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    “Big Bang Theory” Bests “Game of Thrones”; Nielsen Week In Review

    By SHOOTUpdated:No Comments3382 Views
    In this Jan. 13, 2019, file photo, Kunal Nayyar, from left, Mayim Bialik, Melissa Rauch, Jim Parsons, Simon Helberg, Kaley Cuoco and Johnny Galecki, from the cast of “The Big Bang Theory,” present the creative achievement award at the 24th annual Critics’ Choice Awards at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, Calif. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File)

    By Lynn Elber, Television Writer

    LOS ANGELES (AP) --

    In the ratings battle between titans “The Big Bang Theory” and “Game of Thrones,” laughs won out.

    CBS’ “The Big Bang Theory” was last week’s top-rated program, with 12.5 million viewers tuning in to the sitcom in its home stretch. The final episode of its 12-season run will air Thursday, May 16.

    HBO’s “Game of Thrones,” also nearing the end after eight seasons, placed second, according to Nielsen figures released Tuesday.

    The fantasy drama drew 11.8 million viewers to the episode that debuted last Sunday, edged out by the sitcom it had bested the week before.

    “Game of Thrones,” which ends May 19, reached a total 17.2 million viewers with figures for streaming, on-demand and a Sunday rerun included. That’s a slight dip from the big battle episode that aired April 28 and drew 17.8 million across HBO’s platforms.

    A 2 percent uptick in viewership for NBC’s “Billboard Music Awards” was small but meaningful: most major music awards shows have seen double-digit, year-to-year losses, with the Grammys and its 1 percent increase reflecting a rare exception.

    With eight of the 10 most-watched shows, CBS cruised to an overall weekly ratings victory with an average 5.96 million viewers. ABC had 4.64 million, NBC had 4.55 million viewers, Fox had 2.64 million, Telemundo had 1.36 million, Univision had 1.31 million, ION Television had 1.24 million and the CW had 740,000.

    Fox News Channel was the week’s most popular cable network, averaging 2.4 million viewers in primetime. TNT had 2.36 million, MSNBC had 1.7 million, ESPN had 1.58 million and HGTV had 1.2 million.

    ABC’s “World News Tonight” topped the evening newscasts with an average of 8.4 million viewers, with NBC’s “Nightly News” second with 7.6 million. “CBS Evening News,” which will be replacing anchor Jeff Glor with Norah O’Donnell this summer, averaged 5.7 million viewers.

    Below are primetime viewership numbers compiled by Nielsen for April 29 to May 5. Listings include the week’s ranking and viewership.

    1. “The Big Bang Theory,” CBS, 12.5 million.
    2. “Game of Thrones,” HBO, 11.8 million.
    3. “NCIS,” CBS, 11.7 million.
    4. “Young Sheldon,” CBS, 10.7 million.
    5. “FBI,” CBS, 8.9 million.
    6. “Blue Bloods,” CBS, 8.1 million.
    7. “Billboard Music Awards,” NBC, 8 million.
    8. “Mom,” CBS, 7.89 million.
    9. “60 Minutes,” CBS, 7.6 million.
    10. “American Idol” (Sunday), ABC, 7.5 million.
    11. “Survivor,” CBS, 7.3 million
    12. “The Voice,” NBC, 7.24 million.
    13. NBA Playoffs: Golden State at Houston, ABC, 7.23 million.
    14. “NCIS: New Orleans, CBS, 7.2 million.
    15. “Grey’s Anatomy,” ABC, 7 million.
    16. “Hawaii Five-0,” CBS, 6.8
    17. “Bull,” CBS, 6.5 million.
    18. “Station 19,” ABC, 6.4 million.
    19. “The Voice” (Tuesday), NBC, 6.3 million.
    20. NBA Playoffs: Houston at Golden State, Turner, 6.2 million.

    ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Co.; CBS is a division of CBS Corp.; Fox is owned by 21st Century Fox; NBC is owned by NBC Universal.

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    Category:News
    Tags:Big Bang TheoryCBSGame of ThronesHBONielsen



    Review: Writer-Director James Gunn’s “Superman”

    Tuesday, July 8, 2025

    It's a bird, it's a plane, it's a … a purple and orange shape-shifting chemical compound?

    Writer-director James Gunn's "Superman" was always going to be a strange chemistry of filmmaker and material. Gunn, the mind behind "Guardians of the Galaxy" and "The Suicide Squad," has reliably drifted toward a B-movie superhero realm populated (usually over-populated) with the lesser-known freaks, oddities and grotesquerie of back-issue comics.

    But you don't get more mainstream than Superman. And let's face it, unless Christopher Reeve is in the suit, the rock-jawed Man of Steel can be a bit of a bore. Much of the fun and frustration of Gunn's movie is seeing how he stretches and strains to make Superman, you know, interesting.

    In the latest revamp for the archetypal superhero, Gunn does a lot to give Superman (played with an easy charm by David Corenswet ) a lift. He scraps the origin story. He gives Superman a dog. And he ropes in not just expected regulars like Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan) and Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) but some less conventional choices — none more so than that colorful jumble of elements, Metamorpho (Anthony Carrigan).

    Metamorpho, a melancholy, mutilated man whose powers were born out of tragedy, is just one of many side shows in "Superman." But he's the most representative of what Gunn is going for. Gunn might favor a traditional-looking hero at the center, like Chris Pratt's Star-Lord in "Guardians of the Galaxy." And Corenswet, complete with hair curl, looks the part, too. But Gunn's heart is with the weirdos who soldier on.

    The heavy lift of "Superman" is making the case that the perfect superhuman being with "S" on his chest is strange, too. He's a do-gooder at a time when no one does good... Read More

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