Despite the traditional focus on which new programs are captivating audiences, the first week of the prime-time television season primarily underscored the durability of old favorites, as the usual suspects and their spinoffs rounded up viewers.
Preliminary results also reinforced perceptions that this season will likely shape up to be a two-network race, with CBS edging NBC overall last week--NBC did lead by a wide margin among adults ages 18 to 49, the key demographic to advertisers--while ABC and Fox lagged far behind.
The good news for the major networks is that people generally returned--sometimes in record numbers--for programs they liked, an ongoing concern as alternatives from cable to the Internet vie for leisure-time attention. In fact, the aggregate audience for CBS, NBC, ABC and Fox was virtually identical to the corresponding week a year ago, with CBS' gains offsetting ABC's decline.
The flip side for the networks is that it remains difficult to inspire viewers to sample--and, more significant, stick with--new series. Although several newcomers have gotten off to promising starts, a few already are exhibiting signs of fading.
Among the tried-and-true programs delivering in particularly stellar fashion last week were "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," which cracked 30 million viewers for the first time; "Friends," with its most-watched season premiere ever; and "Frasier," posting its highest rating in two years, thanks to the Niles-Daphne marriage.
The top-rated new program, meanwhile, was "CSI: Miami," in essence a brand extension of the existing show, just as NBC has rolled out additional lines from the "Law & Order" factory.
Indeed, "Law & Order" spinoffs "Special Victims Unit" and "Criminal Intent" both won their time periods, the latter providing the centerpiece of a solid Sunday drama lineup for NBC, which posted respectable ratings for the nostalgic "American Dreams" and Los Angeles-based crime show "Boomtown." The former was first in its hour with more than 13 million viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research estimates, while "Boomtown's" premiere ran a close second to ABC's "The Practice."
Overall, Sunday yielded a mixed bag for ABC, as the second-season premiere of "Alias" drew an estimated 11.7 million viewers--the show's biggest audience since its debut--while the movie "Prince William" landed with a less-than-royal thud, attracting only 7 million.
