By David Bauder, Television Writer
NEW YORK (AP) --CBS is back on top of the weekly Nielsen ratings, propelled by its drama-heavy lineup and the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, which gave life to a normally quiet Saturday night schedule.
“NCIS” was the week’s most-watched program, with the CBS drama seen by 15 million viewers. NBC’s ‘Little Big Shots” was second, with Steve Harvey’s family-friendly show appearing to be a Sunday night hit.
Fox’s airing of “The Passion” from New Orleans on Palm Sunday was seen by 6.6 million viewers, more than any other show on the network last week aside from “American Idol.”
For the week, CBS averaged 7.7 million viewers in prime time. NBC had 6.2 million, ABC had 5.6 million, Fox had 3.9 million, Univision had 1.8 million, ION Television had 1.4 million, Telemundo had 1.2 million and the CW had 770,000.
Fox News Channel was the week’s most popular cable network, averaging 2.57 million viewers in prime time. TBS had 2.13 million, TNT had 1.97 million, HGTV had 1.74 million and AMC had 1.68 million.
NBC’s “Nightly News” topped the evening newscasts with an average of 8.4 million viewers. ABC’s “World News Tonight” was second with 8 million and the “CBS Evening News” had 7 million viewers.
Below are primetime viewership numbers compiled by Nielsen for March 14-20. Listings include the week’s ranking and viewership.
1. “NCIS,” CBS, 15.1 million.
2. “Little Big Shots,” NBC, 13.32 million.
3. “The Walking Dead,” AMC, 12.69 million.
4. “The Voice” (Monday), NBC, 12.47 million.
5. “NCIS: New Orleans,” CBS, 11.97 million.
6. “The Voice” (Tuesday), NBC, 11.19 million.
7. “60 Minutes,” CBS, 10.24 million.
8. “Criminal Minds,” CBS, 9.8 million.
9. “The Bachelor,” ABC, 9.58 million.
10. “Survivor,” CBS, 9.5 million.
11. “Madam Secretary,” CBS, 9.41 million.
12. “The Bachelor: After the Final Rose,” ABC, 9.24 million.
13. “Scorpion,” CBS, 8.96 million.
14. “Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders,” CBS, 8.88 million.
15. “NCIS: Los Angeles,” CBS, 8.78 million.
16. “American Idol” (Thursday), Fox, 8.22 million.
17. “Modern Family,” ABC, 8.14 million.
18. “The Good Wife,” CBS, 8.08 million.
19. “Grey’s Anatomy,” ABC, 7.83 million.
20. “The Middle,” ABC, 7.15 million.
Rom-Com Mainstay Hugh Grant Shifts To The Dark Side and He’s Never Been Happier
After some difficulties connecting to a Zoom, Hugh Grant eventually opts to just phone instead.
"Sorry about that," he apologizes. "Tech hell." Grant is no lover of technology. Smart phones, for example, he calls the "devil's tinderbox."
"I think they're killing us. I hate them," he says. "I go on long holidays from them, three or four days at at time. Marvelous."
Hell, and our proximity to it, is a not unrelated topic to Grant's new film, "Heretic." In it, two young Mormon missionaries (Chloe East, Sophie Thatcher) come knocking on a door they'll soon regret visiting. They're welcomed in by Mr. Reed (Grant), an initially charming man who tests their faith in theological debate, and then, in much worse things.
After decades in romantic comedies, Grant has spent the last few years playing narcissists, weirdos and murders, often to the greatest acclaim of his career. But in "Heretic," a horror thriller from A24, Grant's turn to the dark side reaches a new extreme. The actor who once charmingly stammered in "Four Weddings and a Funeral" and who danced to the Pointer Sisters in "Love Actually" is now doing heinous things to young people in a basement.
"It was a challenge," Grant says. "I think human beings need challenges. It makes your beer taste better in the evening if you've climbed a mountain. He was just so wonderfully (expletive)-up."
"Heretic," which opens in theaters Friday, is directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, co-writers of "A Quiet Place." In Grant's hands, Mr. Reed is a divinely good baddie — a scholarly creep whose wry monologues pull from a wide range of references, including, fittingly, Radiohead's "Creep."
In an interview, Grant spoke about these and other facets of his character, his journey... Read More