Syndication Ratings: Socially Distanced 'Drew' Comes on Strong in Debut

Drew Barrymore hosts premiere episode of her new talk show from her New York-based studio (Image credit: CTD/Drew Barrymore)

CBS Television Distribution’s The Drew Barrymore Show made its talk debut on Monday, Sept. 14, with a preliminary 1.0 rating/3 share primary runs in 44 metered markets, according to Nielsen Media Research, holding its year-ago time periods and growing 11% from its lead in. 

Drew did best in Portland, Oregon, where it finished first with a 2.0/7, improving its time period 233% on Sinclair-owned ABC affiliate KATU at 3 p.m., when Disney’s Tamron Hall had previously aired. That beat CBS Television Distribution’s top talker Dr. Phil, CTD’s Judge Judy, Warner Bros.’ The Ellen DeGeneres Show and CTD’s Hot Bench, all of which also air at 3 p.m. in Portland.

Drew also won its time slot on the all-important WCBS New York with a 1.9/8 at 9 a.m., beating WABC’s Live with Kelly and Ryan as well as WNBC’s third hour of Today and WNYW’s Good Day New York. Drew replaced Hot Bench in the hour on WCBS, with Hot Bench moving to CBS’ New York duopoly WLNY.

Drew also did well on KCBS Los Angeles, rising 233% at 2 p.m.; on WMAR Baltimore, moving up 300% at 4 p.m.; and on WJXX Jacksonville, Florida, at 10 a.m. where it increased 400%.

Among daytime’s key demographic of women 25-54, Drew averaged a 0.4/3, up 33% from its lead-in and even with its year-ago time periods. 

Drew’s first episode featured a Charlie’s Angels reunion with Cameron Diaz, who was piped in via remote green screen from Los Angeles, and Lucy Liu, as well as a taped message from her 50 First Dates and Wedding Singer co-star, Adam Sandler.

Also premiering Monday was Litton’s Law & Crime Daily, executive produced by Live PD’s Dan Abrams and hosted by Aaron Keller, at a preliminary 0.2/2, down 33% from its lead-in but even with its year-ago time periods.

Otherwise, ratings for syndicated shows were almost at a standstill as viewership fell to its lowest levels in at least five years in the between-season session leading into the long Labor Day weekend and ending Sunday, Sept. 6. Daytime also continued to be beset by sporadic news preemptions, keeping most programs series or season lows. 

None of the talkers advanced and the only court show to improve was CTD’s season victor Judge Judy, court’s leader for the past 24 years, Judy added 2% to a four-week high 5.6 live plus same day national household ratings average. Despite being in repeats on all five days, Judy was the week’s top-rated syndicated show as it prepared to enter its 25th and final season.

Hot Bench held steady at a 1.9 for a fourth straight week, tying talk leader Dr. Phil as daytime’s second highest-rated strip. Warner Bros.’ People’s Court eroded 8% to a 1.2. Warner Bros.’ Judge Mathis, NBCU’s Judge Jerry, Fox’s Divorce Court, Debmar-Mercury’s Caught in Providence, MGM/Orion’s Personal Injury Court and Trifecta’s Protection Court all held steady at a 0.8, 0.7, 0.6, 0.4, 0.4 and 0.2, respectively.

Phil led the veteran talkers at the aforementioned steady 1.9. Live, on hiatus with mostly repackaged episodes, slipped 6% to a 1.5. Among women 25-54, Phil and Live tied for first at a 0.7.

Back in households, NBCU’s Maury, Ellen, NBCU’s Steve Wilkos, CTD’s Rachael Ray, NBCU’s Kelly Clarkson, Disney’s Tamron Hall, Debmar-Mercury’s Wendy Williams, CTD’s Dr. Oz and CTD’s The Doctors all held steady with the prior week’s 1.0, 0.9, 0.9, 0.8, 0.8, 0.7, 0.7, 0.6 and 0.4, respectively.

Warner Bros.’ The Real retreated 25% to a 0.3, tying NBCU’s out of production syndicated run of Jerry Springer, which held at a 0.3 for the 23rd week in a row and SPT’s final week of Mel Robbins

Tamron Hall’s sophomore season got off to a good start on Sept. 14 with a preliminary 1.1/4 weighted metered market average for its primary runs, up 83% from the prior Monday. Tamron, under new executive producer Candi Carter, featured an exclusive interview with Andrew Gillum, in which the former Florida Democratic gubernatorial candidate stated that he is bisexual after he was caught passed out in a hotel room with a male escort last spring.

Among magazines, CTD’s leader Inside Edition was the only show to lose ground, fading 4% to a 2.3. Sister show Entertainment Tonight was right behind, gaining 5% to a 2.2. NBCU’s Access Hollywood climbed 11% to a 1.0. Warner Bros.’ TMZ and Extra and CTD’s DailyMailTV all stayed at a 0.8, 0.7 and 0.7, respectively.

Related: Thomas Roberts is ‘DailyMailTV’’s New Anchor as it Kicks Off Season 4

Fox’s Dish Nation reappeared on the national chart after a multi-year absence at a 0.3. Trifecta’s Celebrity Page improved 100% to a 0.2 from a 0.1.

Debmar-Mercury’s Family Feud led the games even though it fell 2% to a 5.4, trailing Judge Judy for the overall syndication lead. CTD’s Wheel of Fortune inched up 2% to a 4.6, while CTD’s Jeopardy! rose 5% to a 4.3. 

Fox’s 25 Words or Less, starring and executive produced by Meredith Vieira, and SPT’s departing off-GSN America Says remained at a 0.9 and 0.8, respectively. Entertainment Studios’ Funny You Should Ask skidded 20% to a 0.4. 

Elsewhere, Disney’s internet video show RightThisMinute declined 14% to a 0.6, matching its series low.

NBCU’s off-network strip, Dateline, and scripted procedural Chicago PD both were flatfooted at a 1.0 and 0.7, respectively.

Warner Bros.’ The Big Bang Theory heated up 4% to a 2.6 to lead the off-network sitcoms. Disney’s Last Man Standing stumbled 10% to a 1.8. Disney’s Modern Family and Warner Bros.’ Two and a Half Men maintained a 1.2 and a 1.1, respectively. Disney’s Family Guy stayed at a 1.0. SPT’s The Goldbergs dropped 10% to a new series-low 0.9, tying SPT’s Seinfeld, which was stable for a fourth straight week. Warner Bros.’ Mom and Mike & Molly stood pat at a 0.8. Finally, Disney’s Black-ish backtracked 13% to a 0.7, tying Warner Bros.’ 2 Broke Girls, which was steady for the ninth consecutive 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.