Programming Insider

-Did You Know?:
“The Dick Van Dyke Show,” which ranked No.16 overall in its final (1965-66) season, could have certainly aired past five seasons. But the producers wanted to quit when they were ahead. Rose Marie and Morey Amsterdam reprised their roles of Sally and Buddy in an episode of Fox sitcom “Herman’s Head” in 1993. And Carl Reiner returned as Alan Brady in a 1995 episode of NBC’s“Mad About You,” which resulted in an Emmy win for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series.

Wednesday 5/31/16

Household Rating/Share
NBC: 3.2/ 6, CBS: 3.0/ 5, Fox: 2.5/ 4, ABC: 1.7/ 3, CW: 0.5/ 1

-Percent Change from the Year-Ago Evening:
Fox: + 4, CBS: + 3, CW: no change, NBC: -16, ABC: -29

Ratings Breakdown:
NBC’s “Little Big Shots” lifted the network to overnight victory, topping the evening with a 4.9 rating/9 share in households as the new Wednesday 8 p.m.anchor. That led into the third season premiere of sitcom “The Carmichael Show” at a second-place 2.9/ 5 in the 9 p.m. half-hour, with an additional episode at a 2.3/ 4 (#2) at 9:30 p.m.

NBC capped off the night with an encore telecast of the pilot episode of “This Is Us” at a second-place 2.1/ 4 at 10 p.m. As reported yesterday, NBC has decided to keep “This Is Us” in the Tuesday 9 p.m. hour next season (out of “The Voice” and into upcoming “Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Brothers”) instead of moving to Thursday. NBC will now populate Thursday with a two-hour sitcom block –- “Superstore,” “The Good Place,” “Will & Grace” and “Great News” – into relocated “Chicago Fire.”

For the remainder of the analysis plus the breakdown by half-hour for Wednesday, May 31, click here

Live + Same Day Ratings
Monday 5/29/17: Click here

Weekly Ratings Scorecard – Week of May 22
What follows are the Live + Same Day rating results from Nielsen for the five broadcast networks for the week of May 22. Change versus the comparable year ago period appears in parentheses:-Total Viewers:
CBS: 5.21 million (+ 8), NBC: 4.63 (- 8), ABC: 4.56 (- 4), Fox: 3.26 (+ 2), CWL 1.32 (-15)

-Adults 18-49:
NBC: 1.0/ 4 (no change), Fox: 0.9/ 4 (+12), ABC: 0.9/ 4 (-10), CBS: 0.7/ 3 (-12), CW: 0.4/ 2 (-20)

-Adults 25-54:
NBC: 1.3/ 5 (-31), Fox: 1.2/ 4 (+ 9), ABC: 1.2/ 4 (- 8), CW: 0.5/ 2 (-17)

-Adults 18-34:
Fox: 0.6/ 4 (+20), NBC: 0.6/ 3 (-14), ABC: 0.6/ 4 (-25), CBS: 0.4/ 2 (-20), CW: 0.3/ 2 (-25)

Source: Nielsen Media Research

Cinemax Cancels “Quarry”
Cinemax has opted against a second season of scripted drama “Quarry.” Debuting on Sept. 9, 2016, “Quarry” told the story of Mac Conway (Logan Marshall Green), a Marine who returns home to Memphis from Vietnam in 1972 and finds himself shunned by those he loves and demonized by the public. As he struggles to cope with his experiences at war, Conway is drawn into a network of killing and corruption.

“We are immensely proud of the work by all of the talented individuals who contributed to”Quarry,” a rep for Cinemax said in a statement. “After evaluating ideas for continuing the story in the context of our future plans for Cinemax, we decided that it was best for all involved to end the narrative with Mac swimming across the Mississippi”.

Eight episodes in total of “Quarry” were produced.

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Contact Marc Berman at 646/204-7937 or via email at marc@programminginsider.com

2017 NBA Finals TV Schedule on ABC
Live coverage of the 2017 NBA Finals begins tonight at 9 p.m. ET on ABC, featuring the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

For the first time in NBA history, the same two teams will meet in The Finals for three consecutive years. Golden State had won the 2015 NBA championship in six games and Cleveland, in 2016, became the first NBA champion to ever win this series after being down three games to one from the first four Finals games played; it was also the city of Cleveland’s first professional sports title in 52 years.

The 2017 NBA Finals on ABC is also available on ESPN Radio, ESPN Deportes, ESPN3 and WatchABC. For the complete schedule, click here

Scott Pelley Exits “CBS Evening News” for Full-Time Role on “60 Minutes”
Scott Pelley, who has left his post as anchor of the “CBS Evening News” following a season of diminishing ratings, will join “60 Minutes” on CBS as a full-time correspondent. Pelley has been featured on the veteran newsmagazine on an occasional basis since 2004, and he joined the “CBS News” in 2011 as the replacement for Katie Couric.

“Scott brought the best values of “60 Minutes” to the “CBS Evening News,” and we thank him for his commitment to the journalism of this broadcast every night these past six years,” said David Rhodes, President of CBS News. “The milestone 50^th season of “60 Minutes” requires Scott’s full contribution, and we look forward to important reporting from him for many years to come.”

Anthony Mason will serve as the interim anchor of the “CBS Evening News.” Mason will continue to co-anchor “CBS This Morning: Saturday” with Alex Wagner, as is a frequent contributor to “CBS News Sunday Morning.”
CNN Drops Kathy Griffin from New Year’s Eve Hosting Gig
CNN has announced that Kathy Griffin will not be returning to host its annual New Year’s Eve program alongside Anderson Cooper, which she has been doing since 2007. The firing comes one day after Griffin posted a photo and video of her holding a fake severed head of President Donald Trump. She later apologized,  saying it went too far, and removed it from her Twitter account.

On Tuesday night, a CNN spokesperson called the photos “disgusting and offensive,” while Cooper said he was “appalled by the photo shoot.” CNN issued a statement on Tuesday night, condemning Griffin’s video and saying that they were evaluating New Year’s Eve plans.

“Marcus Welby, M.D.” Co-Star Elena Verdugo Dies at 92
Actress Elena Verdugo, who is remembered for her long-running role as Consuelo Lopez on ABC 1969-76 medical drama “Marcus Welby, MD.,” diedTuesday in Los Angeles. She was 92. Her longtime friend (and “Marcus Welby” co-star) Sharon Gless broke the news on social media.

Born on April 20, 1925, Verdugo made numerous film appearances through the 1940s, including Abbott & Costello comedy “Little Giant” where she met and married screenwriter Charles R. Marion. Verdugo also appeared opposite Lon Chaney Jr. in Universal horror films “House of Frankenstein” (as the sympathetic gypsy girl Ilonka) and “The Frozen Ghost.”

Verdugo’s first regularly scheduled TV role was on sitcom “Meet Millie,” which aired from 1952 to 1956. Next was 1963 western “Redigo,” which was followed by multiple appearances on “The New Phil Silvers Show” in 1964. She appeared regularly in two additional comedies prior to “Marcus Welby” – “Many Happy Returns” in 1964-65 and “Mona McClusky” in 1965-66.

Verdugo worked only sporadically after “Marcus Welby,” with her last acting credit for 1985 made-for television movie “Suburban Beat” with Dee Wallace and Shelley Fabares.

A+E Buys out NBC Universal of German Joint Venture
A+E Networks has announced it will acquire full ownership of A+E Networks Germany following a 12-year joint venture with NBC Universal International. A+E Networks Germany operates History and A&E in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Luxembourg, South Tyrol and Liechtenstein. Both channels have full distribution on cable and satellite platforms. History and A&E currently reach more than five and four million subscribers respectively in the markets.

The acquisition of full ownership in Germany reinforces A+E Networks’ international strategy to take a greater ownership position in its ventures around the world. After Italy, Germany will be the second European country with a wholly owned A+E Networks entity.

Can NBC Capitalize on the Megyn Kelly Hype? Click here

The global crisis will be the focus of the upcoming Discovery Impact film “Mosquito” on Thursday, July 6 at 9 p.m. ET on Discovery Channel and Discovery networks around the world. “Mosquito” is an in depth look at this very tiny, very dangerous creature, and how it is changing in unpredictable and unprecedented ways. Narrated by actor Jeremy Renner (“The Town,” “The Hurt Locker,”) the film chronicles the increasing global threat this tiny animal poses and the potential lethal ramifications without a worldwide coordinated effort.

Docuseries “Shahs of Sunset” will open season six on Bravo on Sunday, July 16 at 8 p.m. ET. The logline: Still dealing with the remnants of last year’s breakups, makeups and moments of betrayal, Asa Soltan Rahmati, Golnesa “GG” Gharachedaghi, Mercedes “MJ” Javid, Mike Shouhed, Reza Farahan, and Shervin Roohparvar each find themselves at a crossroad in their lives. And when Reza enlists the help of his friend Destiney Rose in organizing Mike’s housewarming party, she wastes no time inserting herself into the group’s shenanigans.