Even Jeopardy!, syndication’s top show, headed south in what is normally a highly watched week ended February 12.

That drop came despite short, cold days that typically attract TV viewers and the week being bookended by the Grammy Awards on Sunday, February 5 and Super Bowl LVII on Sunday, February 12, with President Joe Biden’s State of the Union speech airing midweek on Tuesday, February 7.

Syndie stalwarts such as CBS Media Ventures’ Jeopardy! sagged 7% to a six-week-low 5.6 live plus same day national household rating, according to Nielsen. Jeopardy! still led the category and all of syndication for a 19th straight week. 

CBS' sister strip Wheel of Fortune slowed 5% to a 5.2, tying Debmar-Mercury’s Family Feud, which fell back 4%.

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Fox’s 25 Words or Less, hosted and executive-produced by Meredith Vieira, lost 13% to a 0.7, tying Fox’s steady You Bet Your Life with host Jay Leno.

CBS’s renewed newcomer Pictionary, starring Jerry O’Connell, was the only strip in first-run to improve, rising 25% to a 0.5.

Allen Media Group’s Funny You Should Ask held at a 0.4 for a fourth straight week.

Disney’s Live with Kelly and Ryan and Tamron Hall were the only two talkers in the top five to avoid a decline. Live — which will see Kelly Ripa’s husband Mark Consuelos take over as Ripa’s regular co-host, replacing the soon-to-depart Ryan Seacrest — has been the sole top talker for the past 22 weeks, remaining steady week to week at a 1.6. Tamron Hall has been hanging out at a 0.8 for the past five weeks. Among daytime’s key demographic of women 25-54, Live led with a 0.6.

CBS’s Dr. Phil, which will end first-run production after this season, softened 7% to a 1.3. NBCUniversal’s Kelly Clarkson pulled back 10% to a third-place 0.9. CBS’ Drew Barrymore declined 11% to a 0.8, tying Tamron Hall. CBS’ Rachael Ray, NBCU’s Steve Wilkos and repeats of NBCU’s Maury all held steady at a 0.7, 0.6 and 0.5, respectively. NBCU’s repackaged combo of Jerry Springer-led court-and-talk repeats regressed 25% to a 0.3.

Debmar-Mercury’s renewed rookie talker Sherri stayed at a 0.7, where the show has landed for 14 of the past 18 regularly titled weeks (discounting retitled episodes that aired during Fox’s coverage of the World Cup soccer tournament late last year). 

Warner Bros.’s Jennifer Hudson, which also has been renewed for a second season, dropped 14% to a 0.6, after being the only show to improve in the prior week. 

NBCU’s Karamo continued to hold at a 0.4 for an eighth consecutive week.

There were no favorable verdicts in any court during the week. Encore episodes of CBS’s Judge Judy led despite dipping 4% to a 4.4. CBS’ Hot Bench held at a second-place 1.2. Warner Bros.’s People’s Court, which was served with cancellation papers late last week, remained at a 0.8 for an eighth straight week. Similarly, Warner Bros.’s Judge Mathis, which is ending, with its star headed to Allen Media Group, stalled at a 0.6. Fox’s Divorce Court and Wrigley Media’s Relative Justice both stayed put at a 0.5 and a 0.3, respectively.  

Allen Media Group’s rookie court We the People with Judge Lauren Lake labored at a 0.3 for a 12th consecutive week.

Trifecta’s true-crime newcomer iCrime with Elizabeth Vargas stayed at a 0.5 for an eighth consecutive week.

CBS’ top-two magazines declined with Inside Edition eroding 4% to a 2.3, while Entertainment Tonight tailed off 4% to a 2.2. NBCU’s Access Hollywood, Fox’s TMZ, Warner Bros.’s Extra and Fox’s Dish Nation all held steady at a 0.8, 0.8, 0.6 and 0.2, respectively. 

Warner Bros.’s The Big Bang Theory deflated 5% but led the off-network sitcoms at a 1.9. Disney’s Last Man Standing sprinted ahead 9% to a 1.2. Disney’s Modern Family forfeited 13% to a 0.7, tying Disney’s Family Guy, which grew 17%; Warner Bros.’s Young Sheldon, which stayed put for a seventh straight week; and Sony Pictures Television’s The Goldbergs, which was flat for a second week. Warner Bros.’s Two and a Half Men faded 14% to a 0.6, tying CBS’s newcomer The Neighborhood, which was flat for the eighth week in a row. Sony’s Seinfeld shrank 17% to a 0.5. Finally, Disney’s Black-ish turned in a 0.4 for the second straight week, tying Disney’s American Housewife and Warner Bros.’s Mom, both of which held steady for a fourth consecutive week. ■

Jennifer Hudson was the only strip in daytime to report a ratings rise in the largely stable week ended February 5. 

Warner Bros.’ rookie talker matched its highest rating since the week ended October 31, with a 17% gain to a 0.7 live plus same day national household rating, according to Nielsen Media Research.

Jennifer Hudson tied fellow talk rookie, Debmar-Mercury’s Sherri, hosted by Sherri Shepherd, which stayed put at a 0.7 for the third straight week and the 13th time in the past 17 regularly scheduled weeks. Both Jennifer Hudson and Sherri have been renewed to return next season.

NBCU’s Karamo, hosted by Karamo Brown, remained at its season high 0.4 for a seventh straight week. 

Disney’s Live with Kelly and Ryan, which has been the sole talk leader for the past 21 weeks, held at a 1.6 for a second week. Among daytime’s key demographic of women 25-54, Live led with a 0.6, followed by CBS Media Ventures’ Dr. Phil at a 0.5 and Sherri at a 0.4. Jennifer Hudson matched its demo high, gaining 50% gain to a 0.3 from a 0.2. 

Second-place Dr. Phil, which will conclude production in May, slipped 7% to a 1.4 in households. 

NBCUniversal’s Kelly Clarkson held at its season-high 1.0 for a third straight week and was the most improved show in the top three, beating its performance from the same week last year by 11%. 

CBS’ Drew Barrymore, Disney’s Tamron Hall, CBS’ Rachael Ray, NBCU’s Steve Wilkos, library episodes of NBCU’s Maury and repeats of NBCU’s Jerry Springer talk-and-court combo were all stable at a  0.9, 0.8, 0.7, 0.6, 0.5 and 0.4, respectively.

Evergreen episodes of CBS’ Judge Judy continued to lead the courts with a steady 4.6. 

CBS’ Hot Bench fell back 8% to a second-place 1.2. Warner Bros.’ People’s Court and Judge Mathis, Fox’s Divorce Court and Wrigley Media’s Relative Justice were all in line with the prior week’s 0.8, 0.6, 0.5 and 0.3, respectively.

Allen Media Group’s We the People with Judge Lauren Lake landed at a 0.3 for an 11th straight week. Trifecta’s true-crime newcomer iCrime with Elizabeth Vargas captured a 0.5 for a seventh consecutive week. 

CBS’ Jeopardy! added 3% to a syndication-leading 6.0, making it 18 weeks at the top for the game-show leader. CBS’ Wheel of Fortune rolled to a 5.5 with a 2% advance to be second in syndication for the ninth time in 10 weeks. Debmar-Mercury’s Family Feud completed the gaming triumvirate, climbing 2% to a new season-high 5.4.

Fox’s 25 Words or Less lodged a 0.8 for a second week, followed by Fox’s You Bet Your Life with host Jay Leno which lost 13% to a 0.7. CBS’ newcomer Pictionary, starring Jerry O’Connell, erased 20% to a 0.4, tying Allen Media Group’s Funny You Should Ask, which held steady for a third week.

Magazines were led by CBS’ Inside Edition, which edged up 4% to a 2.4, and CBS’ Entertainment Tonight, which climbed 5% to a 2.3. Inside Edition and Entertainment Tonight were the category’s only gainers going into the 65th annual Grammys on Sunday, February 5 on CBS. NBCU’s Access Hollywood and Fox’s TMZ both broke even  and remained tied at a 0.8. Warner Bros.’ Extra preserved its 0.6 and was the only magazine to improve in the key demo, advancing 50% among women 25-54 to a 0.3 and tying Access Hollywood. Fox’s Dish Nation descended 33% to a 0.2 from a 0.3. 

Warner Bros.’ The Big Bang Theory led the off-network sitcoms while continuing to orbit at a 2.0 for a second week. Disney’s Last Man Standing stumbled 8% to a 1.1. Disney’s Modern Family flattened at a 0.8 for the fourth straight week. Sony Pictures Television’s The Goldbergs grew  17% to a 0.7, tying Warner Bros.’ Young Sheldon and Two and a Half Men, which were both steady. Disney’s Family Guy gave back 14% to a 0.6, tying Sony’s Seinfeld, which was even Steven for the ninth straight week, and CBS’ newcomer The Neighborhood, which harbored a 0.6 for a seventh consecutive week. Finally, Disney’s Black-ish backed down 20% to a 0.4, tying Disney’s American Housewife and Warner Bros.’ Mom, both of which stayed put for a third straight week.

Family Feud, overcoming a chill that fell over most of syndication in the week ended January 29, generated some heat, spiking 4% to a new season high 5.3 live plus same day national household rating, according to Nielsen Media Research. 

CBS Media Ventures’ Judge Judy, which has been airing in repeats for nearly two years, was the other show in the top-ten to surge, jumping  7% to a ten-week high 4.6. 

Debmar-Mercury’s Family Feud, hosted by Steve Harvey, and Judge Judy ranked as the third and fourth highest-rated strips in syndication, respectively. In addition, Family Feud led all of syndication in the key women 25-54 demographic with a 6% gain to a 1.7.  Family Feud was recently renewed across the country in three-year deals.

Jeopardy! held sway for the 17th straight week although it shaved off 2% to a 5.8. CBS Media Ventures’ Wheel of Fortune fell 4% to a 5.4 but stayed in second for the eighth time in nine weeks. 

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Among the other games, Fox’s 25 Words or Less and You Bet Your Life with host Jay Leno both boasted 14% increases to a 0.8. Rookie Pictionary, starring Jerry O’Connell, rebounded 25% to a 0.5. Allen Media Group’s Funny You Should Ask answered with a 0.4 for a second week.

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CBS Media Ventures’ two most-watched magazines, Inside Edition and Entertainment Tonight, stayed at a 2.3 and 2.2, respectively. NBCUniversal’s Access Hollywood eroded 11% to a 0.8, landing in a tie with Fox’s flat TMZ. Warner Bros.’ Extra held steady at a 0.6. Fox’s Dish Nation notched a 50% improvement to hit a 0.3, up from its standard 0.2.

Talk shows remained under the command of Disney’s Live with Kelly and Ryan for the 20th consecutive week, although CBS’ soon-to-end Dr. Phil came close. Live lost 6% to a 1.6 but has been first or tied for first for 36 straight weeks. Second-place Dr. Phil, which is ending after 21 years at the end of May, held steady at its season-high 1.5 for a third straight week and rose 20% among daytime’s key demographic of women 25-54 to a new season-high 0.6, tying Live for the demo lead. CBS’ Drew Barrymore came in third in the demo at a 0.4.

Dr. Phil, which was spun off of The Oprah Winfrey Show in 2002, has been a force to be reckoned with since its launch, finishing first or tied for first in talk 245 times in the last 326 weeks. 

NBCUniversal’s Kelly Clarkson, which was the only talk show to improve in the prior week, held steady at its season-high 1.0. Drew Barrymore, which as of this season is produced as two half-hours with its ratings cumed, moved up 13% to a fourth- place 0.9 to tie its season and series high. 

Disney’s Tamron Hall, CBS’ Rachael Ray, NBCU’s Steve Wilkos and recycled episodes of NBCU’s Maury were all on par with the prior week’s 0.8, 0.7, 0.6 and 0.5, respectively. NBCU’s repackaged Jerry Springer talk-and-court combo recovered 33% to a 0.4. 

Talk’s rookies all held steady. Debmar-Mercury’s Sherri, hosted by Sherri Shepherd stayed at a 0.7, where it premiered and where it has remained for 12 of the past 16 regularly titled weeks. 

Warner Bros.’ Jennifer Hudson stayed consistent at a 0.6 for a sixth straight week. Sherri has been renewed for two more seasons, while Jennifer Hudson has secured one additional year.

NBCU’s Karamo, hosted by Karamo Brown, posted a 0.4 for the sixth straight week.

Following Judge Judy, CBS’ Hot Bench and Warner Bros.’ People’s Court continued at a 1.3 and a 0.8, respectively. Warner Bros.’ Judge Mathis marshaled a 20% increase to a 0.6. Fox’s Divorce Court settled for a sixth straight 0.5. Wrigley Media’s Relative Justice reversed its prior week’s gain, falling 25% to a 0.3.

Allen Media Group’s court rookie, We the People with Judge Lauren Lake, logged a 0.3 for a tenth consecutive week.

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Trifecta’s true-crime rookie iCrime with Elizabeth Vargas collared a 0.5 for the sixth consecutive week. 

Warner Bros.’ The Big Bang Theory sank 5% to a 2.0. Disney’s Last Man Standing sprinted 9% to a 1.2. Disney’s Modern Family, Warner Bros.’ Two and a Half Men and Young Sheldon and Disney’s Family Guy all held their ground at a 0.8, 0.7, 0.7 and 0.7, respectively. Sony Pictures Television’s The Goldbergs gave away 14% to a 0.6, tying Sony’s Seinfeld, which was steady for the eighth straight week, and CBS’ newcomer The Neighborhood, which held for  a seventh straight week. Finally, Disney’s Black-ish got a 25% boost to a 0.5. ■

Jeopardy!, Wheel of Fortune and Family Feud led the games and all of syndication in the week ended January 22, which included the Martin Luther King Jr., holiday on Monday, January 16. 

CBS Media Ventures’s just-renewed Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune topped everything during the week. Jeopardy! stayed put with a 5.9 live-plus-same-day national household rating, according to Nielsen, making it 16 straight weeks at the top of the chart. Wheel forged ahead 4% to a new season-high 5.6 to take the number-two slot for the seventh time in eight weeks. Debmar-Mercury’s Family Feud inched up 2% to match its season-high 5.1.

Fox’s 25 Words or Less and You Bet Your Life with host Jay Leno were both stable at a 0.7. Leno reportedly suffered broken bones in a recent motorcycle accident, not long after being released from the hospital where he was treated for facial burns suffered in a garage fire. 

CBS’s freshman game Pictionary, starring Jerry O’Connell, erased 20% to a 0.4, tying Allen Media Group’s Funny You Should Ask, which advanced 33%. 

Among the rookie talkers, Nielsen revised its previous week’s rating for Debmar-Mercury’s talk newcomer Sherri, increasing its rating 33% in the week ended January 15 to a new season-high 0.8. The increase came after three weeks of reruns and four weeks of retitled programs during the World Cup soccer tournament. 

In this week’s ratings, Sherri was broken out of the ratings on Monday, and thus was not hurt by MLK holiday preemptions. In the week ended January 22, Sherri slipped 13% to a 0.7, on par with its premiere week and 11 of the past 15 regularly titled weeks.

Unlike Sherri, all five days were counted in the ratings average of Warner Bros.’ Jennifer Hudson.That show still managed to hold its ground at a 0.6 despite extensive losses of its primary run on Monday including in eight of the top ten markets and all of the top five on Martin Luther King Jr. day.

NBCU’s Karamo maintained its season high 0.4 for a fifth straight week with a full five day average despite having its primary run preempted in 12 of the top 48 markets on Martin Luther King Jr., Day.

Among the veteran talkers, Disney’s Live with Kelly and Ryan led for the 19th straight week with a steady 1.7. CBS’ Dr. Phil was second at a stable 1.5. 

NBCUniversal’s Kelly Clarkson, the week’s third most-watched talk show, was the only show in the category to improve week to week, increasing 11% to a four-week high 1.0. Among daytime’s key demographic of women 25-54, Live led with a 0.6, followed by Dr. Phil at a 0.5 and CBS’ Drew Barrymore at a 0.4, which was a new series high in the demographic for that show.

Following Clarkson, Disney’s Tamron Hall, Drew Barrymore, CBS’ Rachael Ray and NBCU’s conflict talker Steve Wilkos, NBCU’s out-of-production Maury, and NBCU’s Jerry Springer court- and-talk combo all were in line with the prior week’s 0.8, 0.8, 0.7, 0.6, 0.5 and 0.3, respectively. 

CBS’s pair of magazine leaders both declined, with Inside Edition losing 4% to a 2.3 and Entertainment Tonight, which was awarded a season high after the Golden Globes in the previous week, easing 85 to a 2.2. NBCU’s Access Hollywood heated up 13% to a new season-high 0.9. Fox’s TMZ also hit a season high, swelling 14% to a 0.8. Warner Bros.’ Extra, which lost some of its runs to holiday basketball on Fox in several large markets on Fox on Monday, gave back 14% from its previous week’s season high to a 0.6. Fox’s Dish Nation nailed a 0.2 for the 38th time in the last 39 regularly titled weeks. 

Repeats of CBS’s Judge Judy led the court shows despite a 2% dip to a 4.3. CBS’ Hot Bench elevated 8% to a 1.3. Warner Bros.’ People’s Court held firm at a 0.8 for a fifth week. Warner Bros.’ Judge Mathis skidded 17% to a 0.5, tying Fox’s Divorce Court, which held at a 0.5 for a fifth consecutive week. Wrigley Media’s Relative Justice jumped 33% to a 0.4. Allen Media Group’s freshman gaveler We the People with Judge Lauren Lake locked in a 0.3 for a ninth straight week. On Monday, Allen Media Group officially announced that Equal Justice with Eboni K Williams would join its raft of court shows this fall. 

Trifecta’s rookie true crime strip iCrime with Elizabeth Vargas stayed at a 0.5 for the fifth week in a row.

Warner Bros.’s The Big Bang Theory expanded 5% to a new season-high 2.1. Disney’s Last Man Standing spiked 10% to a 1.1. Disney’s Modern Family and Warner Bros.’ Two and a Half Men and Young Sheldon all stood pat at a 0.8, 0.7 and 0.7, respectively. Disney’s Family Guy and Sony Pictures Television’s The Goldbergs both gained 17% to tie Sheldon and Men. Sony’s Seinfeld and CBS’ newcomer The Neighborhood both stayed at a 0.6 for a seventh and sixth straight week, respectively. Finally, Disney’s American Housewife and Warner Bros.’s Mom both moved up 33% to a 0.4 to tie Disney’s Black-ish, which broke even for the fifth time in six weeks. ■

Entertainment magazines benefited from the start of awards season, which launched with the January 10 return of the Golden Globes on NBC and the Critics’ Choice Awards on January 15 on The CW.

CBS Media Ventures’s Entertainment Tonight and Inside Edition led the pack with each at a 2.4 live plus same day national household rating, while Warner Bros.’s Extra hit a season-high 0.7 in the week ended January 15. ET climbed 4% for the week and 26% over the prior two weeks to hit its best household number since the week of Thanksgiving, while Inside Edition held at its season best for the fourth time in six weeks.

Extra improved 17% for the week and 40% for the past two weeks to tie Fox’s TMZ, which has held at its season high for three of the past four weeks, for fourth place among the magazines. Extra hits its highest ranking since the week of Halloween.              

In third place, NBCUniversal’s Access Hollywood remained at its season high 0.8 for the fifth time in six weeks. Fox’s Dish Nation nibbled at a 0.2 for the 37th time in the last 38 regularly titled weeks (excluding World Cup soccer on Fox). 

Disney’s Live with Kelly and Ryan remained the talk leader, rising 6% to a 1.7. Live has now led the category for 18 straight weeks. Among daytime’s key demographic of women 25-54, Live led with a 0.6, followed by CBS Media Ventures’ Dr. Phil at a 0.5 and Disney’s Tamron Hall at a 0.4, marking a new demographic season high for Hall. 

Dr. Phil, the only talker to tally an increase in the prior week, grew 15% to a second-place 1.5, matching its season high. NBCU’s Kelly Clarkson, the number-three talker, stood fast at a 0.9. Tamron Hall increased 14% for the week to a 0.8 to tie CBS’s flat Drew Barrymore (recently renewed for a fourth season). CBS’s Rachael Ray relished a 17% spike to a 0.7. NBCU’s trio of conflict talkers – Steve Wilkos, the out-of-production Maury and the Jerry Springer repacked court-and-talk combo – all stayed put at a 0.6, 0.5 and 0.3, respectively.

Debmar-Mercury’s renewed Sherri, starring Sherri Shepherd, returned to original episodes after three weeks of reruns and four weeks of retitled programs during the World Cup soccer tournament, rebounding 17% to a 0.7. That matched the year-ago rating for Debmar-Mercury’s Wendy Williams, the show Sherri replaced in many markets.

Warner Bros.’ Jennifer Hudson, recently picked up for another season, held steady at a 0.6 and rose 50% among women 25-54 from a 0.2 to a 0.3 to tie Sherri in the demo. 

NBCU’s Karamo, hosted by Karamo Brown, hit a season-high 0.4 for a fourth consecutive week.

CBS’ Jeopardy! – which, along with its access partner CBS’ Wheel of Fortune, was just renewed on the ABC owned stations in a five-year deal – inched up 2% to a 5.9 to lead the games and all of syndication as usual. Wheel of Fortune stayed at a 5.4 to finish second for the sixth time in seven weeks, while Debmar-Mercury’s Family Feud finished at a 5.0 for a third straight week. Fox’s 25 Words or Less lost 13% to a 0.7, tying Fox’s You Bet Your Life with host Jay Leno, which held for the fourth consecutive week. 

CBS freshman game Pictionary, starring Jerry O’Connell, drew a 0.5 for a third week. Allen Media Group’s Funny You Should Ask accumulated a sixth straight 0.3. 

Repeats of CBS’s Judge Judy led the court shows with a 4.4. CBS’s Hot Bench and Warner Bros.’s People’s Court settled for a stable 1.2 and 0.8, respectively. Warner Bros.’s Judge Mathis vaulted 20% to a 0.6. Fox’s Divorce Court dawdled at a 0.5 for the fourth week in a row. Wrigley Media’s Relative Justice eased 25% to a 0.3 to tie Allen Media Group’s court rookie We the People with Judge Lauren Lake, which stayed at that level for an eighth consecutive week. 

Trifecta’s rookie true crime strip iCrime with Elizabeth Vargas captured a 0.5 for the fourth week in a row.  

Warner Bros. long-running off-net sitcom leader The Big Bang Theory heated up 5% to a 2.0. Disney’s Last Man Standing slipped 9% to a 1.0. Disney’s Modern Family recovered 14% to a 0.8. Warner Bros.’s Two and a Half Men and Warner Bros.’s Young Sheldon both stayed at a 0.7. Sony Pictures Television’s The Goldbergs and Seinfeld, CBS newcomer The Neighborhood and Disney’s Family Guy all tied and stayed put at a 0.6. Finally, Disney’s Black-ish held at a 0.4 for the fourth time in five weeks. ■

Jeopardy! returned to the top of syndication in the week ended January 8, climbing 12% to a 5.8 live plus same day national household rating, according to Nielsen Media Research. CBS Media Ventures’ top-rated game show had declined in the two previous preemption-heavy holiday weeks.

Jeopardy! was followed by CBS’ sibling game Wheel of Fortune, which improved 13% to a second-place 5.4. Both Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune have been renewed for five more years on the ABC owned TV stations. 

Debmar-Mercury’s Family Feud was flat at a 5.0 and fell back to third place among games for the fifth time in six weeks. As usual, however, the Steve Harvey-led game topped all shows among syndication’s key demographic of women 25-54 at a 1.6.

Fox’s 25 Words or Less, starring and hosted by Meredith Vieira, leapt 14% to a 0.8. Fox’s You Bet Your Life, hosted by Jay Leno, logged a 0.7 for the third straight week. CBS’ newcomer Pictionary, starring Jerry O’Connell, sketched a 0.5 for a second straight week. Allen Media Group’s Funny You Should Ask answered with a fifth consecutive 0.3. 

The first full week of 2023 was a hot one for most access shows, which snapped back after getting burned by holiday programming in the previous week. Daytime was more problematic with both ABC and NBC preempting regular schedules on Monday, January 2 for the 134th Rose Parade on NBC and the Citrus Bowl on ABC.

The five-highest rated magazines staged major comebacks. CBS’ Inside Edition increased 14% to a 2.4. CBS’ Entertainment Tonight, now in its 42nd season, was the only strip in syndication to hit a new season high, climbing 21% to a 2.3, its best performance since the week of March 28, 2022. Entertainment Tonight also topped all magazines among women 25-54, jumping 33% to a 0.8. 

NBCUniversal’s Access Hollywood forged ahead 14% to a 0.8. Fox’s TMZ tacked on 17% to a 0.7. Warner Bros.’ Extra elevated 20% to a 0.6 while Fox’s Dish Nation nested at a 0.2 for the 36th time in the last 37 regularly scheduled weeks, excluding the four weeks of World Cup soccer coverage on Fox.

Except for CBS’ rising Dr. Phil and Judge Judy, daytime shows were all steady to slightly down. 

Disney’s Live with Kelly and Ryan remained at a talk-topping 1.6 for a 33rd consecutive week, including ties with Dr. Phil, which last happened in early September. Among women 25-54, Live led with a 0.6, followed by Dr. Phil at a 0.5 and Debmar-Mercury’s Sherri at a 0.4.

Dr. Phil was the sole talker to improve on the week, growing 8% to a second-place 1.3. The next highest talkers were NBCU’s Kelly Clarkson, CBS’ Drew Barrymore and Disney’s Tamron Hall, all of which held their ground at a 0.9, 0.8 and 0.7, respectively. 

CBS’ Rachael Ray retreated 14% to a 0.6, tying NBCU’s stable Steve Wilkos. NBCU’s out-of-production Maury persisted with a 0.5 for a fifth straight week, while NBCU’s Jerry Springer talk-court combo relapsed 25% to a 0.3.

The season’s highest-rated rookie talkers – Warner Bros.’ Jennifer Hudson and Sherri, hosted by Sherri Shepherd – stayed close, with both shows holding steady at a 0.6 and both earning renewals. NBCU’s Karamo, hosted by Karamo Brown, sustained its season-high 0.4 for a third straight week.

Repeats of Judge Judy, the sole jurist in the plus column, climbed 5% to a seven-week high 4.4. 

CBS’ Hot Bench backed off 8% to a 1.2. Warner Bros.’ People’s Court claimed a 0.8 for the third straight week. Warner Bros.’ Judge Mathis skidded 17% to a 0.5, tying Fox’s Divorce Court, which settled for a third straight 0.5. Wrigley Media’s Relative Justice landed at a 0.4 for the third straight week. Allen Media Group’s newcomer We the People with Judge Lauren Lake snared a 0.3 for a seventh consecutive week. 

Trifecta’s rookie true-crime strip iCrime with Elizabeth Vargas visited a 0.5 for a third week. 

Among off-network sitcoms, Warner Bros.’ leader The Big Bang Theory barrelled ahead 12% to a 1.9. Disney’s Last Man Standing jumped 10% to a 1.1. Disney’s Modern Family fell 13% to a 0.7, tying Warner Bros.’ Young Sheldon and Two and a Half Men, both of which held steady. Sony Pictures Television’s The Goldbergs gave back 14% to a 0.6, tying Disney’s Family Guy, CBS’ newcomer The Neighborhood and Sony’s Seinfeld, all of which stayed put. And finally, Disney’s Black-ish backed off 20% to a 0.4, tying Warner Bros.’ Mom, which held steady for a third week. ▪️

Live with Kelly and Ryan remained syndication’s top talker in the rerun-filled holiday week ended January 1, racking up its 32nd straight first-place finish. That includes eight ties with CBS Media Ventures’  Dr. Phil, the most recent of which was in the week ending September 11. Disney’s Live with Kelly and Ryan led even though the show eased 11% from the prior week’s new season high to a 1.6 live plus same day national household rating, according to Nielsen.

Live also topped the talkers among daytime’s key demographic of women 25-54 with a 0.6, followed by Dr. Phil and Debmar-Mercury’s Sherri, which tied at a 0.4.

Dr. Phil, which like most daytime shows, was completely in reruns, receded 8% to a second-place 1.2.

The third highest-rated talker, NBCUniversal’s Kelly Clarkson, dipped 10% to a 0.9 but was one of only three talkers to outperform its ratings in the same week last year, improving 13%.

CBS’ Drew Barrymore, now airing in a two half-hour format, broke even at a 0.8 but strengthened 60% last year based on its new cumed household rating. Disney’s Tamron Hall held its own at a 0.7 and grew 17% from last year, tying CBS’ Rachael Ray, which held steady.

NBCUniversal’s Steve Wilkos added 20% to a 0.6 after five weeks at a 0.5. NBCU’s out-of-production Maury maintained a 0.5 for a fourth week, while NBCU’s Jerry Springer talk-court combo sprang up 33% to a 0.4 to match its season high.

The rookie talkers were a tight-knit bunch with all three holding their ground despite airing only repeats. Warner Bros.’ Jennifer Hudson and Sherri, both of which just scored renewals, were both steady at a 0.6, while NBCU’s Karamo, starring Karamo Brown, sustained its season high 0.4 for a second week.

This season’s holiday week between Christmas and the New Year is traditionally a low-viewing period saturated with reruns, specials and preemptions. With the exception of a few daytime programs, most strips were down or flat during the slow holiday week.

For example, the five highest-rated magazines all lost ground. CBS’ Inside Edition slumped 9% to a 2.1. CBS’ Entertainment Tonight tumbled 14% to a 1.9. NBCU’s Access Hollywood weakened 13% to a 0.7. Fox’s TMZ decreased 14% to a 0.6. Warner Bros.’ Extra declined 17% to a 0.5, while Fox’s Dish Nation continued to stall at a 0.2. 

CBS’ Jeopardy! -- which, with its sibling Wheel of Fortune, was just renewed for five more years on the ABC Owned Stations -- continued to lead the games and all of syndication even though it fell back 5% to a 5.2 for the week. Debmar-Mercury’s Family Feud moved into second place after trailing Wheel of Fortune for the prior four weeks, even  though it weakened 2% to a 5.0.  Wheel, meanwhile, slid 8% to a 4.8. 

Fox’s 25 Words or Less lost 13% to a 0.7, landing in a tie with Fox’s You Bet Your Life with host Jay Leno, which stayed put for a second week. CBS’ newcomer Pictionary starring Jerry O’Connell slipped 17% to a 0.5 after notching a new season high in the prior week. Allen Media Group’s Funny You Should Ask replied with a fourth straight 0.3.

Repeats of CBS’ out-of-production Judge Judy led the courts with a steady 4.2. CBS’ Hot Bench was the only syndicated strip above a 1.0 rating to rise for the week, gaining 8% to a six-week high 1.3 and hitting the chart as the number-three daytime show overall, behind Judy and Live. 

Warner Bros.’ People’s Court and Judge Mathis, Fox’s Divorce Court and Wrigley Media’s Relative Justice all were on par with the prior week’s 0.8, 0.6, 0.5 and 0.4, respectively.

Allen Media Group’s court show newcomer We the People with Judge Lauren Lake lodged a 0.3 for a sixth consecutive week. Trifecta’s rookie true-crime strip iCrime with Elizabeth Vargas, the host of which just scored a primetime gig on Nexstar’s News Nation, stayed at a 0.5 for a second week.

Warner Bros.’ The Big Bang Theory faltered 15% to a 1.7 but remained the off-network sitcom leader. Disney’s Last Man Standing stumbled 17% to a 1.0. Disney’s Modern Family stood fast at a 0.8. Warner Bros.’ Young Sheldon shed 13% to a 0.7, tying Sony Pictures Television’s The Goldbergs, which was steady, and Warner Bros.’ Two and a Half Men, which was flat for a fifth straight week. Disney’s Family Guy, Sony’s Seinfeld and CBS’ newcomer The Neighborhood all continued to hover at a 0.6. Disney’s Black-ish boasted the category’s only increase, climbing 25% to a 0.5. ▪️

Live with Kelly and Ryan got a big ratings gift in the Christmas week ending December 25, unwrapping its best ratings of the season thus far and opening up its biggest lead in the talk-show race since the week ended December 21, 2020.

Disney’s Live with Kelly and Ryan was the only talker to improve during the typically slow holiday week, adding 6% to a new season-high 1.8 live plus same day national household rating, according to Nielsen Media Research.

Live with Kelly and Ryan also marked its 31st straight first-place talk finish, including eight ties with CBS Media Ventures’ Dr. Phil, the most recent of which was more than three months ago.

Putting a chill into ratings for almost everything else were preemptions for the final hearing on the January 6 Capitol riots and football on December 19, as well as the December 21 daytime press conference with President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky followed later in the day by Zelensky’s speech to Congress. However, this was the first week without any preemptions for World Cup soccer since the week ended November 20.

Among daytime’s key demographic of women 25-54, Live with Kelly and Ryan led with a 0.7, followed by Dr. Phil and Debmar-Mercury’s Sherri, hosted by Sherri Shepherd, each at a 0.4.

Back in households, Dr. Phil fell 13% to a second-place 1.3 in talk.

NBCUniversal’s Kelly Clarkson was the third-highest talker, holding steady at its season-high 1.0. Clarkson was one of only three talkers ahead of last year at this time with an 11% improvement compared to the same week last year.

CBS’ Drew Barrymore eased 11% from its season high hit in the prior week, to a 0.8 but grew 60% from last year at this time as the show continued to air in double- (or more) run half-hours across the country.

Disney’s Tamron Hall held firm at a 0.7 and improved 17% from last year at this time, tying CBS’ Rachael Ray, which receded 13% from the prior week.

NBCU’s out-of-production Maury, conflict talker Steve Wilkos and the Jerry Springer court-and-talk combo all remained at a 0.5, 0.5 and 0.3, respectively.

All members of the talk show freshman class — Warner Bros.’ Jennifer Hudson, Sherri and NBCU’s Karamo, starring Karamo Brown — were coded out and retitled during the final week of the World Cup ended December 18, so no ratings were available for those shows that week.

In the week ended December 25, which featured lots of repeats, Jennifer Hudson marked the holiday with a 0.6, up 50% from the same week last year from the program it largely replaced on Fox stations in top markets: Debmar-Mercury’s concluded Nick Cannon. 

Jennifer Hudson was joined at the head of the freshman class by Sherri, 0.6, down 14% from what Debmar-Mercury’s Wendy Williams, with guest hosts, did last year at this time. That marks the first time in 11 weeks of regularly titled competition that Sherri did not turn in a 0.7.

NBCU’s Karamo clocked a 0.4 to remain at its season high.

In access, CBS’ Jeopardy continued to lead the game shows and all of syndication, although it skidded 5% to a 5.5. CBS’ Wheel of Fortune faded 4% to a 5.2 for second place in the genre. Debmar-Mercury’s Family Feud ascended 6% to a third-place 5.1, which was a new season high for the Steve Harvey-led game.

Fox’s 25 Words or Less and You Bet Your Life with host Jay Leno logged a 0.8 and a 0.7, respectively, after each being retitled in the prior week.

CBS’ rookie Pictionary, starring Jerry O’Connell, strengthened 20% to a new season-high 0.6, putting Pictionary on par with both new talkers – Jennifer Hudson and Sherri.

Allen Media Group’s Funny You Should Ask stayed at a 0.3 for a third straight week.

Magazines were narrowly led by CBS’ Inside Edition, which was down 4% to a 2.3. CBS’ Entertainment Tonight held steady at a 2.2 and rose 22% from last year at this time, the most of any magazine. NBCU’s Access Hollywood hovered at a 0.8 for a third consecutive week. Fox’s TMZ uncovered a 0.7 after a string of World Cup weeks. Warner Bros.’ Extra elicited a third straight 0.6. Fox’s Dish Nation reappeared at a 0.2 after being renamed during the month of World Cup play.

Repeats of CBS’ Judge Judy ebbed 2% to lead the courts at a 4.2. CBS’ Hot Bench retained a 1.2. Warner Bros.’ People’s Court climbed 14% to a 0.8. Warner Bros.’ Judge Mathis maintained a 0.6. Fox’s Divorce Court held at a 0.5 after being out of its regular session for the World Cup. Wrigley Media’s Relative Justice jumped 33% to a 0.4. Allen Media Group’s court show newcomer We the People with Judge Lauren Lake landed at a 0.3 for a fifth straight week.

Trifecta’s rookie true crime strip iCrime with Elizabeth Vargas captured a 0.5 after being coded out for the Cup.

Warner Bros.’ The Big Bang Theory continued to lead the off-network sitcoms at a steady 2.0. Disney’s Last Man Standing stepped up 9% to a new season-high 1.2. Warner Bros.’ Young Sheldon and Disney’s Modern Family followed with both shows improving 14% to a 0.8. Sony Pictures Television’s The Goldbergs gained 17% to a 0.7, tying Warner Bros.’ Two and a Half Men, which was flat for a fourth straight week. Disney’s Family Guy gained 20% to a 0.6, tying Sony’s Seinfeld, which held steady for a third consecutive week, and CBS’ newcomer The Neighborhood, which stayed put for a second week. Finally, both Warner Bros.’ Mom and Disney’s American Housewife heated up 33% to a 0.4, tying Disney’s Black-ish, which held for a fourth week. ■

Live with Kelly and Ryan avoided the World Cup blues to improve in the week ended December 11, picking up 7% to lead the talkers and match its season-high at a 1.6 live-plus-same-day national household rating, according to Nielsen.

The long-running talk strip was the week's only talker in original production to gain ground, making it 29 weeks in a row at the top of the competitive category, including eight ties with CBS Media Ventures' Dr. Phil. In the last 115 weeks, Live with Kelly and Ryan has finished first or tied for first 94 times. 

Among daytime’s key demographic of women 25-54, Live also led, leaping 20% to a 0.6, followed by Dr. Phil at a 0.4. 

The World Cup on Fox -- which was carried for seven hours beginning at 9 a.m. ET on December 5, 6 and 9 -- caused plenty of preemptions for some daytime shows and provided much stronger than usual competition for others. Nine first-run strips were retitled as World Cup specials during the week in order to have their ratings removed from their season averages.

Also: Fox Draws 16.8 Million Viewers for Argentina World Cup Win

Dr. Phil, which had improved 27% in the prior week, gave back 7% to land a second-place 1.3.

NBCUniversal’s Kelly Clarkson lost 10% to a 0.9 but remained the third-highest rated talker in households. Disney's Tamron Hall declined 13% to a 0.7, tying CBS's Drew Barrymore and Rachael Ray, both of which stayed put. Reruns of NBCU's out-of-production Maury regained 25% to a 0.5, tying NBCU’s Steve Wilkos, which held steady for a third week. NBCU’s repackaged Jerry Springer talk-and-court combo flat at a 0.3 for the 13th straight week.

The three talk rookies — Debmar-Mercury’s Sherri, Warner Bros.’ Jennifer Hudson and NBCU’s Karamo — were all coded out and retitled as World Cup specials, keeping those ratings out of those shows’ season averages.

In access, game shows were little changed. CBS’s syndication leader Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune were flat at a 5.7 and a 5.2, respectively. Debmar-Mercury’s Family Feud inched ahead 2% to a 4.7. CBS’s newcomer Pictionary, starring Jerry O’Connell, preserved its 0.4 for a third straight week. Allen Media Group’s Funny You Should Ask abated 25% to a 0.3. Fox’s 25 Words or Less and You Bet Your Life with host Jay Leno were both retitled as World Cup specials for a third week.

Magazines were mostly higher. CBS’s leader Inside Edition added 4% to a 2.4. CBS’ Entertainment Tonight was steady at a 2.2. NBCU’s Access Hollywood hammered out a 14% increase to a 0.8. Warner Bros.’ Extra strengthened 20% to a 0.6.

Fox’s TMZ and Fox’s Dish Nation were both retitled and coded out for the week due to the World Cup.

Also: Fall Review: New Syndicated Shows Seem Ready to Stick

Repeats of CBS’s Judge Judy grew 3% to a three-week high 4.0 to lead the court shows. CBS’s Hot Bench broke even at a 1.1. Warner Bros.’s People’s Court climbed 17% to a 0.7. Warner Bros.’ Judge Mathis stood pat at a 0.5 for a third week. Wrigley Media’s Relative Justice was remanded to a 0.3 for a sixth consecutive week, tying Allen Media Group’s We the People with Judge Lauren Lake, which held steady for a fourth week. 

Fox’s Divorce Court was again gaveled out for the World Cup as was Trifecta’s true-crime show iCrime with Elizabeth Vargas.

Warner Bros.’ The Big Bang Theory spiked 6% to lead the off-network sitcoms at a 1.9. Disney’s Last Man Standing, Warner Bros.’ Young Sheldon, Disney’s Modern Family and Warner Bros.’ Two and a Half Men maintained their prior week’s 1.0, 0.7, 0.7 and 0.7, respectively. In a Festivus miracle, Sony Pictures Television’s Seinfeld rose 20% to a 0.6, tying Sony’s The Goldbergs, which was flat for the eighth straight week. Disney’s Family Guy, CBS’s rookie The Neighborhood and Disney’s Black-ish all held steady at a 0.5, a 0.5 and a 0.4, respectively. ■

Kelly Clarkson was the sole syndicated strip to score a new season high in the week ended December 4, climbing 11% for the week and the year to a 1.0 live plus same day national household rating, according to Nielsen. That was the highest rating for NBCUniversal’s Kelly Clarkson since the week ended January 24.

Some of Kelly Clarkson’s guests for the week included Dead to Me’s Christina Applegate, who has been facing health issues due to a multiple sclerosis diagnosis; Broadway and Frozen star Idina Menzel, who has a new documentary special about her journey to performing solo concerts at dream destination Madison Square Garden out on Disney Plus; and Catherine Zeta-Jones, who stars in Netflix’s new hit series, Wednesday.

The week featured strong recoveries for many access shows after a tough Thanksgiving week that included preemptions for World Cup soccer on Fox, NFL and college football on Big Four affiliates, and Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and the National Dog Show on NBC.

Daytime was a different story, however. Morning and afternoon shows still had to compete with or be preempted by five days and more than 36 hours of World Cup matches on Fox, including the USA’s victory over Iran on November 29. (The U.S. Men’s National Team went on to be defeated by the Netherlands on December 3.)

Disney’s Live with Kelly and Ryan led talk at a 1.5 for a 28th straight week, including eight ties with CBS Media Ventures’ Dr. Phil. For its part, Phil clocked the category’s biggest comeback, climbing 27% to match its season-high 1.4. 

Live has now been first or tied for first 65 times in the last 80 weeks. Among daytime’s key demographic of women 25-54, Live led with a 0.5, followed by Phil at a 0.4. Kelly Clarkson, Disney’s Tamron Hall and CBS’ Drew Barrymore all tied at a 0.3.   

Tamron Hall, in fourth place in talk, held steady at its season-high 0.8 and beat its year ago performance by 14%. CBS’ Rachael Ray recovered 17% to a 0.7, tying Drew Barrymore, which gave back 13%.

NBCU’s conflict talkers Steve Wilkos and the out-of-production Maury maintained a 0.5 and a 0.4, respectively.  That was followed by the Jerry Springer combo of court-and-talk repeats, which stayed put at a 0.3 for the 12th straight week.

All three rookie talkers – Debmar-Mercury’s Sherri, Warner Bros.’ Jennifer Hudson and NBCU’s Karamo – were coded out and retitled for the week as World Cup specials, so their weeks of ratings were not included in their shows’ season average.

Repeats of CBS’ out-of-production Judge Judy continued to lead the courts at a steady 3.9. CBS’ Hot Bench was the only court to rise, rebounding 10% to a 1.1. Warner Bros.’ People’s Court and Judge Mathis both settled at a 0.6 and 0.5, respectively. Wrigley Media’s Relative Justice remained at a 0.3 for a fifth week. Fox’s Divorce Court was coded out.

Similarly, Trifecta’s freshman true crime strip iCrime with Elizabeth Vargas was retitled for the World Cup, while Entertainment Studios’ rookie court We the People with Judge Lauren Lake leveled off at a 0.3 for a third week.

Without two days of preemptions, the top three game shows snapped back from the prior week’s season lows.

CBS’ Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune both boomeranged back 27% to a 5.7 and a 5.2, respectively. Debmar-Mercury’s Family Feud finished 12% better at a third-place 4.6, while it returned to the syndication lead among women 25-54 at a 1.5.

CBS’ freshman Pictionary held at a 0.4 for a second week, tying Entertainment Studios’ Funny You Should Ask accelerated 33%. Fox’s 25 Words or Less and You Bet Your Life with host Jay Leno were both labeled World Cup specials for a second week.

CBS’ Inside Edition retook the magazine lead with a 28% rebound from the prior week’s season low to a 2.3. CBS’ Entertainment Tonight was a strong second, regaining 16% to match its season-high 2.2. NBCU’s Access Hollywood and Warner Bros.’ Extra each held their ground at a 0.7 and a 0.5, respectively. Fox’s TMZ and Dish Nation were both renamed for the World Cup and thus coded out.

Warner Bros.’ The Big Bang Theory blew up 13% to lead the off-network sitcoms at a 1.8. Disney’s Last Man Standing leapt 11% to a 1.0. Warner Bros.’ Two and a Half Men marshaled a 17% increase to a 0.7, tying Disney’s Modern Family and Warner Bros.’ Young Sheldon, both of which broke even. Sony Pictures Television’s The Goldbergs stayed at a 0.6 for an eighth straight week. Sony’s Seinfeld celebrated Festivus with a second 0.5, tying Disney’s Family Guy, which sank 17% to a new season low, and CBS’ rookie The Neighborhood, which stayed put for a 12th consecutive week. Finally, Disney’s Black-ish backtracked 20% to a 0.4, tying Warner Bros.’ Mom, which moved up 33%. ■

Tamron Hall was the only syndicated strip to sidestep a holiday downtrend and deliver a new season high in the week ended November 27, which included the long Thanksgiving weekend. Disney's talk strip, now in season four, improved 14% for the week to a 0.8 live plus same day national household rating, according to Nielsen Media Research, Tamron Hall’s best number of the season so far and 33% ahead of last year at this time.

Tamron Hall's week got off to a good start on Monday, November 21, with an interview with former First Lady Michelle Obama, a daytime TV exclusive. Obama has a new book out, "The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times."

Besides the good news for Tamron Hall, the week ending November 27 was a rough one for syndicated shows. The atypical week was marked by the Thanksgiving holiday, including preemptions on NBC for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and the National Dog Show and NFL football games on CBS and Fox.

The preemptions continued on Black Friday, the biggest shopping day of the year, as college football siphoned off viewers on ABC, CBS and Fox. Moreover, Fox dedicated approximately 35 hours of its schedule to World Cup soccer matches throughout the week, blowing out most daytime shows on Fox affiliates. The World Cup also provided very strong competition to stations’ regular schedules, especially with the U.S. Men’s team playing on Friday, November 25.

Not surprisingly ratings plunged for most shows while some schedules were moved around or retitled and coded out as World Cup specials. Nielsen also broke out several shows from its ratings coverage on November 24 and 25, due to the big drops in coverage.             

Leading all of syndication and the games was CBS Media Ventures’ Jeopardy, which featured the conclusion of its annual Tournament of Champions, which Amy Schneider won on Monday, November 21. Jeopardy returned to regular games on Tuesday, November 22, featuring the return of Chris Pannullo, one of the biggest consecutive winners in the show’s history, notching his 15th straight victory and winning more than $500,000. 

By December 2, Pannullo had totaled 20 straight wins and more than $700,000 in winnings, the sixth most consecutive wins by any contestant before finally losing on Tuesday, December 6. Even so, Jeopardy plunged 26% during the week to a new season-low 4.5, although that topped the games and all of syndication for the 11th straight week, including one tie with Debmar-Mercury’s Family Feud.                          

Family Feud fell 18% to a new season-low 4.1, tying CBS’ Wheel of Fortune, which faded 24%, also a new season low.   

Fox First Run’s 25 Words or Less and You Bet Your Life were both coded out for the week as World Cup specials. CBS’ newcomer Pictionary, starring Jerry O’Connell, lost 20% to a 0.4. Allen Media Group’s Funny You Should Ask averaged a 0.3 for an eighth consecutive week.

CBS’ Entertainment Tonight took over the magazine lead, despite dropping 14% to a new season-low 1.9. CBS’ Inside Edition was second, skidding 22% to a new season-low 1.8. NBCUniversal’s Access Hollywood descended 13% to a 0.7. Fox’s TMZ was coded out. Warner Bros.’ Extra eased 17% to a 0.5. Fox’s Dish Nation was retitled as a World Cup special for the week and thus turned in no rating.

Disney’s Live with Kelly and Ryan rolled to its 27th straight first-place finish among talkers, including eight ties with CBS’ Dr. Phil, even though it slipped 6% from its season high to a 1.5. 

Among daytime’s key demographic of women 25-54, Live led with a 0.5, followed by Dr. Phil at a 0.4, and Tamron Hall, NBCU’s Kelly Clarkson and CBS’ Drew Barrymore all tied at a 0.3.

Back in households, Dr. Phil, which was the only talker to grow in the prior week, weakened 21% to new season-low 1.1, but remained the category’s second highest strip.

Kelly Clarkson and Drew Barrymore both held steady at a 0.9 and 0.8, respectively. In addition, Tamron Hall, Kelly Clarkson and Drew Barrymore were syndication’s only strips to outperform last year at this time. Clarkson grew 13%; Barrymore, which now airs mostly in double half-hour runs, moved up 60%; and Hall surged 33% from the same week one year ago.

CBS’ Rachael Ray retreated 14% to a 0.6. NBCU’s Steve Wilkos went down 17% to a 0.5. Reruns of NBCU’s out-of-production Maury receded 20% to a 0.4. NBCU’s Jerry Springer court-and-talk combo rambled along at a 0.3 for the 11th straight week. 

All of the talk rookies -– Debmar-Mercury’s Sherri, Warner Bros.’ Jennifer Hudson and NBCU’s Karamo –- were retitled for the week as World Cup specials, leaving them out of the ratings race for the week.

CBS’ repeats of Judge Judy led the courts, ebbing 15% to a 3.9. CBS’ Hot Bench pulled back 29%, dropping to a new season-low 1.0. Warner Bros.’ People’s Court crumbled 25% to a new season-low 0.6. Warner Bros.’ Judge Mathis was minus 17% to a 0.5. Fox’s Divorce Court was coded out. Wrigley Media’s Relative Justice remained at a 0.3 for a fourth week.

Trifecta’s freshman true crime strip iCrime with Elizabeth Vargas was retitled, while Allen Media Group’s rookie court show We the People with Judge Lauren Lake stayed at a 0.3 for a second week.

Among the off-net sitcoms, Warner Bros.’ The Big Bang Theory shrank 16% to a 1.6. Disney’s Last Man Standing stumbled 10% to a 0.9. Disney’s Modern Family and Warner Bros.’ Young Sheldon both shed 13% to a 0.7. Warner Bros.’ Two and a Half Men tumbled 25% to a new season-low 0.6, tying Disney’s Family Guy and Sony’s The Goldbergs, both of which stayed put. Finally, Sony’s Seinfeld shrank 17% to a 0.5, tying Disney’s Black-ish, which bounced back 25%, and CBS’ rookie The Neighborhood, which held for the 11th consecutive week. ■

Jeopardy remained in the syndication and game lead for the 10th straight week in the session ended November 20, which included the penultimate week of the CBS Media Ventures’ game show’s annual Tournament of Champions. The Jeopardy tourney was ultimately won by Amy Schneider on November 21.

Jeopardy added 11% for the week to climb to a new season-high 6.1 live plus same day national household rating, according to Nielsen Media Research.

With the World Series and midterm elections concluded and daylight saving time begun, syndies tended to match or exceed their season bests.

CBS’ Wheel of Fortune, which is paired with Jeopardy in many large markets and has been second or tied for second for seven straight weeks, rose 13% to a new season-high 5.4. Debmar-Mercury’s Family Feud advanced 4% to a 5.0.

Fox’s 25 Words or Less, starring and executive produced by Meredith Vieira, leapt 14% to a 0.8. Fox’s You Bet Your Life with host Jay Leno lodged a 0.7 for a second week. Leno was recently released from the hospital after suffering serious burns in a  garage accident.

CBS’ rookie Pictionary, hosted by Jerry O’Connell, preserved its series-high 0.5 for a third straight week. Allen Media Group’s Funny You Should Ask accumulated a 0.3 for a seventh straight week.

All of the top five magazines beat or matched their previous season highs. CBS’ Inside Edition led the pack, picking up 15% to a 2.3. Sister show Entertainment Tonight surged 16% to a new season-high 2.2, its best performance since the week ending May 8. NBCUniversal’s Access Hollywood and Fox’s TMZ stayed put at a 0.8 and a 0.7, respectively. Warner Bros.’ Extra, without baseball preemptions, grew 20% to a 0.6. Fox’s Dish Nation nestled at a 0.2, where it’s been for 32 of the past 33 weeks.

Although CBS’ Dr. Phil was the only talker to grow week to week, elevating 8% to a second-place 1.4, Disney’s Live with Kelly and Ryan led the category at a steady 1.6. Live remained the talk leader for the 26th straight week, including eight ties with Dr. Phil. Among daytime’s key demographic of women 25-54, Live led with a 0.6, followed by Phil at a 0.5, up 25%, and Debmar-Mercury’s Sherri at a 0.4.

In third place, NBCU’s Kelly Clarkson was steady at a 0.9 and was steady week to week. CBS’ Drew Barrymore also stayed put at a 0.8, while Disney’s Tamron Hall remained at a 0.7.

Continuing the steady trend, CBS’ Rachael Ray, NBCU’s Steve Wilkos, repeats of NBCU’s Maury, repeats of Jerry Springer court-and-talk combo all were stable at a 0.7, 0.6, 0.5 and 0.3, respectively.

Turning to talk’s freshman field, leader Sherri, starring Sherri Shepherd, shouldered a 0.7 for the tenth consecutive week. That was 13% below the show it replaced in many of the major markets, Debmar-Mercury’s Wendy Williams, compared to the same week last year.

Warner Bros.’ Jennifer Hudson held its ground at a second-place 0.6 and bettered by 50% the year-ago rating for Debmar-Mercury’s Nick Cannon, the show JHud replaced in many major markets. NBCU’s Karamo, starring Karamo Brown, held at its season-high 0.4 in households for a second week.

The top two court shows both hit new season highs. Repeats of CBS’ Judge Judy generated that show’s biggest number since the week ending June 12 with a  7% gain to a 4.6. CBS’ Hot Bench, the number-one court show in original production, booked its best rating since the week ending May 22, ascending 8% to a 1.4 in the third week with new judges Yodit Tewolde and Rachel Juarez both of whom joined veteran Michael Corriero on the bench.

Warner Bros.’ People’s Court and Judge Mathis, Fox’s Divorce Court and Wrigley Media’s Relative Justice all continued at a 0.8, 0.6, 0.5 and 0.3, respectively.

Trifecta’s rookie true crime strip iCrime with Elizabeth Vargas turned in a tenth straight 0.5 while Allen Media Group’s rookie court show We the People with Judge Lauren Lake lost 25% to a 0.3.

Warner Bros.’ off-network sitcom leader The Big Bang Theory hovered at a 1.9 for a second week. Disney’s Last Man Standing slipped 9% to a 1.0. Disney’s Modern Family and Warner Bros.’ Two and a Half Men each moved up 14% to a 0.8, tying Warner Bros.’ Young Sheldon, which stayed at a 0.8. Disney’s Family Guy gave back 25% to a 0.6, tying Sony Pictures Television’s The Goldbergs and Seinfeld, both of which stood pat. CBS’ The Neighborhood held at a 0.5 for a tenth straight week. Finally, Disney’s American Housewife added 33% to a 0.4, tying Disney’s Black-ish, which stayed put for the 14th week in a row. ■

Jeopardy, with the semi-finals of its annual Tournament of Champions, led the games and all of syndication for the ninth straight week in the week ended November 13, which included Election Day. CBS Media Ventures’ Jeopardy climbed 4% to hit a new season-high 5.5 live plus same day national household rating.

The semi-finals on November 9, 10 and 11 produced the tourney’s final three players: Amy Schneider, Sam Buttrey and Andrew He. Schneider went on to win three games and take the $250,000 prize on November 21. 

Debmar-Mercury’s Family Feud, starring Steve Harvey, and CBS’ Wheel of Fortune were both flat at a 4.8.

Fox First Run’s 25 Words or Less, starring and executive produced by Meredith Vieira, and sister show You Bet Your Life with host Jay Leno both backtracked 13% to a 0.7. CBS’ Pictionary, starring Jerry O’Connell, remained at its season-high 0.5 for a second week.

Allen Media Group’s Funny You Should Ask averaged a 0.3 for a sixth straight week.

CBS’ magazine leaders Inside Edition and Entertainment Tonight each eased 5% to a 2.0 and a 1.9, respectively. NBCUniversal’s Access Hollywood added 14% to a 0.8. Fox’s TMZ tacked on 17% to a 0.7. Warner Bros.’ Extra slipped 17% to a 0.5. Fox’s Dish Nation was knocked back 33% from a 0.3 to a 0.2 where it has been holding for 31 of the past 32 weeks. 

Daytime shows were hit by competition from cable coverage of the hotly contested midterm elections on November 8 as well as follow-up coverage on November 9 and 10 as viewers migrated to the 24-hour cable news channels to watch results. 

The only veteran court to improve was CBS’ Hot Bench, which spiked 8% to a 1.3 and matched its season high. This was the second week with new judges Yodit Tewolde and Rachel Juarez joining veteran Michael Corriero on the bench. Overall, Hot Bench was daytime’s third-highest rated show, tying CBS’ Dr. Phil and coming in behind repeats of CBS’ Judge Judy and original episodes of Disney’s Live with Kelly and Ryan.

Judge Judy stayed at a 4.3 for a third straight week. Warner Bros.’ People’s Court and Judge Mathis, Fox’s Divorce Court and Wrigley Media’s Relative Justice all broke even at a 0.8, 0.6, 0.5 and 0.3, respectively.

Rookie true crime strip iCrime with Elizabeth Vargas captured a ninth consecutive 0.5, while Allen Media Group’s freshman court We the People with Lauren Lake logged a new season-high 0.4, up 33%.

Among the closely watched rookie talkers, NBCUniversal’s Karamo was the only show to improve, climbing 33% to a new season-high 0.4.

Debmar-Mercury’s Sherri stayed at a 0.7 for the ninth straight week and led among daytime’s key demographic of women 25-54 with a 0.4. Warner Bros.’ Jennifer Hudson, which had hit its highest household rating since its September premiere in the prior week, fell back 14% to a 0.6, but stayed put among women 25-54 at a 0.3.  

Live, which was the only veteran talker to improve in households in the prior week, preserved its season-high 1.6. That topped the talk shows for the 25th consecutive week, including eight ties with Dr. Phil. Live has now been first or tied for first 90 times in the past 111 weeks. Among women 25-54, Live led with a 0.6, followed by Dr. Phil and Sherri, each at a 0.4. 

Back in households, Dr. Phil, NBCU’s Kelly Clarkson, CBS’ Drew Barrymore, Disney’s Tamron Hall and CBS’ Rachael Ray all remained at 1.3, 0.9, 0.8, 0.7 and 0.7, respectively. 

NBCU’s Steve Wilkos strengthened 20% to a 0.6. Encore episodes of NBCU’s Maury and its Jerry Springer talk-and-court combo continued at a 0.5 and a 0.3, respectively. 

With the World Series concluded on Fox, off-net sitcoms bounced back. Warner Bros.’ The Big Bang Theory regained 19% from its series low set the prior week to a 1.9. Disney’s Last Man Standing jumped 10% to a 1.1. Disney’s Family Guy and Warner Bros.’ Young Sheldon both shot up 14% to a new season-high 0.8. Disney’s Modern Family and Warner Bros.’ Two and a Half Men each maintained at a 0.7. Sony Pictures Television’s The Goldbergs gathered a 0.6 for a fifth straight week, tying Sony’s Seinfeld, which surged 20%. CBS’ The Neighborhood welcomed a 0.5 for a ninth straight week, while Disney’s Black-ish blocked out a 0.4 for the 13th straight week. ▪️

Jennifer Hudson climbed 17% to a 0.7 live plus same day national household rating, according to Nielsen, to tie both its high thus far and Debmar-Mercury’s fellow rookie talker Sherri, starring Sherri Shepherd. Sherri edged out Warner Bros.’ Jennifer Hudson in the key women 25-54 demographic, however, with a 0.4 to JHud’s 0.3.

NBCUniversal’s Karamo, starring Karamo Brown, the season’s third new talker, preserved its 0.3 for a seventh consecutive week in the week ending November 6, which included the last week of daylight saving time. CBS Media Ventures’ new game Pictionary, starring Jerry O’Connell, pulled ahead 25% to a four-week high 0.5.

Otherwise, most syndicated shows were steady, despite preemptions on Fox stations on four of the five weekdays for three World Series games and one rain delay, which turned out to be a washout. 

The only veteran talk show able to improve was Disney’s Live with Kelly and Ryan, which rallied 7% to a 1.6, matching its season high and topping the talkers for the 24th straight week, including eight ties with CBS’s Dr. Phil. Live scored its season-best one-day rating thus far with its annual Halloween special, ringing up a 20% increase from the prior week to a 1.8 single-day household rating on October 31. 

Among women 25-54, Live led with a 0.6, followed by Dr. Phil at a 0.5 and NBCU’s Kelly Clarkson at a 0.4, which was up 33%.

Back in households, Dr. Phil dipped 7% to a 1.3, although it climbed 25% in the demo. In third place in households, Kelly Clarkson held at a 0.9.

CBS’s Drew Barrymore, Disney’s Tamron Hall, CBS’s Rachael Ray, reruns of NBCU’s out-of-production Maury, NBCU’s Steve Wilkos and encore episodes from NBCU’s Jerry Springer talk-and-court combo were all in line with the prior week’s 0.8, 0.7, 0.7, 0.5, 0.5 and 0.3, respectively.

All of the top-three game shows held steady with CBS’ Jeopardy at the top of the syndie and game chart for an eighth straight week, even though the show dipped 2% to a 5.3. Jeopardy began its annual Tournament of Champions during the week, featuring such favorites as Matt Amodio, Amy Schneider, Mattea Roach, Sam Buttrey and Andrew He, hosted by Ken Jennings. CBS’ Wheel of Fortune also faded 2% to a 4.8 to tie Debmar-Mercury’s flat Family Feud for second place.

Fox’s 25 Words or Less and sister show You Bet Your Life with host Jay Leno each elevated 14% to a 0.8. Leno was recently injured when one of his cars caught fire in his garage, giving him third-degree burns and sending him to the hospital. 

Entertainment Studios’ Funny You Should Ask aggregated a 0.3 for a fifth consecutive week. 

CBS’s sister magazines Inside Edition and Entertainment Tonight led the genre, maintaining a 2.1 and a 2.0, respectively. NBCU’s Access Hollywood hovered at a 0.7 for a fifth straight week. Warner Bros.’ Extra shrugged off baseball preemptions to hold steady at a 0.6 and tie with Fox’s TMZ for only the second time in a year, since the week ended October 31, 2021. TMZ, also heavily preempted, skidded 14% to a 0.6. Fox’s Dish Nation waltzed to a new season-high 0.3, an increase of 50% (or 0.1 ratings point) after dancing to a 0.2 for 30 consecutive weeks.

Encores of CBS’s Judge Judy elicited a second-straight 4.3 and cruised to the top of the court shows. 

CBS’s Hot Bench, the leading court show in original production, fell back 8% to a 1.2. Warner Bros.’ People’s Court and Judge Mathis and Fox’s Divorce Court all settled at a 0.8, 0.6 and 0.5, respectively. Wrigley Media’s Relative Justice slipped 25% to a 0.3. 

Trifecta’s rookie true-crime strip iCrime With Elizabeth Vargas and Entertainment Studios’ freshman court We the People With Judge Lauren Lake remained level at a 0.5 and 0.3, respectively, in their eighth weeks on the air. 

Warner Bros.’ The Big Bang Theory declined 11% to a new series-low 1.6, although it remained the genre leader. Disney’s Last Man Standing slumped 9% to a 1.0. Disney’s Modern Family fell 13% to a 0.7, tying Warner Bros.’ Two and a Half Men and Young Sheldon and Disney’s Family Guy, all of which held their ground. Sony’s The Goldbergs remained at a 0.6 for a fourth week. Sony’s Seinfeld sagged 17% to a 0.5, tying CBS’s rookie The Neighborhood, which notched a 0.5 for the eighth straight week. Disney’s American Housewife rebounded 33% to a 0.4, tying Disney’s Black-ish, which held steady for the 13th straight week. ■

Jeopardy, with the second week of its first-ever Second Chance Tournament, widened both its syndication and game lead in the week ended October 30 with a 4% jump to a new season-high 5.4 live plus same day national household rating, according to Nielsen. With that, CBS Media Ventures’ Jeopardy topped the chart for the seventh straight week, including one tie with Debmar-Mercury’s Family Feud.

The two-week tournament, which featured 18 players who nearly won but didn’t quite succeed, was hosted by Mayim Bialik. CBS’ Wheel of Fortune, which is paired with Jeopardy in access in many markets, upticked 2% to a season-high 4.9. Feud was flat in third place at a 4.8.

Among the lesser-rated games, Fox’s 25 Words or Less lost 13% to a 0.7 to tie sister show You Bet Your Life with host Jay Leno which lingered at a 0.7 for a fourth straight week. CBS’ rookie Pictionary, starring Jerry O’Connell, preserved a third consecutive 0.4. Entertainment Studios’ veteran Funny You Should Ask stayed at a 0.3 for a fourth week.

Disney’s Live with Kelly and Ryan receded 6% from its season high set in the prior week to a 1.5 but remained the talk leader for the 23rd straight week, including eight ties with CBS’ Dr. Phil. Live has now finished first or tied for first 60 times in the last 75 weeks.

Among daytime’s key demographic of women 25-54, Live led with a 0.6 followed by Dr. Phil and Debmar-Mercury’s newcomer Sherri at a 0.4, which was a 33% increase.

Dr. Phil; NBCU’s Kelly Clarkson, which was just renewed through the 2024-25 TV season on the NBC owned stations; CBS’ Drew Barrymore, which is now produced as a half-hour and is being upgraded from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in number-two market Los Angeles on KCBS; Disney’s Tamron Hall; CBS’ Rachael Ray; repeats of NBCU’s out-of-production Maury; NBCU’s Steve Wilkos and its Jerry Springer court/talk combo encores all stayed even with the prior week’s 1.4, 0.9, 0.8, 0.7, 0.7, 0.5, 0.5 and 0.3, respectively.

The three rookie talkers were all steady. Sherri, starring Sherri Shepherd, remained at a 0.7 as it has for all of its seven weeks on the air. Warner Bros.’ Jennifer Hudson held at a 0.6 in households but hit its highest rating among women 25-54 since its September premiere, moving up 50% to a 0.3 in the demo. NBCUniversal’s Karamo, starring Karamo Brown, booked a 0.3 for a sixth straight week.

CBS’ Inside Edition led the magazines even though it fell back 5% to a 2.1. CBS’ Entertainment Tonight and NBCUniversal’s Access Hollywood each held steady at a 2.0 and a 0. 7, respectively. Fox’s TMZ and Warner Bros.’ Extra were the category’s only shows to improve, climbing 17% to a 0.7 and 20% to a 0.6, respectively.  Both shows were preempted for Game 1 of the World Series on Fox on October 28. Fox’s Dish Nation delivered a 0.2 for a thirtieth straight week.

Repeats of CBS’ Judge Judy continued to lead the legal shows, spiking 5% for the week and 13% over the prior two weeks to a 4.3. CBS’ Hot Bench, Warner Bros.’ People’s Court, Warner Bros.’ Judge Mathis, Fox’s Divorce Court and Wrigley Media’s Relative Justice were all steady at a 1.3, 0.8, 0.6, 0.5 and 0.4, respectively.

Trifecta’s rookie true-crime strip iCrime with Elizabeth Vargas and Entertainment Studios’ freshman court show We the People with Judge Lauren Lake both maintained a 0.5 and a 0.3 in their seventh weeks on the air.

Warner Bros.’ The Big Bang Theory remained the off-net sitcom leader, although it contracted 5% to a 1.8. Disney’s Last Man Standing jumped 10% to a 1.1. Disney’s Modern Family, Warner Bros.’ Two and a Half Men and Warner Bros.’ Young Sheldon stayed at a 0.8, 0.7 and 0.7, respectively, with the last two tying Disney’s Family Guy, which gained 17%. Sony Pictures Television’s Seinfeld spiked 20% to a 0.6, tying Sony’s The Goldbergs, which stayed put for a third week. Finally, CBS’ freshman The Neighborhood and Disney’s Black-ish both broke even at a 0.5 and a 0. 4, respectively. ■

Judge Judy, which concluded original production two years ago, led the courts in the week ended October 23. Court was the only genre in which all of the top-three strips improved. CBS Media Ventures’ Judge Judy jumped 8% to a 4.1 live plus same day national household rating, according to Nielsen.

Following Judge Judy, CBS' Hot Bench — which introduced two new panelists in Judge Yodit Tewolde and Judge Rachel Juarez on October 31 — hit a new season high, hiking 8% to a 1.3, making it the top-rated court show in original production.

Warner Bros.' People's Court climbed 14% to a new season-high 0.8. Warner Bros.' Judge Mathis and Fox’s Divorce Court, now starring Star Jones, were both on par with their prior week’s 0.6 and 0.5, respectively. Wrigley Media’s sophomore Relative Justice jumped 33% to a 0.4. Newcomers Trifecta’s true-crime series iCrime with Elizabeth Vargas and Entertainment Studios’ We the People with Judge Lauren Lake both held steady at a 0.5 and 0.3 in their sixth weeks.

Syndies were largely affected by baseball playoffs that continued in the week ending October 23, with stronger-than-usual competition coming from five National and American League Championship games and the fifth and final game of the American League Division Series on cable and live streaming October 18-21. Those games and heavy preemptions for Fox’s carriage of the October 19 game softened ratings for many shows, which had also been battered by baseball in the prior week.

Disney’s Live with Kelly and Ryan, which was the only first-run strip to improve in the prior week, held steady at its season-high 1.6 and remained the top talker for the 22nd straight week, including eight ties with CBS Media Ventures’ Dr. Phil. Among daytime’s key demographic of women 25-54, Live led at a 0.6, followed by Phil at a 0.4.

Back in households, Dr. Phil secured second place with an 8% spike to a 1.4 to match its season high.

NBCUniversal’s Kelly Clarkson ranked third, scoring a 0.9 for the sixth straight week.

CBS’ Drew Barrymore stayed at a 0.8 for a sixth consecutive week. The show — which is now produced as two half-hour episodes the ratings of which are cumed by Nielsen – had its biggest day since its September 2020 debut across all 56 metered markets for a full hour interview with George Clooney on October 21, hitting a 0.9 single day national household rating.

CBS’ Rachael Ray rose 17% to a 0.7, tying Disney’s Tamron Hall, which stayed put. Reruns of NBCU’s out-of-production Maury moved up 25% to a 0.5, tying NBCU’s steady Steve Wilkos. NBCU’s Jerry Springer talk-and-court combo remained at a 0.3.

Debmar-Mercury’s Sherri, starring Sherri Shepherd, stayed at a 0.7 for a sixth straight week to lead the rookie talkers, down 14% compared to last year’s premiere week of Debmar-Mercury’s now-canceled Wendy Williams, which was guest-hosted by Whitney Cummings and averaged a 0.8.

Warner Bros.’ Jennifer Hudson, also in its sixth week, stayed at a 0.6 despite having no primary run in three of the top 25 markets, including Los Angeles, when it was preempted by baseball on October 19. Hudson was 50% higher than the year-ago rating for Debmar-Mercury’s Nick Cannon, the show it mainly replaced on Fox stations in top markets.

NBCU’s Karamo, starring Karamo Brown, was steady at a 0.3 in its fifth week.

CBS’s Jeopardy! stayed at a 5.2 for a third week to lead the games and all of syndication for the sixth straight week, including one tie with Debmar-Mercury’s Family Feud. CBS’s Wheel of Fortune and Feud each inched up 2% to a 4.8.

Fox’s 25 Words or Less leapt 14% to a 0.8 and for the first time this season beat sister show You Bet Your Life with host Jay Leno, which stood pat at a 0.7 for a third straight week. Rookie Pictionary starring Jerry O’Connell drew a 0.4 for a second week. Entertainment Studios’ veteran Funny You Should Ask answered with a 0.3 for a third consecutive week.

CBS’ Inside Edition increased 5% to a 2.2 to lead the magazines. Sister show Entertainment Tonight, NBCU’s Access Hollywood, Fox’s TMZ, Warner Bros.’ Extra and Fox’s Dish Nation all held their ground at a 2.0, 0.7, 0.6, 0.5 and 0.2, respectively.

Off-net sitcoms leaders Warner Bros.’ The Big Bang Theory and Disney’s Last Man Standing were in line with the prior week’s 1.9 and 1.0, respectively. Disney’s Modern Family finished 14% higher at a 0.8. Warner Bros.’ Young Sheldon and Two and a Half Men made it a dozen weeks in a row in lockstep at a 0.7. Disney’s Family Guy gave back 14% to a 0.6, tying Sony Pictures Television’s The Goldbergs, which held steady for a second week. Sony’s Seinfeld skidded 17% to a new season-low 0.5, tying CBS’ newcomer The Neighborhood, which has been steady all six weeks it’s been on the air. Disney’s freshman American Housewife recovered 33% to a 0.4, tying Disney’s Black-ish, which was steady for the 11th consecutive week. ■

Live with Kelly and Ryan was the only first-run strip able to improve in the preemption-heavy week ended October 16, rallying 7% to a 1.6 live plus same day national household rating, according to Nielsen, and remaining the top talker for the 21st straight week, including eight ties with CBS Media Ventures' Dr. Phil. Disney's Live with Kelly and Ryan, which saw Kelly Ripa’s husband Mark Consuelos sub in for Ryan Seacrest during the week, also led among women 25-54 with a 0.6, followed by Dr. Phil at a 0.4.

Stronger than usual competition came from 10 Major League Baseball playoff games on cable and live streaming from October 11 through 14, and heavy broadcast coverage of games on October 11 on Fox. On top of that, stations sacrificed daytime lineups on October 13 for coverage of the U.S. House of Representatives' continuing investigation of the January 6 Capitol riots.

Among the closely watched rookie talkers, Debmar-Mercury's Sherri, starring Sherri Shepherd, was able to break out of the week’s ratings average a low-rated episode on Tuesday, October 11, and remained at a 0.7 for a fifth straight week -- or every week that it has been on the air. 

Fellow talk rookie Warner Bros.' Jennifer Hudson, also in week five, included all five days in its average but still held steady at a 0.6, despite losing its primary run in six of the top nine markets, among others, on October 11, and also being heavily preempted on October 13. 

NBCUniversal's Karamo, starring Karamo Brown, held at a steady 0.3 in its fourth week and grew 100% to a 0.2 from a 1.0 among women 25-54.

Also: Old Hands Bring New Stars to Syndication

Dr. Phil, NBCUniversal's Kelly Clarkson, CBS' Drew Barrymore -- now airing as two cumed half-hours, Disney's Tamron Hall and CBS’ Rachael Ray all retained a 1.3, 0.9, 0.8, 0.7 and 0.6, respectively. 

Among NBCU's so-called conflict shows, Steve Wilkos weakened 17% to a 0.5 Reruns of Maury and the Jerry Springer combo of talk and court shows stayed at a 0.4 and a 0.3, respectively.

Repeats of CBS' out-of-production court leader Judge Judy slipped 7% to a season-low 3.8. CBS' Hot Bench, Warner Bros.' People's Court and Judge Mathis and Fox's Divorce Court, now hosted by Star Jones, all stayed put at a 1.2, 0.7, 0.6 and 0.5, respectively. Wrigley Media’s sophomore Relative Justice receded 25% to a 0.3.

Trifecta's true-crime series, iCrime with Elizabeth Vargas, and court show Entertainment Studios’ We the People with Judge Lauren Lake remained in lock step at a 0.5 and a 0.3 in their fifth weeks in syndication.

CBS' Jeopardy! was stable at a game and syndication leading 5.2 for the fifth straight week, including one tie with Debmar-Mercury's Family Feud. CBS' Wheel of Fortune fell back 2% to a 4.7 in second place to tie Feud, which also downticked 2%. Feud, as per usual, led the games and syndication among women 25-54 at a 1.5.

Fox First Run’s You Bet Your Life with host Jay Leno rolled a second straight 0.7, tying Fox’s 25 Words or Less, which held steady for the 16th straight week. CBS’ rookie game Pictionary, starring Jerry O’Connell, gave back 20% to a 0.4 after last week being syndication’s only newcomer to grow in households.

Entertainment Studios’ veteran Funny You Should Ask answered at a 0.3 for a second straight week.

CBS’ magazine leaders Inside Edition and Entertainment Tonight each held steady at a 2.1 and a 2.0, respectively. NBCU’s Access Hollywood hovered at a 0.7 for a second straight week. Fox’s TMZ forfeited 14% to a 0.6. Warner Bros.’ Extra preserved its 0.5. Fox’s Dish Nation was relegated to a 0.2 for the 28th consecutive week.

Warner Bros.’ The Big Bang Theory led the off-net sitcoms at a 1.9 for a third straight week. In second place, Disney’s Last Man Standing stood pat at a 1.0. Disney’s Modern Family skidded 13% to a 0.7, tying Disney’s Family Guy and Warner Bros.’ Young Sheldon and Two and a Half Men, all of which maintained for the week. Sony’s The Goldbergs faded 14% to a 0.6, tying Sony’s Seinfeld, which was even steven for an eighth consecutive week. CBS’ rookie The Neighborhood and Disney’s veteran Black-ish broke even at a 0.5 and a 0.4, respectively. ■

Jeopardy! elbowed aside Family Feud for syndication’s superiority in the session ending October 9. With Ken Jennings behind the podium, CBS Media Ventures’ Jeopardy! picked up 4% to a 5.2 live plus same day national Nielsen rating to edge Debmar-Mercury’s Steve Harvey-hosted Family Feud, which faltered 4% to a 4.8. The two shows had been tied at the top the week before. 

CBS’s Wheel of Fortune also turned in a 4.8, adding 2% and tying Feud.

Fox First Run’s You Bet Your Life with Jay Leno lost 13% to a 0.7, tying Fox’s 25 Words or Less, which leveled off at a 0.7 for the 15th consecutive week.

CBS's new game-show player Pictionary, starring Jerry O'Connell, was syndication's only rookie recording household ratings growth from one week earlier, strengthening 25% to a 0.5 and matching its season high. After that, Entertainment Studios’ veteran Funny You Should Ask tumbled 25% to a 0.3.

In daytime, shows were at a disadvantage due to heavy October 7 preemptions for baseball’s Wild Card Series postseason game on ABC and women’s international soccer on Fox.

Disney’s top talk show Live with Kelly and Ryan slipped 6% to a 1.5 after hitting a five-month high in the previous frame. Live, which averaged more than 2.2 million daily viewers, has now led the talkers for 20 weeks in a row, including eight ties with CBS’s Dr. Phil.

Among women 25-54, Live led with a 0.6 followed by Dr. Phil, NBCUniversal's Kelly Clarkson, and Debmar-Mercury's Sherri all at a 0.4. Back in households, Dr. Phil took second, while easing 7% to a 1.3. Kelly Clarkson, the Emmy winner for both best entertainment talk show and entertainment host, preserved its 0.9 and captured third place.

CBS's Drew Barrymore, whose ratings have risen dramatically since being produced and distributed as two half-hour episodes this season, held steady at a 0.8 and surged 60% from the same week one year ago, which was the strongest year over year increase of any syndicated strip.

Also in the top tier, Disney's Tamron Hall, the Emmy winner for best info host, rolled right by CBS's Rachael Ray with which it had been tied, while securing a steady 0.7. Ray retreated 14% to a 0.6, tying NBCU's Steve Wilkos, which recovered 20% to a 0.6. Repeats of NBCU's Maury and its Jerry Springer combo mix of recycled Springer talk and court shows remained at a 0.4 and a 0.3, respectively.

The three rookie talkers Sherri, starring Sherri Shepherd, and Warner Bros.' Jennifer Hudson in their fourth weeks, and NBCU's Karamo, starring Karamo Brown, in week three, all shrugged off preemptions and remained on par with the prior week's 0.7, 0.6, and 0.3, respectively.

Also: Old Hands Bring New Stars to Syndication

On the magazine rack, CBS’s Inside Edition eroded 9% to a 2.1. CBS'’s Entertainment Tonight gave back 5% to a 2.0 after hitting a 20-week high in the prior frame. NBCU's Access Hollywood slumped 13% to a 0.7, tying Fox's TMZ, which was flat.

Warner Bros.’ Extra was penalized by preemptions for soccer and got hit with a 17% loss to a 0.5. Further back, Fox's Dish Nation brought up a 0.2 for the 27th straight week. 

CBS’s Judge Judy evergreens dipped 2% to a 4.1 but continued to lay down the law in the category, leading the court shows for the 1,359th straight week. CBS’s Hot Bench, Warner Bros.’ People's Court, Warner Bros.’ Judge Mathis, and Fox's Divorce Court all settled for a consistent 1.2, 0.7, 0.6, and 0.5, respectively.

Wrigley Media’s sophomore Relative Justice rebounded 33% to a 0.4. Trifecta’s true crime newcomer iCrime with Elizabeth Vargas and Entertainment Studios’ rookie court show We the People with Judge Lauren Lake logged a 0.5 and 0.3, respectively, in their fourth weeks.

Among off-net sitcoms, Warner Bros.’ leader Big Bang Theory continued to orbit at a 1.9. Disney's second place Last Man Standing jumped 11% to a 1.0. Disney’s Modern Family forged ahead 14% to a 0.8. Disney’s Family Guy and Sony Pictures Televison’s The Goldbergs both grew 17% to a 0.7, tying Warner Bros.’ Two and a Half Men and Warner Bros.’ Young Sheldon, which both stood pat at a 0.7. Sony’s Seinfeld saw serenity now staying at a 0.6 for a seventh straight week. CBS’s newcomer The Neighborhood notched its fourth consecutive 0.5. Finally, Disney’s rookie American Housewife and veteran Black-ish both broke even at a 0.4. ▪️

Rookie talkers Sherri, Jennifer Hudson and Karamo all held steady in the week ended October 2, which was also the first full week of fall. Debmar-Mercury’s Sherri, starring Sherri Shepherd, Warner Bros.’ Jennifer Hudson and NBCUniversal’s Karamo, starring Karamo Brown, all stayed put at a 0.7, 0.6 and 0.3, respectively.

None of those shows were impacted too heavily by news coverage of Hurricane Ian, although the storm created heavy pre-emptions, especially in Florida and other southeastern coastal states. Among the most negatively impacted markets were Florida’s Fort Myers, Jacksonville, Miami, Orlando and Tampa.

At the top of the talkers, Disney’s Live with Kelly and Ryan rose to its highest ratings since May, leading the genre for the 19th straight week, including eight ties with CBS Media Ventures’ Dr. Phil. Now in its 35th year, the morning franchise was up 7% to a first-place 1.6 live-plus-same-day national household rating, according to Nielsen. Live’s highest rating of the week came on Monday, September 26, which featured an interview with Kim Kardashian. That episode grew 20% from the prior week’s average to a 1.8, Live’s highest single-day number since its after-Oscar show in March. 

Among daytime’s key demographic of women 25-54, Live led with a 0.6 followed by Dr. Phil at a 0.5.

Back in households, Phil, NBCU’s Kelly Clarkson and CBS’s Drew Barrymore, which is now a half-hour that often runs as two episodes in many markets, all maintained a 1.4, 0.9 and 0.8, respectively. 

CBS’s Rachael Ray rose 17% to a 0.7, tying Disney’s Tamron Hall, which stayed put. NBCU’s Steve Wilkos slipped 17% to a 0.5, while NBCU’s Maury reruns and its Jerry Springer talk-and-court combo remained at a 0.4 and a 0.3, respectively. 

At the top of the overall chart, Debmar-Mercury’s Family Feud improved 4% to a 5.0 and finished in a tie with CBS’ Jeopardy!, which was flat. Jeopardy! had eked out narrow wins in the prior two weeks after trailing Feud for seven straight sessions. CBS’ Wheel of Fortune inched up 2% to a 4.7. 

Fox First Run’s You Bet Your Life with host Jay Leno recovered 14% to a 0.8. Fox’s 25 Words or Less locked on a 0.7 for a 14th straight week. CBS’ new game-show entry Pictionary, hosted by Jerry O’Connell, backtracked 20% to a 0.4, which remained on par with its premiere week. That tied Entertainment Studios’ Funny You Should Ask, which added 33%.

CBS’s Inside Edition and Entertainment Tonight each added 5% to a 2.3 and a 2.1, respectively, to lead the magazines, with ET hitting its highest rating in 20 weeks. NBCU’s Access Hollywood stood pat at a 0.8. Fox’s TMZ grew 17% to a 0.7. Warner Bros.’ Extra preserved its 0.6. Fox’s Dish Nation notched a 0.2 for the 26th week in a row.

Evergreen episodes of CBS’s Judge Judy led the court shows at a steady 4.2. CBS’s Hot Bench and Warner Bros.’ People’s Court both were consistent at a 1.2 and a 0.7, respectively. Warner Bros.’ Judge Mathis rebounded 20% to a 0.6. Fox’s Divorce Court settled for a third-straight 0.5, while Wrigley Media’s sophomore Relative Justice remained at a 0.3. 

Rookie courts Trifecta’s iCrime with Elizabeth Vargas and Entertainment Studios’ We the People with Judge Lauren Lake lingered at a 0.5 and a 0.3, respectively, in their third weeks.

Warner Bros.’ The Big Bang Theory expanded 6% to a 1.9. Disney’s Last Man Standing skidded 10% to a new series-low 0.9. Disney’s Modern Family, Warner Bros.’ Two and a Half Men and Warner Bros.’ Young Sheldon all stayed at a 0.7. Disney’s Family Guy gave back 14% to a 0.6, tying Sony Pictures Television’s The Goldbergs and Sony’s Seinfeld, both of which were steady. CBS’ The Neighborhood welcomed a 0.5 for the third consecutive week. Finally, Disney’s rookie entry American Housewife hammered out a 33% increase to a 0.4 in its third week, tying Disney’s Black-ish, which stayed put for the eighth straight week. ▪️

Sherri Shepherd was the leading talk rookie in week two of the new syndication season with a steady 0.7 live plus same day national household rating, according to Nielsen.

Warner Bros.’ fellow rookie talker Jennifer Hudson fell back 14%, or one-tenth of a ratings point, to a 0.6 in the week ended Sept. 25. Jennifer Hudson took over the time periods of Debmar-Mercury’s canceled Nick Cannon on many Fox-owned stations and outperformed that show’s second week, which averaged a 0.4 last year, by 50%.

Similarly, Debmar-Mercury’s Sherri replaced Debmar-Mercury’s Wendy Williams on many Fox stations in top markets. Last year at this time, Wendy Williams was averaging a 0.8 with repeats as the show’s season premiere was pushed off a month with the host out on medical leave. Williams never returned, resulting in the show’s cancellation and the launching of Sherri, after Shepherd saw success guest-hosting Wendy.

This season’s third rookie talker – NBCUniversal’s Karamo starring Karamo Brown of Netflix’s Queer Eye – made its debut on the national chart at a 0.3.

Also: Old Hands Bring New Stars to Syndication

Some syndies were penalized during the week by having to air against coverage of Queen Elizabeth II’s state funeral on Sept. 19.

Among the talk veterans, Disney’s Live with Kelly and Ryan rose 7% to a 1.5 to remain the talk leader for the 18th week in a row, including eight ties with CBS Media Ventures’ Dr. Phil. Among syndication’s key demographic of women 25-54, Live led at a 0.6 followed by Dr. Phil at a 0.4.

Dr. Phil grew 8% to a 1.4 to also take second place in households.

NBCUniversal’s Kelly Clarkson and CBS’ Drew Barrymore, which were both up sharply in the prior week with their season premieres, each held steady at a 0.9 and 0.8, respectively. Drew Barrymore, which is now produced as a half-hour show that stations can run as a one-hour block or double-run in different time periods, is benefitting from having its ratings cumed across two airings.

Disney’s Tamron Hall was steady at a 0.7. NBCU’s Steve Wilkos was stable at a 0.6 for the 16th straight week, remaining tied with CBS’ Rachael Ray, which held steady for an eighth consecutive week. Reruns of NBCU’s Maury slumped 33% to a 0.4. NBCU’s Jerry Springer talk-court combo continued at a 0.3.

Also: Syndication Ratings: 'Jennifer Hudson,' 'Sherri' Hold Their Own in National Debut

CBS' Jeopardy! retook the game and syndication lead for the second straight week, inching up 2% to a 5.0  Debmar-Mercury’s Family Feud stayed at a 4.8 to take second place in both categories. CBS’ Wheel of Fortune ticked up 2% to a 4.6. Fox’s You Bet Your Life with host Jay Leno lost 13% to a 0.7, tying Fox’s 25 Words or Less, starring and executive produced by Meredith Vieira, which stayed put for a 13th consecutive week.

CBS’ new game show entry Pictionary, starring Jerry O’Connell, added 25% in its second week to a 0.5. Entertainment Studios’ Funny You Should Ask attained a 0.3 for a third straight week.

CBS’ Inside Edition set the magazine pace, moving ahead 5% to a 2.2. CBS’ Entertainment Tonight, NBCU’s Access Hollywood and Fox’s TMZ all were in line with the prior week, which included the 74th Primetime Emmy Awards, at a 2.0, 0.8 and 0.6, respectively. Warner Bros.’ Extra tallied a 20% increase to a 0.6, tying TMZ. Fox’s Dish Nation netted a 0.2 for the 25th straight week.

Evergreen episodes of CBS’ Judge Judy led the courts, despite dipping 2% to a 4.2. CBS’ Hot Bench and Warner Bros.’ People’s Court broke even at a 1.2 and a 0.7, respectively. Warner Bros.’ Judge Mathis skidded 17% to a 0.5. That tied Fox’s Divorce Court, now hosted by Star Jones, which was flat for a second week. Wrigley Media’s sophomore Relative Justice receded 25% to a 0.3.

Court rookies Trifecta’s iCrime with Elizabeth Vargas and Entertainment Studios’ We the People with Judge Lauren Lake leveled off at a 0.5 and 0.3 in their second weeks.

Warner Bros.’ The Big Bang Theory and Disney’s Last Man Standing stayed at a 1.8 and 1.0, respectively. Disney’s Modern Family forfeited 13% to a 0.7 tying Disney’s Family Guy, which grew 17%, as well as Warner Bros.’ Young Sheldon and Two and a Half Men, both of which were flat. Sony Pictures Television’s The Goldbergs and Seinfeld were both stable at a 0.6. CBS’ newcomer The Neighborhood was on par with its 0.5 premiere in its second week. Finally, Warner Bros.’ Mom moved up 33% to a 0.4, tying Disney’s Black-ish, which held steady for the seventh straight week. ■

Jennifer Hudson and Sherri — syndication’s two major new talk entries — made their debuts on Monday, September 12, and tied at a 0.7 live-plus-same-day national household rating, according to Nielsen. Both shows air on Fox-owned stations in major markets.

Warner Bros.’s Jennifer Hudson took over time periods formerly occupied by Debmar-Mercury’s canceled Nick Cannon in many Fox-owned markets and outperformed that show’s 0.4 debut by 75%. Debmar-Mercury’s Sherri, hosted by Sherri Shepherd, debuted 13% below the show it replaced, Debmar-Mercury’s Wendy Williams, which opened last year at a 0.8. Last year at this time, the season premiere of Wendy Williams was continually delayed with the host out on medical leave. Williams never returned, leading to a year of guest hosts — including Shepherd — and then to Wendy Williams’s ultimate cancellation.

NBCUniversal’s Karamo, starring Karamo Brown and replacing NBCU’s long-running Maury on many stations across the country, debuted September 19 and tallied a 0.3 rating/1 share primary-run weighted metered market average. The show’s best performance came on WJW Cleveland at 1 p.m. at a 0.9 rating/5 share, an 80% improvement over the show it replaced, Warner Bros.’s concluded The Real.

Also: Old Hands Bring New Stars to Syndication

Disney’s Live with Kelly and Ryan broke a three-week tie with CBS Media Ventures’ Dr. Phil to take top talk honors even though Live dipped 7% to a 1.4. Live has now led the category for 17 straight weeks, including eight ties with Dr. Phil, and 55 times in the past 70 weeks, including 19 ties with Dr. Phil.

Among daytime’s key demographic of women 25-54, Live and Phil tied at a 0.5. Coming in at a 0.3 in the demo were JHud and Sherri as well as Disney’s Tamron Hall, NBCU’s Kelly Clarkson, CBS’ Drew Barrymore and CBS’ Rachael Ray.

Back in households, Dr. Phil, which had hit a seven-week high in the prior week, gave back 13% to a second-place 1.3. 

Kelly Clarkson and Drew Barrymore both kicked off their fourth seasons and saw talk’s biggest increases. Kelly Clarkson, which took over the time slots of Warner Bros.’ ended Ellen DeGeneres in many major markets, shot up 29% to a 14-week high 0.9. Drew Barrymore, which is now produced and distributed as two half-hour episodes that can be aired separately or as a full-hour block, doubled its previous rating, increasing 100% from the prior week and 60% from last year at this time to a new series-high 0.8. That’s because Nielsen is now taking the cumulative rating of at least two separate half-hour episodes in each market instead of taking the average of a single episode.

Disney’s Tamron Hall strengthened 17% to a 0.7. NBCU’s Steve Wilkos and CBS’ Rachael Ray each remained at a 0.6, tying recycled episodes of Maury, which were down 14%. NBCU’s Jerry Springer combo, which is composed of previously aired talk and court show episodes starring Springer, sank 25% in its second week to a 0.3.  

‘Jeopardy!’ Reclaims Games Crown

CBS’s Jeopardy! iumped back into the overall syndication and game lead with the premiere of its 39th season on Sept. 12 with a 23% spike to a 4.9. Debmar-Mercury’s Family Feud came close to making it seven straight wins but slipped 4% to a 4.8. CBS’ Wheel of Fortune, which is paired with Jeopardy! in many markets, moved up 10% to a 4.5. 

Fox First Run’s You Bet Your Life with host Jay Leno improved 14% to a 0.8 while Fox’s 25 Words or Less logged a 0.7 for the 12th straight week. CBS’s game rookie Pictionary, hosted by Jerry O’Connell, premiered on Monday, September 12, and averaged a 0.4, just ahead of Entertainment Studios’ Funny You Should Ask, which stayed put at a 0.3 for a second week. 

CBS’ top magazines Inside Edition and Entertainment Tonight were buoyed by the 74th Primetime Emmy Awards on September 12 and both advanced 5% to a 2.1 and a 2.0, respectively. NBCU’s Access Hollywood added 14% to a 0.8. Fox’s TMZ fell 14% to a 0.6. Warner Bros.’s Extra, which was preempted by Thursday Night Baseball in Fox markets, slipped 17% to a 0.5. Fox’s Dish Nation notched a 0.2 for the 24th consecutive week. 

Evergreen episodes of CBS’s Judge Judy grew 2% to a 4.3 to lead the courts. CBS’s Hot Bench and Warner Bros.’s People’s Court and Judge Mathis all maintained a 1.2, 0.7 and 0.6, respectively. Fox’s Divorce Court, with new judge Star Jones, recovered 25% to a 0.5. Wrigley Media’s Relative Justice in its sophomore season swelled 33% to a 0.4. Entertainment Studios’ newcomer We the People with Judge Lauren Lake gaveled in with a 0.3 in its debut.

Also debuting in syndication was Trifecta’s new true-crime entry iCrime with Elizabeth Vargas, which broke in at a 0.5. 

Warner Bros.’ The Big Bang Theory led the off-network sitcoms even though it backed off 5% to a 1.8. Disney’s Last Man Standing stood pat at a 1.0. Disney’s Modern Family forged ahead 14% to a 0.8. Warner Bros.’s Two and a Half Men and Young Sheldon both stayed at a 0.7. Disney’s Family Guy faded 14% to a 0.6, tying Sony’s The Goldbergs and Seinfeld, each of which held steady. CBS’ newcomer The Neighborhood debuted at a 0.5. Disney’s Black-ish was steady at a 0.4 for the sixth straight week. ▪️

Jennifer Hudson and Sherri Shepherd both debuted their new talk shows on Sept. 12 and the two programs, both of which launched on Fox stations in top markets, are running neck and neck.

Warner Bros.’ Jennifer Hudson hit a 0.7 rating/3 share primary run weighted metered market average, according to Nielsen, improving over its year-ago time periods by 17%. JHud’s best top-10 market performance came on WCVB Boston at 3 p.m., where it won the time period with a 1.4/7 and turned in a 27% improvement over Warner Bros.’ Ellen DeGeneres, the show it replaced in the time slot.

Debmar-Mercury’s Sherri, meanwhile, registered a 0.7/4 in its premiere week, on par with its September 2021 time periods, largely filled by Debmar-Mercury’s Wendy Williams in top markets. Sherri’s strongest top-10 market showing came on WAGA Atlanta at 11 a.m., where its 1.8/10 beat last year’s Wendy Williams in the time period by 13%.

Fox First Run’s new game show Pictionary, starring Jerry O’Connell, premiered September 12 with a first-week 0.3/1 primary run weighted metered market average, up 50% from its July 2022 time periods. On WNYW New York at 1 p.m., the show averaged a 0.4/2 and outperformed the time slot’s most-recent occupant, Sony Pictures Television’s canceled The Good Dish, by 33%.

In the national household ratings, the traditionally quiet holiday session that began with Labor Day ended September 11 was a strong one for the top two talk shows.

Disney’s Live with Kelly and Ryan and CBS Media Ventures’s Dr. Phil remained deadlocked in first place for a third straight week. Live rose 7% to a three-week high 1.5 live-plus-same-day national household rating, according to Nielsen. At the same time, Dr. Phil strengthened 7% to a seven-week high.

Live has now been first or tied for first in talk for 16 weeks in a row, including eight dead heats with Dr. Phil. Among daytime’s key demographic of women 25-54, Live and Phil were also tied at a 0.5.

Disney’s Tamron Hall spiked 17% to a third-place 0.7 with its fourth-season premiere, tying reruns of NBCUniversal’s Maury, which also added 17%, and repeats of NBCU’s Kelly Clarkson, which receded 14%. Kelly Clarkson premiered its fourth season — in upgraded time slots in many markets across the country — on Monday, Sept. 12, national ratings for which will come in next week. 

NBCU’s Steve Wilkos, CBS’ Rachael Ray, the final week of Wendy Williams, and CBS’ Drew Barrymore all held their ground at a 0.6, 0.6, 0.5 and 0.4, respectively.

NBCU’s Jerry Springer combo, which consists of Springer talk and court encores, opened at a 0.4, matching repeats of Drew Barrymore. The finale of Debmar-Mercury’s canceled Nick Cannon climbed 50% to a 0.3. ■

‘Feud’ Still Tops the Charts

Debmar-Mercury’s Family Feud inched up 2% to lead the game shows and all of syndication for the sixth-straight week. CBS’s Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy and Fox’s You Bet Your Life with host Jay Leno and 25 Words or Less were all in line with the prior week’s 4.1, 4.0, 0.7 and 0.7, respectively. Entertainment Studios’ Funny You Should Ask slumped 25% to a 0.3.

Fox’s TMZ and Warner Bros.’s Extra were the only magazines to improve. TMZ strengthened 17% to a 0.7, tying a steady Access Hollywood for third place. Warner Bros.’ Extra originated in London for part of the week, covering the death of Queen Elizabeth II and surged 20% to a 0.6. 

CBS’s magazine leaders Inside Edition and Entertainment Tonight, CBS’s departing DailyMailTV and Fox’s Dish Nation all held steady at a 2.0, 1.9, 0.4 and 0.2, respectively. 

Evergreen episodes of CBS’s Judge Judy dipped 5% to a 4.2 to lead the courts and finish second in overall syndication. CBS’ Hot Bench gave back 8%  to a 1.2. Warner Bros.’ People’s Court was consistent at a 0.7 for a second straight week. Warner Bros.’ Judge Mathis motored ahead 20% to a 0.6, breaking a tie with Fox’s Divorce Court, which declined 20% to a 0.4. Wrigley Media’s Relative Justice remained at 0.3 for the seventh straight week. 

Warner Bros.’s The Big Bang Theory led the off-network sitcoms, expanding by 6% to a 1.9. Disney’s Last Man Standing, Family Guy and Modern Family; Warner Bros.’ Two and a Half Men and Young Sheldon; and Sony’s The Goldbergs and Seinfeld all stayed at a 1.0, 0.7, 0.7, 0.7, 0.7, 0.6 and 0.6, respectively. Warner Bros.’ Mike & Molly and Mom and Disney’s Black-ish all broke even at a 0.4 for the fifth consecutive week. ▪️

Family Feud remained the syndication and game leader in the week ended August 28, holding on to that position for the fourth straight week. Debmar-Mercury’s game show, starring Steve Harvey, ticked up 2% to a 5.2 live plus same day national household rating, according to Nielsen. 

CBS Media Ventures’ Jeopardy inched up 2% to a 4.2, while CBS’ Wheel of Fortune was flat at its season-low 4.1 for the third straight week. Fox’s You Bet Your Life with host Jay Leno and its 25 Words or Less, starring and executive produced by Meredith Vieira, logged a steady 0.8 and 0.7, respectively. Entertainment Studios’ Funny You Should Ask accumulated a 0.4 for the eighth straight week.

Fox completed its four-week preview of game show Person, Place or Thing with host Melissa Peterman. After debuting on August 8, the show averaged a 0.3 weighted metered market average for all runs in nine Fox test markets. That was down 40% from both its lead-in and year-ago time period average. Among women 25-54, the show’s 0.2 average was equal to both its lead in and September 2021 time periods. 

Back in the national ratings for the session ended August 28, Disney’s internet video show RightThisMinute managed a 0.5 for the fifth consecutive week. 

Reruns of CBS’ Dr. Phil advanced 8% to a three-week high of 1.4, tying Disney’s Live with Kelly and Ryan to lead talk. Live lost 7% with repackaged episodes on four of the five days. 

Among women 25-54, Live led with a 0.6, up 20% and notching a four-week high in the demo.

Warner Bros.’ ending Ellen DeGeneres strengthened 17% to a 0.7, tying repeats of NBCU’s Kelly Clarkson, which stayed put for a fourth straight week.

Disney’s Tamron Hall, NBCU’s Steve Wilkos, CBS’ Rachael Ray and NBCU’s out-of-production Maury all stayed put at a 0.6. Recycled episodes of Debmar-Mercury’s exiting Wendy Williams held at a 0.5 for the tenth straight week. CBS’ Drew Barrymore, headed into its third season with half-hour episodes, gave back 20% to a 0.4.

Second helpings of Sony’s The Good Dish, NBCU’s long out-of-production Jerry Springer and Debmar-Mercury’s canceled Nick Cannon all continued at a 0.3. Remnants of Warner Bros.’ The Real and CBS’ The Doctors delivered a 0.2 for the 12th and 77th straight weeks, respectively, as both shows wrap their syndicated runs.

Evergreen episodes of CBS’ Judge Judy led the courts, despite slipping 7% to a 4.2 and tying Jeopardy for second place in overall syndication. CBS’ Hot Bench was the second-highest court, staying at a 1.2 for the fourth consecutive week. Warner Bros.’ People’s Court settled at its series-low 0.6 for a second week. 

Fox’s Divorce Court climbed 25% to a 0.5 as it began its new season with veteran television personality Star Jones, an original co-host of ABC’s The View, behind the bench, tying Warner Bros.’ Judge Mathis, which maintained for a 14th straight week.

NBCU’s Judge Jerry, nearing its end, remained at a 0.4 for the 29th consecutive week. Wrigley Media’s rookie Relative Justice stayed at a 0.3 for the fifth week in a row.

CBS’ Inside Edition broke even at a 2.0 to lead the magazines. CBS’ Entertainment Tonight eased 5% to a 1.8. Fox’s TMZ and Warner Bros.’ Extra were on par with the prior week’s 0.7 and 0.6, respectively. NBCU’s Access Hollywood fell 14% to a 0.6 to tie Extra. CBS’ canceled DailyMailTV stayed at a 0.5 for the 21st straight week. Fox’s Dish Nation hovered at a 0.2 for a 21st week.

Warner Bros.’ The Big Bang Theory elevated 11% to a 2.0 to lead the off-network sitcoms. Disney’s Last Man Standing stepped up 10% to a 1.1. Sony’s The Goldbergs grew 17% to a 0.7, tying Disney’s Family Guy, Disney’s Modern Family, Warner Bros.’ Two and a Half Men and Warner Bros.’ Young Sheldon, all of which stayed put. Sony’s Seinfeld spiked 20% to a 0.6. Debmar-Mercury’s Schitt’s Creek returned to the chart, rising 33% to a 0.4, tying Warner Bros.’ Mike & Molly, Disney’s Black-ish and Warner Bros.’ Mom, all of which held steady.

No originals were no problem for CBS Media Ventures' Judge Judy, which is out of original production and only airs in broadcast syndication in repeats. The court leader hit a 10-week high in the week ended August 21 with a 7% spike to a 4.5 live plus same day national household rating, according to Nielsen. 

That was enough to top CBS' frequent leader Jeopardy! for the second time in three weeks and finish second on the overall chart behind Debmar-Mercury's game and overall leader Family Feud.

The rest of the court shows did not fare as well. CBS' Hot Bench held at a 1.2, followed by Warner Bros.' People's Court, which fell back 14% to a new series-low 0.6. Warner Bros.' Judge Mathis, Fox's Divorce Court, NBCUniversal's concluding Judge Jerry and Wrigley Media's rookie Relative Justice were all steady at a 0.5, 0.4, 0. 4 and 0.3, respectively. 

Disney's Live with Kelly and Ryan remained the highest-rated talker for a 13th straight week, including five ties with CBS' Dr. Phil, strengthening 7% to a 1.5, despite being almost entirely in repackaged episodes. Live has now been the top talker 79 times in the past 100 weeks, including 26 ties with Dr. Phil. Among syndication's key demographic of women 25-54, Live also led at a 0.5. Repeats of Dr. Phil remained at a second-place 1.3 in households. 

NBCU's Kelly Clarkson held steady at a 0.7 to take third in talk. Warner Bros.' Ellen and NBCU’s Maury, both of which are out of production, both fell 14% to a 0.6, tying Disney's Tamron Hall, NBCU's Steve Wilkos and CBS' Rachael Ray, all of which were flat. 

CBS' Drew Barrymore improved 25%, or one-tenth of a ratings point, to a 0.5 to tie Debmar-Mercury's steady Wendy Williams, with both shows in reruns.

Leftovers of Sony's short-ordered The Good Dish, library episodes of NBCU's Jerry Springer, and Debmar-Mercury's one-and-done Nick Cannon all continued to simmer at a 0.3. Two other concluding shows -- Warner Bros.' The Real and CBS' The Doctors -- both stayed at a 0.2 for the 11th and 76th straight weeks, respectively.

Family Feud finished first in the overall ratings for the third straight week and the fourth time in five weeks, adding 2% to a 5.1, making it the only show in syndication to top the 5.0 mark. Jeopardy! sank 7% to a new season-low 4.1 to tie CBS' Wheel of Fortune, which remained at its season low for a second week. 

Fox's You Bet Your Life with Jay Leno forged ahead 14% to a 0.8. Fox's 25 Words or Less labored at a 0.7 for the eighth week in a row. Entertainment Studios' Funny You Should Ask replied with a 0.4 for the seventh consecutive week. 

At the three-quarter mark of a four-week preview, Fox's Person, Place or Thing, hosted by Melissa Peterman, managed a 0.3 weighted metered market average for all runs in nine Fox test markets. That was down 40% from both its lead-in and year-ago time periods. Among women 25-54, the show's 0.2 was equal to both its lead-in and September 2021 time periods. 

Back in the national household ratings for the week ended August 21, internet video show Disney's RightThisMinute mustered a 0.5 for the fourth straight week.

CBS' magazine leaders Inside Edition and Entertainment Tonight both backed off 5% to a 2.0 and a 1.9, respectively. NBCU's Access Hollywood held its ground at a 0.7, tying Fox's TMZ, which recovered 17% to a 0.7. Warner Bros.' Extra grew 20% to a 0.6 and was the only ongoing magazine to hold 100% of its year-ago rating. CBS' canceled DailyMailTV delivered a 0.5 for the 20th week in a row, while Fox's Dish Nation stalled at a 0.2 for a 20th straight week. 

Warner Bros.' The Big Bang Theory continued to pin at a 1.8 for a second week. Disney's Last Man Standing slipped 9% to a 1.0. Disney's Family Guy gained 17% to a 0.7, tying Warner Bros.' Young Sheldon, Disney's Modern Family and Warner Bros.' Two and a Half Men, all of which stayed put. Sony's The Goldbergs garnered a 0.6 for a third consecutive week. Sony's Seinfeld stayed at its series-low 0.5 for a second week. Warner Bros.' Mike and Molly and Mom, and Disney's black-ish were all steady at a 0.4. ■

Family Feud held on to both the syndication and game lead in the repeat-heavy summer week ended August 14. The Steve Harvey-led game show dipped 4% to a 5.0 live plus same day national household rating, according to Nielsen.

Major League Baseball’s “Field of Dreams” game on Fox resulted in a large number of preemptions for Debmar-Mercury’s game show – as well as for other shows that air on Fox-owned stations and affiliates in access – on Thursday, August 11. 

CBS Media Ventures’ Jeopardy, which often leads syndication and games, bounced up 5% off the prior week’s season low to a second-place 4.4. Both Feud and Jeopardy were in repeats.

CBS’ Wheel of Fortune fell 2% to a new season-low 4.1. Fox’s You Bet Your Life with host Jay Leno lost 13% to a 0.7, tying Fox’s 25 Words or Less, which stayed put for a seventh consecutive week. Entertainment Studios’ Funny You Should Ask answered with a 0.4 for the sixth straight week.

At the halfway point of a four-week preview, Fox’s Person, Place or Thing, hosted by Melissa Peterman, earned a 0.3 weighted metered market average for all runs across its nine Fox test markets. That was down 40% from its lead in and trailed its year-ago time periods by 25%. Among syndication’s key demographic of women 25-54, the show averaged a 0.2 to equal its lead in and year-ago time periods.

Back in the national household ratings, Disney’s internet video show RightThisMinute clocked a 0.5 for the third straight week.

CBS’ magazine leaders Inside Edition and Entertainment Tonight were the only shows in the category to improve. Inside Edition finished 5% higher at a 2.1, while Entertainment Tonight improved 11% to a nine-week high 2.0, even though ET lost its primary run in New York and elsewhere due to pre-season NFL football on August 12. 

NBCUniversal’s Access Hollywood held its ground at a third place 0.7. Warner Bros.’ Extra had its primary run preempted on August 11 by Fox’s Field of Dreams game in six of the top eight markets, among others, and fell back 17% to a 0.5. That tied CBS’ soon-to-be defunct DailyMailTV, which held steady for the 19th week in a row. Fox’s Dish Nation dawdled at a 0.2 for a 19th straight week. 

In daytime, many shows on network affiliates were bumped on August 11 for breaking news on Attorney General Merrick Garland’s remarks regarding the FBI’s search of former president Donald Trump’s Mar-A-Lago estate.

Disney’s Live with Kelly and Ryan eased 7% to a 1.4 but was still the highest-rated talker for a 12th consecutive week, including five ties with CBS’ Dr. Phil. Live has now been the top talker 50 times in the past 65 weeks, including 16 ties with Dr. Phil. Among women 25-54, Live also led at a 0.5. Reruns of Dr. Phil dipped 7% to a second-place 1.3. 

Warner Bros.’ ending Ellen DeGeneres was the only one of the 15 talkers to improve, spiking 17% to a 0.7 to tie repeats of NBCU’s Kelly Clarkson and its out-of-production conflict talker Maury, both of which were flat.

Disney’s Tamron Hall, CBS’ Rachael Ray, NBCU’s Steve Wilkos and Debmar-Mercury’s about- to-exit Wendy Williams were all on par with the prior week’s 0.6, 0.6, 0.6 and 0.5, respectively. CBS’ Drew Barrymore fell back 20% to a 0.4. Sony Pictures Television’s soon-to-be-off-the-menu The Good Dish, library episodes of NBCU’s Jerry Springer, and Debmar-Mercury’s short-lived Nick Cannon all stayed at a 0.3.

Repeats of two concluding shows – Warner Bros.’ The Real and CBS’ The Doctors – both stayed at a 0.2 for the 10th and 75th consecutive weeks, respectively.  

Library episodes of CBS’ Judge Judy led the courts despite dipping 5% to a 4.2, making Judy syndication’s third-highest rated strip behind Feud and Jeopardy. 

CBS’ Hot Bench, Warner Bros.’ People’s Court and Judge Mathis, Fox’s Divorce Court, NBCU’s canceled Judge Jerry and Wrigley Media’s rookie Relative Justice were all flat at a 1.2,  0.7, 0.5, 0.4, 0.4 and 0.3, respectively.

Warner Bros.’ The Big Bang Theory led the off-network sitcoms even though it contracted 5% to a 1.8. Disney’s Last Man Standing stood pat at a 1.1. Warner Bros.’ Young Sheldon shed 13% to a 0.7, tying Disney’s Modern Family and Warner Bros.’ Two and a Half Men, both of which held steady. Disney’s Family Guy forfeited 14% to a 0.6, tying Sony’s The Goldbergs, which was steady. Sony’s Seinfeld skidded 17% to a new series-low 0.5. Finally, Warner Bros.’ Mom and Disney’s Black-ish both tumbled 20% to a 0.4, tying Warner Bros.’ Mike & Molly, which marshaled a 0.4 for the ninth straight week.

Family Feud was unfazed by reruns in the week ended August 7, adding 2% to a 5.2 live plus same day national household rating, according to Nielsen, to lead the games and all of syndication. Meanwhile, CBS Media Ventures’ Jeopardy!, also in repeats, fell back 19% to a new season-low to tie its sibling Wheel of Fortune, which faded 5%.

Debmar-Mercury’s Family Feud, starring Steve Harvey, also led syndication and the games among the key demographic of women 25-54 at a 1.7.

Fox First Run’s You Bet Your Life with host Jay Leno increased 14% to a 0.8, while Fox’s 25 Words or Less lingered at a 0.7 for the sixth straight week. Entertainment Studios’ Funny You Should Ask stayed at a 0.4 for the fifth consecutive week.

The first week of a four-week preview of Fox’s new game show, Person Place or Thing hosted by Melissa Peterman, managed a 0.3 weighted metered market average for all runs in nine Fox test markets, according to Nielsen. That was down 40% from its lead-in and down 25% from its year-ago time period average. Among women 25-54, the first week’s 0.2 was even with both its lead-in and August 2021 time periods.

Back in the national household ratings, Disney’s internet video show RightThisMinute maintained a 0.5.

Repeats of CBS’ Judge Judy stayed put at a 4.4, ranking it as syndication’s second-highest rated strip behind Family Feud.

CBS’ Hot Bench backtracked 8% to a 1.2. Warner Bros.’ People’s Court and Judge Mathis, Fox’s Divorce Court, NBCUniversal’s canceled Judge Jerry and Wrigley Media’s rookie Relative Justice were all on par with the prior week’s 0.7, 0.5, 0.4, 0.4 and 0.3, respectively.

Disney’s Live with Kelly and Ryan registered a third consecutive 1.5 to make it 11 straight talk wins, including five ties with CBS’ Dr. Phil. Among women 25-54, Live also led with a 0.5. Reruns of Dr. Phil remained in second place in talk at a 1.4.

Repeats of NBCU’s Kelly Clarkson – which were preempted in two of the top-ten markets, among others, on August 4 for NBC’s coverage of the NFL’s Hall of Fame game – gave back 13% to a 0.7, tying NBCU’s out-of-production Maury, which managed a 0.7 for the ninth consecutive week.

CBS’ Rachael Ray retreated 14% to a 0.6, tying Disney’s Tamron Hall, NBCU’s Steve Wilkos and the final episodes of Warner Bros.’ Ellen DeGeneres, all of which were even with the prior week. Debmar-Mercury’s Wendy Williams, which like Ellen is out of production, and CBS’ Drew Barrymore both stayed at a 0.5.

Already cooked episodes of Sony Pictures Television’s short-ordered The Good Dish, library episodes of NBCU’s Jerry Springer and Debmar-Mercury’s canceled Nick Cannon all continued to cool at a 0.3. Repeats of Warner Bros.’ concluding The Real remained at a 0.2 for the ninth straight week to tie CBS’ The Doctors, which held steady for the 74th straight week as it heads out of syndication.

CBS’ top magazines Inside Edition and Entertainment Tonight both eased 5% to a 2.0 and a 1.8, respectively, but stayed on top of the magazines. NBCU’s Access Hollywood, Fox’s TMZ, Warner Bros.’ Extra, CBS’ concluding DailyMailTV and Fox’s Dish Nation all held at a 0.7, 0.7, 0.6, 0.5 and 0.2, respectively. 

Warner Bros.’ The Big Bang Theory continued at a 1.9 to lead the off-network sitcoms. Disney’s Last Man Standing jumped 10% to a 1.1. Warner Bros.’ Young Sheldon, Disney’s Modern Family, Warner Bros.’ Two and a Half Men and Disney’s Family Guy all retained a 0.8, 0.7, 0.7 and 0.7, respectively. Sony’s The Goldbergs gave back 14% to a 0.6, tying Sony’s Seinfeld, which stayed put for a 17th straight week. Warner Bros.’ Mom and Disney’s black-ish both broke even at a 0.5 for the fourth consecutive week. ■

Jeopardy! returned to the game and syndication lead in the week ended July 31.

For the past nine weeks, CBS Media Ventures’ Jeopardy! and Debmar-Mercury’s Family Feud have been locked in a neck-and-neck fight for game-show domination with never more than a tenth of a ratings point separating the two. That was true this week as well, with Jeopardy! inching up 2% to a 5.2 live plus same day national household rating, according to Nielsen, while Family Feud fell back 2% to a second-place 5.1. Feud continued to lead all of syndication in the key adult women 25-54 demographic at a 1.7.

Also: ‘Jeopardy!’ Names Mayim Bialik, Ken Jennings Permanent Co-Hosts

CBS’ Wheel of Fortune was slightly less fortunate, deflating 2% to a 4.4.

Fox’s You Bet Your Life, with host Jay Leno, and Fox’s 25 Words or Less, starring and executive produced by Meredith Vieira, tied at a 0.7 for the third straight week.

Entertainment Studios’ Funny You Should Ask stayed at a 0.4 for a fourth straight week.

Disney’s internet video show RightThisMinute recovered 25% from a series low to a 0.5.

CBS’ Inside Edition and Entertainment Tonight and NBCUniversal’s Access Hollywood led the magazines with all maintaining a 2.1, 1.9 and 0.7, respectively. Fox’s TMZ strengthened 17% to a 0.7, tying Access Hollywood.

Warner Bros.’ Extra -- whose senior executive producer, Lisa Gregorisch-Dempsey, is retiring after 22 years at the helm -- spiked 20% to a 0.6. Extra will continue to be led by executive producers Theresa Coffino and Jeremy Spiegel.

CBS’ canceled DailyMailTV and Fox’s Dish Nation both stalled at a 0.5 and a 0.2, respectively, for an 18th straight week.

Disney’s Live with Kelly and Ryan remained at a 1.5 to regain sole possession of the top talk slot after being tied for first with CBS’ Dr. Phil in the prior two weeks. Live has led the category 48 times in the past 63 weeks, including 16 ties with Dr. Phil. Among women 25-54, Live also led with a 0.6. Dr. Phil, still in repeats, slipped 7% to a 1.4 in households.

NBCU’s Kelly Clarkson, CBS’ Rachael Ray, NBCU’s out-of-production Maury, Disney’s Tamron Hall, NBCU’s Steve Wilkos, Warner Bros.’ Ellen DeGeneres and Debmar-Mercury’s Wendy Wiliams were all steady at a 0.8, 0.7, 0.7, 0.6, 0.6, 0.6 and 0.5, respectively.

CBS’ Drew Barrymore moved ahead 25% to a 0.5, tying repeats of the out-of-production Wendy Williams.

Leftovers of Sony Pictures Television’s short-lived The Good Dish, NBCU’s no-longer-in-originals Jerry Springer and Debmar-Mercury’s canceled Nick Cannon all continued at a 0.3. Reruns of Warner Bros.’ The Real and CBS’ The Doctors, neither of which are returning, both recorded a 0.2. The Real was steady for the eighth straight week, while The Doctors stayed put for the 73rd  week in a row.

Court shows were mostly stable. CBS’ out-of-production Judge Judy, CBS’ Hot Bench, Warner Bros.’ People’s Court and Judge Mathis, Fox’s Divorce Court and NBCU’s canceled Judge Jerry were all in line with the prior week’s 4.4, 1.3, 0.7, 0.5, 0.4 and 0.4, respectively. Warner Bros.’ rookie Relative Justice receded 25% to a 0.3.

Warner Bros.’ The Big Bang Theory rebounded 12% from a new series low to a 1.9. Disney’s Last Man Standing stumbled 9% to a 1.0. Warner Bros.’ Young Sheldon shot up 14% to a 0.8. Disney’s Modern Family, Warner Bros.’ Two and a Half Men, Disney’s Family Guy and Sony’s The Goldbergs all continued to garner a 0.7. Sony’s Seinfeld stayed at a 0.6 for a 16th straight week. Finally, Disney’s Black-ish and Warner Bros.’ Mom both managed a 0.5 for the third straight week. ■

Talk’s top three, Dr. Phil, Live with Kelly and Ryan and Kelly Clarkson, were the loudest voices in the hotly contested 15-show category, and the only ones in the group gaining ground in the midsummer session ending July 24.

CBS Media Ventures’ Dr. Phil spiked 7% week to week and 15% over the prior two weeks to a five-week high 1.5 live plus same day national Nielsen rating, despite being in repeats. That tied Disney’s Live with Kelly and Ryan, which also rose 7% to a 1.5 at the head of the talk show class. Live has been no. 1 in the genre 47 times in the last 62 weeks, including 16 ties with Phil.

Among women 25-54, Nielsen’s No. 1 ranking went to Kelly and Ryan, which ruled with a 0.6. NBCUniversal’s Kelly Clarkson broke out of the pack and popped for a 14% increase to a 0.8, snaring sole possession of third place.

After that, CBS’ Rachael Ray, NBCU’s out-of-production Maury, Disney’s Tamron Hall, NBCU’s Steve Wilkos, remnants of Warner Bros.’ Ellen DeGeneres and Debmar-Mercury’s Wendy Williams, which have both ended their original runs, and CBS’ renewed Drew Barrymore, were all steady at 0.7, 0.7, 0.6, 0.6, 0.6, 0.5, and 0.4, respectively.

Sony’s in-and-out talker The Good Dish, NBCU’s no-longer-in-original-production Jerry Springer, and Fox’s canceled Nick Cannon, all continued to stew at a 0.3.

And bringing up the rear, repeats of Warner Bros.’ The Real and CBS’ The Doctors, neither of which will be returning, were relegated to a 0.2.

For The Real that was the seventh straight week at that level and a 72nd such diagnosis in a row for The Doctors.

Back on the positive side, library episodes of CBS’ legal juggernaut Judge Judy strengthened 2% to a three-week high 4.4 ranking, fourth on the overall chart and crushing the court shows for a 1,348th consecutive week -- or every week for more than 25 years.

CBS’ Hot Bench also bagged a favorable verdict, elevating 8% to a 1.3 to rank as syndication’s second highest court. Warner Bros.’ People’s Court and Judge Mathis, Fox’s Divorce Court, and NBCU’s canceled Judge Jerry were all on par with the prior week’s 0.7, 0.5, 0.4, and 0.4, respectively.

Wrigley Media’s newcomer Relative Justice recovered 33% back to a 0.4, tying Jerry and Divorce.

Turning to strips airing in prime access time periods, Debmar-Mercury’s Family Feud inched up 2% to a 5.2 to rule the game shows and all of syndication. CBS’ Jeopardy!, which had been tied at the top the week before, CBS’ Wheel of Fortune, Fox’s You Bet Your Life with host Jay Leno, and Fox’s 25 Words or Less, were all flat at 5.1, 4.5, 0.7, and 0.7, respectively.

Entertainment Studios’ Funny You Should Ask responded with a 0.4 for the third week in a row. Disney’s internet video show RightThisMinute, tumbled 20% to a new series low 0.4 and landed in a tie with Funny.

On the magazine rack, CBS’ Inside Edition added 5% to a 2.1. CBS’ Entertainment Tonight spurted 6% to a three-week high 1.9. NBCU’s Access Hollywood held its ground at a 0.7. Fox’s TMZ fell 14% to a 0.6. Warner Bros.’ Extra, which will be losing its legendary senior executive producer Lisa Gregorisch-Dempsey next month, was hit with numerous top 10 market preemptions including New York and Los Angeles on multiple days and gave back 17% to a 0.5.

Lisa G., as she is fondly known in TV circles, is America’s longest-running entertainment show exec producer, having led the Emmy winning programming for 22 years. Key Extra vets Theresa Coffino and Jeremy Spiegel have reportedly tagged to take over.

CBS’ canceled DailyMailTV and Fox’s Dish Nation were stagnant at 0.5 and 0.2, respectively.

In off-net, Warner Bros.’ sitcom leader The Big Bang Theory imploded, eroding 11% to a new series low 1.7. Disney’s Last Man Standing jumped 10% to a 1.1. Warner Bros.’ Young Sheldon skidded 13% to a 0.7, tying Disney’s Modern Family, Sony’s The Goldbergs, and Warner Bros.’ Two and a Half Men, which all maintained a 0.7 and Disney’s Family Guy, which grew 17% to a 0.7. Sony’s Seinfeld showed serenity now with a 0.6 for the 15th straight week. And finally Disney’s black-ish and Warner Bros.’ Mom both remained at a 0.5. ■

Family Feud tied Jeopardy! for the top spot among the games and all of syndication in the session ending July 17.

Debmar-Mercury’s Family Feud, hosted by Steve Harvey, spiked 6% to a five-week high 5.1 live plus same day national household rating, according to Nielsen, while CBS Media Ventures’ Jeopardy!, which had led in four of the past five weeks, answered with a 4% gain to its own five-week high. Family Feud also led, per usual, among syndication’s key demographic of women 25-54 at a 1.7, an increase of 13% compared to the prior week.

CBS’ Wheel of Fortune recovered 7% from a season low to a 4.5.

Fox’s You Bet Your Life with host Jay Leno lost 13% to a 0.7, tying Fox’s 25 Words or Less, starring and executive produced by Meredith Vieira, which stayed put for a third straight week. Entertainment Studios’ Funny You Should Ask answered with a flat 0.4.

Disney’s internet video show RightThisMinute mustered a 0.5 for the seventh week in a row.

All of the magazines remained in place with CBS’ Inside Edition and Entertainment Tonight, NBCUniversal’s Access Hollywood, Fox’s TMZ, Warner Bros.’ Extra, CBS’ canceled DailyMailTV and Fox’s Dish Nation all steady at a 2.0, 1.8, 0.7, 0.7, 0.6, 0.5 and 0.2, respectively.

Compared to last year at this time, all of the magazines were down except for TMZ and Extra, both of which were even with last year. 

In daytime, most shows on network affiliates were stymied by preemptions on July 12 for coverage of Congressional hearings on the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. As a result, only one of the 15 talk shows gained ground from the prior week: CBS’ Dr. Phil, which improved 8% to a 1.4, despite being in repeats. Phil returned to a tie for first place in talk with Disney’s Live with Kelly and Ryan, which relinquished 7%. Among daytime’s key demographic of women 25-54, Live led at a 0.5.

NBCU’s Kelly Clarkson, CBS’ Rachael Ray, NBCU’s out-of-production Maury, Disney’s Tamron Hall, NBCU’s Steve Wilkos and Warner Bros.’ Ellen DeGeneres and Debmar-Mercury’s Wendy Williams, both of which have ended their original runs, were all steady at a 0.7, 0.7, 0.7, 0.6, 0.6, 0.6 and 0.5, respectively.

CBS’ Drew Barrymore gave back 20% to a 0.4. Already cooked portions of Sony’s The Good Dish, repeats of NBCU’s Jerry Springer, and Fox’s canceled Nick Cannon all continued to serve up a 0.3. Completing the category, reruns of Warner Bros.’ The Real and CBS’ The Doctors, neither of which will be returning, registered a 0.2. That marked the sixth consecutive week at that level for The Real and a 71st straight week for The Doctors.

Repeats of CBS’ Judge Judy led the courts and ranked fourth on the overall syndication chart at a steady 4.3. 

CBS’ Hot Bench backtracked 8% to a second-place 1.2. Warner Bros.’ People’s Court and Judge Mathis both remained at a 0.7 and a 0.5, respectively. Fox’s Divorce Court crumbled 20% to a 0.4, tying NBCU’s canceled Judge Jerry, which stayed put for the 23rd consecutive week. Wrigley Media’s rookie Relative Justice tailed off 25% to a 0.3.  

Warner Bros.’ The Big Bang Theory shot up 6% to a 1.9. Disney’s Last Man Standing slumped 9% to a 1.0, matching its series low. Warner Bros.’ rookie Young Sheldon, Disney’s Modern Family, Warner Bros.’ Two and a Half Men, Sony’s The Goldbergs, Disney’s Family Guy, Sony’s Seinfeld and Disney’s Black-ish all broke even at a 0.8, 0.7, 0.7, 0.7, 0.6, 0.6 and 0.5, respectively. Finally, Warner Bros.’ Mom added 25% to tie Disney’s Black-ish at a 0.5. ■

Jeopardy! ticked up 2% to a 5.0 live-plus-same-day national household rating, according to Nielsen, to regain the game and syndication lead from Debmar-Mercury’s Family Feud in the week ended July 3. 

For its part, Feud fell 2% to a 4.9 while maintaining its syndication lead among women 25-54 at a 1.6, even though it was down 16% in the key demographic. CBS Media Ventures’ Jeopardy! and Feud have been swapping syndication’s top rating back and forth, with Jeopardy! happening to prevail in the pre-Fourth of July week.

CBS Media Ventures’ Wheel of Fortune, which is paired in access with Jeopardy! in many top markets, idled at a season-low 4.3 for a third straight week.  

Fox’s You Bet Your Life with host Jay Leno lept 14% to a 0.8, while Fox’s 25 Words or Less, starring and executive produced by Meredith Vieira, rebounded 17% to a 0.7. Entertainment Studios’s Funny You Should Ask slumped 25% to a 0.3, however.

Disney’s internet video show RightThisMinute maintained a 0.5 for the fifth straight week.

CBS‘s genre leaders Inside Edition and Entertainment Tonight were the only magazines to advance, with Inside Edition edging ahead 5% to a 2.0 and Entertainment Tonight growing 6% to a 1.9. 

NBCUniversal’s Access Hollywood, Fox’s TMZ, Warner Bros.’s Extra, CBS’s canceled DailyMailTV and Fox’s Dish Nation all were in line with the prior week’s 0.7, 0.7, 0.6, 0.5 and 0.2, respectively.

Four of the top 10 talkers were able to celebrate ratings gains in the pre-July 4th week despite being in repeats and facing preemptions for coverage of the January 6 U.S. Capitol riot hearings on June 28.

CBS’s Dr. Phil added 8% to a 1.4 and tied for first place with Disney’s Live with Kelly and Ryan after settling for second in the prior week. Live remained at a 1.4 for a second week with mostly repackaged episodes. Among women 25-54, Phil and Live tied at a 0.5.

NBCU’s Kelly Clarkson gained sole possession of third place, perking up 14% to a 0.8. While NBCU’s out-of-production Maury and CBS’s Rachael Ray both remained at a 0.7, Disney’s Tamron Hall strengthened 20% to a 0.6, tying NBCU’s steady Steve Wilkos and Warner Bros.’s even Ellen DeGeneres, which ended its run after 19 seasons and is no longer in originals.

CBS’s Drew Barrymore improved 25% to a three-week high of 0.5, tying Debmar-Mercury’s flat and concluded Wendy Williams. 

Leftovers of Sony Pictures Television’s The Good Dish, Debmar-Mercury’s canceled Nick Cannon and NBCU’s out-of-production Jerry Springer all continued to simmer at a 0.3. Finally, repeats of Warner Bros.’s concluding The Real registered a 0.2 for a fourth straight week to tie CBS’s departing The Doctors, which stayed put for a 69th consecutive week. 

‘Judy’ Still Rules Court Shows

Library episodes of CBS’s Judge Judy stepped up 7% to a 4.4 to lead the courts and rank as syndication’s third-highest rated strip overall behind Jeopardy! and Family Feud. CBS’ Hot Bench broke even at a second-place 1.3. Warner Bros.’ People’s Court skidded 13% to a 0.7. For the sixth straight week, Warner Bros.’ Judge Mathis, NBCU’s canceled Judge Jerry and Fox’s Divorce Court held steady at a 0.5, 0.4 and 0.4, respectively. Wrigley Media’s rookie Relative Justice fell back 25% to a 0.3. 

In off-net, Warner Bros.’s The Big Bang Theory contracted 5% to a 1.8, matching its series low. Disney’s Last Man Standing slumped 17% to a new series-low 1.0. Debmar-Mercury’s Family Guy grew 14% to a 0.8, tying Warner Bros.’s Young Sheldon, which stayed at a 0.8 for a fifth straight week. Sony’s The Goldbergs gained 17% to a 0.7 to tie Disney’s Modern Family and Warner Bros.’s Two and a Half Men, which remained tied for the seventh consecutive week. Sony’s Seinfeld stood pat at a 0.6 for the twelfth straight week. Warner Bros.’s Mom and Disney’s Black-ish both sank 20% to a 0.4 to tie Warner Bros.’s Mike & Molly, which was flat for a third week in a row. ▪️

Family Feud took over as the syndication leader in the week ended June 26 after playing second fiddle to CBS Media Ventures’ Jeopardy! for the prior two weeks. 

Otherwise, many shows sank to season lows in the first full week of summer, one that included plenty of preemptions across network affiliates for coverage of the Congressional hearings on the January 6 Capitol riot and the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade.

Debmar-Mercury’s Family Feud, starring Steve Harvey, inched up 2% to a 5.0 live plus same day national household rating according to Nielsen, just enough to squeak ahead of Jeopardy!, which dipped 2% to a 4.9. CBS’s Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy!’s partner in access on ABC affiliates in many major markets, continued to roll at its season-low 4.3 for a second week. 

Fox’s You Bet Your Life, starring Jay Leno, shed 13% to match its season-low 0.7. Fox’s 25 Words or Less lost 14% to a 0.6, equalling its season low. Entertainment Studios’ Funny You Should Ask stayed at a 0.4 for the fourth straight week.

Disney’s internet video show RightThisMinute mustered a 0.5 for a fourth consecutive week.

CBS’ Inside Edition and Entertainment Tonight both eased 5% to a 2.0 and a 1.0, respectively, to lead the magazines. Otherwise, NBCU’s Access Hollywood, Fox’s TMZ, Warner Bros.’ Extra, CBS’ canceled DailyMailTV and Fox’s Dish Nation all stayed put at a 0.7. 0.7 0.6, 0.5 and 0.2, respectively.  

Disney’s Live with Kelly and Ryan returned to the talk lead, even though the talker aired one pretaped and four repackaged episodes and slipped 7% to a new season-low 1.4. That was Live’s 43rd first-place finish in the past 58 weeks, including 13 ties with CBS’ Dr. Phil.

Among daytime’s key demographic of women 25-54, Live led with a 0.5.

Repeats of Dr. Phil came in a close second, softening 13% to a new season-low 1.3.

NBCU’s Kelly Clarkson pulled back 13% to a new season-low 0.7, tying NBCU’s out-of-production Maury and CBS’ Rachael Ray, both of which were flat. Warner Bros.’ Ellen DeGeneres, which has ended its 19-season run and is no longer in originals, tumbled 25% to a new season-low 0.6, tying NBCU’s Steve Wilkos, which held steady for a third consecutive week.

Disney’s Tamron Hall and Debmar-Mercury’s concluded Wendy Williams both slumped 17% to new season lows of 0.5. CBS’ Drew Barrymore stayed at a 0.4 with encore episodes. Sony Pictures Television’s one-and-done Good Dish, Debmar-Mercury’s canceled Nick Cannon and NBCU’s out-of-production Jerry Springer all remained at a 0.3. Finally, CBS’ The Doctors and Warner Bros.’ The Real, neither of which are returning next season, remained at a 0.2, marking the 68th straight week at that number for The Doctors.

CBS’s Judge Judy, in repeats, dipped 7% to a 4.1. CBS’ Hot Bench, also in repeats, bucked the trend to rise 8% to a 1.3 and tie Dr. Phil as daytime’s third-highest-rated show after Judy and Live.

Warner Bros.’s People’s Court climbed 14% to a 0.8. WB’s Judge Mathis, Fox’s Divorce Court and NBCU’s canceled Judge Jerry all stayed at a 0.5, 0.4 and 0.4, respectively. Wrigley Media’s rookie Relative Justice rebounded 33% to a 0.4.

Warner Bros.’ The Big Bang Theory expanded 6% to a 1.9 to lead the off-network sitcoms. Disney’s Last Man Standing stepped up 9% to a 1.2. Warner Bros.‘s newcomer Young Sheldon, Disney’s Family Guy and Modern Family, and Warner Bros.’s Two and a Half Men maintained a 0.8, 0.7, 0.7 and 0.7. Sony’s The Goldbergs gave back 14% to a new series-low 0.6, tying Sony’s Seinfeld, which stayed put for the 11th straight week. Finally, Disney’s Black-ish boasted a 25% increase to a 0.5, tying Warner Bros.’ Mom, which marshaled a 0.5 for an eighth consecutive week. ■

Wendy Williams ended its original run after 13 seasons on a third straight steady 0.6 live-plus-same-day national household rating, according to Nielsen, in the week ended June 19.

Debmar-Mercury’s Wendy Williams, whose host has been out on extended medical leave all season, was guest-hosted by Sherri Shepherd, whose new talk show, Sherri, will inherit many Wendy time slots this September. Compared to last year at this time, when Williams was hosting, Wendy Williams was down 33%. Most shows have declined from last year, however, and many shows on Big Four affiliates were preempted on June 13 and 16 for coverage of Congress' hearings on the January 6 Capitol riot.

Wendy’s 0.6 put it in a three-way tie for seventh place in talk with Disney’s Tamron Hall, which was hurt by preemptions and relinquished 14%; and NBCUniversal’s stable Steve Wilkos. Tamron Hall was named outstanding informative talk show host at the 49th Annual Daytime Emmys on Friday, June 24 on CBS. 

At the top of talk, CBS Media Ventures’ Dr. Phil and Disney’s Live with Kelly and Ryan tied for first at a steady 1.5 for a second straight week. Among daytime’s key demographic of women 25-54, Phil and Live also tied at a 0.5. 

NBCUniversal’s The Kelly Clarkson Show, which was heavily preempted during the week, gave back 11% to a 0.8, tying Warner Bros.’ flat Ellen DeGeneres, which has ended original production, for third place. Kelly Clarkson was the big winner at the Daytime Emmys, taking home seven trophies, including outstanding entertainment talk show and host.

CBS’s Rachael Ray and NBCU’s out-of-production Maury both remained at a 0.7. After Tamron Hall and Steve Wilkos, encore episodes of CBS’ Drew Barrymore backtracked 20% to a new season-low 0.4. 

Sony Pictures Television’s The Good Dish, which is already done; Debmar-Mercury’s canceled Nick Cannon and NBCU’s out-of-production Jerry Springer all stood pat at a0.3.

Finally, Warner Bros.’ The Real and CBS’ The Doctors, neither of which will return after this season, delivered a 0.2, which was the 67th consecutive week at that level for The Doctors. 

Repeats of CBS’ Judge Judy led the courts, despite dipping 4% to a 4.4. CBS’ Hot Bench, in reruns, pulled back 8% to a new season-low 1.2. 

Warner Bros.’ People’s Court cratered 13% to a 0.7. Warner Bros.’ Judge Mathis, Fox’s Divorce Court, NBCU’s canceled Judge Jerry and Wrigley Media’s renewed rookie Relative Justice were all in line with the prior week’s 0.5, 0.4, 0.4 and 0.3, respectively.

The big three games all lost ground. CBS’s Jeopardy! led the games and all of syndication for a second week, although it faded 4% to a 5.0. Debmar-Mercury’s Family Feud also fell 4% to a second-place 4.9. CBS’s Wheel of Fortune forfeited 4% to a new season low 4.3. Jeopardy! was named best game show for the 19th time at the Daytime Emmys.

Fox’s You Bet Your Life with host Jay Leno logged a 0.8 for the second straight week, while Fox’s 25 Words or Less rebounded 17% to a 0.7. Entertainment Studios’ Funny You Should Ask accumulated a third straight 0.4.

Disney’s internet video show RightThisMinute maintained a 0.5 for the third consecutive week.

CBS’s Inside Edition eroded 5% to a 2.0 but led the magazines for a second straight week. CBS’s Entertainment Tonight was preempted in top market New York by a mayoral debate on June 13 and dipped 5% to a 1.9. Entertainment Tonight anchors Kevin Frazier and Nischelle Turner hosted the Daytime Emmys and their show took home the award for best entertainment news series. 

As for the rest of the magazines, NBCU’s Access Hollywood, Fox’s TMZ, Warner Bros.’ Extra, CBS’ canceled DailyMailTV, Fox’s Dish Nation all held their ground at a 0.7, 0.7, 0.6, 0.5 and 0.2, respectively.

In off-net, Warner Bros.’ sitcom leader The Big Bang Theory, Disney’s Last Man Standing, Warner Bros.’ newcomer Young Sheldon, Disney’s Family Guy and Modern Family, Warner Bros.’ Two and a Half Men and Sony’s The Goldbergs all stayed at a 1.8, 1.1, 0.8, 0.7, 0.7, 0.7 and 0.7, respectively. Sony’s Seinfeld stayed put for the 10th week in a row at a 0.6.  Warner Bros.’ Mom managed a 0.5 for a seventh straight week. Finally, Disney’s Black-ish backed off 20% to a 0.4, tying Warner Bros.’ Mike and Molly, which was also minus 20%, Debmar-Mercury’s Schitt’s Creek, which climbed 33%, and Warner Bros.’ Two Broke Girls, which held steady for the third week in a row. ▪️

Dr. Phil and Live with Kelly and Ryan tied for the talk lead in the week ended June 12, a session in which all of the top-10 talkers were steady to higher and six shows scored double-digit increases.

CBS Media Ventures’ Dr. Phil spiked 7% to a 1.5 live-plus-same-day national household rating, according to Nielsen, tying Disney’s Live with Kelly and Ryan for first place in talk. 

Despite being in repeats for all five days, Dr. Phil also grew 7% from last year at this time. Live, which had been in sole possession of the talk lead for the prior two weeks, held steady.

Among daytime’s key demographic of women 25-54, Dr. Phil and Live also tied at a 0.5.

NBCUniversal’s Kelly Clarkson took third, advancing 13% both for the week and year to a 0.9.

Kelly Clarkson was syndication’s most-honored show at Saturday’s 49th annual Creative Arts and Lifestyle Emmy Awards, winning in five different categories. The Daytime Emmys will air live on CBS on Friday, June 24, where Clarkson is also up for outstanding entertainment talk show and outstanding entertainment talk show host.

Warner Bros.’ Ellen DeGeneres, which has ended its original run after 19 seasons, rose 14% from the prior week to a 0.8.

Disney’s Tamron Hall, NBCU’s out-of-production conflict talker Maury and CBS’s Rachael Ray all rebounded 17% to a 0.7. NBCU’s Steve Wilkos climbed 20% to a 0.6, tying Debmar-Mercury’s stable Wendy Williams, which was guest-hosted by Michael Rapaport. 

CBS’s renewed Drew Barrymore stayed put at a 0.5 during the week and won two Creative Arts Emmys on Saturday.

Sony Pictures Television’s short-lived The Good Dish, Debmar-Mercury’s exiting Nick Cannon and NBCU’s out-of-production Jerry Springer all stayed at a 0.3. Warner Bros.’s retiring The Real receded 33% to a 0.2, tying CBS’ concluding The Doctors, which was flat for the 66th straight week.

Repeats of CBS’ Judge Judy jumped 10% to a five-week high 4.6 to easily lead the court shows and rank as syndication’s number-three show overall, behind only Jeopardy! and Feud.

CBS’s Hot Bench, Warner Bros.’ People’s Court and Judge Mathis, Fox’s Divorce Court and NBCU’s canceled Judge Jerry were all steady at a 1.3, 0.8, 0.5, 0.4 and 0.4, respectively. Wrigley Media’s renewed rookie Relative Justice retreated 25% to a 0.3. 

Jeopardy! climbed 8% to lead the games and all of syndication at a 5.2, after having fallen into second place in the prior week by a tenth of a ratings point. Family Feud was a close second, sprinting 4% to a 5.1. CBS’ Wheel of Fortune inched up 2% to a 4.5. 

Fox’s You Bet Your Life with Jay Leno leaped 14% to a 0.8, while Fox’s 25 Words or Less lost 14% to a 0.6. Entertainment Studios’ Funny You Should Ask attained a second-straight 0.4.

Disney’s internet video show RightThisMinute clocked a 0.5 for a second week. 

Magazines remained consistent. CBS’s leader Inside Edition gained 11% to a 2.1, while sister show Entertainment Tonight, in second place, retained a 2.0. NBCU’s Access Hollywood, Fox’s TMZ, Warner Bros.’ Extra, CBS’s canceled DailyMailTV and Fox’s Dish Nation all held their ground at a 0.7, 0.7, 0.6, 0.5 and 0.2, respectively.

Warner Bros.’ The Big Bang Theory led the off-network sitcom universe although it collapsed 5% to a 1.8, matching its series low. Disney’s Last Man Standing, Warner Bros.’ newcomer Young Sheldon, Disney’s Family Guy and Modern Family, Sony’s The Goldbergs and Warner Bros.’ Two and a Half Men all maintained at a 1.1, 0.8, 0.7, 0.7, 0.7 and 0.7, respectively. Sony’s Seinfeld was even Steven for a ninth straight week at a 0.6. Finally, Warner Bros.’ Mom and Mike and Molly and Disney’s Black-ish all finished with a 0.5. ■

Family Feud took over the game and syndication lead in the week ended June 5, with CBS Media Ventures’ Jeopardy! falling back to second place with its lowest weekly rating since Thanksgiving.

Debmar-Mercury’s Family Feud fell back 2% to a 4.9 live plus same day national household rating, according to Nielsen, while Jeopardy! skidded 8% to a 4.8. Family Feud, hosted by Steve Harvey, also led all of syndication among the key women 25-54 demographic, moving up 6% to a 1.8.

Jeopardy!’s decline came despite the fact that Philadelphia ride-share driver Ryan Long had cruised to his 16th straight victory, the ninth longest streak in the show’s history, while amassing just under $300,000 along the way. Long lost with game 17 on Monday, June 6.

Meanwhile, CBS’ Wheel of Fortune foundered 4% to a 4.4. Fox’s You Bet Your Life with host Jay Leno lost 13% to a 0.7, tying Fox’s 25 Words or Less, which was flat for a fifth consecutive week. Entertainment Studios’ Funny You Should Ask responded with a 33% gain to a 0.4.

Disney’s internet video show RightThisMinute lost 17% to a 0.5.

The week, which included Memorial Day, included preemptions for French Open tennis on NBC affiliates on May 30 and June 3, and on ABC affiliates for Game 1 of the NBA Finals on June 2. President Biden also held a news conference on gun violence on June 2 that preempted programming.

CBS’ Entertainment Tonight broke a tie with sister show Inside Edition to claim sole possession of first place among magazines with a steady 2.0. Entertainment Tonight also was the only magazine to improve from last year at this time, adding 5%. Inside Edition eased 5% for the week to a second-place 1.9.

NBCUniversal’s Access Hollywood gave back 13% to a 0.7, tying Fox’s TMZ, which was flat. Warner Bros.’ Extra, CBS’ canceled DailyMailTV and Fox’s Dish Nation all were steady at a 0.6, 0.5 and 0.2, respectively.

Disney’s Live with Kelly and Ryan topped talk for a second straight week, dipping 6% to a 1.5. Live has now led 40 times in the past 55 weeks, including 11 ties with CBS’ Dr. Phil. Among women 25-54, Live led at a 0.5, followed by Dr. Phil at a 0.4.

For its part, Dr. Phil fell back 7% to a second-place 1.4 after airing reruns on four of the five days.

NBCU’s Kelly Clarkson claimed third place with a constant 0.8.

With its 19-year run now in the books, Warner Bros.’ Ellen DeGeneres declined 46% to a new season-low 0.7.

Disney’s Tamron Hall, Debmar-Mercury’s Wendy Williams, NBCU’s out-of-production Maury, and CBS’ Rachael Ray all retreated 14% to a 0.6, marking new season lows for both Maury and Ray. Wendy aired four originals and one repeat with guest host duo Vivica A. Fox and Carson Kressley.

CBS’ renewed Drew Barrymore maintained a 0.5 despite being in repeats. That tied NBCU’s Steve Wilkos, which will return for season 13 in September, which weakened 17%.

Sony Pictures Television’s soon-to-end The Good Dish, Debmar-Mercury’s canceled Nick Cannon, NBCU’s out-of-production Jerry Springer and Warner Bros.’ retiring The Real were all flat at a 0.3. CBS’ concluding The Doctors remained at a 0.2 for the 65th consecutive week.

Library episodes of CBS’ Judge Judy easily led the courts, despite ebbing 5% to a 4.2, which was syndication’s fourth highest rating overall.

The rest of court was stable. CBS’ Hot Bench, Warner Bros.’ People’s Court and Judge Mathis, Fox’s Divorce Court, NBCU’s canceled Judge Jerry and Wrigley Media’s renewed rookie Relative Justice were all in line with the prior week’s 1.3, 0.8, 0.5, 0.4, 0.4 and 0.4, respectively.

Warner Bros.’ The Big Bang Theory made the most noise among the off-network sitcoms with a fourth straight 1.9. Disney’s Last Man Standing stood pat at a 1.1. Warner Bros.’ freshman Young Sheldon shed 11% to a 0.8. Disney’s Family Guy gave back 13% to a 0.7, tying Sony’s The Goldbergs, Disney’s Modern Family and Warner Bros.’ Two and a Half Men, all of which were steady. Sony’s Seinfeld stood pat for an eighth straight week at a 0.6. Warner Bros.’ Mom marshaled a 0.5 for the fourth week in a row, tying Disney’s Black-ish and Warner Bros.’ Mike and Molly, both of which moved ahead 25%. ■

The Ellen DeGeneres Show ended its 19-season run with a strong finish in an otherwise slow week that ended May 29. 

Ellen DeGeneres danced to a new season high, and was the only show in syndication to do so, adding 18% to a new season-best 1.3 live-plus-same-day national household rating, according to Nielsen. 

That put Ellen — which has won 61 Daytime Emmys, including an industry record for outstanding entertainment talk show — up 44% over the prior two weeks and up 30% from last year at this time. The host’s emotional farewell on May 26 skyrocketed the show 64% from the prior Thursday to a single-day 1.8 rating.

Many shows, including Ellen, were hit with preemptions in various markets May 24-27 for coverage of the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, in which 19 children and two teachers were murdered. 

Disney’s Live with Kelly and Ryan returned to the top of the talkers, strengthening 7% to a 1.6. On Monday, May 23, the show hit a single-day rating of 1.8 with a performance from Noah Thompson, who the previous evening had just been named the 20th American Idol.

In second place, CBS Media Ventures’ Dr. Phil fell back 6% to a 1.5 with repeats on two of the five days. 

After Ellen, NBCUniversal’s Kelly Clarkson clocked a steady 0.8. Disney’s Tamron Hall, CBS’ Rachael Ray and NBCU’s out-of-production conflict talker Maury all maintained a 0.7 to tie Debmar-Mercury’s concluding Wendy Williams. Wendy rebounded 17% to a 0.7 with guest host Sherri Shepherd, whose own show will replace Wendy Williams next season. NBCU’s renewed Steve Wilkos fielded a 0.6 for a 14th straight week, while CBS’ returning Drew Barrymore stayed at a 0.5. 

Sony Pictures Television’s The Good Dish and Debmar-Mercury’s Nick Cannon, neither of which will return next season, both tumbled 25% to a 0.3, tying NBCU’s out-of-production Jerry Springer and Warner Bros.’ ready-to-retire The Real, both of which broke even. CBS’ The Doctors, which is also ending its run, stayed at a 0.2 for the 64th straight week.

CBS’s out-of-production Judge Judy continued to rule the court shows, even though it dipped 2% to a 4.4 in repeats.

CBS’s Hot Bench declined 7% to a new season-low 1.3. Warner Bros.’ People’s Court claimed a second-straight 0.8. Warner Bros.’ Judge Mathis skidded 17% to a 0.5. Fox’s Divorce Court and NBCU’s canceled Judge Jerry both were on par with the prior week’s 0.4, tying Wrigley Media’s renewed rookie Relative Justice, which rose 33%.

The top three games were all slightly lower. CBS’s Jeopardy! lost 2% to a 5.2 but still held a narrow lead over all of syndication for a ninth consecutive week. Debmar-Mercury’s Family Feud also fell 2% to a 5.0 but led all of syndication among the key women 25-54 demographic at a 1.7. CBS’s Wheel of Fortune also forfeited 2% to a 4.6.

Fox’s You Bet Your Life with host Jay Leno, Fox’s 25 Words or Less starring Meredith Vieira, and Entertainment Studios’ Funny You Should Ask all stayed at a 0.8, 0.7, 0.3, respectively.

Disney’s internet video show RightThisMinute recovered 20% to a 0.6.

CBS’s Entertainment Tonight tied CBS’s Inside Edition for first place among the entertainment magazines, with ET steady at a 2.0 and IE fading 5%. NBCU’s Access Hollywood had the group’s greatest increase, forging ahead 14% to a third-place 0.8. Fox’s TMZ, Warner Bros’ Extra, CBS’s canceled DailyMailTV and Fox’s Dish Nation all stayed put at a 0.7, 0.6, 0.5 and 0.2, respectively.

Warner Bros.’ The Big Bang Theory led the off-network sitcoms with a steady 1.9. Disney’s Last Man Standing stumbled 8% to a 1.1. Warner Bros.’ newbie Young Sheldon shouldered a 0.9 for a seventh straight week. Disney’s Family Guy gained 33% to a 0.8. SPT’s The Goldbergs, Warner Bros.’ Two and a Half Men and Disney’s Modern Family all stood pat at a 0.7. Sony’s Seinfeld stayed at a 0.6 for a seventh consecutive week. Warner Bros.’ Mom managed a 0.5 for a third week. Debmar-Mercury’s Schitt’s Creek returned to the chart after a long absence, jumping up 33% to a 0.4, tying Disney’s Black-ish, which backed down 20%, and Warner Bros.’ Mike & Molly, which held steady for a second straight session. ■

Ellen DeGeneres surged 22% in the ratings session ended May 22, which was Ellen’s penultimate week of original episodes. The veteran talker scored a 1.1 live-plus-same-day national household rating, according to Nielsen, matching the strip’s season high.

Besides Warner Bros.’s Ellen, only two other talkers were able to surpass a 1.0 rating: CBS Media Ventures’ Dr. Phil and Disney’s Live with Kelly and Ryan. 

Dr. Phil led the category for the second week in a row with a steady 1.6, while Live, which was again without co-host Kelly Ripa, remained at a second-place 1.5. Among daytime’s key demographic of women 25-54, Phil and Live tied for first at a 0.5, followed by Ellen at a 0.4.

NBCUniversal’s Kelly Clarkson eased 11% to a 0.8 in households. Disney’s Tamron Hall was the only talk show besides Ellen to improve for the week, climbing 17% to a 0.7 and tying both CBS’s flat Rachael Ray and NBCUniversal’s steady conflict talker Maury. NBCU’s Steve Wilkos repeated a 0.6 for the 13th straight week, tying Debmar-Mercury’s Wendy Williams, which weakened 14% with a mix of guest hosts – the duo of Leah Remini and Michele Visage on some days and Michael Rapoport on the others. 

CBS’s renewed Drew Barrymore retained a 0.5. Debmar-Mercury’s canceled Nick Cannon and Sony Pictures Television’s soon-to-end The Good Dish continued to stew at a 0.4. NBCU’s out-of-production Jerry Springer and Warner Bros.’s exiting The Real both stayed at a 0.3. CBS’s The Doctors, also nearing its end, dawdled at a 0.2 for a 63rd straight week. 

CBS’s Jeopardy! led the game shows, inching up 2% to a 5.3, and topping syndication for the eighth consecutive week. Debmar-Mercury’s Family Feud featured a second-place 5.1 for a second week. CBS’ Wheel of Fortune ticked up 2% to a 4.7. 

Fox’s You Bet Your Life with Jay Leno and 25 Words or Less, starring and executive produced by Meredith Vieira, both broke even at a 0.8 and a 0.7, respectively. Entertainment Studios’ Funny You Should Ask stayed at a 0.3 for a second straight week. 

Disney’s internet video show RightThisMinute maintained a 0.5.

CBS’s Inside Edition led the magazines with a flat 2.1, followed by sister series Entertainment Tonight, which eased 5% to a 2.0. NBCU’s Access Hollywood, Fox’s TMZ, Warner Bros.’s Extra, CBS’s canceled DailyMailTV and Fox’s Dish Nation all stayed put at a 0.7, 0.7, 0.6, 0.5 and 0.2, respectively.

CBS’s Judge Judy, out of production and in repeats, ruled the category at a steady 4.5. CBS’s Hot Bench sustained a 1.4 for a fourth straight week. Warner Bros.’ People’s Court came back 14% from a series low to a 0.8. Warner Bros.’ Judge Mathis, Fox’s Divorce Court, NBCU’s canceled Judge Jerry and Wrigley Media’s renewed rookie Relative Justice all were stable at a 0.6, 0.4, 0.4 and 0.3, respectively.

The off-net sitcoms were all flat to down. Warner Bros.’s leader The Big Bang Theory, Disney’s Last Man Standing, Warner Bros.’s freshman Young Sheldon and Sony’s The Goldbergs all stayed at a 1.9, 1.2, 0.9 and a 0.7, respectively. Warner Bros.’ Two and a Half Men and Disney’s Modern Family both fell 13% to a 0.7, tying The Goldbergs. Disney’s Family Guy gave away 14% to a 0.6, tying Sony’s Seinfeld, which stayed put for a sixth straight week. Both Disney’s Black-ish and Warner Bros.’s Mom maintained a 0.5. ■

Jeopardy!, in its first full week without super contestant Mattea Roach, dropped 10% in the week ended May 15 to a seven-week-low 5.2 live plus same day national household rating, according to Nielsen. That was still good enough for the CBS Media Ventures-distributed game show to lead the games and all of syndication for seventh straight week.

The 23-year-old Roach, a tutor from Toronto, won more than $560,000 across 23 consecutive Jeopardy! games until she lost by a single dollar on Friday, May 6. 

Debmar-Mercury’s Family Feud, starring Steve Harvey, was the game runner up, despite dipping 4% to a 5.1. CBS’ Wheel of Fortune, which is paired with Jeopardy! in many big markets, skidded 8% to a 4.6.

Fox’s You Bet Your Life, with host Jay Leno, and its 25 Words or Less, with star and executive producer Meredith Vieira, both remained in line with the prior week’s 0.8 and 0.7, respectively. Entertainment Studios’ Funny You Should Ask tumbled 25% to a 0.3.

Also: ‘You Bet Your Life’ Drops the Standup, Ups the Chat

Disney’s internet video show RightThisMinute declined 17% to a 0.5. 

CBS’ Dr. Phil broke three successive weeks of ties with Live to claim sole possession of the talk lead at a steady 1.6. Live, which was without co-host Kelly Ripa on four of the five days, slipped 6% to a 1.5 for second place. Phil and Live tied for first among women 25-54 at a 0.5.

Warner Bros.’ Ellen DeGeneres, which is near the end of its 19-year-run, gave back 10% to a 0.9 to tie NBCU’s steady Kelly Clarkson. Compared to the same week last year, Clarkson, which will be getting upgrades on many NBC stations come September, saw the most growth of any talker in the top ten, advancing 13% compared to last year at this time. 

CBS’ Rachael Ray remained at a 0.7 for the sixth straight week, tying NBCUniversal’s conflict talker Maury, which held steady for an 11th consecutive week, and Debmar-Mercury’s Wendy Williams, which stood pat for a fourth straight week. Wendy was guest-hosted by Leah Remini and Michelle Visage. 

Disney’s Tamron Hall gave back 14% to a 0.6, tying NBCU’s renewed Steve Wilkos, which stayed put for a 12th  consecutive week. CBS’ Drew Barrymore, which also was recently renewed for a third season, was constant at a 0.5. 

Also: ‘Drew Barrymore’ Renewed With New Format to Allow CBS Stations to Expand Morning News

Debmar-Mercury’s canceled Nick Cannon came back 33% to a 0.4, tying Sony’s short-lived The Good Dish, which stayed put for the 12th straight week.

Also: ‘Nick Cannon’ Canceled by Debmar-Mercury

NBCU’s out-of-production Jerry Springer, Warner Bros.’ concluding The Real and CBS’ departing The Doctors all delivered a stable 0.3, 0.3 and 0.2, respectively.

The court shows were little changed. Library episodes of CBS’ Judge Judy led by a wide margin, despite downticking 2% to a 4.5. CBS’ Hot Bench, Warner Bros.’ People’s Court and Judge Mathis, Fox’s Divorce Court, NBCU’s canceled Judge Jerry and Wrigley Media’s newcomer Relative Justice all were on par with the prior week’s 1.4, 0.7, 0.6, 0.4, 0.4 and 0.3, respectively.

CBS’ Inside Edition and Entertainment Tonight led the magazines even though both ebbed 5% to a 2.1. NBCU’s Access Hollywood pulled back 13% to a 0.7, tying Fox’s TMZ, which was flat for a fourth week. Warner Bros.’ Extra, CBS’ canceled DailyMailTV and Fox’s Dish Nation all held their ground at a 0.6, 0.5 and 0.2, respectively.

Warner Bros.’ The Big Bang Theory sank 5% to lead the off-network sitcoms at a 1.9. Disney’s Last Man Standing and Warner Bros.’ rookie Young Sheldon stood pat at a 1.2 and 0.9, respectively. Warner Bros.’ Two and a Half Men and Disney’s Modern Family both grew 14% to a 0.8. Sony’s The Goldbergs gave away 13% to a 0.7, tying Disney’s Family Guy, which stayed at a 0.7 for a fifth week. Sony’s Seinfeld remained at a 0.6 for a fifth straight week. Finally, Warner Bros.’ Mom moved up 25% to a 0.5, tying Warner Bros.’ Mike & Molly and Disney’s Black-ish, both of which broke even. 

Jeopardy! gained in the week ended May 8 as super-contestant Mattea Roach departed the show on Friday, May 6 after racking up $560,983 in winnings before losing on Final Jeopardy! by just $1.

CBS Media Ventures’ Jeopardy! led all of syndication and the games for the sixth straight week with a 5.8 live plus same day national household rating, according to Nielsen, up 9% from a five-week low set the prior week.

Debmar-Mercury’s Family Feud picked up 2% to a second-place 5.3. CBS’ Wheel of Fortune, coming off of a five-week low, improved 14% to a third-place 5.0. 

Fox’s You Bet Your Life with host Jay Leno logged a 0.8 for the sixth straight week, while Fox’s 25 Words or Less lost 13% to a 0.7. Entertainment Studios’ Funny You Should Ask attained a 0.4 for a third week. 

Disney’s internet video show RightThisMinute moved up 20% to a 0.6.

CBS’ Entertainment Tonight surged 16% to a five-week high 2.2 to tie access-magazine sibling Inside Edition, which was up 5%, to lead the magazines. NBCUniversal’s Access Hollywood heated up 14% to a 0.8, breaking a third-place tie with Fox’s TMZ, which remained at a 0.7. Warner Bros.’ Extra, CBS’ soon-to-end DailyMailTV and Fox’s Dish Nation were all steady at a 0.6, 0.5 and 0.2, respectively.

CBS’ Dr. Phil and Disney’s Live with Kelly and Ryan each improved 7% to a 1.6 to tie at the top of talk for a third straight week. Among daytime’s key demographic women 25-54, Live led at a 0.6, followed by Dr. Phil at a 0.5.

Warner Bros.’ Ellen DeGeneres gained steam as it prepared to conclude its 19-season run, racking up an 11% increase for the week and year to a 1.0, despite being preempted for soccer coverage on some CBS affiliates. After hosting more than 4,000 guests and having given away almost a half-billion dollars, DeGeneres will depart the show on May 26, although it will continue with guest hosts and repackaged episodes through the summer.

NBCU’s Kelly Clarkson held steady at a 0.9 to outperform its year-ago rating by 13%. Disney’s Tamron Hall strengthened 17% for the week to a 0.7, tying CBS’ Rachael Ray, NBCU’s out-of-production Maury, and Debmar-Mercury’s Wendy Williams, all of which were unchanged. Wendy was guest-hosted by Michael Rapaport.

NBCU’s Steve Wilkos stayed at a 0.6 for the 11th straight week. CBS’ Drew Barrymore, which will return next season in a half-hour format, marshaled a steady 0.5 for both the week and the year. Sony’s canceled The Good Dish simmered at a 0.4 for the 11th week in a row. Debma-Mercury’s concluding Nick Cannon tumbled 25% to a 0.3, tying Warner Bros.’ The Real, which also will retire at the end of this season, and repeats of NBCU’s conflict talker Jerry Springer, both of which stayed put for a 17th and fourth week, respectively. 

CBS’ The Doctors languished at a 0.2 for a 61st consecutive week.

Repeats of CBS’ out-of-production Judge Judy swelled 7% to a 4.6 and was the fourth-highest rated show in households in syndication. CBS’ Hot Bench and Warner Bros.’ People’s Court stayed consistent at a 1.4 and 0.7, respectively. Warner Bros.’ Judge Mathis rebounded 20% from a series low to a 0.6. Fox’s Divorce Court collapsed 20% to a 0.4, tying NBCU’s canceled Judge Jerry, which remained at a 0.4 for the 13th straight week. Wrigley Media’s rookie Relative Justice recorded a 0.3 for the fourth week in a row.

Warner Bros.’ The Big Bang Theory expanded 5% to lead the off-network sitcoms at a 2.0. Disney’s Last Man Standing and Warner Bros.’ rookie Young Sheldon stayed at a 1.2 and 0.9, respectively. Sony’s The Goldbergs grew 14% to a 0.8. Warner Bros.’ Two and a Half Men lost 13% to a 0.7, tying Disney’s Modern Family and Family Guy, both of which were steady. Sony’s Seinfeld stood pat at a 0.6 for a fourth straight week. Warner Bros.’ Mike & Molly moved up 25% to a 0.5, tying Disney’s Black-ish, which broke even.

Jeopardy! continued to lead syndication and the games in the week ended May 1, even though many access shows were preempted on April 28 and 29 by ABC’s coverage of the 2022 NFL Draft. 

CBS’ top game managed to stay on top despite declining 5% to a 5.3 live plus same day national household rating, according to Nielsen. That’s Jeopardy!’s lowest rating since the week ended March 27.

Jeopardy!’s ratings have been buoyed for the past several weeks by the winning performance of 23-year-old contestant Mattea Roach, who as of May 1 had won $560, 983 and 23 consecutive matches, putting her fifth on the show’s all-time highest regular season winning list in terms of victories and earnings before finally losing last Friday, May 6 by just $1.

Debmar-Mercury’s Family Feud was the sole gainer among the games, inching up 2% to a three-week high 5.2, although that was not enough to dislodge Jeopardy! from the top slot. Per usual, Family Feud led all of syndication among the key women 25-54 demographic at a 2.0, although it was down 10% from last week’s season-to-date high 2.2.

Jeopardy! companion series, CBS’ Wheel of Fortune fell 12% to a 4.4, that show’s lowest rating since the Thanksgiving week ending November 28, 2021.

Fox’s 25 Words or Less, starring and executive produced by Meredith Vieira, and Fox’s You Bet Your Life with host Jay Leno both broke even at a 0.8. Entertainment Studios’ Funny You Should Ask replied with a steady 0.4. 

Also: 'You Bet Your Life' Drops the Standup, Ups the Chat

Disney’s internet video show RightThisMinute retreated 17% to a 0.5.

CBS’ magazine leader Inside Edition eroded 9% to a 2.1, while companion magazine Entertainment Tonight pulled back 10% to a 1.9. NBCUniversal’s Access Hollywood gave back 13% to a 0.7, tying Fox’s flat TMZ. Warner Bros.’ Extra stayed put at a 0.6 and the only magazine to hold steady for the week and year. CBS’ canceled DailyMailTV and Fox’s Dish Nation remained at a 0.5 and a 0.2, respectively.

Shows on CBS affiliates were bounced out of their time slots on April 26 and 27 for UEFA Champions League soccer. For a second week, CBS’ Dr. Phil and Disney’s Live with Kelly and Ryan remained deadlocked at the top of the talkers even though both shows slipped 6% to a 1.5.

Among women 25-54, Live led with a 0.6, followed by Dr. Phil at a 0.5 and NBCU’s nine-time Daytime Emmy nominee Kelly Clarkson at a 0.4. 

Warner Bros.’ concluding Ellen DeGeneres declined 10% in households to a 0.9, tying Clarkson, which was flat. 

Clarkson, DeGeneres and CBS’ Drew Barrymore and Rachael Ray were the best performing talkers in the top ten year to year, with all four shows holding 100% of their rating from the same week last year. 

Ray, NBCU’s Maury and Debmar-Mercury’s Wendy Williams were all unchanged at a 0.7, with Wendy guest-hosted by Michael Rapaport. 

NBCU’s recently renewed Steve Wilkos stabilized at a 0.6 for the 10th straight week, tying Disney's Tamron Hall, which fell back 14%. Drew Barrymore, also a go for next season, garnered a steady 0.5. Sony Pictures Television’s short-ordered Good Dish carved out a 0.4 for the tenth straight weke, tying Debmar-Mercury’s also-canceled Nick Cannon, which recovered 33%. Warner Bros.’ The Real, which is also ending, rested at a 0.3 for the 16th consecutive week, tying repeats of NBCU’s conflict talker Jerry Springer. CBS’ The Doctors, which will not return next season, delivered a 0.2 for the 60th straight week.

The top court shows were all lower. Encore episodes of CBS’ Judge Judy eased 7% to a 4.3. CBS’ Hot Bench also backtracked 7% to a 1.4. Warner Bros.’ People’s Court cratered 13% to a 0.7. Warner Bros.’ Judge Mathis sagged 17% to a 0.5, tying Fox’s Divorce Court, which rebounded 25% to a 0.5. NBCU’s canceled Judge Jerry registered a 0.4 for the 12th straight week. Wrigley Media’s rookie Relative Justice settled for a third straight 0.3. 

In off-net, sitcoms were little changed. Warner Bros.’ leader The Big Bang Theory faded 5% to a 1.9, its lowest rating since the week-ended November 28. Disney’s Last Man Standing, Warner Bros.’ rookie Young Sheldon and Warner Bros.’ Two and a Half Men were all on par with the prior week’s 1.2, 0.9 and 0.8, respectively. Sony’s The Goldbergs, Disney’s Family Guy and Disney’s Modern Family all remained at a 0.7. Sony’s Seinfeld was stable at a0.6 for a third week. Disney’s Black-ish and Warner Bros.’ Mom both managed a 0.5 for the 11th consecutive week. 

Dr. Phil added 14% in the week ended April 24 to return to a first-place tie with Disney’s Live with Kelly and Ryan at a 1.6 live plus same day national household rating, according to Nielsen, after trailing the morning talker for the past six weeks. 

Live with Kelly and Ryan, which has led or tied for the talk lead 37 times in the past 50 weeks, lost 6% for the week. The two talkers also tied among daytime’s key demographic of women 25-54 at a 0.6.

Warner Bros.' The Ellen DeGeneres Show, which will air its final original episode on May 26 after 19 seasons on the air, improved 11% to an eleven-week high 1.0. Ellen’s best day came on Tuesday, April 19, when DeGeneres interviewed former First Lady Michelle Obama and saw ratings improve 50% from the prior Tuesday to a single-day 1.2. Compared to the same week last year, Ellen is up 11%. After May 26, the show will complete the season with guest hosts, best-of compilations and repeats.

NBCUniversal’s Kelly Clarkson climbed 13% for both the week and the year to a 0.9. Clarkson is in line for multiple major market upgrades next season on several NBC-owned television stations after they say good-bye to Ellen.

Clarkson, DeGeneres and CBS Media Ventures’ Dr. Phil were the only talkers in the top 12 to outperform last year at this time.

In fifth place, Disney’s Tamron Hall held its ground at a 0.7, tying NBCU’s out-of-production conflict talker Maury and CBS’ Rachael Ray, both of which held steady, and Debmar-Mercury’s Wendy Williams, which strengthened 17%.

NBCU’s Steve Wilkos stayed at a 0.6 for the ninth straight week, while CBS’ renewed Drew Barrymore remained at a 0.5.

Sony Pictures Television’s short-lived The Good Dish stayed at a 0.4 for a ninth consecutive week. Warner Bros.’ soon-to-retire The Real registered a 0.3 for the 15th week in a row, tying NBCU’s out-of-production Jerry Springer, which stayed put, and Debmar-Mercury’s canceled rookie Nick Cannon, which fell back 25%.

CBS’ departing The Doctors operated at a 0.2 for the 59th straight week.

CBS’ out-of-production Judge Judy and CBS’ Hot Bench were the only court shows to improve for the week, with both up 7% to a 4.6 and 1.5, respectively. 

Warner Bros.’ People’s Court and Judge Mathis, Fox’s Divorce Court, NBCU’s canceled Judge Jerry and Wrigley Media’s rookie Relative Justice were all steady at a 0.8, 0.6, 0.4, 0.4 and 0.3, respectively.

CBS’ Jeopardy! recovered 4% to a 5.6 and claimed the genre and overall syndication lead in households for a fourth straight week. Debmar-Mercury’s Family Feud was flat at a 5.1 but led all of syndication among women 25-54 at a 2.2. CBS’ Wheel of Fortune rolled up 2% to a 5.0.

Fox’s 25 Words or Less rebounded 14% to a 0.8, tying Fox’s You Bet Your Life with host Jay Leno, which locked in a 0.8 for the fourth straight week. Entertainment Studios’ Funny You Should Ask recovered 33% to a 0.4. 

Also: 'You Bet Your Life' Drops the Stand-Up, Ups the Chat

Disney’s internet video show RightThisMinute moved up 20% to a 0.6. 

CBS’ magazine leader Inside Edition improved 5% to a 2.3, while CBS’ Entertainment Tonight held steady at a 2.1. NBCU’s Access Hollywood, Warner Bros.’ Extra, CBS’ canceled DailyMailTV and Fox’s Dish Nation all were on par at a 0.8, 0.6, 0.5 and 0.2, respectively. Fox’s TMZ was the only magazine to fall, tumbling 13% to a 0.7.

Warner Bros.’ The Big Bang Theory led the off-net sitcoms, which were mostly flat for the week. Bang, Disney’s Last Man Standing, Warner Bros.’ Young Sheldon and Warner Bros.’ Two and a Half Men were all stable at a 2.0, 1.2, 0.9, 0.8, respectively. Sony’s The Goldbergs gave back 13% to a 0.7, tying Disney's Family Guy and Modern Family, both of which held firm. Sony’s Seinfeld stayed at a 0.6 for a second straight week. Warner Bros.’ Mike & Molly motored ahead 25% to a 0.5, tying Disney’s Black-ish and Warner Bros.’ Mom, both of which were stable for the tenth straight week. ■

Live with Kelly and Ryan remained the top talker in the week ended April 17 and was one of the only shows in syndication to improve in the holiday week.

CBS affiliates saw many preemptions for the UEFA Champions League soccer semi-finals on April 12 and 13. In addition, all network affiliates in top market New York blew out most daytime and some early fringe programming for breaking news coverage of the Brooklyn subway shooting on April 12. 

Against this backdrop, Disney’s Live with Kelly and Ryan led the talkers for the sixth straight week, ramping up 6% to a 1.7 live plus same day national household rating, according to Nielsen. The long-running talk show, now in its 34th season, has been at the top of the talkers 36 times in the past 49 weeks, including battling CBS Media Ventures’ Dr. Phil to a draw on nine occasions. 

Among daytime’s key demographic of women 25-54, Live with Kelly and Ryan also led with a 0.6. 

In second place in talk and in repeats on two of the five days, Dr. Phil dipped 7% to a 1.4 in households. 

Warner Bros.’ The Ellen DeGeneres Show, in its 19th and final season, moved into talk’s top three, taking sole possession of third place with a steady 0.9. Ellen was also one of the few shows to hold 100% of its year-ago rating.

NBCUniversal’s Kelly Clarkson eased 11% to a 0.8. Disney’s Tamron Hall, CBS’ Rachael Ray and NBCU’s conflict talker Maury, which has ended original production after a 31-year run, all remained at a 0.7.

NBCU’s Steve Wilkos logged a 0.6 for the eighth straight week, tying Debmar-Mercury’s Wendy Williams, which stayed at a 0.6 with a second week of guest-host repeats, featuring Remy Ma and Fat Joe on two of the five days, Bill Bellamy on two days and Michael Rapaport on one. 

CBS’ Drew Barrymore, which recently recorded a third-year pickup, posted a 0.5, preserving 100% of its year-ago rating.

Sony’s canceled The Good Dish served up a 0.4 for an eighth straight week, tying Debmar-Mercury’s also-canceled Nick Cannon, which was the only other strip to improve for the week, recovering 33% after hitting a new season-low 0.3 in the prior week. 

NBCU’s out-of-production conflict talker Jerry Springer plunged 25% to a 0.3. That tied Warner Bros.’ canceled The Real, which held steady for the 14th straight week. CBS’ The Doctors flatlined at a 0.2 for the 58th week in a row and will soon be on the season’s DNR list.

Reruns of CBS’ Judge Judy remained the court leader, despite ebbing 4% to a 4.3. CBS’ Hot Bench pulled back 7% to a 1.4, but still equaled Dr. Phil as the third-highest-rated show in daytime.

Warner Bros.’ People’s Court and Judge Mathis, Fox’s Divorce Court and NBCU’s canceled Judge Jerry all were on par with the prior week’s 0.8, 0.6, 0.4 and 0.4, respectively. Wrigley Media’s rookie Relative Justice retreated 25% to a 0.3.

Game shows were soft with CBS’ Jeopardy! sliding 2% to a 5.4 to lead the games and all of syndication for a third consecutive week. Debmar-Mercury’s Family Feud fell 4% to a 5.1. CBS’ Wheel of Fortune weakened 4% to a 4.9. 

Fox’s You Bet Your Life with host Jay Leno leveled off at a 0.8 for a third week in a row. Fox’s 25 Words or Less lost 13% to a 0.7. Entertainment Studios’ Funny You Should Ask fell back 25% to a 0.3. 

Disney’s internet video show RightThisMinute maintained a 0.5. 

Magazines were mostly in line with the prior week. CBS’ leaders Inside Edition and Entertainment Tonight, NBCU’s Access Hollywood and Warner Bros.’ TMZ all stayed at a 2.2., 2.1, 0.8 and 0.8, respectively. Warner Bros.’ Extra lost its primary run in top market New York on April 12 and gave back 14% from its season high to a 0.6. CBS’ recently canceled DailyMailTV delivered a stable 0.5, while Fox’s Dish Nation notched a second straight 0.2.

Warner Bros.’ The Big Bang Theory declined 5% to a 2.0 to remain atop the off-net sitcoms. Disney’s Last Man Standing slumped 8% to a 1.2. Warner Bros.’ rookie Young Sheldon slid 10% to a 0.9. Warner Bros.’ Two and a Half Men eroded 11% to a 0.8, tying Sony’s The Goldbergs, which gained 14%. Disney’s Family Guy and Modern Family both forfeited 13% to a 0.7. Sony’s Seinfeld shrank 14% to a 0.6. Disney’s Black-ish and Warner Bros.’ Mom both remained at a 0.5 for the ninth consecutive week. ■

Live with Kelly and Ryan led the syndicated talkers for a fifth straight week in the session ended April 10, despite dropping 11% without next-day Oscars coverage to a 1.6 live plus same day national household rating, according to Nielsen. 

Disney’s Live with Kelly and Ryan has now finished first in talk 25 times in the past 48 weeks, including nine ties with CBS Media Ventures’ Dr. Phil. Among daytime’s key demographic of women 25-54, Live with Kelly and Ryan tied Dr. Phil for the lead, with both shows at a 0.6.

Dr. Phil had its primary run wiped out due to preemptions in four of the top-five markets on both April 5 and 6 but was a close second in households, despite declining 12% to a 1.5. 

NBCUniversal’s Kelly Clarkson, which will be getting time-period boosts on some NBC-owned stations next season after the departure of Warner Bros’ Ellen DeGeneres, held its ground at a 0.9 to tie a steady Ellen. Kelly Clarkson was the only talker in the top ten ahead of last year at this time, improving 13%.

Disney’s Tamron Hall held steady at a 0.7, tying CBS’ Rachael Ray, which receded 13%, and NBCU’s concluding Maury, which remained at that level for a sixth consecutive week. Debmar-Mercury’s Wendy Williams, in repeats with guest hosts Leah Remini and Michelle Visage, fell back 25% to a new season-low 0.6. That tied NBCU’s Steve Wilkos, which remained in place for a seventh straight week. 

CBS’ renewed sophomore Drew Barrymore stayed put at a 0.5, holding 100% of its year-ago rating. Sony’s canceled The Good Dish cooked up a 0.4 for a seventh straight week, tying encore episodes of NBCU’s out-of-production conflict talker Jerry Springer, which spiked 33%. 

Debmar-Mercury’s soon-to-exit Nick Cannon, which is no longer in production, declined 25% to a new season-low 0.3, tying Warner Bros.’ The Real, which is also ending. CBS’ The Doctors delivered a 0.2 for the 57th consecutive week and will soon be removed from syndication life support. 

As expected, without the Academy Awards, the magazines were a bit lower for the week, while shows cleared on CBS affiliates saw preemptions for UEFA Champions League soccer on April 5 and 6. In addition, all network affiliates ran into preemptions for the final Senate confirmation vote on Supreme Court Justice nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson and the ensuing White House event on April 7 and 8. 

Access shows avoided most of the disruption. CBS’ magazine leaders Inside Edition and Entertainment Tonight eased 8% and 9%, respectively, to a 2.2 and a 2.1. NBCU’s Access Hollywood held steady at a 0.8, tying Fox’s TMZ, which also stayed put. Warner Bros.’ Extra remained at its season-high 0.7. CBS’ canceled DailyMailTV sank 17% to a 0.5. Fox’s Dish Nation dropped 33% to a 0.2.

CBS’ Jeopardy! dipped 2% to a 5.5 but led both the games and all of syndication for a second straight week. Debmar-Mercury’s Family Feud was flat at a 5.3. CBS’ Wheel of Fortune slowed its roll 2% to a 5.1. 

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Fox’s pair of game shows You Bet Your Life and 25 Words or Less both remained in lockstep at a 0.8. Entertainment Studios’ Funny You Should Ask stayed at a 0.4 for a fourth week. 

Disney’s internet video show RightThisMinute skidded 17% to a 0.5.

Repeats of CBS’ Judge Judy gave back 6% from a five-week high to a 4.5 but stayed far ahead in the court lead. CBS’ Hot Bench held at a 1.5, tying Dr. Phil for third place in daytime. Warner Bros.’ People's Court and Judge Mathis maintained a 0.8 and a 0.6, respectively. Fox’s Divorce Court dove 20% to a 0.4, tying NBCU’s canceled Judge Jerry, which settled for a ninth straight week, and Wrigley Media’s rookie Relative Justice, which stayed put for a fourth consecutive week.

Warner Bros.‘ The Big Bang Theory led the off-net sitcoms, forging ahead 5% to a 2.1. Disney’s Last Man Standing and Warner Bros.’ rookie Young Sheldon stood pat at a 1.3 and a 1.0 respectively. Warner Bros.’ Two and a Half Men moved up 13% to a 0.9. Disney’s Modern Family and Family Guy each held steady at a 0.8. Sony’s The Goldbergs and Seinfeld each stayed at a 0.7. For the fifth straight week, Warner Bros.’ Mike & Molly and Mom and Disney’s Black-ish all tied at a steady 0.5. ■

Entertainment Tonight and Inside Edition both saw big gains in the week ended April 3, which included the magazines’ post-Oscars coverage on Monday, March 28. 

CBS Media Ventures’s Entertainment Tonight improved 28% for the week and 15% for the year to hit an eight-week high 2.3 live plus same day national household rating, according to Nielsen, in the week ended April 3. And on March 28, Entertainment Tonight exploded 56% with its next-day coverage of Best Actor winner Will Smith’s shocking on-stage slap of presenter Chris Rock.

CBS’s less-entertainment-focused genre leader Inside Edition recovered 20% after two weeks of losses to a 2.4 and added 35% to a 2.7 on Oscar Monday. 

NBCUniversal’s Access Hollywood was preempted for breaking news in several markets, but still managed to improve 13% to a 0.9 on Oscar Monday, maintaining its 0.8 weekly household rating. That tied Fox’s TMZ, which forged ahead 14% for the week and hit a 0.9 on Oscars Monday. Warner Bros.’ Extra was the only magazine in the top five to match its season high, spiking 17% to a 0.7 for the week and 33% on March 28 to a 0.8.

CBS’s canceled DailyMailTV rose 20% to a 0.6 with a 0.7 on March 28. Fox’s Dish Nation jumped 50% to a 0.3 from a 0.2. 

Shows in general were boosted by a lack of March Madness preemptions for the first time in three weeks.

CBS’s Jeopardy! regained the game show and overall syndication lead, jumping 10% to a 5.6. Debmar-Mercury’s Family Feud, which had been the overall leader for the prior two weeks, inched up 2% to a 5.3. CBS’s Wheel of Fortune accelerated 13% to a 5.2. 

Fox’s You Bet Your Life and 25 Words or Less both leaped 14% to a 0.8. Entertainment Studios’ Funny You Should Ask held at a 0.4 for a third week.

Disney’s internet video show RightThisMinute remained at a 0.6 for a ninth straight week. 

Disney’s Live with Kelly and Ryan reigned over talk for the fourth week in a row with a 13% gain to a 1.8, matching its season high. Live scored a 21% increase over its prior-week average for its annual after-Oscars show with a 2.1 individual-day rating. Compared to the same week last year, which did not include the Oscars, Live moved up 13%. Live also led among daytime’s key demographic of women 25-54 with a 0.7.

CBS’s Dr. Phil also jumped 13% for the week to a 1.7, marking a 6% improvement over last year at this time. NBCU’s Kelly Clarkson tied Warner Bros.’s concluding Ellen DeGeneres for third place in talk, shooting up 13% for the week and the year to a 0.9. Ellen was partially preempted in eight of the top 20 markets, including New York and Los Angeles, on March 28 by a news conference with President Joe Biden, but the show held its ground for the week at a 0.9 and outperformed its year-ago rating by 13%.

Debmar-Mercury’s Wendy Williams, which will be replaced next season by Debmar-Mercury’s Sherri, remained at a 0.8 with guest hosts Carson Kressley and Vivica Fox, tying CBS’s Rachael Ray, which rallied 14%. Disney’s Tamron Hall strengthened 17% to a 0.7 to tie NBCU’s concluding Maury, which stayed put.

The rest of the chat pack was flat. NBCU’s Steve Wilkos, CBS’ renewed sophomore Drew Barrymore, canceled newcomers Debmar-Mercury’s Nick Cannon and Sony’s The Good Dish, NBCU’s out-of-production Jerry Springer, Warner Bros.’ canceled The Real and the departing Doctors all flatlined at 0.6, 0.5, 0.4, 0.4, 0.3, 0.3 and 0.2, respectively.

CBS’s Judge Judy was the only court show to improve over last year at this time, even though it’s airing only in repeats. Judy grew 7% for the week and 4% for the year to a category-leading five-week high 4.8. 

CBS’s Hot Bench advanced 7% to a 1.5. Warner Bros.’ People’s Court rebounded 14% to a 0.8. Warner Bros.’ Judge Mathis returned a 0.6 for the seventh time in eight weeks. Fox’s Divorce Court clawed back 25% from a series low to a 0.5. NBCU’s Judge Jerry, which is ending after this season, stayed at a 0.4 for an eighth consecutive week, tying Wrigley Media’s steady rookie Relative Justice, which is expected to return for season two.

Warner Bros.’ The Big Bang Theory orbited at a 2.0 for the third week in a row. Disney’s Last Man Standing stepped up 8% to a 1.3. Warner Bros.’ rookie Young Sheldon shot up 11% to a 1.0. Disney’s Family Guy galloped ahead 14% to a 0.8, tying Disney’s Modern Family and Warner Bros.’ Two and a Half Men, both of which stabilized at a 0.8. Sony’s The Goldbergs garnered a second-straight 0.7, tying Sony’s Seinfeld, which stood pat for a third consecutive week. Finally, Warner Bros.’ Mike & Molly and Mom and Disney’s Black-ish were all on par with the prior week’s 0.5. ■

Family Feud remained the syndie leader even as warmer weather, longer days and March Madness took their toll on ratings in the week ended March 27, which marked the first full week of spring.

Debmar-Mercury’s game show, hosted by Steve Harvey, stayed at a 5.2 live plus same day national household rating, according to Nielsen, leading the games and all of syndication for a second straight week. Family Feud also led all of syndication among the key women 25-54 demographic at a 1.9.

Next in line, CBS Media Ventures’ Jeopardy! and sister show Wheel of Fortune each inched ahead 2% to a 5.1 and a 4.6, respectively. 

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Fox’s You Bet Your Life, hosted by Jay Leno, rolled a 0.7, losing 13% to tie steady corporate cousin 25 Words or Less, starring and executive produced by Meredith Vieira.

Entertainment Studios’ Funny You Should Ask averaged a 0.4 for a second week.

Disney’s internet video show RightThisMinute maintained a 0.6 for the eighth week in a row.

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Syndicated shows managed to avoid declines even in the face of a second week of preemptions for the NCAA’s annual college basketball tournament, March Madness, as well as the televised confirmation hearings of Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson on March 21. 

CBS’ two top magazines moved lower for a second straight week with Inside Edition eroding 5% to a 2.0 and Entertainment Tonight easing 10% to a 1.8. For the second straight week, the next five shows in the categories all held steady with NBCUniversal’s Access Hollywood, Fox’s TMZ, Warner Bros.’ Extra, CBS’ canceled DailyMailTV and Fox’s Dish Nation staying at a 0.8, 0.7, 0.6, 0.5 and 0.2, respectively. 

Disney’s Live with Kelly and Ryan remained the top talker at a 1.6, leading the category for a third straight week. Live has now been number one in talk 62 times in the past 81 weeks, including 19 ties with CBS’ Dr. Phil. Live also led talk among women 25-54 with a 0.6.

Dr. Phil stayed in second, spiking 7% to a 1.5. Phil was one of only three talkers in the top ten to hold 100% of its year-ago rating; the others were Warner Bros.’ Ellen DeGeneres and NBCU’s Kelly Clarkson.

Ellen, in its 19th and final season, strengthened 13% and took over sole possession of third place with a 0.9. Kelly Clarkson held its ground at a 0.8, tying Debmar-Mercury’s Wendy Williams, which rose 14% with guest host Sherri Shepherd, who is on tap to host her own show next season that will air in Williams’ current time slots on Fox-owned stations.

CBS’ Rachael Ray and NBCU’s Maury, which is ending production after 31 seasons, were both flat at a 0.7. Compared to last year at this time, Maury was minus 31%, the largest annual decline of any talker. NBCU’s Steve Wilkos and Disney’s Tamron Hall each held firm at a 0.6.

CBS’ sophomore Drew Barrymore, which will return next season as two half-hour episodes that can either air separately or as a full-hour block, stayed at a 0.5 for a fifth straight week.

Debmar-Mercury’s canceled newcomer Nick Cannon continued at a 0.4 for a sixth consecutive week, tying Sony’s The Good Dish, which stood pat for a fifth straight week and is also not returning for another season.

Repeats of NBCU’s out-of-production Jerry Springer remained at a 0.3 for the sixth time in seven weeks, tying Warner Bros.’ The Real, which was flat for the eleventh consecutive week. 

CBS’ The Doctors – which, like DailyMailTV, is ending its run – stayed at a 0.2 for the 55th straight week.

CBS’ out-of-production Judge Judy, in repeats, rallied 10% to a 4.5. CBS’ Hot Bench pulled back 7% to a 1.4. Warner Bros.’ People’s Court crashed 13% to a series-low 0.7. Warner Bros’ Judge Mathis rebounded 20% from a series low to a 0.6. Fox’s Divorce Court settled for a second straight 0.4, matching its series low and tying NBCU’s flat Judge Jerry, which will hang up its robe after three seasons, and Wrigley Media’s Relative Justice, which stayed put and is expected to be renewed for a second season.

Warner Bros.’ The Big Bang Theory led the sitcoms with a consistent 2.0. Disney’s Last Man Standing slipped 8% to a 1.2. Warner Bros’ rookie Young Sheldon and veteran Two and a Half Men each managed an unchanged 0.9 and a 0.8, respectively. Disney’s Modern Family flourished 14% to a 0.8, tying Men. Sony’s The Goldbergs and Disney’s Family Guy both gave back 13% to a 0.7 to tie Sony’s Seinfeld, which stayed put for a second week. Finally, Warner Bros.’ Mike & Molly and Mom and Disney’s Black-ish all remained at a 0.5 for a third straight week. ■

March Madness took its annual toll on syndication, and in particular shows cleared on tourney host CBS affiliates, in the week ended March 20 as the opening round of the annual NCAA basketball tournament swept over numerous time periods March 17 and 18.

Programs on all network stations also were blacked out on March 16 for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s address to Congress. 

All of the top three games played to smaller crowds. Debmar-Mercury’s Family Feud finished first, despite falling 5% to a 5.2 live plus same day national household rating, according to Nielsen, to lead all of syndication after running second to CBS Media Ventures’ Jeopardy! in the prior three weeks. That marks the Steve Harvey-hosted game show’s lowest household rating since Dec. 26, 2021. 

Jeopardy! tumbled 14% to a 5.0, its biggest ratings turkey since the Thanksgiving holiday week ended Nov. 28, 2021. CBS’ Wheel of Fortune also went off the rails, retreating 15% to a 4.5. 

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Fox’s You Bet Your Life with host Jay Leno and Fox’s 25 Words or Less, starring and executive produced by Meredith Vieira, remained at a 0.8 and a 0.7, respectively. Entertainment Studios’ Funny You Should Ask advanced 33% to a 0.4.

Disney’s internet video show RightThisMinute remained at a 0.6 for a seventh straight week.

The top two magazines moved lower with CBS’ Inside Edition and Entertainment Tonight each easing 9% to a 2.1 and a 2.0, respectively.

The next five magazines all were able to shrug off preemptions to preserve their prior week’s ratings with NBCU’s Access Hollywood, Fox’s TMZ, Warner Bros,’ Extra, CBS’ DailyMailTV and Fox’s Dish Nation at a 0.8, 0.7, 0.6, 0.5 and 0.2, respectively. 

In daytime, Disney’s Live with Kelly and Ryan receded 6% to a 1.6, due primarily to massive preemptions for Zelensky’s speech on March 16, but still managed to widen its talk lead, finishing first for the second straight week. Live has now been number one 32 times in the past 45 weeks, including nine ties with CBS’ Dr. Phil. Live also led among women 25-54 at a 0.6. 

Dr. Phil was plastered by preemptions, losing its primary run in all of the top-five markets on multiple days and dropping 13% to a new season-low 1.4.

NBCU’s Kelly Clarkson completed the top three, holding steady at a 0.8 and was one of only two talkers in the top ten to retain 100% of its year-ago rating. The other was CBS’ sophomore Drew Barrymore, which was steady at a 0.5. Warner Bros.’ Ellen DeGeneres declined 11% to a 0.8, tying Clarkson. 

CBS’ Rachael Ray, Debmar-Mercury’s Wendy Williams with guest hosts Fat Joe and Remy Ma, and NBCU’s conflict talker Maury all were on par with the prior week’s 0.7.

Disney’s Tamron Hall, facing preemptions, gave back 14% to a 0.6 to tie NBCU’s Steve Wilkos, which stayed put for a fourth consecutive week.

Following Drew Barrymore, Debmar-Mercury’s canceled newcomer Nick Cannon carved out a 0.4 for the fifth straight week, tying Sony Pictures Television’s canceled rookie The Good Dish, which was flat for a fourth straight week.

NBCU’s out-of-production Jerry Springer stalled at a 0.3 for the fifth time in six weeks, tying Warner Bros.’ The Real, which was relegated to a 0.3 for the tenth consecutive week. CBS’ The Doctors stayed at a 0.2 for the 54th week in a row.

Repeats of CBS’ Judge Judy, which was heavily preempted by basketball, still managed to conquer the courts despite pulling back 9% to a new season-low 4.1. 

CBS’ Hot Bench slipped 6% to a 1.5. Warner Bros.’ People’s Court leveled off at a 0.8. Warner Bros.’ Judge Mathis sagged 17% to a new series-low 0.5. Fox’s Divorce Court dropped 20% to a 0.4, matching its series low and tying NBCU’s canceled Judge Jerry, which will go off the air after this season, and Wrigley Media’s newcomer Relative Justice, which rebounded 33% and is expected to return for a second season.

Warner Bros.’ The Big Bang Theory fell 5% to remain the off-net sitcom leader at a 2.0. Disney’s Last Man Standing, Warner Bros.’ rookie Young Sheldon, Disney’s Family Guy, Sony’s The Goldbergs and Warner Bros.’ Two and a Half Men maintained a 1.3, 0.9, 0.8, 0.8 and a 0.8, respectively. Sony’s Seinfeld surged 17% to a 0.7, tying Disney’s Modern Family, which fell back 13%. Warner Bros.’ Mike & Molly and Mom and Disney’s Black-ish all were in line with the prior week at a 0.5. ■

Live with Kelly and Ryan was again the top talker in the session ended March 13 with a 6% advance to a 1.7 live plus same day national household rating, according to Nielsen Media Research. That topped CBS Media Ventures’ Dr. Phil, the leader in the prior week, which fell back 6% to a second-place 1.6.

Disney’s Live with Kelly and Ryan has now been first or tied for first in talk in 60 of the last  79 weeks. Live was one of only two of the 15 talkers to improve during a week in which shows on CBS affiliates were bounced by coverage of UEFA Champions League soccer on March 8 and 9. In the latter half of the month, shows will again be preempted by CBS’ coverage of the NCAA’s March Madness basketball tournament. 

Among daytime’s key demographic of women 25-54, Live with Kelly and Ryan tied Dr. Phil for the lead at a 0.6.

The only other talker besides Live to improve was Disney’s Tamron Hall, which strengthened 17% to a three-week high 0.7 in households. 

Warner Bros.’ Ellen DeGeneres completed the top trio by holding its ground at a 0.9. Ellen was also the only show in the top three to preserve 100% of its year-ago rating. On May 26, the show will air its series finale after a 19-year run. Leading up to the finale, all-star guests will appear including former First Lady Michelle Obama, David Letterman, Gwen Stefani and Serena Williams.

NBCU’s Kelly Clarkson gave back 11% to a 0.8. CBS’ Rachael Ray retreated 13% to a 0.7, tying Tamron Hall, Debmar-Mercury’s Wendy Williams, which stood pat with guest hosts Kym Whitley and Finesse Mitchell, and NBCU’s conflict talker Maury, which held steady. Compared to the same week last year, Maury moved down 30%, marking the largest year-to-year erosion of any talker. Maury is ending original production this season after a 30-year run in syndication, but will continue on stations in repeats, like its sibling series Jerry Springer.

Also: Pieces Falling Into Place for 2022-23 TV Season

NBCU’s Steve Wilkos and CBS’ Drew Barrymore maintained a 0.6 and a 0.5, respectively.

Debmar-Mercury’s canceled newcomer Nick Cannon continued at a 0.4 for a fourth straight week, tying fellow canceled rookie Sony Pictures Television’s The Good Dish, which stayed at a 0.4 for a third week.

NBCU’s out-of-production Jerry Springer, which now plays in repeats on stations, stayed at a 0.3 for the fourth time in five weeks, tying Warner Bros.’ The Real, which remained at a 0.3 for the ninth consecutive week. CBS’ The Doctors, hosted by Dr. Andrew Ordon, delivered a 0.2 for the 53rd straight week.

Only two court shows improved on the week: CBS’ Hot Bench, which matched its season high with a 7% spike to a 1.6 and tied Dr. Phil in households, and Warner Bros.’ People’s Court, which recovered 14% to a 0.8 after equaling its season low in the prior week.

CBS’ Judge Judy remained the supreme court according to Nielsen, despite being in repeats and dipping 2% to a 4.5. 

Warner Bros.’ Judge Mathis and Fox’s Divorce Court settled for a 0.6 and a 0.5, respectively. NBCU’s Judge Jerry, which will hang up its robe after three seasons, remained at a 0.4 for a fifth straight week. That was down 43% from last year at this time, the largest year-to-year decline of any daytime show. Wrigley Media’s rookie Relative Justice tumbled 25% to a 0.3.

CBS’ Jeopardy! inched up 2% to a 5.8 lead the games and all of syndication for a third straight week. Debmar-Mercury’s Family Feud, which led all of syndication among the key women 25-54 demographic at a 1.9, and CBS’ Wheel of Fortune were both flat at a 5.5 and a 5.3, respectively. 

Fox’s You Bet Your Life with host Jay Leno rebounded 14% to a 0.8. Fox’s 25 Words or Less, hosted and executive produced by Meredith Vieira, stayed at a 0.7 for the fourth straight week. Entertainment Studios’ Funny You Should Ask remained at a 0.3.

Disney’s internet video show RightThisMinute managed a 0.6 for a sixth consecutive week. 

Magazines were all on par with the prior week except for lone gainer CBS’ Entertainment Tonight, which forged ahead 5% to a five-week high 2.2. CBS’ Inside Edition, NBCU’s Access Hollywood, Fox’s TMZ, Warner Bros.’ Extra, CBS’ DailyMailTV and Fox’s Dish Nation all stood firm at a 2.3, 0.8, 0.7, 0.6, 0.5 and 0.2, respectively.

Warner Bros.’ The Big Bang Theory widened its off-net sitcom lead by 5% to a 2.1. Disney’s Last Man Standing stumbled 7% to a 1.3. Warner Bros.’ rookie Young Sheldon stayed at a 0.9. Sony’s The Goldbergs gained 14% to a 0.8, tying Disney’s Modern Family and Family Guy and Warner Bros.’ Two and a Half Men, all of which were in line with the prior week. Sony’s Seinfeld shrank 14% to a 0.6. Warner Bros.’ Mike & Molly mushroomed 25% to a 0.5, tying Warner Bros.’ Mom and Disney’s Black-ish, both of which broke even.

Dr. Phil outrated Live with Kelly and Ryan as syndication’s top talker in households in the week ended March 6, staying put at a 1.7 live plus same day national household rating, according to Nielsen, while Live fell back 6% to a 1.6. The two talkers have ended in a draw in three of the four prior weeks. 

Among daytime’s key demographic of women 25-54, CBS Media Ventures’ Dr. Phil and Disney’s Live tied at a 0.6.

Many syndicated shows held on to their often substantial post-Olympic gains during the session, even though they faced preemptions on ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox affiliates for the State of the Union address and the Republican response on March 1.

Also: Pieces Falling Into Place for 2022-23 TV Season

Warner Bros.’ Ellen DeGeneres and NBCUniversal’s Kelly Clarkson both held steady at a 0.9 in households. 

CBS’s Rachael Ray repeated a 0.8. NBCU’s conflict talker Maury and Debmar-Mercury’s Wendy Williams with guest host Michael Rapaport both weakened 13% to a 0.7. Disney’s Tamron Hall and NBCU’s Steve Wilkos were both steady at a 0.6. CBS’ Drew Barrymore maintained a 0.5 for a fourth straight week and was one of only three top-ten talkers to hold 100% of its year-ago rating. The other two were Kelly Clarkson and Rachael Ray. 

Debmar-Mercury’s newcomer Nick Cannon, which will not return after this season, finished with a third consecutive 0.4.

Similarly, Sony Pictures Television’s fellow rookie The Good Dish, which has only been on the air for two months, continued to stew at a 0.4 and also was also removed from next season’s syndication menu. The Good Dish underperformed compared to the show it replaced, Sony’s Dr. Oz, by 33% compared to the same week last year.

NBCU’s out-of-production Jerry Springer stayed at a 0.3 for the third time in four weeks, tying Warner Bros.’ The Real, which remained at that rating for the eighth week in a row.  

CBS’ The Doctors made it one straight year at a 0.2.

Encore episodes of CBS’ out-of-production Judge Judy dipped 4% to a 4.6 but remained the court-show leader. CBS’ Hot Bench stood pat at a 1.5. Warner Bros.’ People’s Court fell back 22% to a 0.7. Warner Bros.’ Judge Mathis and Fox’s Divorce Court were consistent at a 0.6 and 0.5, respectively. 

NBCU’s Judge Jerry, starring Springer, will leave the bench at the end of this season, the show’s third. The show stayed at a fourth straight 0.4, down 33% from last year at this time, marking the largest year-to-year decline of any show in daytime. That tied Wrigley Media’s newcomer Relative Justice, which remained at a 0.4 for a ninth straight week.

CBS’ Jeopardy! sagged 3% to a 5.7 but led all of syndication for a second straight week. Debmar-Mercury’s Family Feud faded 4% to a 5.5. CBS’ Wheel of Fortune fell 5% to a 5.3. 

Fox’s You Bet Your Life with host Jay Leno lost 13% to a 0.7, tying Fox’s 25 Words or Less, which was flat for a third consecutive week. Entertainment Studios’ Funny You Should Ask skidded 25% to a 0.3. 

Disney’s internet video show RightThisMinute mustered a 0.6 for a fifth straight week.

The top three magazines — CBS’s Inside Edition and Entertainment Tonight and NBCU’s Access Hollywood — all held their ground at a 2.3, 2.1 and 0.8, respectively. Fox’s TMZ teetered 13% to a 0.7. Warner Bros.’ Extra, CBS’ DailyMailTV and Fox’s Dish Nation all were on par with the prior week’s 0.6, 0.5 and 0.2, respectively. 

Warner Bros.’ The Big Bang Theory descended 5% to a 2.0 but remained the off-net sitcom leader. Disney’s Last Man Standing jumped 8% to a 1.4. Warner Bros.’ rookie Young Sheldon slumped 10% to a 0.9. Disney’s Modern Family faltered 11% to a 0.8, tying Disney’s Family Guy and Warner Bros.’ Two and a Half Men, both of which managed a 0.8 for the fourth straight week. Sony’s The Goldbergs gave back 13% to a 0.7, tying Sony’s Seinfeld, which was stable for a third straight week.  Disney’s Black-ish remained at a 0.5 for a third consecutive week, tying Warner Bros.’ Mom, which was flat for the fourth week in a row. 

Access Hollywood returned to form in the week ended February 27, which was the first full week after the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. The NBCUniversal-produced magazine regained 100% of its household rating to hit a 0.8 live plus same day national household rating, according to Nielsen Media Research. That tied Access Hollywood for third place among the magazines with Fox’s TMZ.

CBS Media Ventures’ Inside Edition led the genre, forging ahead 15% to a 2.3. Sister show Entertainment Tonight snared the silver, adding 5% to a 2.1. Warner Bros.’ Extra and CBS’ DailyMailTV held their ground at a 0.6 and 0.5, respectively. Fox’s Dish Nation retreated 33% to a 0.2.

CBS’ Jeopardy! jumped 9% to retake the game and syndication lead at a 5.9, followed by Debmar-Mercury’s recent leader Family Feud, which inched up 2% to a 5.7 and led all of syndication among the key women 25-54 demographic at a 1.9. CBS’ Wheel of Fortune rose 14% to a third-place 5.6 in households. 

Fox’s You Bet Your Life with host Jay Leno and Fox’s 25 Words or Less, starring and executive produced by Meredith Vieira, stayed at a 0.8 and a 0.7, respectively. Entertainment Studios’ Funny You Should Ask was flat at a 0.4 for the 18th consecutive week. 

Disney’s internet video show RightThisMinute maintained a 0.6 for the fourth straight week.

Daytime and early fringe shows were bounced around on CBS affiliates on February 22 and 23 for coverage of UEFA Champions League soccer.

CBS’ Dr. Phil kickstarted the post-Olympics session with a 13% increase to a 1.7 to tie Disney’s steady Live with Kelly and Ryan for first place in talk. The two talkers have battled to a draw in three of the past four weeks. Among women 25-54, Live led with a 0.7.

Without Olympics preemptions, Warner Bros.’ Ellen DeGeneres returned to form, generating the biggest increase of any top-ten talker. Ellen ratcheted up 29% to a 0.9 in households, tying NBCU’s Kelly Clarkson, which added 13% in households and grew 100% among women 25-54 to a 0.4. 

Three shows tied for fifth: NBCU’s Maury, which held steady for a sixth straight week; CBS’ Rachael Ray, which rose 14%; and Debmar-Mercury’s Wendy Williams, which also spiked 14% with guest host Sherri Shepherd. Shepherd’s new talker will take over Wendy Williams’ time slots on Fox stations next season.

Also: Sherri Shepherd's 'Sherri' to Replace 'Wendy Williams'

Disney’s Tamron Hall and NBCU’s Steve Wilkos both fell back 14% to a 0.6. CBS’ Drew Barrymore mustered a 0.5 for a third consecutive week. Debmar-Mercury’s newcomer Nick Cannon notched a 0.4 for a second straight week, tying Sony Pictures Television’s The Good Dish, which warmed 33%. 

NBCU’s out-of-production Jerry Springer skidded 25% to a 0.3, tying Warner Bros.’ The Real, which recorded a 0.3 for the seventh straight week. CBS’ The Doctors, hosted by one of the show’s original panelists, Dr. Andrew Ordon, operated at a 0.2 for the 51st straight week.

CBS’ Judge Judy, despite being out of original production and in repeats, improved 7% to a 4.8 to lead the talkers. CBS’ Hot Bench also added 7% to hit a 1.5. Warner Bros.’ People’s Court recovered 13% to a third-place 0.9. Warner Bros.’ Judge Mathis, Fox’s Divorce Court, NBCU’s Judge Jerry, and Wrigley Media’s rookie Relative Justice all were in line with the prior week’s 0.6. 0.5, 0.4 and 0.4, respectively.

Warner Bros.’ The Big Bang Theory continued to lead the off-network sitcoms, even though it stayed at a 2.1 for a third straight week. Disney’s Last Man Standing slumped 13% to a 1.3. Warner Bros.’ rookie Young Sheldon strengthened 11% to a 1.0. Disney’s Modern Family finished 13% higher at a 0.9. Sony’s The Goldbergs and Warner Bros.’ Two and a Half Men both remained at a 0.8, tying Disney’s Family Guy, which improved 14%. Sony’s Seinfeld stayed at a 0.7. Disney’s Black-ish broke even at a 0.5, tying Warner Bros.’ Mom, which was steady for a third week, and Warner Bros.’ Mike & Molly, which was stable for the 10th week in a row. ■

Live with Kelly and Ryan rallied in the second full week of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, taking sole possession of first place in talk for the first time in eight weeks in the session ended February 20. Disney’s Live with Kelly and Ryan had tied CBS Media Ventures’ Dr. Phil for talk’s top slot  in the prior two weeks.  

The vast majority of syndicated shows were flat to down, due to preemptions on NBC affiliates, schedule changes and stronger-than-usual competition on various platforms due to the Winter Olympics. On February 15 and 16, there were also heavy preemptions on CBS affiliates for coverage of UEFA Champions League soccer.

Live, which was among the very few shows in positive territory, strengthened 6% to a 1.7 live plus same day national household rating, according to Nielsen Media Research. Among daytime’s key demographic of women 25-54, Live led with a 0.6. 

Most first run shows, including Live, opted to retitle themselves as Olympics specials in order to have Nielsen break these two weeks of ratings out of their regular-season ratings averages. 

Dr. Phil took the silver in households, slipping 6% to a 1.5. NBCUniversal’s Kelly Clarkson and Maury both held steady at a 0.8. Disney’s Tamron Hall spiked 17% to a 0.7, tying Warner Bros.’ Ellen DeGeneres, Rachael Ray and Wendy Williams, all of which held steady, as well as NBCU’s Steve Wilkos, which improved 17% to hit a new season high. CBS’ Drew Barrymore stayed at a 0.5. 

Debmar-Mercury’s Nick Cannon fell back 20% to a 0.4, tying NBCU’s out-of-production Jerry Springer, which improved 33%. Sony Pictures Television’s rookie The Good Dish declined 25% to a 0.3 against Olympics competition, tying Warner Bros.’ The Real, which stayed put for a sixth straight week. CBS’ The Doctors delivered a 0.2 for the 50th straight week. 

CBS’ Judge Judy, in reruns, continued to lead the courts, even though the show’s household ratings dropped 6% to a 4.5. 

CBS’ Hot Bench remained at a 1.4. Warner Bros.’ People’s Court decreased 11% to a 0.8. Warner Bros.’ Judge Mathis, Fox’s Divorce Court, NBCU’s Judge Jerry and Wrigley Media’s rookie Relative Justice all were on par with the prior week at a 0.6, 0.5, 0.4 and 0.4, respectively.

The top three game shows were each hit with 2% losses. Debmar-Mercury’s Family Feud remained the overall syndication leader, dipping to a 5.6, followed by CBS’ Jeopardy!, which dropped to a 5.4 and CBS’ Wheel of Fortune, which slid to a 4.9. 

Fox’s You Bet Your Life with host Jay Leno rolled a 0.8 for the seventh consecutive week, while Fox’s 25 Words or Less fell back 13% to a 0.7. Entertainment Studios’ Funny You Should Ask held at a 0.4 for a 17th straight week 

Disney’s internet video show RightThisMinute managed a third straight 0.6. 

CBS’ Entertainment Tonight stepped up 5% to a 2.0 to tie steady stablemate Inside Edition for the magazine lead. Fox’s TMZ recovered 14% to a 0.8. Warner Bros.’ Extra held its own at a 0.6. CBS’ DailyMailTV, Warner Bros.’ Access Hollywood and Fox’s Dish Nation all stayed put at a 0. 5, 0.4 and 0.3, respectively.

Warner Bros.’ The Big Bang Theory remained at a 2.1. Disney’s Last Man Standing vaulted 7% to a 1.5. Warner Bros.’ rookie Young Sheldon, Warner Bros.’ Two and a Half Men and Disney’s Modern Family all stayed at a 0.9, 0.8 and 0.8, respectively, tying Sony’s The Goldbergs, which gained 14%. Disney’s Family Guy gave back 13% to a 0.7, tying Sony’s Seinfeld, which added 17%. Disney’s Black-ish stumbled 17% to a 0.5, tying Warner Bros.’ Mom, which was flat for a second week and Warner Bros.’ Mike & Molly, which was flat for a ninth straight week. ■ 

Family Feud returned to the syndication lead in the week ended February 13, even as the 2022 Beijing Olympics got rolling across the platforms of NBC. Debmar-Mercury’s Family Feud declined 2% to a 5.7 live plus same day national household rating, according to Nielsen Media Research. Family Feud snapped the long run of CBS Media Ventures’ Jeopardy!, which had been at the top of the syndication leaderboard since the week ended November 28, 2021.

The Olympics’ first full week put a big chill on syndication ratings due to preemptions on NBC affiliates, schedule changes and stronger-than-usual competition across various platforms. 

Just as they did last summer during the Summer Olympics in Pyeongchang, China, Family Feud, Jeopardy! and most other first-run shows opted to be retitled as Olympics specials so that episodes airing during the two weeks of the quadrennial games will not be included in their regular season averages.

Jeopardy!, which had been the top overall show for the past 10 weeks including one tie, slumped 13% to a second-place 5.5. CBS’ Wheel of Fortune skidded 14% to a 5.0. 

Fox’s 25 Words or Less, starring and executive produced by Meredith Vieira, dropped 11% to a 0.8, tying Fox’s freshman You Bet Your Life with host Jay Leno, which stayed put for a sixth straight week. Entertainment Studios’ Funny You Should Ask remained at a 0.4 for the 16th straight week. 

Disney’s internet video show RightThisMinute maintained a 0.6 for a second week.

CBS’ Inside Edition deteriorated 20% to a 2.0 but remained the magazine leader. CBS’ Entertainment Tonight slipped 17% to a 1.9. Fox’s TMZ cratered 22% to a 0.7. Warner Bros.’ Extra, which was the only show in the category that was not coded out or retitled, pulled back 14% from a season high to a 0.6; however, the day-and-date strip still rose from fifth to fourth place. 

CBS’ DailyMailTV tumbled 17% to a 0.5. NBCU’s Access Hollywood, which was very heavily preempted by the games and the pre-game Olympic Zone specials on NBC stations, sacrificed 50% to a 0.4. Fox’s Dish Nation stayed at a 0.3. 

None of the 15 talkers were able to gain against the games. Disney’s Live with Kelly and Ryan and CBS’ Dr. Phil both fell back 11% to tie for first at a 1.6. Among daytime’s key demographic women 25-54, Live led with a 0.6. 

NBCU’s Kelly Clarkson gave back 11% in households to a 0.8, tying NBCU’s conflict talker Maury, which held steady for the fourth straight week. Warner Bros.’ Ellen DeGeneres was bumped or preempted in numerous markets, including in all of the top eight, giving back 30% to a 0.7 to tie CBS’ Rachael Ray, which sank 22% and Debmar-Mercury’s Wendy Williams, which declined 13%. 

Also: Sherri Shepherd’s ‘Sherri’ to Replace ‘Wendy Williams’

Disney’s Tamron Hall backtracked 25% to a 0.6, tying NBCU’s Steve Wilkos, which held steady for the 16th straight week.

CBS’ Drew Barrymore relinquished 17% to a 0.5, tying Debmar-Mercury’s rookie Nick Cannon, which stayed put for a third straight week. Sony’s The Good Dish  served up a 0.4 for the third time in its four weeks on the air.  

NBCU’s out-of-production Jerry Springer stumbled 25% to a 0.3, tying Warner Bros.’ The Real, which stayed put for a fifth week in a row. 

CBS’ The Doctors trailed the field at a 0.2 for the 49th straight week. 

CBS’ Judge Judy continued to lead the court shows even in reruns, slipping 9% to a 4.8, and was the only gaveler to hold 100% of its year ago ratings.

CBS’ Hot Bench was fined 13% to a 1.4. Warner Bros.’ People’s Court was a consistent 0.9. Warner Bros.’ Judge Mathis moved down 14% to a 0.6. Fox’s Divorce Court stabilized at a 0.5 for the 11th week in a row. NBCU’s Judge Jerry sagged 20% to a 0.4, tying Wrigley Media’s newcomer Relative Justice, which stayed put for a sixth straight week. 

Warner Bros.’ The Big Bang Theory softened 9% to a 2.1 but remained the off-network sitcom leader. Disney’s Last Man Standing stood pat at a 1.4. Warner Bros.’ rookie Young Sheldon shed 10% to a 0.9. Warner Bros.’ Two and a Half Men eased 11% to a 0.8, tying Disney’s Family Guy and Modern Family, both of which were in line with the prior week. Sony’s The Goldbergs gave back 13% to a 0.7. Sony’s Seinfeld slipped 14% to a 0.6 after nine weeks at a 0.7, tying Black-ish, which stood still for the eleventh straight week. Warner Bros.’ Mom misstepped 17% to a 0.5, tying Warner Bros.’ Mike & Molly, which was steady for the eighth week in a row. ■