Rick Kissell
Variety
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Past articles by Rick:
Why Jimmy Fallon Was the ‘Obvious Choice’ to Host Golden Globes
Jimmy Fallon hosts the Golden Globes for the first time in 2017, and it's his first award show gig since the 2010 Emmys. → Read More
Ratings: ‘Downton Abbey’ Series Finale Draws 9.6 Million Viewers for PBS
“Downton Abbey” ended its six-season run Sunday on PBS with strong, but not record-breaking ratings. The upstairs-downstairs British period drama, which became the pubcaster’s most popular program of all time, averaged 9.6 million viewers, according to preliminary national estimates from Nielsen. That → Read More
Super Bowl 50 Ratings: CBS Draws Third Largest Audience on Record
CBS’ telecast of the Golden Super Bowl from the Golden State on Sunday has fallen short of last year’s record audience for the big game, but has become the third most-watched program in U.S. television history. Nielsen estimates that an average audience of 111.9 million were watching throughout the Denver → Read More
Ratings: Disney Channel Edges Nickelodeon in 2015 for First-Ever No. 1 Total-Day Finish
Thanks to strong original movies like “Descendants” and “Teen Beach 2” and good series launches for “BUNK’D” and “K.C. Undercover,” Disney Channel has finished 2015 as the most-watched cable network on a total-day basis for the first time. It eked ahead of Nickelodeon, ending the Viacom network’s 20- → Read More
Ratings: Warriors-Cavaliers NBA Finals Rematch Scores Big for ABC
Six months after the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers produced the most-watched NBA Finals to air on ABC, a regular-season rematch between the teams helped the network rack up big ratings on Christmas Day. In Nielsen’s metered markets, the Warriors’ 89-83 victory averaged a 6.7 overnight → Read More
‘SNL’ Hits Second Best Ratings in 22 Months With Tina Fey, Amy Poehler
NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” closed out the year on a strong note, with Tina Fey, Amy Poehler and Bruce Springsteen combining to produce the show’s second highest overnight rating of the past 22 months. Meanwhile in primetime, ABC was the winner with its coverage of the Democratic debate from New Hampshire → Read More
CNN Republican Debate Draws 18 Million Viewers Tuesday
Up against stiff competition from two of television’s most popular series, the biggest drama of the fall — “The Republican Primary Debate” — drew more monster ratings on Tuesday night. Nielsen estimates that the fifth and final Republican debate of the year, and the first held in more than a month, averaged → Read More
Ratings: Rising ‘Survivor,’ ‘Criminal Minds’ Put CBS on Top Wednesday
Behind best-since-September ratings for veterans “Survivor”and “Criminal Minds” and another pretty good performance by rookie “Code Black,” CBS captured Wednesday’s demo derby. Also of note on the night was a solid showing by ABC’s comedies, while Fox kept the lights on post-“Empire” with a holiday musical → Read More
Late-Night Ratings: Fallon Dominates November; Colbert Up in Demos vs. Letterman
NBC's "Tonight Show" was the dominant late-night series during the November sweep, logging the second best monthly average for the program in seven years. It towered over ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live" ... → Read More
'The Wiz Live' Ratings Strong: NBC Musical Draws More Than 11 Million Viewers
Two years after NBC stunned the industry with boffo ratings for its live presentation of "The Sound of Music," the network was back at it Thursday night with "The Wiz Live!" Despite facing a highly... → Read More
Ratings: Holiday Movies Lift Hallmark Channel to Best Week Ever, No. 1 Finish in Demo
Audiences hungry for a little early holiday programming found — and stayed with — Hallmark Channel last week, as a big helping of original movies boosted the network to a No. 1 finish among cable n... → Read More
Ratings: 'Arrow' Hits Season High With Crossover; 'Empire' Exits Fall With a Bump
The first Wednesday of December saw CW's "Arrow" spike to season highs with its crossover storyline with "The Flash," while Fox's "Empire" bounced back from its Thanksigivng Eve low of last week to... → Read More
Ratings: ‘Arrow’ Hits Season High With Crossover; ‘Empire’ Exits Fall With a Bump
The first Wednesday of December saw CW’s “Arrow” spike to season highs with its crossover storyline with “The Flash,” while Fox’s “Empire” bounced back from its Thanksigivng Eve low of last week to finish fall with a ratings bump. Also of note was continued growth for CBS’ “Code Black,” which was up → Read More
Ratings: NBC Rules Tuesday as 'Chicago Med' Rises; ABC's 'The Muppets' Hits Low
NBC dominated Tuesday's ratings race behind "The Voice," "Chicago Fire" and a strong third-week delivery for "Chicago Med," while it remained slow going for ABC's "The Muppets," which hit another l... → Read More
Ratings: Solid Sampling for NBC's 'Superstore'; 'Gotham' Matches Fall High with Finale
DC Comics-inspired series "Gotham" and "Supergirl were on the rise Monday and finished in a draw in the key young-adults demo on a night carried by NBC with "The Voice" and solid sampling for its n... → Read More
'The Walking Dead' Finale Ratings Spike, But Down From Last Year
Despite facing the highest-rated "Sunday Night Football" game of the fall, AMC's "The Walking Dead" capped the first half of its fifth season with a nice uptick in same-day ratings — but down from last year. → Read More
Ratings: Solid Sampling for NBC’s ‘Superstore’; ‘Gotham’ Matches Fall High with Finale
DC Comics-inspired series “Gotham” and “Supergirl were on the rise Monday and finished in a draw in the key young-adults demo on a night carried by NBC with “The Voice” and solid sampling for its new comedy “Superstore.” Also of note, ABC did well with “A Charlie Brown Christmas” but only so-so with → Read More
'The Lion Guard' Off to Roaring Ratings Start for Disney Channel
Disney Channel's premiere of "The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar" drew some impressive ratings in its premiere on Nov. 22, standing as the calendar year's top-rated cable telecast among young kids.... → Read More
Ratings: NBC’s ‘Meet the Press With Chuck Todd’ Sweeps November
A little over a year after Chuck Todd joined "Meet the Press" as moderator, the NBC News program has scored a ratings coup. In Nielsen's "live plus same-day" estimates for the November sweep, "Meet... → Read More
CBS Sets Midseason Schedule, Premiere Dates for ‘Angel From Hell,’ ‘Criminal Minds’ Spinoff
An earlier premiere date for new Jane Lynch comedy "Angel From Hell," the debut of "Criminal Minds" spinoff "Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders" and the returns of "Undercover Boss" and "Mike & Molly" are among the highlights of the CBS midseason schedule, announced Monday by the network. → Read More