Once again, everything was coming up fives in the Friday evening demo wars for the major networks. Six shows tied for the top spot in early demo numbers on the night, leaving it to total viewership to break any ties.
The total viewer honors go to perennial champion Blue Bloods, which helped the CBS crime drama lineup top the network field. Blue Bloods scored a season-best 6.11 million total viewers in the live+ same day tallies, but had an 0.4 in the demos.
The momentum built early for CBS on the night, as 8 PM’s Undercover Boss had an 0.5 and 4.09 million viewers, up 10% from its season premiere. Magnum P.I. also had an 0.5 and 5.56 milliion viewership for the Eye Network.
At Fox, the WWE Friday Night SmackDown once had an 0.5 in its two-hour slot. “Head of the Table” Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins came face-to-face ahead of their title match at the Jan. 29 Royal Rumble as the Friday highlight.
ABC’s Shark Tank came in at an 0.5 to kick off the Alphabet Network’s night. Joined by UK Shark Peter Jones, the entrepreneur panel debated the merits of household tools, healthy food, men’s apparel, and wearable designs. Newsmag 20/20 scored an 0.5 for its look at the strange Murdaugh crime saga in South Carolina, a demo number that broke even with its arch-rival Dateline on NBC.
Speaking of the Peacock Network: A repeat of game show The Wall started off with an 0.4, but Dateline rebounded nicely with an 0.5, thanks to its examination of the life and death of casino mogul Ted Binion.
Finally, The CW had Penn & Teller: Fool Us come in with an 0.1, down a tick from its last measurement, but teen queen Nancy Drew was up to an 0.1 to balance things out.
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