'Providence' picks up Peacock
New drama delivers highest slot ratings in 7 years
Those are preliminary results for the family drama's Jan. 8 debut, but any Monday adjustments by Nielsen won't alter the fact that "Providence" is off to a spectacular start and may be the break NBC needs to get its declining lineup back on track.
The top "Providence" numbers came, appropriately, in Providence, R.I., where the series is set. There itearned a 40.3/50 in households.
Jan. 8 also saw CBS' first Friday try with "The Magnificent Seven," which roped a prelim 7.9/13 in homes and a 3.6 rating in adults 18-49.
While not challenging "Providence" as the star of the night, "Seven" did gallop to CBS' second-best 18-49 rating that hour in five weeks, and improved by a hearty 50% over the 18-49 average of slot predecessor "Buddy Faro."
Against toughening competition, usual Friday king ABC dropped 4 shares out of the households lead (9.3/15 for the night vs. NBC's 11.6/19), despite the Alphabet's top Friday average since Nov. 6.
The Peacock also scored Thursday, ending two weeks of frustration with a 14-share win in homes and a 23-share triumph in adults 18-49.
"ER" (21.7/34 in homes, 15.9/40 in adults 18-49) led the way with its top 18-49 average since Oct. 8. "Friends" (17.6/27 in homes, 14.2/37 in adults 18-49) was there for NBC as well, with its top 18-49 rating since premiere week.
ABC fluttered to fourth place for the night with a wobbly first Thursday flight for "Cupid" (4.2/6 in homes, 2.7/7 in adults 18-49).
At 9 p.m., "Fox Files" reported its strongest Nielsens yet (6.0/9 in homes, 4.2/10 in adults 18-49).
It was a solid news day all around, with the opening of President Clinton's impeachment trial generating increases for all the major cable news services.
CNN's 0.8 rating for that 24-hour period reps a 33% increase over its fourth-quarter average of a 0.6, while Fox News Channel doubled its with a 0.4; MSNBC was up a 10th of a rating point to a 0.4; and Headline News was also up a 10th to a 0.3.
