By David Bauder, Media Writer
NEW YORK (AP) --As the time approaches to say goodbye to Sheldon, Amy, Leonard, Penny and the gang, the CBS comedy “The Big Bang Theory” hit a season high in popularity last week.
The 14.2 million viewers who tuned in to Thursday’s episode will surely be topped, since television’s most popular comedy calls it quits after 12 seasons this spring.
Not everyone gets to go out on top, and the cast and crew of “The Big Bang Theory” gathered last week for a celebratory ceremony. The Burbank, California, studio on the Warner Bros. lot where the show is filmed was dedicated to the comedy. While there for a champagne toast, creator Chuck Lorre credited the crew for never “mailing it in” during 12 years.
The affection underlying all of the characters’ relationships, even if they aren’t very good at expressing it, is something that viewers can sense, Lorre said.
“They’re not blood relatives but they behave like a family,” he said. “That’s aspirational. That’s what we all want.”
The Lorre-created spinoff, “Young Sheldon,” was the second most-watched comedy of last week, also with a season high in viewers, the Nielsen company said. So that bodes well for the character popularized by Jim Parsons to continue long after Parsons has stopped portraying him.
And the message in a fortune cookie given to set visitors last week was another reminder that the characters will never really go away. “If you don’t believe in goodbyes, there’s always syndication,” it said.
With the comedies and the Grammy Awards, CBS easily won the week in primetime with an average of 7.7 million viewers. NBC had 4.9 million, ABC had 4.1 million, Fox had 2.8 million, Univision had 1.54 million, ION Television had 1.51 million, Telemundo had 1.2 million and the CW had 1 million.
Fox News Channel was the week’s most popular cable network, averaging 3.14 million viewers in primetime. MSNBC had 2.02 million, HGTV had 1.36 million, History had 1.26 million and Hallmark had 1.21 million.
ABC’s “World News Tonight” topped the evening newscasts with an average of 9.4 million viewers. NBC’s “Nightly News” was second with 8.8 million and the “CBS Evening News” had 6.7 million.
Below are primetime viewership numbers compiled by Nielsen for Feb. 4-10. Listings include the week’s ranking and viewership.
1. “The Grammy Awards,” CBS, 19.88 million.
2. “The Big Bang Theory,” CBS, 14.16 million.
3. “Young Sheldon,” CBS, 12.14 million.
4. “State of the Union,” Fox News, 11.29 million.
5. “State of the Union Analysis” (10:30-10:38 p.m. ET), Fox News, 10.72 million.
6. “America’s Got Talent Champions,” NBC, 9.83 million.
7. “State of the Union Intro” (9-9:06 p.m. ET), Fox News, 9.44 million.
8. “Chicago Med,” NBC, 9.38 million.
9. “Chicago Fire,” NBC, 8.8 million.
10. “State of the Union Response,” Fox News, 7.9 million.
11. “Blue Bloods,” CBS, 7.62 million.
12. “Chicago PD,” NBC, 7.38 million.
13. “The Masked Singer,” Fox, 7.14 million.
14. “Grammy Awards Red Carpet,” CBS, 7.06 million.
15. “Grey’s Anatomy,” ABC, 6.86 million.
16. “State of the Union Analysis,” NBC, 6.46 million.
17. “Bull,” CBS, 6.38 million.
18. “Ellen’s Game of Games,” NBC, 6.31 million.
19. “The Bachelor,” ABC, 6.25 million.
20. “Man with a Plan,” CBS, 6.2 million.
ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Co.; CBS is a division of CBS Corp.; Fox is owned by 21st Century Fox; NBC is owned by NBC Universal.
“Heretic” and “Maria” Set As Red Carpet Premieres At AFI Fest
The American Film Institute (AFI) has announced that Heretic, the psychological thriller starring Hugh Grant, and Maria, based on the life of opera singer Maria Callas starring Angelina Jolie, will round out the Red Carpet Premieres section at this year’s AFI Fest. The Heretic Gala Screening will take place on Thursday, October 24, and the Maria Gala Screening will be held on Saturday, October 26. The complete Red Carpet Premieres section includes the world premieres of Music By John Williams, Robert Zemeckis’ Here, Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl and Clint Eastwood’s Juror #2. All Red Carpet Premieres will take place at the historic TCL Chinese Theatre. The full lineup for AFI Fest 2024 will be unveiled on October 1.
“At the heart of AFI Fest is an unwavering dedication to celebrating the best in global cinema--together,” said Bob Gazzale, AFI president and CEO. “We look forward to uniting artists and audiences once again to be inspired by the art form in a powerful sense of community.”
Heretic follows two young missionaries (Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East) who are forced to prove their faith when they knock on the wrong door and are greeted by a diabolical Mr. Reed (portrayed by Grant), becoming ensnared in his deadly game of cat-and-mouse. The film is directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods and produced by Stacey Sher, Beck, Woods, Julia Glausi and Jeanette Volturno. The film will be released nationwide by A24 on November 8.
Directed by Pablo Larraín, Maria presents a tumultuous and beautiful depiction of one of the world’s most renowned artists and reimagines the legendary soprano in her final days in Paris, as Callas (Jolie)... Read More