Posted on 01/17/2006 2:31:20 PM PST by LdSentinal
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Jack Bauer‘s 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 NFL‘s 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, Sunday‘s 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 Sunday‘s season opener improved on last year‘s "24" premiere episode (which also had a special Sunday kickoff) by 16% in adults 18-49 and 11% in total viewers. ABC‘s 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., ABC‘s "Grey‘s 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 year‘s 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 NBC‘s limited-run 10 p.m. drama "The Book of Daniel" (7 million, 2.2/6), which lost Nielsen ground from the previous week‘s 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, NBC‘s 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 NBC‘s 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 network‘s 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 WB‘s 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).
Edge of your seat suspense.
24 is extremely fast-paced and they do some original camera work that creates a reality feel. It's by far the fastest hour on TV. If you missed the first two episodes, then you're 4 hours behind.
I had never seen it before Sunday night. It was the fastest 2 hours I've had. Monday was the same. I'm hooked now!
I heard somewhere that Nielsen uses 100,000 households to determine its ratings. Anyone know if that's true? If it is true, it may explain a lot.
Oh man where to begin. Story of a Counter Terrorist Unit agent named Jack Bauer whowill torchure and kill anyone and anything that gets in his way of saving the President or his country. If you love seeing terrorists killed for any and all reasons without Democraps demanding debates, then 24 is your show! Season 2 and 4 so far are the best of the lot! Go rent them!
It wasn't hers. Remember, she was watching it for Chase.
Yeah!!! Jack is back!!! Kinda of worried there after last season. It wouldn't be the same without Jack.
It's an old fashioned cliffhanger. The premise is that the whole 24 episode season comprises a single day in the life af a super anti-terrorist agent, with each 1 hour episode being 1 hour of that day.
Go out and rent the first season. Watch the episodes in a marathon like format over a 3 day weekend.
You will be hooked.
24 is the best show on tv!
I am not sure, I just know I am hooked.
We don't watch it during the season but wait until it comes out on DVD then watch it all at once.
I am so hooked on it, I couldn't watch it for an hour and wait a week.
I don't watch much TV either but 24 is like watching a good Tom Clancy novel. It's addicting.
ping
I watch it for the first time last night. I was up until past 12 trying to fall asleep.
Did you get a chance to watch any of the first four hours?
I must have missed that show.
Thanks.
The first two hours of 24 had me pacing the floor countless times! Man, that was a good show. Even my fav show Lost doesn't have me pacing like 24 did.
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