Super contestant James Holzhauer gave CTD’s Jeopardy! a parting gift with his June 3 defeat, leading the veteran game show to its 10th straight week of leading all of syndication, even though the show dropped 14% in the week ended June 9 to a still-strong 6.8 live plus same day household rating, according to Nielsen Media Research.
That was 24% better than last year at this time, and was helped by a gigantic lift for the show’s June 3 shocker, when the seemingingly undefeatable Holzhauer fell to Emma Boettcher, a 27-year-old librarian from Chicago. The rating for that day hit a single-day 9.0 in households, up 70% from the same week last year.
Related: James Holzhauer's 'Jeopardy!' Streak Ends in Game 33
The week was a challenging one for access shows, thanks to competition from games four and five of hockey’s Stanley Cup finals between the St. Louis Blues and Boston Bruins, and games three and four of the NBA championships between the Golden State Warriors and the Toronto Raptors.
Debmar-Mercury’s Family Feud remained in second place, holding steady at a 6.1, while Jeopardy! stablemate, CTD’s Wheel of Fortune, slid 3% to a 5.7.
Further back, Disney’s Who Wants to be a Millionaire, which will end its 17-year run after this season, broke even at a 1.5. Entertainment Studios’ Funny You Should Ask was unchanged at a 0.5 for the 13 straight week.
Disney’s viral video show RightThisMinute maintained at a 1.2.
Elsewhere in access, magazines, like the games, found it difficult to advance against much stronger than usual competition.
CTD’s Inside Edition was the genre’s sole gainer, rebounding 4% from a season low in the prior week to a 2.7. CTD’s EntertainmentTonight, Warner Bros.’ TMZ and NBCU’s Access all held their ground at a 2.5, 1.2 and 1.1, respectively. Warner Bros.’ Extra eased 10% to a 0.9, tying CTD’s DailyMailTV. Twentieth’s Page Six TV remained at a 0.6, while Trifecta’s Celebrity Page lost 33% from a 0.3 to a 0.2.
In daytime, CTD’s JudgeJudy, coming off its May sweeps household-ratings win, was in repeats for part of the week and held steady at a 6.5.
Further down the docket, CTD’s Hot Bench, also partially in reruns, returned 5% to a 2.1.
Warner Bros.’ People’s Court climbed 7% to a 1.5. Warner Bros.’ Judge Mathis moved down 10% to a 0.9 and Twentieth’s Divorce Court forfeited 14% to a 0.6, matching its series low.
CTD’s Dr. Phil continued to lead the talkers with a steady 2.4, extending its winning streak in the household ratings to 144 weeks in a row – almost three years -- with five ties, despite being in repeats on all five days.
Among daytime’s key demographic of women 25-54, however, Phil was second to Disney’s Live with Kelly and Ryan, which led with a 1.0 to Phil’s 0.9.
In households, Live held at a 2.1 and was the second highest-rated talk show for the 15 straight week.
Warner Bros.’ Ellen DeGeneres recovered 12% to a 1.9. NBCU’s Maury moved down 8% to a new season-low 1.2, rounding out the top five talkers. NBCU’s Steve, which will end its run after this season, held steady at a 1.1 in a week partially filled by repeats.
Debmar-Mercury’s WendyWilliams went on hiatus and aired previously seen programs all week, backing off 23% to a new season-low 1.0 and tying NBCU’s SteveWilkos, which weakened 9% to also drop to a new season-low 1.0.
CTD’s RachaelRay retreated 10% to a new season low 0.9, tying Sony Pictures Television’s Dr. Oz, which was stable. Warner Bros.’ The Real ratcheted down 17% to a new season-low 0.5, tying CTD’s The Doctors, which remained at its series-low 0.5 for a fourth straight week.
Disney’s Pickler & Ben belted out a 0.4 for the 20 consecutive week, tying the syndicated run of NBCU’s out-of-production JerrySpringer, which has remained at a 0.4 for the entire broadcast season.
Among the rookies, CTD’s canceled Face the Truth witnessed a 0.7 for an eighth straight week. Debmar-Mercury’s freshman courtroom drama Caught in Providence settled for an unchanged 0.5.
The first full week of a three-week test run of Warner Bros.’ daily talker RuPaul on Fox stations in seven markets averaged a weighted 0.5 rating/1 share, down 17% from both its lead-ins and its year-ago time period averages. In the key women 25-54 demo, the opening week earned a 0.2/1, off 33% from both lead-ins and June 2018 time periods.
Turning to true crime, NBCU’s Dateline remained the leader for the 39th straight week with a steady 1.3. SPT’s off-A&E Live PD Police Patrol detected an 18% decline to a 0.9, while off-Investigation Discovery’s True Crime Files was flat at a 0.3.
Syndication’s lone scripted strip, NBCU’s Chicago PD, backtracked 10% to a 0.9.
Warner Bros.’ The Big Bang Theory dipped 2% to a 4.1 to lead off-net sitcoms. Twentieth’s Last Man Standing sprinted 5% to a 2.2. Twentieth’s Modern Family fell 6% to a 1.7. SPT’s The Goldbergs grew 8% to a 1.4. Warner Bros.’ Two and a HalfMen moved down 7% to a 1.3, tying Twentieth’s FamilyGuy, which remained at a 1.3 for the fourth straight week. ABC’s Black-ish backed off 8% to a 1.1, tying Warner Bros.’ Mike & Molly, which was flat at a 1.1. Warner Bros.’ 2 Broke Girls stood pat at a 1.0 for the 20th consecutive week, tying SPT’s Seinfeld, which held steady for a 14th straight week.
