Wednesday, May 20, 2026

NBC’s Thursday Night Is Must-Not See TV With Ratings Lower than Soap Operas

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CBS won Thursday night’s ratings easily, with the potent combo of “Big Bang Theory” and “Young Sheldon” bringing in 11-12 million viewers from 8 to 9pm. Then “Mom” pulled in over 8 million, and “Murphy Brown 2.0” 6.5 million viewers– “Murphy” desperately needs work, it would never live without “Mom”‘s protection. No one I know can bear to watch it.

But CBS is golden compared to NBC. What the heck is happening? Look at these ratings. They’re lower than “The Young and the Restless.” Actually, NBC’s own “Days of our Lives” doing better at noon by comparison. Very few people are watching the NBC lineup even though it’s hip and cool and all that. Maybe it’s a promotional problem. But these numbers are Must Not See TV. I thought “Will & Grace”: was a big hit. And “SVU” should be doing a lot better. It’s tough out there!

 

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Roger Friedman
Roger Friedmanhttps://www.showbiz411.com
Roger Friedman is the founder and editor-in-chief of Showbiz411. He wrote the FOX411 column on FoxNews.com from 1999 to 2009 and previously edited Fame magazine and wrote the "Intelligencer" column at New York magazine. His bylines have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the New York Daily News, the New York Post, Vogue, Details, and the Miami Herald. He is a voting member of the Critics Choice Awards (Film and Television branches), and his movie reviews are tracked by Rotten Tomatoes. is articles have appeared in dozens of publications over the years including New York Magazine, where he wrote the Intelligencer column in the mid 90s and covered the OJ Simpson trial, and Fox News (when it wasn't so crazy) where he covered Michael Jackson. With D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus, he co-produced the 2002 documentary "Only the Strong Survive," which screened at Directors' Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival.

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