By David Bauder, Media Writer
NEW YORK (AP) --Two long-running series — CBS drama "Criminal Minds" and ABC's "Fresh Off the Boat" — ended their runs last week with modest bumps in the ratings.
The investigators on "Criminal Minds" concluded their 15th and last season by chasing a psychopath who liked to cut off the faces of his victims. The last episode reached 5.4 million viewers, up 12% from its season average, the Nielsen company said.
The Huang family finished the sixth season of "Fresh Off the Boat'' with a sweetly nostalgic episode that included a peek at the future for the characters. Its last episode was seen by 2.4 million people, or 6% more than the season average, Nielsen said.
Both shows had one oddity in common. They each ended with two separate episodes where the second, the actual finale, had fewer viewers than the first. "Fresh Off the Boat" had 3 million for its first half hour.
The numbers will increase when delayed viewing is added in.
Television's week was dominated by the Democratic presidential debate, which was seen by 19.8 million people on either NBC or MSNBC. It's the most-watched Democratic nomination debate ever.
CBS won the week with an average of 6.1 million viewers in primetime. NBC had 4.4 million viewers, ABC had 4.2 million, Fox had 3 million, Univision had 1.7 million, ION Television had 1.4 million, Telemundo had 1 million and the CW had 650,000.
Fox News Channel was the most popular cable network, averaging 3.01 million viewers in primetime. MSNBC had 2.17 million, HGTV had 1.18 million, TLC had 1.17 million and Discovery had 1.12 million.
ABC's "World News Tonight" won the evening news ratings race, averaging 9 million viewers. NBC's "Nightly News" had 7.8 million and the "CBS Evening News" had 5.8 million.
For the week of Feb. 17-23, the top 20 programs, networks and their viewerships:
1. Democratic Presidential Debate, NBC, 12.11 million.
2. "NCIS," CBS, 11.92 million.
3. "Daytona 500" rainout coverage, Fox, 10.08 million.
4. "FBI," CBS, 8.95 million.
5. "Young Sheldon," CBS, 9.12 million.
6. "60 Minutes," CBS, 8.95 million.
7. Democratic Debate, MSNBC, 7.67 million.
8. "America's Got Talent Champions," NBC, 7.61 million.
9. "American Idol," ABC, 7.5 million.
10. "Survivor," CBS, 7.18 million.
11. "The Masked Singer," Fox, 7.13 million.
12. "Hawaii Five-0," CBS, 6.66 million.
13. "The Bachelor," ABC, 6.65 million.
14. "This is Us," NBC, 6.48 million.
15. "The Neighborhood," CBS, 6.46 million.
16. "FBI: Most Wanted," CBS, 6.3 million.
17. "Mom," CBS, 6.283 million.
18. "Station 19," ABC, 6.277 million.
19. "Bull," CBS, 6.23 million.
20. "NCIS: Los Angeles," CBS, 6.2 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