2008-09 Television Season Ratings - American Idol reigns supreme for 5th year - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

James28 · 05-25-2009, 09:21 PM

Here are all of the highest-rated network TV programmes for the 2008-09 television season

http://abcmedianet.com/web/dnr/dispD...x?id=051909_05

American Idol took the top two spots for the 5th straight year. Dancing With the Stars only got number three, but CSI and NCIS are on the top five again. Anyone else think that American Idol's ratings should decline and it should stop being the #1/#2 highest-rated show in US network television? Because one show cannot be the highest-rated show on network TV forever.

JulieSomoski · 05-25-2009, 09:35 PM

Doesn't American Idol now tie the record with Cosby and All in the Family?

As long as Idol remains entertaining, then why should its ratings drop? They pretty much held steady with last season, so people still do enjoy watching it each week. If that's the case, then why should it deserve to be #1?

The Mentalist coming in at #6 is very impressive, right behind NCIS. Two and a Half Men also made the top 10 for the first time in 3 years I believe.

And, I love how Without a Trace still made the top 20, yet CBS cancelled it. It deserved at least another half season. And America's Got Talent is NBC's second highest rated show, right behind Sunday Night Football-lol.

A very interesting list. Thanks for sharing!

ryan423 · 05-27-2009, 10:58 PM

Can someone post this list? The site isn't working for me!

JulieSomoski · 05-27-2009, 11:54 PM

The site doesn't seem to be working at the moment, not sure why.

Buffyboy323 · 05-30-2009, 07:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ryan423

Can someone post this list? The site isn't working for me!

The site is working again (can you figure out #25?). It was really difficult to copy/paste the numbers, but I will copy/paste all the shows.

Buffyboy323 · 05-30-2009, 07:15 PM

Here's how the shows rank for the 2008-2009 television season:

1. AMERICAN IDOL-WEDNESDAY
2. AMERICAN IDOL-TUESDAY
3. DANCING WITH THE STARS
4. CSI
5. NCIS
6. THE MENTALIST
7. DANCING W/STARS RESULTS
8. NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL
9. DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES
10. TWO AND A HALF MEN
11. CRIMINAL MINDS
12. GREY'S ANATOMY
13. 60 MINUTES
14. CSI: MIAMI
15. SURVIVOR: GABON
16. HOUSE
17. CSI: NY
18. WITHOUT A TRACE
19. SURVIVOR: TOCANTINS
20. 24
21. AMERICA'S GOT TALENT-WED
22. COLD CASE
23. ELEVENTH HOUR
24. THE BACHELOR
25. THE OT
26. RULES OF ENGAGEMENT
27. AMAZING RACE 13
28. LOST
29. AMAZING RACE 14
30. LIE TO ME
31. SUNDAY NIGHT NFL PRE-KICK
32. BONES
33. BROTHERS & SISTERS
34. GHOST WHISPERER
35. LAW AND ORDER:SVU
36. ER
37. NUMB3RS
38. EXTREME MAKEOVER:HM ED-8P
39. BIGGEST LOSER 7
40. SURVIVING SUBURBIA
41. CASTLE
42. MILLION DOLLAR PASSWORD
43. THEUNIT
44. THE BIG BANG THEORY
45. FRINGE
46. WORST WEEK
47. BOSTON LEGAL
48. FLASHPOINT
49. HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER
50. HARPER'S ISLAND
51. HEROES
52. PRIVATE PRACTICE
53. THE OFFICE
54. SAMANTHA WHO?
55. APPRENTICE 8
56. HELL'S KITCHEN
57. BIGGEST LOSER 6
58. SUPERSTARS OF DANCE
59. MEDIUM
60. SOUTHLAND
61. SAT NIGHT FOOTBALL
62. LAW AND ORDER
63. FOOTBALL NT AMERICA PT 3
64. UGLY BETTY
65. LIFE ON MARS
66. 30 ROCK
67. DEAL OR NO DEAL-WED
68. AMER FUNN HOME VIDEOS
69. FAMILY GUY
70. FOX NASCAR SPRINT CUP PST
71. CHUCK
72. TRUE BEAUTY
73. OLD CHRISTINE
74. GARY UNMARRIED
75. ELI STONE
76. 20/20-FRI
77. SIMPSONS
78. 48 HOURS MYSTERY
79. PRIMETIME:WHAT WOULD U DO
80. DIRTY SEXY MONEY
81. EXTREME MAKEOVER:HM ED-7P
82. MY NAME IS EARL
83. KNIGHT RIDER
84. EX LIST, THE
85. LIFE
86. THE UNUSUALS
87. HOMELAND SECURITY USA
88. CRIMETIME SATURDAY
89. PUSHING DAISIES
90. CUPID
91. OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS
92. HOUSE-WED 9P
93. DEAL OR NO DEAL-FRI
94. LAW AND ORDER:SVU 9P
95. KING OF THE HILL
96. AMERICAN DAD
97. PARKS AND RECREATION
98. SMARTER THAN 5TH GRADER
99. DATELINE SUN-7PM
100. DATELINE FRI
101. COPS 2
102. AMW: AMERICA FIGHTS BACK
103. IN THE MOTHERHOOD
104. ACCORDING TO JIM-TU 9PM
105. LAW & ORDER-WED 8PM
106. MY OWN WORST ENEMY
107. LAW & ORDER:CI-WED
108. TERMINATOR: SRH CNR CHRON
109. SCRUBS-WED 8PM
110. MOMMA'S BOYS
111. DEAL OR NO DEAL-MON
112. DON'T FORGET THE LYRICS
113. SIMPSONS-SUN 7:30P
114. BONES-WED 9P
115. SAT NIGHT FTBL PRE-GAME
116. KATH & KIM
117. PRISON BREAK
118. LOST-WED 8PM
119. SUPERNANNY
120. LIPSTICK JUNGLE
121. BETTER OFF TED
122. CRIMETIME SATURDAY 8PM
123. COPS
124. KINGS
125. LAW & ORDER:SVU-WED 9PM
126. LAW & ORDER:SVU-SAT
127. ACCORDING TO JIM-TU 9:30P
128. SCRUBS-TU 9PM
129. LAW AND ORDER-SAT
130. FOOTBALL NT AMERICA PT 2
131. SCRUBS-TU 9:30PM
132. DOLLHOUSE
133. HOWIE DO IT 8P
134. KITCHEN NIGHTMARES
135. FRIDAY NIGHT SMACKDOWN
136. FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS
137. WIFE SWAP
138. GAME SHOW IN MY HEAD
139. TIL DEATH
140. AMERICA'S TOP MODEL-5
141. KITCHEN NIGHTMRS-THU 8P
142. AMERICA'S TOP MODEL - 6
143. CRUSOE
144. GAME SHOW IN MY HEAD 830P
145. HOWIE DO IT 8:30
146. TIL DEATH-WED 9:30P
147. AMERICA'S TOUGHEST JOBS
148. ACCORDING TO JIM-TU 8:30P
149. ABC SAT MOVIE OF THE WEEK
150. ACCORDING TO JIM-TU 8PM
151. HOLE IN WALL THU-8:30P
152. SMALLVILLE
153. DO NOT DISTURB
154. HOLE IN WALL THU-8P
155. LAW & ORDER:CI-SAT
156. CHOPPING BLOCK
157. SNL PRIME-SAT
158. SOUTHLAND-SAT
159. SIT DOWN SHUT UP
160. KING OF HILL-SUN 7:30P
161. SUPERNATURAL
162. KING OF HILL-SUN 7P
163. KNIGHT RIDER-SAT
164. HOLE IN WALL-SUN 7:30P
165. HOLE IN WALL-SUN 7P
166. AMERICAN DAD-SUN 7:30P
167. MY OWN WORST ENEMY-SAT
168. GOSSIP GIRL-MON
169. REAPER
170. ONE TREE HILL-MON
171. AMERICAN DAD-SUN 7P
172. 90210
173. THE OFFICE-SAT
174. THEGAME
175. STYLISTA
176. EVERYBODY HATES CHRIS
177. PRIVILEGED
178. AMERICA'S TOP MODEL6-ENC
179. ONE TREE HILL-ENC
180. AMERICA'S TOP MODEL5-ENC
181. 13 - FEAR IS REAL
182. THE CW SUNDAY MOVIE
183. STYLISTA-ENC
184. 90210-ENC
185. PRIVILEGED-ENC
186. 13 - FEAR IS REAL-ENC
187. VALENTINE
188. JERICHO
189. IN HARM'S WAY
190. EASY MONEY

TVFactFan · 05-31-2009, 05:01 PM

Wow Better Off Ted finished at a close #121 and still managed to get new eps-lol Maybe next season the show can move up to #90

As a show I hate dominates the ratings, great. Reality Rules whether we like it or not

James28 · 06-01-2009, 03:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JulieSomoski

As long as Idol remains entertaining, then why should its ratings drop? They pretty much held steady with last season, so people still do enjoy watching it each week. If that's the case, then why should it deserve to be #1?

Because American Idol next season needs to get a lower place in the ratings (i.e. somewhere between #5-#10) and let Dancing With the Stars or (more likely) another show on ABC or CBS take the #1 spot. Because of its long reign as the Nielsen Ratrings Champion, our family has a moratorium against watching that program.

JT · 06-01-2009, 03:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim856796

Because American Idol next season needs to get a lower place in the ratings (i.e. somewhere between #5-#10) and let Dancing With the Stars or (more likely) another show on ABC or CBS take the #1 spot. Because of its long reign as the Nielsen Ratrings Champion, our family has a moratorium against watching that program.

LOL "Let's not watch it just because there are so many other people who are watching it!"

Superstar · 06-01-2009, 03:49 PM

Wow, 30 Rock is at #66. I think it's been in the 100's or the 90's since the show started. Hopefully it'll continue to climb.

It really pisses me off that Samantha Who is #54 and gets cancelled while Better off Ted and Scrubs are #121 and #109 and they get renewed

JulieSomoski · 06-01-2009, 03:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim856796

Because American Idol next season needs to get a lower place in the ratings (i.e. somewhere between #5-#10) and let Dancing With the Stars or (more likely) another show on ABC or CBS take the #1 spot. Because of its long reign as the Nielsen Ratrings Champion, our family has a moratorium against watching that program.

That is one of the most single-minded explanations I've ever heard-lol.

Pavan · 06-01-2009, 03:55 PM

Overall rankings for shows don't mean anything. 1. Because repeats are mixed in for most shows. 2. Because it depends what is on opposite the show and what the lead-in is. That's why the overall rankings is the most overrated list from all of Nielsen.

Sal · 06-01-2009, 04:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pavanbadal

Overall rankings for shows don't mean anything. 1. Because repeats are mixed in for most shows. 2. Because it depends what is on opposite the show and what the lead-in is. That's why the overall rankings is the most overrated list from all of Nielsen.

Or, could it be....

3. Because one of your favourite shows just happens to finish near the bottom of the list.

Come on, admit it, that's the real reason you don't like the chart, right?
So which one was it???

For me, it was Scrubs. (#109 and 128) For the last few seasons, I feel it's been given a raw deal and treated very shabbily. Zach Braff got out just in time.

Pavan · 06-01-2009, 04:44 PM

No, it just isn't a fair way of seeing how shows do (and the networks don't look at this). I have always said that every year for many years now, Solomon knows that because I have told him this many times. For example, Surviving Suburbia was #40 but it bled so much out of its lead-in and is not coming back and Better off Ted was #121 and was compatible with Scrubs and that is back. This list doesn't mean anything anymore. Now if this were 1985 when everything repeated well then this list would be somewhat good, but even then the list didn't mean that much--it really depends on what is airing before the show and if it can hold a decent amount from that.

05-25-2009, 09:21 PM	#1
James28 Member Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Apr 14, 2007 Posts: 3,983	2008-09 Television Season Ratings - American Idol reigns supreme for 5th year Here are all of the highest-rated network TV programmes for the 2008-09 television season http://abcmedianet.com/web/dnr/dispD...x?id=051909_05 American Idol took the top two spots for the 5th straight year. Dancing With the Stars only got number three, but CSI and NCIS are on the top five again. Anyone else think that American Idol's ratings should decline and it should stop being the #1/#2 highest-rated show in US network television? Because one show cannot be the highest-rated show on network TV forever.

05-25-2009, 09:35 PM	#2
JulieSomoski Roseanne Reboot - March 27! Forum Veteran Join Date: Nov 06, 2004 Location: Michigan Posts: 7,558	Doesn't American Idol now tie the record with Cosby and All in the Family? As long as Idol remains entertaining, then why should its ratings drop? They pretty much held steady with last season, so people still do enjoy watching it each week. If that's the case, then why should it deserve to be #1? The Mentalist coming in at #6 is very impressive, right behind NCIS. Two and a Half Men also made the top 10 for the first time in 3 years I believe. And, I love how Without a Trace still made the top 20, yet CBS cancelled it. It deserved at least another half season. And America's Got Talent is NBC's second highest rated show, right behind Sunday Night Football-lol. A very interesting list. Thanks for sharing!
	__________________ Click here to view some great articles written by my husband and I! All views are appreciated! Watch: Medium, Fridays at 9pm, on CBS! Big Bang Theory, Mondays at 9:30pm, on CBS! The Mentalist, Thursdays at 10pm, on CBS! Old Christine, Wednesdays at 8pm, on CBS! ABC's Comedy Lineup, Starting Wednesdays at 8:30pm, on ABC!

05-27-2009, 10:58 PM	#3
ryan423 Member Senior Member Join Date: Oct 15, 2007 Posts: 1,829	Can someone post this list? The site isn't working for me!

05-27-2009, 11:54 PM	#4
JulieSomoski Roseanne Reboot - March 27! Forum Veteran Join Date: Nov 06, 2004 Location: Michigan Posts: 7,558	The site doesn't seem to be working at the moment, not sure why.

05-30-2009, 07:15 PM	#6
Buffyboy323 Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Jun 24, 2005 Posts: 6,102	Here's how the shows rank for the 2008-2009 television season: 1. AMERICAN IDOL-WEDNESDAY 2. AMERICAN IDOL-TUESDAY 3. DANCING WITH THE STARS 4. CSI 5. NCIS 6. THE MENTALIST 7. DANCING W/STARS RESULTS 8. NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL 9. DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES 10. TWO AND A HALF MEN 11. CRIMINAL MINDS 12. GREY'S ANATOMY 13. 60 MINUTES 14. CSI: MIAMI 15. SURVIVOR: GABON 16. HOUSE 17. CSI: NY 18. WITHOUT A TRACE 19. SURVIVOR: TOCANTINS 20. 24 21. AMERICA'S GOT TALENT-WED 22. COLD CASE 23. ELEVENTH HOUR 24. THE BACHELOR 25. THE OT 26. RULES OF ENGAGEMENT 27. AMAZING RACE 13 28. LOST 29. AMAZING RACE 14 30. LIE TO ME 31. SUNDAY NIGHT NFL PRE-KICK 32. BONES 33. BROTHERS & SISTERS 34. GHOST WHISPERER 35. LAW AND ORDER:SVU 36. ER 37. NUMB3RS 38. EXTREME MAKEOVER:HM ED-8P 39. BIGGEST LOSER 7 40. SURVIVING SUBURBIA 41. CASTLE 42. MILLION DOLLAR PASSWORD 43. THEUNIT 44. THE BIG BANG THEORY 45. FRINGE 46. WORST WEEK 47. BOSTON LEGAL 48. FLASHPOINT 49. HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER 50. HARPER'S ISLAND 51. HEROES 52. PRIVATE PRACTICE 53. THE OFFICE 54. SAMANTHA WHO? 55. APPRENTICE 8 56. HELL'S KITCHEN 57. BIGGEST LOSER 6 58. SUPERSTARS OF DANCE 59. MEDIUM 60. SOUTHLAND 61. SAT NIGHT FOOTBALL 62. LAW AND ORDER 63. FOOTBALL NT AMERICA PT 3 64. UGLY BETTY 65. LIFE ON MARS 66. 30 ROCK 67. DEAL OR NO DEAL-WED 68. AMER FUNN HOME VIDEOS 69. FAMILY GUY 70. FOX NASCAR SPRINT CUP PST 71. CHUCK 72. TRUE BEAUTY 73. OLD CHRISTINE 74. GARY UNMARRIED 75. ELI STONE 76. 20/20-FRI 77. SIMPSONS 78. 48 HOURS MYSTERY 79. PRIMETIME:WHAT WOULD U DO 80. DIRTY SEXY MONEY 81. EXTREME MAKEOVER:HM ED-7P 82. MY NAME IS EARL 83. KNIGHT RIDER 84. EX LIST, THE 85. LIFE 86. THE UNUSUALS 87. HOMELAND SECURITY USA 88. CRIMETIME SATURDAY 89. PUSHING DAISIES 90. CUPID 91. OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS 92. HOUSE-WED 9P 93. DEAL OR NO DEAL-FRI 94. LAW AND ORDER:SVU 9P 95. KING OF THE HILL 96. AMERICAN DAD 97. PARKS AND RECREATION 98. SMARTER THAN 5TH GRADER 99. DATELINE SUN-7PM 100. DATELINE FRI 101. COPS 2 102. AMW: AMERICA FIGHTS BACK 103. IN THE MOTHERHOOD 104. ACCORDING TO JIM-TU 9PM 105. LAW & ORDER-WED 8PM 106. MY OWN WORST ENEMY 107. LAW & ORDER:CI-WED 108. TERMINATOR: SRH CNR CHRON 109. SCRUBS-WED 8PM 110. MOMMA'S BOYS 111. DEAL OR NO DEAL-MON 112. DON'T FORGET THE LYRICS 113. SIMPSONS-SUN 7:30P 114. BONES-WED 9P 115. SAT NIGHT FTBL PRE-GAME 116. KATH & KIM 117. PRISON BREAK 118. LOST-WED 8PM 119. SUPERNANNY 120. LIPSTICK JUNGLE 121. BETTER OFF TED 122. CRIMETIME SATURDAY 8PM 123. COPS 124. KINGS 125. LAW & ORDER:SVU-WED 9PM 126. LAW & ORDER:SVU-SAT 127. ACCORDING TO JIM-TU 9:30P 128. SCRUBS-TU 9PM 129. LAW AND ORDER-SAT 130. FOOTBALL NT AMERICA PT 2 131. SCRUBS-TU 9:30PM 132. DOLLHOUSE 133. HOWIE DO IT 8P 134. KITCHEN NIGHTMARES 135. FRIDAY NIGHT SMACKDOWN 136. FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS 137. WIFE SWAP 138. GAME SHOW IN MY HEAD 139. TIL DEATH 140. AMERICA'S TOP MODEL-5 141. KITCHEN NIGHTMRS-THU 8P 142. AMERICA'S TOP MODEL - 6 143. CRUSOE 144. GAME SHOW IN MY HEAD 830P 145. HOWIE DO IT 8:30 146. TIL DEATH-WED 9:30P 147. AMERICA'S TOUGHEST JOBS 148. ACCORDING TO JIM-TU 8:30P 149. ABC SAT MOVIE OF THE WEEK 150. ACCORDING TO JIM-TU 8PM 151. HOLE IN WALL THU-8:30P 152. SMALLVILLE 153. DO NOT DISTURB 154. HOLE IN WALL THU-8P 155. LAW & ORDER:CI-SAT 156. CHOPPING BLOCK 157. SNL PRIME-SAT 158. SOUTHLAND-SAT 159. SIT DOWN SHUT UP 160. KING OF HILL-SUN 7:30P 161. SUPERNATURAL 162. KING OF HILL-SUN 7P 163. KNIGHT RIDER-SAT 164. HOLE IN WALL-SUN 7:30P 165. HOLE IN WALL-SUN 7P 166. AMERICAN DAD-SUN 7:30P 167. MY OWN WORST ENEMY-SAT 168. GOSSIP GIRL-MON 169. REAPER 170. ONE TREE HILL-MON 171. AMERICAN DAD-SUN 7P 172. 90210 173. THE OFFICE-SAT 174. THEGAME 175. STYLISTA 176. EVERYBODY HATES CHRIS 177. PRIVILEGED 178. AMERICA'S TOP MODEL6-ENC 179. ONE TREE HILL-ENC 180. AMERICA'S TOP MODEL5-ENC 181. 13 - FEAR IS REAL 182. THE CW SUNDAY MOVIE 183. STYLISTA-ENC 184. 90210-ENC 185. PRIVILEGED-ENC 186. 13 - FEAR IS REAL-ENC 187. VALENTINE 188. JERICHO 189. IN HARM'S WAY 190. EASY MONEY

05-31-2009, 05:01 PM	#7
TVFactFan Member Forum Junkie Join Date: Aug 17, 2002 Posts: 99,073	Wow Better Off Ted finished at a close #121 and still managed to get new eps-lol Maybe next season the show can move up to #90 As a show I hate dominates the ratings, great. Reality Rules whether we like it or not

06-01-2009, 03:49 PM	#10
Superstar Member Forum Icon Join Date: Dec 08, 2003 Posts: 63,316	Wow, 30 Rock is at #66. I think it's been in the 100's or the 90's since the show started. Hopefully it'll continue to climb. It really pisses me off that Samantha Who is #54 and gets cancelled while Better off Ted and Scrubs are #121 and #109 and they get renewed

06-01-2009, 03:55 PM	#12
Pavan SO News/Reviews Director Administrator Forum Superstar Join Date: Feb 17, 2000 Location: Linden, NJ (Where Hal Linden got his last name from!) Posts: 26,821	Overall rankings for shows don't mean anything. 1. Because repeats are mixed in for most shows. 2. Because it depends what is on opposite the show and what the lead-in is. That's why the overall rankings is the most overrated list from all of Nielsen.
	__________________ SitcomsOnline.com News Blog -- The best news out there! SitcomsOnline.com DVD Reviews -- We are #1 in reviews!

06-01-2009, 04:44 PM	#14
Pavan SO News/Reviews Director Administrator Forum Superstar Join Date: Feb 17, 2000 Location: Linden, NJ (Where Hal Linden got his last name from!) Posts: 26,821	No, it just isn't a fair way of seeing how shows do (and the networks don't look at this). I have always said that every year for many years now, Solomon knows that because I have told him this many times. For example, Surviving Suburbia was #40 but it bled so much out of its lead-in and is not coming back and Better off Ted was #121 and was compatible with Scrubs and that is back. This list doesn't mean anything anymore. Now if this were 1985 when everything repeated well then this list would be somewhat good, but even then the list didn't mean that much--it really depends on what is airing before the show and if it can hold a decent amount from that.