By Frazier Moore, Television Writer
NEW YORK (AP) --Sports, talent derbies, news and voyeurism kept unscripted fare high on the Nielsen roster last week.
A big exception: premium cable HBO’s scripted sensation “Game of Thrones,” which continued its reign with a best-yet audience of 10.2 million in its 9 p.m. Sunday berth. For the week, “GOT” ranked behind only NBC’s “America’s Got Talent.” The only other scripted show in the week’s Top 10: a repeat of CBS’ sitcom “The Big Bang Theory,” in 10th place. Otherwise, “World of Dance” and NFL football on NBC, and CBS’ “Big Brother” and “60 Minutes” filled the slots.
Meanwhile, it was not a good week for Fox, which was totally shut out of the Top 20.
Overall in primetime for the week, NBC averaged 5.4 million viewers. CBS was second with 4.1 million, ABC had 3.2 million, Fox had 1.6 million, just ahead of Univision with 1.5 million, while Telemundo had 1.34 million, ION Television had 1.28 million, and the CW had 950,000.
Fox News Channel was again the week’s most popular cable network in prime time, averaging 2.14 million viewers. MSNBC had 1.70 million, USA had 1.53 million and HGTV had 1.48 million.
ABC’s “World News Tonight” topped the evening newscasts with an average of 7.7 million viewers. NBC’s “Nightly News” had 7.4 million and the “CBS Evening News had 5.7 million viewers.
Below are primetime viewership numbers compiled by Nielsen for July 31-Aug 6. Listings include the week’s ranking and viewership.
1. “America’s Got Talent” (Tuesday), NBC, 13.33 million.
2. “Game of Thrones,” HBO, 10.17 million.
3. NFL Pre-Season: Arizona Vs. Dallas, NBC, 8.25 million.
4. NFL Pre-Season Pre-Kick, NBC, 7.06 million.
5. “World of Dance,” NBC, 7.00 million.
6. “Big Brother” (Wednesday), CBS, 6.58 million.
7. “60 Minutes,” CBS, 6.55 million.
8. “Big Brother” (Sunday), CBS, 6.46 million.
9. “Big Brother” (Thursday), CBS, 6.42 million.
10. “The Big Bang Theory,” CBS, 6.19 million.
11. “Celebrity Family Feud,” ABC, 6.01 million.
12. “American Ninja Warrior,” NBC, 5.88 million.
13. “The Bachelorette,” ABC, 5.76 million.
14. “NCIS,” CBS, 5.69 million.
15. “NCIS: New Orleans,” CBS, 5.39 million.
16. Program Break, HBO, 5.26 million.
17. “Bull,” CBS, 5.24 million.
18. “Blue Bloods,” CBS, 5.03 million.
19. “America’s Got Talent” (Wed), NBC, 4.80 million.
20. “Kevin Can Wait” (Thur), CBS, 4.59 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