By Frazier Moore, Television Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) --“Big Brother” was a big winner for CBS last week. The peek-a-boo reality series claimed Top 10 slots for its trio of editions last week, according to Nielsen, ranking fifth, seventh and eighth.
NBC’s “America’s Got Talent” continued to demonstrate a talent for drawing viewers as the week’s most-watched show.
But among the week’s dozen highest-rated shows, eight were in the reality/competition genre, also including “World Of Dance” (No. 3), “The Bachelorette” (4), “Little Big Shots” (11) and “American Ninja Warrior” (12).
Invading the broadcast-TV roster from the world of premium cable again last week: HBO’s “Game of Thrones,” seizing the runner-up spot with an impressive 9.25 million.
Overall in prime time for the week, NBC averaged 4.7 million viewers in primetime. CBS was second with 4.3 million, ABC had 3.1 million, Fox had 1.7 million, Univision had 1.44 million, Telemundo had 1.39 million, ION Television had 1.2 million, and the CW had 910,000.
Fox News Channel was again the week’s most popular cable network, averaging 2.06 million viewers in primetime. MSNBC had 1.82 million, USA had 1.48 million and HGTV had 1.46 million.
ABC’s “World News Tonight” topped the evening newscasts with an average of 7.6 million viewers. NBC’s “Nightly News” had 7.2 million and the “CBS Evening News had 5.6 million viewers.
Below are primetime viewership numbers compiled by Nielsen for July 24-30. Listings include the week’s ranking and viewership.
1. “America’s Got Talent” (Tuesday), NBC, 13.08 million.
2. “Game of Thrones,” HBO, 9.25 million.
3. “World of Dance,” NBC, 6.88 million.
4. “The Bachelorette,” ABC, 6.44 million.
5. “Big Brother” (Wednesday), CBS, 6.36 million.
6. “NCIS,” CBS, 6.332 million.
7. “Big Brother” (Thursday), 6.330 million.
8. “Big Brother” (Sunday), 6.328 million.
9. “The Big Bang Theory,” CBS, 6.31 million.
10. “60 Minutes,” CBS, 6.17 million.
11. “Little Big Shots,” NBC, 5.74 million.
12. “American Ninja Warrior,” NBC, 5.70 million.
13. “NCIS: New Orleans,” CBS, 5.33 million.
14. “Blue Bloods,” CBS, 4.894 million.
15. “Bull,” CBS, 4.888 million.
16. “The Wall,” NBC, 4.880 million.
17. “Celebrity Family Feud,” ABC, 4.797 million.
18. “Hawaii Five-0,” CBS, 4.72 million.
19. “Kevin Can Wait,” CBS, 4.63 million.
20. “Night Shift,” NBC, 4.45 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