Tv by the numbers released these figures and, like in 2010, brain-deads rule : Jersey Shore and The Walking Dead are once again by far basic cable most watched programs. Among the top 20 shows, there are only 8 scripted series.
These figures are based on the number of people among the 18-49 demographic having watched a show live or within 7 days on DVR.
1 — Jersey Shore (Thursdays at 10pm on MTV) : 6,568,000 viewers.
2 — The Walking Dead season 2 (Sundays at 10pm on AMC) : 6,039,000 viewers.
3 — Sons of Anarchy season 4 (Tuesdays at 10pm on FX) : 3,636,000 viewers.
4 — Pawn Stars (Mondays at 10pm on History) : 3,623,000 viewers.
5 — The Game season 4 (Tuesdays at 10pm on BET) : 3,433,000 viewers.
6 — Teen Mom II (MTV) : 3,432,000 viewers.
7 — Teen Mom (MTV) : 3,404,000 viewers.
8 — Tosh.0 (Tuesdays at 10pm on Comedy Central) : 3,337,000 viewers.
9 — Falling Skies season 1 (Sundays at 10pm on TNT) : 3,285,000 viewers.
10 — Keeping up with the Kardashians (E!) : 3,059,000 viewers.
11 — American Horror Story season 1 (Wednesdays at 10pm on FX) : 3,015,000 viewers.
12 — Deadliest Catch (Tuesdays at 9pm on Discovery) : 2,852,000 viewers.
13 — Suits season 1 (Thursdays at 10pm on USA) : 2,824,000 viewers.
14 — Storage Wars (Tuesdays at 10pm on A&E) : 2,771,000 viewers.
15 — South Park season 15 (Wednesdays at 10pm on Comedy Central) : 2,737,000 viewers.
16 — Royal Pains season 3 (Wednesdays at 10pm on USA) : 2,651,000 viewers.
17 — Swamp People (Thursdays at 9pm on History) : 2,627,000 viewers.
18 — Real Housewives of Atlanta (Sundays at 9pm on Bravo) : 2,609,000 viewers.
19 — Burn Notice season 5 (Thursdays at 9pm on USA) : 2,600,000 viewers.
20 — American Pickers (Mondays at 9pm on History) : 2,499,000 viewers.
These numbers are based on adults between 18 and 49 years old in households containing Nielsen boxes — approximately 0.022% of total US households have a Nielsen box (~ 25,000 households supposedly representative of the other 115 million). And it's basic cable only, so neither network shows nor HBO (True Blood), Showtime (Dexter) and Starz (Spartacus) series could have made the list.
No Breaking Bad, Justified, Southland, Futurama, Archer, The League or It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia among the most watched basic cable shows, sadly, but the Kardashians, Snookie and teen moms sure made the top 10.
Ugh, GTFO, Jersey Shore.
ReplyDeleteThis list is embarassing..
ReplyDeleteI don't watch any of those shows, yeah cable has some great dramas also some awful reality tV
ReplyDeleteI'm happy for loads of these shows, The Walking Dead, American Horror, and of course
ReplyDeleteTeen Mom I and II
Psych is so underrated.
ReplyDeleteWith the first 4 shows listed I was thinking to myself... "this is not so bad... I guess I can accept one reality bomb in the list", but then it just went down hill fast from #5 on! Wow!
ReplyDeleteIt goes to show that this MTV generation has terrible taste... or at the very least an ability to put tolerate or enjoy terrible series.
Nice that Deadliest Catch and Pawn Stars made it on the list. Both are fun shows.
That's awful. Why do people want to watch these train wrecks. I can 'understand' competing shows, but just reality....ugh...
ReplyDeleteSad no Psych. But the list is still pretty good!
ReplyDeleteI see this and fear for America's future. Of course, my parents thought the same thing about the TV I watched. The big question is how low can TV go before it has to raise the bar because there's no longer anywhere down to go.
ReplyDeleteI watched #1,5,6,7, and 18
ReplyDeletethe walking dead #2
ReplyDeleteSad reading, I really hoping that
ReplyDeletescripted series make a come back soon, thou I beening hope that would happen for years now. It has to come true are some stage right....
I swear someone needs a lobotomy,but i'm not even sure that will help!
ReplyDeleteI hope you were not talking about the original MTV generation,lol....... :D
ReplyDeleteYeah, a little bit. I don't know what's up with reality and stuff but I just love my scripted shows!
ReplyDeleteI concur
ReplyDeleteHey, I don't resemble that comment at all, in fact the only thing I watch MTV for is Awkward. I would watch it for the videos but I am sleeping between the hours of 3a and 8a.
ReplyDeleteSo sad thsat's the only time they play videos now isn't it? XD
ReplyDeleteI do not think every uner 25 year old has no taste, but whoever is watching MTV for reality TV shows.... well that's different! XD
Nope... when i watched MTV they played videos... had like 2 shows that were not videos. Remote Control (game show that started, Adam Sandler, Colin Quinn and Denis Leary's careers) and few years later The Real World.
ReplyDeletewait Jersey Shore place 1?
ReplyDeleteWell that's a relief ;D
ReplyDelete'
My sister said that the real world use to try to be "meaningful" but I find that very hard to believe in it's current state...
ReplyDeleteI don't watch any reality tv willingly, because it's not reality and it's not even unscripted, I don't understand the phenomena. I'd take Johnny Depp (I have no actors to look up to that are in my age range, over Mike "The Situation" any day...
I also hate the current state of entertainment in general, what with all the remakes, re-imaginings, and adapting books in TV and Film, even all the pop music has started to blend together (yes, I am even a little annoyed with Dexter and True Blood, not so much TVD or TSC (yet)).
I know for the networks that reality tv is cheaper than a scripted show.But how much are advertisers really giving to have their ad on in between fights, unprotected sex and drunken displays of nakedness vs. a show like Blue Bloods. It's the systematic dumbing down of society (but America in particularly). Newspaper sales are in the toilet but magazines like Life & Style and Us Weekly are way up.
My generation's most trusted newsman? John Stewart. I find him witty and poignant at times but he's no Walter or Dan. I just hate it.
Sure I watch things like Supernatural, PLL, Ringer, Buffy, but I also read Dostoevsky, Plato, Hemingway, Austen, Dickens and Thoreau. I live for Shakespeare. I'm almost certain no one my age who watches Jersey Shore and finds it amusing as opposed to sad (and doesn't turn the channel within 30 seconds or less) can probably say the same, which kind of breaks my heart.
Agreed and well said!
ReplyDeleteBasic cable had most of my 2011 top 10 favs (not including premium channels I don't have)
ReplyDeleteWalking Dead, Falling Skies, Doctor Who, Sons of Anarchy, Eureka, Warehouse 13
Network only had
Fringe, Big Bang Theory, Terra Nova, and Community