By David Bauder, Media Writer
NEW YORK (AP) --After the coronavirus pandemic sidelined creators and led to a delayed start of the traditional fall television season, scripted shows are beginning to return to network schedules.
Not all of them, not yet. But the return was most apparent the week after the election, and already there are winners and losers.
Dick Wolf's Chicago-based trilogy of dramas is back, and all three shows finished among the Nielsen company's 20 most-watched programs last week.
CBS' "Young Sheldon" led the path for comedies. ABC's "Station 19" and "Grey's Anatomy" were strong performers, along with CBS' "NCIS: Los Angeles."
But there are signs that viewers aren't immediately returning to old habits. A CBS double-header of "S.W.A.T." episodes on Wednesday fell flat, with neither episode reaching 3 million viewers.
Similarly, NBC's long-playing "Law & Order: SVU" reached only 3 million people for its season debut.
Former President Barack Obama had drawing power. "60 Minutes" landed as the week's most-watched non-football program as it featured an Obama interview hawking his new book.
NBC was the most popular network, averaging 5.9 million viewers in primetime. ABC had 4.94 million viewers and Fox had 4.89 million. CBS averaged 4.1 million, Univision had 1.2 million and both Ion Television and Telemundo averaged just under 1 million viewers.
Fox News Channel was the most-watched cable channel, averaging 3.36 million viewers for the week. CNN had 2.36 million, MSNBC had 2.15 million, ESPN had 2.04 million and Hallmark had 1.67 million.
ABC's "World News Tonight" led the evening newscasts, averaging 9.9 million viewers. NBC's "Nightly News" had 8.3 million and "CBS Evening News" had 5.9 million.
For the week of Nov. 9-15, the 20 most popular programs, their networks and viewership:
1. NFL Football: Baltimore at New England, NBC, 15.79 million.
2. NFL Football: Indianapolis at Tennessee, Fox, 12.51 million.
3. "60 Minutes," CBS, 12.38 million.
4. "NFL Pregame," NBC, 11.82 million.
5. NFL Football: New England at N.Y. Jets, ESPN, 10.22 million.
6. "Football Night in America," NBC, 9.03 million.
7. "Chicago Med," NBC, 7.84 million.
8. "The OT," Fox, 7.73 million.
9. "The Voice" (Tuesday), NBC, 7.64 million.
10. "NFL Pregame," Fox, 7.55 million.
11. "Young Sheldon," CBS, 7.41 million.
12. "The Voice" (Monday), NBC, 7.27 million.
13. "Chicago Fire," NBC, 7.24 million.
14. Country Music Association Awards, ABC, 7.09 million.
15. "This is Us," NBC, 6.86 million.
16. "Station 19," ABC, 6.61 million.
17. "Chicago PD," NBC, 6.43 million.
18. "NCIS: Los Angeles," CBS, 6.11 million.
19. "The Masked Singer," Fox, 6.07 million.
20. "Dancing With the Stars," ABC, 5.97 million.
Mike Pierantozzi joins Movers+Shakers as exec creative director
Creative agency Movers+Shakers has appointed Mike Pierantozzi as executive creative director. In this new role, he will help guide the creative direction of Movers+Shakers’ socially-native campaigns. Pierantozzi will report to co-founder and chief creative officer Geoffrey Goldberg.
With nearly two decades of experience as a copywriter, creative director, and multi-platform storyteller, Pierantozzi brings a wealth of knowledge from his work with major brands including Kraft, Unilever, IBM, and Walmart. He has led the creation of award-winning campaigns for agencies like Red Tettemer, Ogilvy, The Brooklyn Brothers, TAXI, Saatchi & Saatchi, and most recently, Vayner, where he spearheaded culturally iconic work for Planters including “Death of Mr. Peanut.” He led the National Down Syndrome Society and Luvs account, whose “First Kid. Second Kid” campaign was awarded by the Effies, ADC, Clios and LIAs.
Outside of the office, Pierantozzi practices what he teaches brands. He’s gone viral multiple times on his own TikTok account, featuring comedic interactions with his son and a trombone. He’s accumulated 15K followers on TikTok.
“Mike brings a rare and awesome combination of deep social and platform experience, a keen eye for excellent storytelling, and a humble and kind approach to leadership,” said Goldberg. “Mike’s got a knack for turning brand stories into cultural movements, making him the perfect fit for Movers+Shakers. He’s got the kind of bold vision and attention to culture that fits perfectly with our mission to push creative boundaries and drive industry firsts. Plus, as a creator himself he has the innate ability to make people stop, laugh, and share--which is exactly what we’re about.”
“I’ve... Read More