Syndication Ratings: ‘Jeopardy!’ Back on Top

'Jeopardy!' host Mayim Bialik with winning contestant lawyer Steve Clarke.
'Jeopardy!' host Mayim Bialik with a winning contestant, lawyer Steve Clarke. (Image credit: Sony Pictures Television/'Jeopardy!')

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. ▪️

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.