By David Bauder, Media Writer
NEW YORK (AP) --As the rebooted “Roseanne” continues to dominate the television landscape, research indicates that enthusiasm expressed for the show’s initial success by President Donald Trump and Fox News Channel had an impact on its audience.
Both Trump and Fox commentators said the show’s initial stunning success was a reflection of the show’s lead character, played by Roseanne Barr, portraying a Trump supporter. The research organization Samba TV said viewership among people who also watched Fox News regularly increased by 40 percent from the first to second week on the air. For people who also watched MSNBC, which appeals more to liberals, viewership was down 11 percent for the same period.
“The conservative audience is really carrying over,” said Jen Whalen, marketing director for Samba TV.
The company’s research also indicates that older viewers are sticking with the series at a higher rate than younger people.
The Nielsen company’s research said that 12 percent of “Roseanne” viewers last week also watched Fox News Channel, compared to 7 percent for the show’s premiere.
But ABC said those figures hardly indicate that the “Roseanne” audience lacks diversity. According to Nielsen data, 38 percent of the comedy’s audience last week identified itself as conservative, 41 percent said they were moderate and 22 percent said they were liberal. The show’s audience of 13.8 million on the first night it was broadcast last week led all primetime programming for the third week in a row.
“When a show reaches over 27 million viewers and ranks as the most popular show on television, it’s a strong indication that the series has broad appeal,” said ABC spokeswoman Jori Arancio, citing ratings that include people who watch on a delayed basis.
CBS’ depth enabled it to win the week in primetime, averaging 7.2 million viewers. ABC had 4.9 million viewers, NBC had 4.7 million, Fox had 2.6 million, Univision had 1.5 million, ION Television had 1.4 million, the CW had 1.11 million and Telemundo had 1.08 million.
Fox News Channel was the week’s most popular cable network, averaging 2.59 million viewers in prime time. MSNBC had 2.17 million, TNT had 1.49 million, HGTV had 1.36 million and USA had 1.33 million.
ABC’s “World News Tonight” topped the evening newscasts with an average of 8.2 million viewers. NBC’s “Nightly News” had 7.8 million and the “CBS Evening News” had 5.9 million.
Below are primetime viewership numbers compiled by Nielsen for April 9-15. Listings include the week’s ranking and viewership.
1. “Roseanne,” ABC, 13.77 million.
2. “The Big Bang Theory,” CBS, 12.78 million.
3. “Academy of Country Music Awards,” CBS, 12.06 million.
4. “Young Sheldon,” CBS, 11.7 million.
5. “60 Minutes,” CBS, 10.57 million.
6. “Interview with James Comey,” ABC, 9.87 million.
7. “The Voice” (Monday), NBC, 9.86 million.
8. “Mom,” CBS, 8.94 million.
9. “Blue Bloods,” CBS, 8.24 million.
10. “Survivor,” CBS, 7.98 million.
11. “The Walking Dead,” AMC, 7.92 million.
12. “The Voice” (Tuesday), NBC, 7.83 million.
13. “American Idol” (Monday), ABC, 7.73 million.
14. “The Middle,” ABC, 7.52 million.
15. “Hawaii Five-0,” CBS, 7.48 million.
16. “Grammy Salute to Elton John,” CBS, 7.21 million.
17. “Grey’s Anatomy,” ABC, 6.98 million.
18. “Chicago Med,” NBC, 6.51 million.
19. “Life in Pieces,” CBS, 6.48 million.
20. “NCIS,” CBS, 6.41 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.
Review: Writer-Directors Scott Beck and Bryan Wood’s “Heretic”
"Heretic" opens with an unusual table setter: Two young missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are discussing condoms and why some are labeled as large even though they're all pretty much a standard size. "What else do we believe because of marketing?" one asks the other.
That line will echo through the movie, a stimulating discussion of religion that emerges from a horror movie wrapper. Despite a second-half slide and feeling unbalanced, this is the rare movie that combines lots of squirting blood and elevated discussion of the ancient Egyptian god Horus.
Our two church members — played fiercely by Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East — are wandering around trying to covert souls when they knock on the door of a sweet-looking cottage. Its owner, Mr. Reed, offers a hearty "Good afternoon!" He welcomes them in, brings them drinks and promises a blueberry pie. He's also interested in learning more about the church. So far, so good.
Mr. Reed is, of course, if you've seen the poster, the baddie and he's played by Hugh Grant, who doesn't go the snarling, dead-eyed Hannibal Lecter route in "Heretic." Grant is the slightly bumbling, bashful and self-mocking character we fell in love with in "Four Weddings and a Funeral," but with a smear of menace. He gradually reveals that he actually knows quite a bit about the Mormon religion — and all religions.
"It's good to be religious," he says jauntily and promises his wife will join them soon, a requirement for the church. Homey touches in his home include a framed "Bless This Mess" needlepoint on a wall, but there are also oddities, like his lights are on a timer and there's metal in the walls and ceilings.
Writer-directors Scott Beck and Bryan Wood — who also... Read More