DOA Return of Fox's The O.C.

The return of serial The O.C. left Fox at the starting gate on this first night of the November 2006 sweeps. Season four of The O.C. opened with a series-low (and distant fourth-place) 3.38 million viewers and a 1.5 rating/ 3 share among adults 18-49 at 9 p.m., according to Nielsen Media Research data.

Comparably, that was down by an alarming 4.12 million viewers and 55 percent among adults 18-49 from its third-season premiere (on Thursday, Sept. 8, 2005 at 8 p.m.). As expected, ABC and CBS opened the sweeps on a winning note: CBS was first in total viewers; ABC No. 1 among adults 18-49. But all was not well on ABC given another series low for Grey's Anatomy lead-out Six Degrees. NBC, meanwhile, finished a distant No. 3.


Prime-Time Thursday Ratings:


Thursday 11/02/06
Metered Market Ratings

HH
Rtg/Shr
CBS 10.9/16
ABC 10.1/15
NBC 8.0/12
CW 3.1/ 5
Fox 2.7/ 4

-Percent Change From the Comparable Year-Ago Evening (Thursday 11/03/05)
(The CW is compared to the WB's combination of Smallville and Everwood)
ABC: +63, NBC: - 8, CW: -14, Fox: -23, CBS: -25

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Fast Nationals

-Total Viewers:
CBS: 16.42 million, ABC: 14.09, NBC: 12.02, CW: 4.15, Fox: 3.56

-Adults 18-49:
ABC: 5.6 rating/14 share, CBS: 5.3/13, NBC: 4.8/12, Fox: 1.6/ 4, CW: 1.5/ 4

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-Yesterday's Winners:
Ugly Betty (ABC), Survivor: Cook Islands (CBS), Grey's Anatomy (ABC), CSI (CBS), ER (NBC)

-Yesterday's Losers:
'Til Death (Fox), Happy Hour (Fox), The O.C. (Fox), Six Degrees (ABC)

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-Ratings Breakdown:
ABC and CBS split leadership on this first night of the November 2006 sweeps, with CBS first in the overnights and total viewers, and ABC No. 1 among adults 18-49. Working against ABC is the ongoing collapse of new drama Six Degrees, but considerably more alarming was the DOA return of Fox soap The O.C. NBC and the CW were both on par with typical Thursday levels.

Beginning with 8 p.m., the little ABC show that could, Ugly Betty, remained on the winning track with a 10.1 rating/15 share in the overnights (#1), 13.72 million viewers (#2) and a 4.4/11 among adults 18-49 (#2). Comparably, the last ABC series to generate any real interest in Thursday 8 p.m. time period was sitcom Mork & Mindy, and that was 25 years ago! CBS' deadly-dull Survivor: Cook Islands is down, but far from out, with a 9.2/14 in the overnights (#2), 15.56 million viewers (#1) and a 5.5/14 among adults 18-49 (#1). Comparatively, Survivor: Guatemela on the year-ago evening (Thursday, Nov. 3, 2005) averaged a healthier 10.9/16 in the overnights, with 18.28 million viewers and a 6.6/17 among adults 18-49.

Also in the 8 p.m. hour were NBC sitcoms My Name is Earl (Overnights: #3, 6.3/10; Viewers: #3, 9.57 million; A18-49: #2, 4.1/11) and The Office (Overnights: #3, 6.0/ 9; Viewers: #3, 8.87 million; A18-49: #3, 4.2/10), followed by the CW's Smallville (Overnights: #4, 3.5/ 5; Viewers: #4, 4.93 million; A18-49: #4, 2.1/ 5), and the low-rated return of Fox comedies 'Til Death (Overnights: #5, 3.3/ 5; Viewers: #5, 4.31 million; A18-49: #5, 1.7/ 5) and Happy Hour (Overnights: #5, 2.5/ 4; Viewers: #5, 3.18 million; A18-49: #5, 1.4/ 3). As a benchmark, Smallville on the year-ago evening scored a heftier 4.2/ 6 in the overnights, 5.41 million viewers and a 2.4/ 6 among adults 18-49 on the WB, while former 8-9 p.m. Fox occupant The O.C. was at a 4.2/ 6 in the overnights, 6.65 million viewers and a 3.0/ 8 among adults 18-49.

As a reminder, total viewers and adults 18-49 from last night are based on the fast nationals. Any prior results are based on the final nationals.

At 9 p.m., residents of upscale Orange County would be wise to get their bags packed. Season four of Fox's The O.C. opened with a series-low 2.6/ 4 in the overnights (#4t), 3.38 million viewers (#4t) and a 1.5/ 3 among adults 18-49 (#4). Comparably, the CW's Supernatural performed at an almost identical 2.6/ 4 in the overnights (#4t), 3.38 million viewers (#4t) and a 1.4/ 3 among adults 18-49 (#5). While the CW can live with this performance, The O.C. sunk by an alarming 50 percent in the overnights, 4.12 million viewers and 55 percent among adults 18-49 from its third-season premiere on Thursday, Sept. 8, 2005 (Overnights: 5.2/ 8; Viewers: 7.50 million; A18-49: 3.3/10 at 8 p.m.). Growth for The O.C. out of Happy Hour of only 4 percent in the overnights, 200,000 viewers and seven percent among adults 18-49 must mean that Mischa Barton is sorely missed. Chances are Fox will move The O.C. back to Thursday at 8 p.m.

First in the 9 p.m. hour remained ABC's red-hot Grey's Anatomy, with a 14.7/21 in the overnights, 20.96 million viewers and a 9.0/21 among adults 18-49. Second, of course, was CBS' CSI at a 13.7/20 in the overnights, 20.53 million viewers and a 6.9/16 among adults 18-49 (which, year-to-year was down by a noticeable 27 percent in the overnights, 8.20 million viewers and 30 percent among adults 18-49 (Overnights: 18.7/27, Viewers: 28.73 million, A18-49: 9.9/24 on Nov. 3, 2005). NBC's soon-to-vacate Deal or No Deal (a smart move on the network's part) was a respectable third with a 7.7/11 in the overnights, 13.09 million viewers and a 4.6/11 among adults 18-49. To anyone wondering how the upcoming return of Scrubs and the move of 30 Rock will do here, don't expect them to match Deal or No Deal. But consider it a smarter long-term programming maneuver.

First at 10 p.m. was NBC's ER, with a 10.2/16 in the overnights, 13.77 million viewers and a 5.6/15 among adults 18-49. Second was CBS' Shark (Overnights: 9.9/16; Viewers: 13.17 million; A18-49: 3.7/10), followed by ABC's rapidly fading Six Degrees at a series-low 5.4/ 9 in the overnights, 7.59 million viewers and a 3.2/ 9 among adults 18-49 (which I predict will be pulled for the remainder of the November sweep). Retention for Shark out of CSI was 72 percent in the overnights, 64 percent in total viewers and 54 percent among adults 18-49; while Six Degrees out of Grey's Anatomy was just 37 percent in the overnights, and 36 percent in both total viewers among adults 18-49. Comparably, that's the worst rate of retention for any series currently on the air.

As for the myth that NBC's ER is growing by leaps and bounds this season, its year-ago performance was a beefier 11.3/18 in the overnights, 14.29 million viewers and a 6.2/16 among adults 18-49 (out of an 8.6/12 in the overnights, 11.02 million viewers and a 5.0/12 in the overnights for lead-in The Apprentice).