far behind the competition, everybody pretty much sucked. "JAG" won the hour with a season new episode low 14.8mil, while Fox was second with the dumb duo of "70s" (8.8mil) and "Andy Richter" (7.3mil). NBC was a pathetic third with "Will & Grace" (7.2mil) and the likely-to-be-cancelled "Watching Ellie" (7.6mil), which set yet another low. "Gilmore Girls" was a strong fifth in the hour with 5.4mil, while "Buffy" trailed with just 2.5mil.
     At 9pm, "The Guardian" (13.1mil) won overall, but "Frasier" (14.0mil) won at 9pm, followed by "Scrubs" (10.8mil) at 9:30pm. "24" was third with 8.7mil, but second in adults, while "NYPD Blue" sunk to 8.0mil for a repeat effort. The wB was fifth with "Smallville" (4.6mil, repeat), while the combo of "The Parkers" (2.4mil) and "Girlfriends" (2.2mil) didn't smell like a bunch of roses for the UPN. At 10pm, "Judging Amy" (14.1mil) took an easy victory over "Dateline NBC" (10.0mil) and "The Court" (6.8mil), which also set a series low.
    Compared to last seasons, the winners won big, but the losers lost even bigger. The WB flew up 85, NBC was up 15% while CBS gained 12%. On the losers side,  Fox lost 19%, the UPN 20%, while ABC plunged a jaw-dropped 54%, from 15.3mil to 7.1mil. In total, the nets shed 11% of their audience, down to 46.8mil from 52.5mil. (April 10)

"Fighter Pilots" gone, others likely
    "AFP: American Fighter Pilots" is gone, poof! Just like that. After two weeks, the show averaged on 4.5mil viewers, one of CBS worst Friday performanced ever. The show could return over the summer, but it's not likely.
    Other series likely sayuing good-bye: "Watching Ellie" (which wraps up next week after dropping to just 7.6mil) and "Spin City" (6.2mil, one hour finale airs April 30th). And as much as I hate to say it (although I haven't watched it in four months), "Dharma & Greg" will likely say good bye on April 30th with a one hour finale, after dropping to just 6.8mil last week. One thing: the nets should have to make these decisions in March so the show can wrap up properly, not leave viewers hanging. AKA- "Once & Again." That show will go out on Monday. (April 10)

"Wednesday," "Court," latest victims
    "Wednesday, 9:30pm" and "The Court" are the latest victims of the 2001-2002 season. ABC canned the series on Friday, replacing them with what they replace. For "Wednesday, "The Job" will step back up, airing four episodes over the next three weeks. For "The Court," "Philly" will come back early, wrapping up by April 30. If 'The Court" performs a miracle this Tuesday, it could very well be back, but it's not likely. (April 8)

Fox plunges on Thursday
   Just when Fox thought things couldn't get any worse on Thursday night, along comes April 4th and makes everything worse. The net drew only 4.1mil viewers on the night, its lowest marks in years, including in the summer. "The Family Guy" was the high point of the night with only 4.6mil viewers. "Greg The Bunny" slipped to 4.4mil at 8:30pm, "King of the Hill" did even worse with just 4.0mil, while "Andy Richter" plunged to only 3.4mil at 9:30pm.
    None of the the networks outside of CBS and NBC really did well on the night. ABC bombed with "Whose Line?" (5.0mi, 6.0mil); "Millionaire" (8.0mil) and "PrimeTime Thursday" (8.8mil), the WB was out the race altogether with "Gilmore Girls" (2.9mil) and "Charmed" (2.8mil). The UPN took fourth on the night with "Smackdown!" (5.7mil).
    Now for the goodies. "Friends" (a clip show, so I called it a repeat) drew 22.7mil at 8pm, but "Leap of Faith" slid to 14.8mil at 8:30pm. "Will & Grace" jumped to 16.1mil at 9pm, but "Just Shoot Me" fell again to 14.9mil. "ER" capped off the night with a very strong 28.5mil, one of its best performances of the season. Over on the eye, "Survivor" started off with a strong 22.0mil at 8pm, "CSI" got lifted to 26.6mil at 9pm, but "The Agency" lost 64% of that, its worst drop off yet, coming up with just 9.8mil. This crippled CBs's chances of winning the night.
    Compared to last season, all the networks but one lost viewers. Starting with the winner, NBC, it flew up 75%, but last year it aired an all repeat line-up. The least of the losers was CBS, down only 1%. The UPN dropped 10%, the WB 19%, Fox 20%, while ABC plunged 35%. In total, the nets drew 60.5mil viewers this season, up 4% from last years results. But had NBC aired repeats, the outcome would have been much different. (April 5)

Specials galore for May
    Besides NBC's month long 75th anniversary celebration, May is promising to be chocked full of specials commerating tv's big series of the past. Starting with ABC, the net is planning a one hour "Laverne & Shirley" special to air at 8pm, Tuesday May 8th, produced under the "Entertianment Tonight" banner. "That's Incredible!" reunites Tuesday, May 21st at 8pm, Friday, May 3rd with see 8-10pm be devoted to "American Bandstand," while Tuesday, April 29th will be entirely devoted to Gilda Radner. 10pm, Monday, May 10th will see the TV Guide special "The Greatest TV Shows Of All Time."
    And if that special seems like it would draw big ratings, consider this: it's airing against a one hour "Mary Tyler Moore" special on CBS. The eye is also planning an hour devoted to "The Honeymooners," and a two hour show celebrating the Television City studios. And towards the end of April- Sunday the 28th, I think, an hour will be devoted to the stars who love "Everybody Loves Raymond."
     Not to be left out, but without series classic enough to be considered (minus "The Simpsons- why hasn't Fox done this already?), Fox will steal ABC's "Three's Company" for a special that will probably air in May.
     Oh, and if you haven't heard about NBC, its reuniting "The Cosby Show," "LA Law," and "Cheers" to name a few. (April 5)

"Mad TV" will make it to 9
    Who would have ever thought that "Mad TV," a show that started so under the radar, and more or less remains there, would make it to 9 seasons? It will do just that in 2003, as Fox has renewed it for two more seasons. That will give it a tie with "The X-Files" for Fox's third longest running series, after "The Simpsons" and "Married, With Children." 
     Fox says that it's been showing solid ratings gains so far this season, but I think it has more to do with the fact that it's primetime lineup is crumbling. It's still no challenge to "SNL," but does very well in urban markets. In the overnights, "SNL usually draws in the 7-8 ratings range, while "Mad TV" draws just under a 5.0. (April 5)

Will "CSI" over take "Friends" ?
    With "CSI" continually ascending the ratings, the question is, will (or could) "CSI" overtake "Friends" as this season's top rated show. The ratings are close. So far, "CSI" is averaging 23.455 million viewers an episode (including the April 4th airings), while "Friends" is onlt 4% ahead with 24.331 million. But considering that "Friends" is going to have Rachel's birth driving the season finale, don't place your bests on "CSI." (April 5)

"George Lopez" stands alone
   It was the week after the next tried to force three new shows down our throats, and viewers reacted in kind. the lone winner? ABC's "The George Lopez Show," which drew only slightly lower than last week at 10.1mil, but still down a bit from "My Wife & Kids" (12.1mil). The two combined gave ABC a win in the hour in adults, but it did get beaten out in viewers to "60 Minutes II" (11.2mil). "Ed" (10.0mil) was third, Fox fourth witht he dud duo of "That 80s Show" (6.7mil) and "Grounded For Life" (6.8mil), while "Enterprise" wasn't too far off with 5.7mil. "Dawsons Creek" settled for 4.0mil
   At 9:30pm, the two other new shows didn't perform so well. In fact, "Greg The Funny" (8.6mil) fell a million and a half viewers, losing out from "The Bernie Mack Show" (9.6mil). But that still gave Fox second in the hour, lead by "The West Wing" (17.7mil). "The Amazing Race 2" (9.0mil) was third, followed by the duo of "Drew Carey" (9.0mil) and "Wednesday" (7.0mil), which lost about a million viewers from its premiere. "Felicity" was fifth with 3.4mil, while the UPN premiered "Wolf Lake" to a solid, if not spectacular 2.9mil. At 10pm, "Law & Order" (20.0mil) was the usual winner, followed by "48 Hours" (7.2mil) and an ABC news special (7.0mil).
    Compared to last season, it wasn't as bad as it could have been. The WB led the winners, up 54%. The UPN jumped 34%, while NBC was up 5%. CBS lost the least, 8%, ABC dropped 15%, while Fox slid 21% thanks to last season's premiere of "Boot Camp" Remember that show? Neither do I, but it ranked 25th this week last season. In total, the nets drew 49.8mil viewers on average, down only 2% from last year's 50.9mil. (April 5)

"Watching Ellie" stabilizes
   After a month of see-sawing in the ratings (but mostly sawing- or declining), "Watching Ellie" drew about 10.0mil viewers on Tuesday for two episodes. The first drew 9.6mil, off slightly from last week, down from its "Frasier" (10.1mil) lead-in. the 9:30pm installment drew 10.4mil, dropping significantly from a new "Frasier" (14.3mil). "Dateline NBC" capped the night with 10.8mil.
     Other than that, CBS still won the 8pm hour with a repeat "JAG" (12.0mil). ABC was third with two episodes of "Dharma & Greg" (7.7mil, 9.1mil) performing rather well, at least considering what it's drawn lately. Fox fell to fourth with a repeat "70s" (7.6mil) and "Andy Richter" (6.7mil). The WB took fifth with "Gilmore Girls" (4.2mil), followed by "Buffy" (2.7mil)
      At 9pm, NBC won, with CBS was second with a repeat "The Guardian" (10.0mil). "24" was third with 8.7mil, while a repeat "Blue" drew only 8.0 mil viewers. "Smallville" was fifth with 4.6mil viewers, while the UPN drew 2.1mil for back-to-back episodes of "Girlfriends." At 10pm, a new "Judging Amy" (14.1mil) was tops, while "The Court" (7.9mil) dropped, alot.
      Compared to last season, four of the six nets increased, but they didn't draw enough to overcome the losers. The WB was up 38%, NBC 15%, Fox 4% and CBS 3%. The UPN dropped 30%, while ABC plunged 48%. The nest drew 45.8mil viewers this season, down a steep 10% from last year's 51.0mil. (April 3)

"Roswell" finally cancelled
      The UPN announced Wednesday that "Roswell" has been cancelled. This comes months after fan sites reported the dismantling of the sets. There is no words if the series will reappear, even in summer repeats. (April 3)

"Third Watch" back with a bang
   After three weeks of going without, viewers welcomed "Third Watch" back in record numbers. The show drew 12.7mil viewers at 9pm, its best performance of the season, virtually locking up its renewal for next season. This despite not having "Fear Factor" for a lead-in, and a repeat "Crossing Jordan" for a lead-out. In fact, it grew 65% out of the 7.7mil the special "Salé & Pellitier's Homecoming" drew "Crossing Jordan" took 11.0mil at 10pm, very good for a repeat.
    But it was CBS's night to win, and they did handily. A repeat "Raymond" drew 17.2mil viewer at 8pm, that slots best performance of the season. "Baby Bob" drew a strong 15.0mil at 8:30pm. Both would have drawn higher, were it not for the live "NCAA Championships" airing at 9pm. They drew 21.1mil viewers, an 11% drop from last season. But because of the live nature, the final ratings could go either way.
    NBC & CBS, however, weren't the only ratings winners. ABC, surprizingly, had its own bragging rights. The second week of "The Bachelor" drew 10.4mil viewers, up about 600,000 from last week. "Americas Funniest Home Videos" took 10.4mil in the 8pm hour, while "Once & Again" took a strong 8.1mil at 10pm. Only two more weeks to go....
     And then came the losers. Fox aired a repeat "Boston Public" (6.6mil) and the just cancelled "American Embassy" (5.7mil). The WB countered with two episodes of "7th Heaven" (5.3mil, 4.1mil), while the UPN vented with an all repeat line-up consisting of the regulars (3.1mil, 3.2mil, 3.1mil, 2.9mil).
      Compared to last season, it wasn't all that bad. Fox was down the most, 16%. The UPN dropped 12% while CBS slid a small 5%. On the winners side, the WB was up 4%, NBC 19%, while ABC led the way (how often to we get the hear that, besides "the way to futility") with a gain of 21%. In total, the nets averaged 53.5mil viewers this year, up a tiny 2% from last year's 52.6mil. (April 2)

3, count'em, 3 more cancellations
    In a month that has not been very good for new series in general, three more got the boot on Monday. First of, Fox announced the non-surprisingly cancellation of "American Embassy." The show drew just 5.5mil viewers last week, increasing to 5.7mil this past week. But at a tiny 3.9 hoursehold rating and an even lower adults rating, is anybody surprized?
    Over on the UPN, the day was not kind to the UPN's latest mid-season entry "Under One Roof." The show has drawn only less than two million viewers in its two weeks on the air. Also gone is the rebroadcast of "The Amazing Race 2," which is only drawing 1.6mil viewers on Friday. the net drew twice that many with its movie.
     That leaves very few mid season series with their fates undecided. On the WB and the UPN, no mid season series remain, while Fox is sticking with "Greg the Bunny" and "Andy Richter." NBC has only "Watching Ellie" and "Leap of Faith" on the air, and both will soon be making their exits, even if they do make it to next season. Over on ABC, 4 series remain, all of which premiered last week. With the best shot of survival are "Geroge Lopez" and "The Bachelor." "The Cout" doesn't look long for the world, the same for "Wednesday 9:30pm, 8:30 Central." And CBS, with a lone mid season hit in "Baby Bob," has both "First Monday" and "American Fighter Pilots" awaiting their deaths. (April 2)

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