By David Bauder, Media Writer
NEW YORK (AP) --Americans stuck at home staring at fading furniture and wondering what to cook for dinner have been a boon for television networks like HGTV and the Food Network.
The Food Network's overall ratings in April were up 25 percent over the same month last year, while HGTV was up 22 percent, the Nielsen company said.
Both networks have adjusted programming in reaction to coronavirus shutdowns with more in the works. The Food Network's Guy Fieri has gotten takeout at some of his favorite dives, and other chefs are exploring how to be creative with what's in the pantry. HGTV is planning a show where new products are left on the doorway of people and design experts will judge how the family made use of them, said Kathleen Finch, chief lifestyle brand officer for the Discovery-owned networks.
"People are gravitating to our networks and talent because we provide more than entertainment right now," Finch said.
Stuck-at-home show hosts are also making use of camera equipment lent by their networks. Comic Amy Schumer is making a program that debuts Monday for the Food Network, "Amy Schumer Learns to Cook," that is being filmed by her nanny, Finch said.
HGTV hit paydirt this month with shows that featured Brad Pitt, Melissa McCarthy and other celebrities improving the living situations for people they know. The network is planning a show that will feature comics sitting around and commenting on episodes of "Househunters," Finch said.
Four Discovery-owned networks — TLC, HGTV, Discovery and the Food Network — were among the 10 most popular cable networks in primetime last week, Nielsen said.
While HGTV and the Food Network are popular primarily because of the environment they offer, TLC is being fueled by a single hit show: "90 Day Fiance," which films couples as they decide quickly whether or not to get hitched to qualify for a marital visa. Primarily because of that show, TLC's prime-time ratings in April jumped 47 percent from last year, Nielsen said.
Later this month, TLC is premiering a dating show, "Find Love Live," that depicts courtship in the quarantine era, Finch said.
CBS topped the broadcast networks in primetime last week, averaging 5.8 million viewers. ABC was second with 3.7 million, NBC had 3.6 million, Fox had 2.7 million, Univision had 1.6 million, ION Television had 1.2 million and Telemundo had 910,000.
Fox News Channel crushed the cable competition, averaging 3.69 million viewers in primetime. MSNBC had 1.78 million, CNN had 1.55 million, TLC had 1.302 million and HGTV had 1.3 million.
ABC's "World News Tonight" won the evening news competition, averaging 10.5 million viewers. NBC's "Nightly News" had 9.5 million and the "CBS Evening News" had 6.6 million.
For the week of April 27-May 3, the top 20 shows, their networks and viewers:
1. "Young Sheldon," CBS, 10.15 million.
2. "60 Minutes," CBS, 9.31 million.
3. "Blue Bloods," CBS, 8.52 million.
4. "NCIS," CBS, 8.4 million.
5. "Survivor," CBS, 8.1 million.
6. "The Masked Singer," Fox, 7.8 million.
7. "Magnum, P.I.," CBS, 7.21 million.
8. "FBI," CBS, 7.03 million.
9. "FBI: Most Wanted," CBS, 6.97 million.
10. "911," Fox, 6.81 million.
11. "The Voice," NBC, 6.68 million.
12. "Man With a Plan" (Thursday, 8:30 p.m.), CBS, 6.59 million.
13. "American Idol," ABC, 6.4 million.
14. "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire," ABC, 6.21 million.
15. "Man With a Plan" (Thursday, 9 p.m.), CBS, 6.08 million.
16. "The Conners," ABC, 5.96 million.
17. "MacGyver," CBS, 5.89 million.
18. "Seal Team," CBS, 5.76 million.
19. "Station 19," ABC, 5.58 million.
20. "America's Funniest Home Videos," ABC, 5.27 million.
In NBC’s “Brilliant Minds,” Zachary Quinto Plays Doctor–In A Role Inspired By Physician/Author Oliver Sacks
There's a great moment in the first episode of the new NBC medical drama "Brilliant Minds" when it becomes very clear that we're not dealing with a typical TV doctor.
Zachary Quinto is behind the wheel of a car barreling down a New York City parkway, packed with hospital interns, abruptly weaving in and out of lanes, when one of them asks, "Does anyone want to share a Klonopin?" — a drug sometimes used to treat panic disorders.
"Oh, glory to God, yes, please," says Quinto, reaching an arm into the back seat. The intern then breaks the pill in half and gives a sliver to the driver, who swallows it, as the other interns share stunned looks.
Quinto, playing the character Dr. Oliver Wolf, is clearly not portraying any dour, by-the-rules doctor here — he's playing a character inspired by Dr. Oliver Sacks, the path-breaking researcher and author who rose to fame in the 1970s and was once called the "poet laureate of medicine."
"He was someone who was tirelessly committed to the dignity of the human experience. And so I feel really grateful to be able to tell his story and to continue his legacy in a way that I hope our show is able to do," says Quinto.
He's a fern-loving doctor
"Brilliant Minds" takes Sack's personality — a motorcycle-riding, fern-loving advocate for mental health who died in 2015 at 82 — and puts him in the present day, where the creators theorize he would have no idea who Taylor Swift is or own a cell phone. The series debuts Monday on NBC, right after "The Voice."
"It's almost as if we're imagining what it would have been like if Oliver Sacks had been born at a different time," says Quinto. "We use the real life person as our North Star through everything we're doing and all the... Read More