Syndication Ratings: 'Jennifer Hudson' Ties Its Season High and 'Sherri'

Jennifer Hudson talks to actress Kerry Washington on the set of her talk show.
Jennifer Hudson talks to actress Kerry Washington on the set of her talk show. (Image credit: Chris Millard/Warner Bros.)

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. ■

Paige Albiniak

Contributing editor Paige Albiniak has been covering the business of television for more than 25 years. She is a longtime contributor to Next TV, Broadcasting + Cable and Multichannel News. She concurrently serves as editorial director for The Global Entertainment Marketing Academy of Arts & Sciences (G.E.M.A.). She has written for such publications as TVNewsCheck, The New York Post, Variety, CBS Watch and more. Albiniak was B+C’s Los Angeles bureau chief from September 2002 to 2004, and an associate editor covering Congress and lobbying for the magazine in Washington, D.C., from January 1997 - September 2002.