By Frazier Moore,Television Writer
NEW YORK (AP) --CBS continued to reign in the prime-time ratings race in the second week of the new fall season. And that was even without its new smash hit, “Young Sheldon,” whose Sept. 25 preview was watched by more than 17 million viewers. (“Young Sheldon” won’t be back until November.)
According to Nielsen, CBS’ sitcom “9JKL” was the week’s strongest series premiere, ranking 22nd and drawing 8.2 million viewers (although the Linda Lavin comedy shed nearly 6 million of the 14 million viewers who were tuned to its powerhouse lead-in, “The Big Bang Theory”). In their second airings, CBS’ “SEAL Team” remained strong with 8.39 million viewers, as did its “Wisdom of the Crowd,” with 7.84 million.
ABC’s “The Good Doctor” stayed healthy in its second week with 10.9 million viewers, to seize 10th place. NBC’s revived “Will & Grace” drew a solid 7.1 million viewers in what was likewise its second airing.
But other premiering series didn’t fare so well. Fox’s “The Gifted” debuted with a puny 4.86 million viewers, while on ABC, “Kevin (Probably) Saves the World” scored only 4.17 million and “The Mayor” could claim just 4.09 million viewers.
Overall for the week, CBS averaged 8.61 million viewers, while NBC had 7.36 million viewers. ABC had 5.3 million, Fox had 4.47 million, Univision had 1.48 million, Telemundo had 1.43 million, ION Television had 1.11 million and the CW had 780,000.
ESPN was the most popular cable network, averaging 3.61 million in prime time. Fox News Channel had 2.39 million and TBS had 2.29 million. ABC’s “World News Tonight” remained the top evening newscast with an average of 8.5 million.
NBC’s “Nightly News” had 8.2 million and “CBS Evening News” had 6.5 million.
Below are primetime viewership numbers compiled by Nielsen for Oct. 2-8. Listings include the week’s ranking and viewership.
1. NFL Football: Kansas City at Houston, NBC, 16.53 million.
2. NFL Football: New England at Tampa Bay, CBS, 15.43 million.
3. “The Big Bang Theory,” CBS, 14.04 million.
4. “NCIS,” CBS, 13.51 million.
5. “The OT,” Fox, 12.89 million.
6. NFL Football: Washington at Kansas City, ESPN, 12.03 million.
7. “Sunday Night NFL Pre-Kick,” NBC, 12.56 million.
8. “This is Us,” NBC, 11.06 million.
9. “The Voice” (Monday), NBC, 11.04 million.
10. “The Good Doctor,” ABC, 10.88 million.
11. “Bull,” CBS, 10.79 million.
12. “The Voice” (Tuesday), NBC, 10.42 million.
13. “60 Minutes,” CBS, 10.24 million.
14. “Blue Bloods,” CBS, 9.49 million.
15. “Football Night in America,” NBC, 9.28 million.
16. “NCIS: New Orleans,” CBS, 9.23 million.
17. “Dancing With the Stars,” ABC, 9.01 million.
18. “Thursday Night NFL Pre-Kick,” CBS, 8.98 million.
19. “Hawaii Five-0,” CBS, 8.53 million.
20. “NCIS: Los Angeles,” 8.46 million.
Review: Writer-Director Coralie Fargeat’s “The Substance”
In its first two hours, "The Substance" is a well-made, entertaining movie. Writer-director Coralie Fargeat treats audiences to a heavy dose of biting social commentary on ageism and sexism in Hollywood, with a spoonful of sugar- and sparkle-doused body horror.
But the film's deliciously unhinged, blood-soaked and inevitably polarizing third act is what makes it unforgettable.
What begins as a dread-inducing but still relatively palatable sci-fi flick spirals deeper into absurdism and violence, eventually erupting โ quite literally โ into a full-blown monster movie. Let the viewer decide who the monster is.
Fargeat โ who won best screenplay at this year's Cannes Film Festival โ has been vocal about her reverence for "The Fly" director David Cronenberg, and fans of the godfather of body horror will see his unmistakable influence. But "The Substance" is also wholly unique and benefits from Fargeat's perspective, which, according to the French filmmaker, has involved extensive grappling with her own relationship to her body and society's scrutiny.
"The Substance" tells the story of Elisabeth Sparkle, a famed aerobics instructor with a televised show, played by a powerfully vulnerable Demi Moore. Sparkle is fired on her 50th birthday by a ruthless executive โ a perfectly cast Dennis Quaid, who nails sleazy and gross.
Feeling rejected by a town that once loved her and despairing over her bygone star power, Sparkle learns from a handsome young nurse about a black-market drug that promises to create a "younger, more beautiful, more perfect" version of its user. Though she initially tosses the phone number in the trash, she soon fishes it out in a desperate panic and places an order.
The one rule to follow is that... Read More