Posted on 01/17/2006 2:31:20 PM PST by LdSentinal
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Jack Bauers latest marathon workday got off to a good start Sunday, ratings-wise.
The Fox drama "24" notched its most-watched episode ever with its fifth-season premiere as the first of two back-to-back episodes got a boost from a primetime overrun (in East Coast and Midwestern markets) of the NFLs NFC divisional playoff game between the Carolina Panthers and Chicago Bears.
Airing from about 8:13-9:11 p.m. EST, the first episode of "24" averaged 17 million viewers and a 7.3 rating in the adults 18-49 demographic (demographic share data for Sunday were not available Monday because of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday), according to preliminary estimates from Nielsen Media Research. The second hour of "24," which ended at about 10:13 p.m. EST, held onto the majority of its lead-in to finish out with 15.5 million viewers and a 6.7 rating in adults 18-49.
According to Fox, Sundays episodes marked the two most-watched installments of the Emmy-winning real-time drama series since the clock began ticking on "24" in fall 2001. Last year, Fox shifted the series to a January premiere date in part to allow the show to run original episodes in its regular Monday 9 p.m. slot through the end of the season without taking any weeks off for repeats.
The first hour of Sundays season opener improved on last years "24" premiere episode (which also had a special Sunday kickoff) by 16% in adults 18-49 and 11% in total viewers. ABCs 9 p.m. dynamo "Desperate Housewives" (22.5 million, 9.5/20) held onto its No. 1 ranking by a comfortable margin, though the presence of "24" probably helped drive the soap to its lowest marks of the season to date for an original episode. At 10 p.m., ABCs "Greys Anatomy" (19.1 million, 8.6/20) hung tough and registered its best-ever retention of an original "Housewives" lead-in.
But the combination of the NFL overrun and double dose of "24" gave Fox the clear victory for the night (22 million viewers, 9.2 in adults 18-49) and its highest-rated Sunday since last years Super Bowl telecast on February 6.
In other weekend ratings news, ABC had a good turnout Friday for the second week of its "Dancing With the Stars Results Show" (13.7 million, 3.4/11), which kept the network at No. 1 in both key measures in the 8 p.m. hour, according to preliminary estimates from Nielsen. The news was not so good on Friday for NBCs limited-run 10 p.m. drama "The Book of Daniel" (7 million, 2.2/6), which lost Nielsen ground from the previous weeks underwhelming two-hour premiere. CBS wound up taking Friday honors overall on the strength of the 10 p.m. drama "Numbers" (12.8 million, 3.8/11).
On Thursday, NBCs new comedy lineup, anchored by 9-10 p.m.s "My Name Is Earl" (12.5 million, 5.9/14) and "The Office" (10.3 million, 5.1/12), made hay in the adults 18-49 demo derby against a repeat of CBS "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" (17.8 million, 5.4/13). A good showing from NBCs 10 p.m. stalwart "ER" (15.4 million, 6.7/17) gave NBC the nightly win in adults 18-49 (5.6/14) and its highest-rated Thursday since May.
ABC was a player from 8-9:30 p.m. with the second week of its 90-minute performance edition of "Dancing With the Stars" (17.4 million, 4.6/12). The networks momentum ebbed at 9:30 p.m., however, with the debut of the sitcom "Crumbs" (11.8 million, 3.6/9).
WB Network also had some good news Thursday with the 9 p.m. second-season premiere of "Beauty and the Geek" (5 million, 2.3/6). On the heels of a solid showing from 8 p.m.s "Smallville" (5.5 million, 2.4/6), "Geek" delivered WBs best numbers of the season in the time period in all key measures, particularly women 18-34 (3.2/8), female teens (4.0/12) and male teens (3.1/10).
I thought Monday's two hours was a repeat of Sunday's...like they did with "Lost".
Just seems unrealistic for all that to happen to one guy in the course of 24 hours.
I mean if you take a gander at what his daughter faced last season...well, I just stopped tuning in.
Well, until Keifer Sutherland says something bad, I will continue to watch it.
I wouldn't want to known for what something said or thought.
I think I have heard that "Jack" is pretty much his character. He was really mad, if I remember right, when people complained that last season they made muslims look bad.
I don't see the corruption angle here with the Bauer character. If anything, he exists to protect us from ourselves. The lawas he breaks and the "rights" he tramples on are really to protect the state and the lives of other citizens. Liberals and some libertarians aren't wont to like his tactics
Not everyone can sit down and watch all 24 episodes in a row.
Realistic???
Not supposed to be. Suspend disbelief, it's better that way sometimes.
So how does this compare with the BEST show on TV right now? Best being Battlestar Galactica TNS. That show is AWESOME.
Yeah, it does seem that they could do away with the summaries. I guess they consider the summaries as part of the package, and they are useful when you have to eventually go to sleep and pick up where you left off the next day;)
TV Guide does their best to push Geena Davis and CIC every week. It's not working.
Which is exactly what Clinton would have argued. I love Jack, but we must always keep in mind that the line between protecting others and acting out of self interest soon gets blurred, which is precisely why we are a nation of laws.
Could get intense!
I'm confused.... I was talking about why I won't watch Commander in Chief.... I'm not so certan Keifer is as far left as his family... when he dropped out to work on his personal demons he retreated to AZ and fell in love with Rodeoing.... you can't hang with these cowboys as long as he did and be a totally flaming liberal...
Sutherland ripped Bush and his administration for the war and Hurricane Katrina fallout.
"They were inept. The were inadequate to the task, and they lied," Sutherland charged.
"And they were insulting, and they were vindictive. And they were heartless. They did not care. They do not care. They do not care about Iraqi people. They do not care about the families of dead soldiers. They only care about profit."
At one point in the interview Sutherland started crying:
"We've stolen our children's future... We have children. We have children. How dare we take their legacy from them. How dare we. It's shameful. What we are doing to our world."
"We're back to burning books in Germany,"
Sutherland said referring to NBC's editing out of Kanye West's comment on Bush during a hurricane relief telethon.
Good point.
That was season 2
Sutherland ripped Bush and his administration for the war and Hurricane Katrina fallout.
What can I say? What a jerk.
But, being a Lib, he doesn't hesitate to sell his soul for some $Hollywood bucks to make a very pro-American show. I'm going to keep watching it in spite of his stupid views. I think the producers of 24 are smart enough to know who their audience is and it is not the West Wing crowd. If they let their show get captured by the PC/Lib bunch they are finished.
ahh, wasn't that Donald Sutherland, not Keifer. Donald is on the West Wing (where such tripe belongs) not 24.
Yes,I know that but I thought it was the father Donald, who said that, not the son Keifer who is in 24. I will not find fault with him because of something his father has said or done. Only until I hear something from him.
I differ greatly from some of my relatives. I would not want someone to react to me because of their beliefs.
No, Old Man Sutherland is not on the Left Wing, he's on the Hillary for President infomercial.
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