Is this Heroes last gasp in NBC?

NBC's Monday
sags as 'Heroes' falters

Finishes third, averaging a 2.8 in adults 18-49

By Toni Fitzgerald
Oct 7, 2008

NBC’s Monday night schedule felt some hurt last night as “Heroes” and “Chuck” dipped to series lows and the network slipped 13 percent from last week.

NBC finished third for the night, averaging a 2.8 adults 18-49 rating and 7 share, according to Nielsen overnights, more than a point behind nightly leader CBS. That comes on a night where the network once challenged for No. 1 during the first season of “Heroes.”

As a reminder, all ratings are based on live-plus-same-day DVR playback. Seven-day DVR data won’t be available for several weeks.

It’s possible the network could see a solid bump then. “Heroes” is one of the most-DVRed shows on broadcast, and “Chuck” has a young-skewing audience. Twenty-eight percent of Nielsen households have DVRs.

Still, the early numbers for NBC weren’t promising. “Chuck” slid to fourth place in its 8 p.m. timeslot, behind even Fox’s struggling “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles,” with a series-low 2.2 rating. That was off 15 percent from a 2.6 for its premiere last week.

Third-year drama “Heroes” also hit a series low, averaging a 3.9, down 11 percent from last week’s 4.4 and off 22 percent from a 5.0 the same night last year.

CBS also has a potential worry on its schedule. While the rest of its Monday comedies are doing great, all showing year-to-year gains last night, 9:30 p.m.’s “Worst Week” continued to decline in its third week.

The show averaged a 3.0 rating, losing 0.1 from last week and squandering 41 percent of “Two and a Half Men’s” 5.1 lead-in.

CBS was first for the night among 18-49s with a 3.9 average overnight rating and a 10 share. ABC was second at 3.7/9, NBC third at the aforementioned 2.8/7, Fox fourth at 2.2/6, Univision fifth at 1.7/4 and CW sixth at 0.8/2.

At 8 p.m. ABC was first with a 4.1 for “Dancing with the Stars,” followed by CBS with a 3.8 for “The Big Bang Theory” (3.6) and “How I Met Your Mother” (4.0). Fox was third with a 2.3 for “Terminator,” NBC fourth with a 2.2 for “Chuck,” Univision fifth with a 1.6 for “Cuidado con el Angel” and CW sixth with a 0.8 for a repeat of “Gossip Girl.”

ABC led again at 9 p.m. with a 4.6 for more “Stars,” with CBS second with a 4.0 for “Men” (5.1) and “Worst Week” (3.0). NBC was third with a 3.9 for “Heroes,” Fox fourth with a 2.2 for “Prison Break,” Univision fifth with a 2.0 for “Fuego en la Sangre” and CW sixth with a 0.7 for a “Privileged” rerun.

At 10 p.m. CBS took over with a 3.9 for “CSI: Miami,” while ABC slipped to second with a 2.4 for “Boston Legal.” NBC was third with a 2.3 for “Life” and Univision fourth with a 1.4 for “Cristina.”

ABC led the night among households with a 10.2 average overnight rating and a 16 share. CBS was second at 7.4/11, NBC third at 4.2/6, Fox fourth at 3.5/5, Univision fifth at 2.2/3 and CW sixth at 1.2/2.
http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman2/publish/Overnights_50/NBC_s_Monday_sags_as_Heroes_falters.asp