Sensation James Holzhauer’s last full week on CBS Television Distribution’s Jeopardy! proved to be a winner for the veteran game show.
In the week ended June 2, which included the lightly viewed Memorial Day holiday, Jeopardy! climbed to a nearly four-week high 7.9 live plus same day household rating, up 1% from the prior week and 41% from the prior year. That gave Jeopardy! the game lead for the ninth straight week (with one tie) as well as the overall syndication lead.
Holzhauer rolled through 32 consecutive episodes and racked up $2.46 million until he was defeated in a shocker on June 3 by 27-year-old Emma Boettcher from Chicago.
Among the rest of the games, Debmar-Mercury’s Family Feud inched up 2% to a 6.1, while CTD’s Wheel of Fortune, which is paired with Jeopardy! in many markets, skidded 3% to a 5.9.
Disney’s Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, which ends its 17-year run after this season, depreciated 6% to a 1.5. Entertainment Studios’ Funny You Should Ask was unchanged at a 0.5 for the 12th straight week.
Disney’s viral video show RightThisMinute moved down 8% to a 1.2.
CTD’s Judge Judy, the May sweep and season-to-date household ratings champ, was partially in reruns for the week and dipped 4% to a 6.5.
None of the other courts improved on the week. CTD’s Hot Bench held steady at a 2.2 and ranked as third-highest show in daytime, behind only Judy and CTD’s talk-show topper Dr. Phil.
Warner Bros.’ People’s Court slipped 7% to a 1.4, while its Judge Mathis and Twentieth’s Divorce Court settled for an unchanged 1.0 and 0.7, respectively.
Elsewhere in daytime, none of the talkers moved into the plus column. Dr. Phil continued to lead the category in households for a close to three-year 143 weeks in a row (with five ties), despite airing repeats on all five days and declining 14% from the originals in the prior session to a 2.4.
Among daytime’s key demographic of women 25-54, Phil tied for first with Disney’s Live with Kelly and Ryan at a 0.9.
Back in households, Live dipped 5% to a 2.1, but remained the second-highest rated talk show for the 14th straight week.
Warner Bros.’ Ellen DeGeneres lost 15% to a 1.7. Debmar-Mercury’s Wendy Williams weakened 7% to a 1.3, tying NBCUniversal’s Maury, which also sagged 7% NBCU’s Steve, which will end after this season, went into a full week of reruns but held steady at a 1.1, tying NBCU’s Steve Wilkos, which stayed at a 1.1. CTD’s RachaelRay receded 9% to a 1.0. Sony Pictures Television’s Dr. Oz dropped 10% to a 0.9. Warner Bros.’ The Real retreated 14% to a 0.6. CTD’s The Doctors was stable at its series-low 0.5.
Disney’s Pickler & Ben, which is produced by E.W. Scripps, banged out a 0.4 for the 19th consecutive week, tying the NBCU’s out-of-production Jerry Springer, which was flat for the 38th straight week (or the entire season).
Among the rookies, CTD’s Face the Truth, which won’t see a second season, saw a 0.7 for a seventh straight week, while Debmar-Mercury’s Caught in Providence surrendered 17% to a 0.5.
The June 10 debut of a three-week test of The RuPaul Show on Fox stations in seven markets averaged a 0.6 rating/1 share weighted metered marketing average, according to Nielsen Media Research, even with its lead-in and up 20% from its year-ago time periods. Among women 25-54, RuPaul earned a 0.2/1, down 33% from both lead-ins and June 2018 time periods.
Back in the national ratings, in access magazines continued to be held back by stiff head-to- head competition with Jeopardy!
CTD’s Inside Edition eased 4% to a new season-low 2.6 but led the group. CTD’s Entertainment Tonight backtracked 7% to a 2.5. Warner Bros.’ TMZ was unchanged at a 1.2. NBCU’s Access gave back 8% to a 1.1. Warner Bros.’ Extra broke a tie with CTD’s DailyMailTV holding its ground at a 1.0 while Mail declined 10% to a 0.9. Twentieth’s canceled Page Six TV remained at a 0.6, while Trifecta’s Celebrity Page picked up 50% from a 0.2 to a 0.3.
On the true crime beat, NBCU’s Dateline surged 30% to a 1.3 to lead the genre for a 38th straight week. SPT’s off-A&E Live PD Police Patrol increased 22% to a 1.1. Off-Investigation Discovery’s True Crime Files remained at an unchanged 0.3.
NBCU’s Chicago PD, syndication’s only off-net drama to air as a strip, collared an 11% gain to a 1.0.
Warner Bros.’ The Big Bang Theory led the off-net sitcoms at a flat 4.2. Twentieth’s Last Man Standing jumped 11% to a 2.1. Twentieth’s Modern Family forged ahead 6% to a 1.8. Warner Bros.’ Two and a Half Men maintained a 1.4 for the 12th straight week. Twentieth’s Family Guy stayed at a 1.3, tying SPT’s The Goldbergs, which gave way with a 13% decline to a 1.3. Disney’s Black-ish ballooned 9% to a 1.2. Warner Bros.’ Mike & Molly moved up 10% to a 1.1. And Warner Bros.’ 2 Broke Girls remained at a 1.0 for the 19th consecutive week, tying SPT’s Seinfeld, which was steady at a 1.0 for a 13th week in a row.
