The Brioux Report: Big Bang, CSI, All-Star hockey wins week before sweeps

Jan. 23 to 29 is one of those in-between weeks. Coming just before the Super Bowl and the beginning of the February sweeps, networks tend to rest shows and save episodes until it counts. There are plenty of reruns coming from the States, leaving Canada ’s private networks to patch things together until much-hyped mid-season entries Smash and The River launch and reality hits like Survivor and Celebrity Apprentice return.

So if CTV’s all-powerful Thursday and Sunday lineups look a little lame, wait until next week.

The Big Bang Theory remains Canada ’s most watched show, with plenty of us also tuning in for Marg Helgenberger’s final CSI episode and the NHL All-Star Skills Competition and game.

Here’s how they all played out across Canada in prime time among adults 2+ the week of Jan. 23 to 29 according to overnight estimates:

 

MONDAY

Global got a boost from a new episode of House (1,994,000) followed by a repeat of NCIS (996,000) and  Hawaii  FIVE-0 (1,255,000).

CTV probably wished they had another new episode of Betty White’s Off Their Rockers, a show that drew 1.5 million viewers the week before. Instead, their night started with a Two and a Half Men repeat (818,000) followed by a repeat of Big Bang Theory (1,209,000).

Another episode of the Ashton Kutcher comedy followed at 9 (1,461,000). Mike & Molly weighed in after that (1,228,000). Castle (1,851,000) crowned CTV’s night (1,916,000).

The new shot-in-Vancouver J.J. Abrams drama  Alcatraz  held most of its viewers in Week 2, drawing 954,000 on City. Their night began with How I Met Your Mother (475,000) and 2 Broke Girls (453,000) and ended with Law & Order: UK (185,000).

Enough January reruns on the private networks has helped the new CBC starts get sampled. Gerry Dee’s new CBC school sitcom Mr. D reached 832,000 viewers in its third outing. Little Mosque dropped to 422,000 and Kevin O’Leary’s new prison reality show Redemption, Inc slipped from 789,000 to 600,000 to 536,000.

This old movie night movie thing seems like a white flag on CTV Two, where 189,000 tuned in.

Score pinned 399,000 with WWE Raw. TSN scored 385,000 with a San Jose/Edmonton game. Discovery’s high bid was Auction Kings (325,000). Midsomer Murders killed on TVO (257,000). Pretty Little Liars at MuchMusic drew 183,000.

TUESDAY

The Leafs and Islanders were in the mix as Sportsnet’s Hometeam Hockey again took show of the night honours with 1,697,000 viewers.

The Rick Mercer Report continues its annual January surge with 1,121,000 viewers. 22 Minutes was also strong at 8:30 with 949,000. The new CBC drama Arctic Air hit its highest overnight number yet in Week 3  with 1,074,000 viewers.

Without Big Bang to power it, relocated Whitney (992,000) is getting weaker by the week. Hot in Cleveland played to 1,003,000 at 8:30 on CTV. Pan Am at 9 (470,000) was shot down by Arctic Air. A repeat of Blue Bloods did 781,000 at 10.

Remember American Idol? It did 739,000 on CTV Two.

Global got bat-smacked with an umpteenth airing of The Dark Knight (524,000).

City aired back-to-back Last Man Standing (246,000, 204,000) followed by reruns of New Girl (197,000) and Raising Hope (181,000). Back-to-back reruns of Rules of Engagement went 176,000, 198,000.

Discovery had another bonanza with Gold Rush Alaska (674,000). American Pickers found 346,000 on History. Canada ’s Handyman Challenge went up to 326,000 on HGTV. The third episode of The L.A. Complex fell to 40,000 on MuchMusic.

WEDNESDAY                         

Back on CTV, American Idol drew an overnight, estimated 2,308,000 viewers. That was followed by an even stronger Criminal Minds at 9 (2,446,000), then a huge turnout for Marg Helgenberger’s last CSI (3,112,000).

Dragons’ Den roared back with 1,477,000 viewers. That was followed by Republic of Doyle’s third million+ night in a row, 1,047,000.

Global’s Bomb Girls fell to 885,000. The sneak preview of the new Kiefer Sutherland drama Touch touched 1,500,000 at 9. Kitchen Nightmares cooked up 489,000 at 10.

CTV Two picked up 710,000 Criminal Minds viewers at 8. Back-to-back Law & Order: SVU fetched 245,000 and 322,000.

City reran The Middle (288,000), Suburgatory (245,000), Modern Family (486,000), Happy Endings (239,000) and Revenge (223,000).

A Detroit/Montreal game drew 679,000 on TSN. IRT: Deadliest Roads (512,000) remains huge on History, where 446,000 and 390,000 tuned in for back-to-back episodes of American Restoration. Another 195,000 watched Boston Rob’s Around the World in 80 Ways.

                                                                                 

THURSDAY                                                           

 

Big Bang Theory won the week again with 3,348,000 CTV viewers. Up All Night must be keeping CTV schedulers up all night, tumbling down to 788,000 at  8:30 . Unforgettable, subbing for Grey’s Anatomy, did a forgettable 755,000. The Mentalist was watched by 1,422,000.

Here’s how poorly Up All Night is performing for CTV. Global ran back-to-back episodes of the new Rob Schneider comedy Rob from 8 to 9, Rob got walloped at 8 opposite Big Bang, drawing 403,000 viewers. Opposite Up All Night at  8:30 , it won the time slot, leaping up to 944,000. That momentum carried through to The Finder at 9, with the Bones spinoff picking up 1,392,000, a big jump from the week before. Global’s new law drama The Firm was also up, drawing 896,000 at 10.

American Idol (1,206,000) was down slightly week-to-week on CTV Two. A movie drew 191,000 at 9.

TSN stole quite a few viewers with its coverage of the NHL All-Star Draft, with 1,340,000 tuning in.

Nature of Things (562,000) and Doc Zone (304,000) kept CBC in the prime-time race.

City stuck with 30 Rock (285,000), Parks & Recreation (279,000), Person of Interest (555,000) and what must have been a rerun of Private Practice (212,000).

 

FRIDAY

 

Suddenly Shark Tank (1,021,000) is on CTV Friday. CSI:  New York  followed (1,061,000) along with Blue Bloods (1,177,000).

Marketplace hit bottom with "The Toilet Paper Chase," which drew 803,000 viewers. Mercer 2.0 did 583,000 followed by the fifth estate’s “Who is Killing the Rizzutos” (622,000).

A Gifted Man (718,000), King (332,000) and Harry’s Law (358,000) worked the Friday shift at Global.

City had Fringe at 9 (364,000) and don’t ask about  the rest. CTV Two entertained 185,000 Nikita fans.

A Canada/Mexico soccer game (gasp!) drew 473,000 fans on Sportsnet.

Family Channel reached a high of 388,000 with Jesse. WWE Smackdown drew 296,000 on Score.

In the GTA on CHCH, the two-part series finale of Chuck drew 83,000 and 87,000.

 

SATURDAY          

 

The NHL All-Star Skills Competition drew 2,468,000 on CBC. Saturday Night Live drew 433,000 at 11:30 p.m. on Global. Merlin did 352,000 on Space, where the series finale of Chuck played to 61,000.

 

SUNDAY            

 

After Once Upon a Time at 7 (1,580,000), CTV kind of took the night off with a Twilight Saga movie (654,000).

Global got a lift from the Screen Actors Guild Awards (1,352,000), which boosted The Good Wife (827,000). The Simpsons (550,000) and Family Guy (480,000) aired from 7 to 8 p.m.

CTV Two scored with Undercover Boss (975,000) at 8 and CSI: Miami at 10 (1,047,000). CSI: NY at 9 drew 388,000.

Heartland repeated to 426,000 on CBC. A repeat of that Keep Your Head Up, Kid Don Cherry movie drew 540,000 at 8 p.m.

City’s big Sunday draw was again America’s Funniest Home Videos (798,000). A USA/Canada soccer game drew 355,000 on Sportsnet. Lost Girl was found by 264,000 on Showcase.