via ratings notes from Turner:
TNT
TNT reigned once again as home to ad-supported cable’s top two series: The Closer and Rizzoli & Isles. The Closer is on track to have its best season ever, while Rizzoli & Isles continues to rank as the top new series of the year.
TNT’s The Closer remains on pace to score its best season ever, with last week’s episode scoring 7.9 million viewers, the series’ biggest Live + Same Day audience of the summer. The episode also garnered the best delivery of adults 25-54 (2.6 million) since the series’ season premiere.
TNT’s Rizzoli & Isles, which continues to rank as ad-supported cable’s top series of the year, followed with another excellent performance. Last week’s episode was watched by 7.2 million viewers and 2.7 million adults 25-54, with strong growth across the board when compared to the previous week’s episode.
Both The Closer and Rizzoli & Isles build on their enormous success through time-shifted viewing. New data for Aug. 23 reveals that The Closer grew its overall audience from 7 million viewers in Live + Same Day to 8.5 million viewers in Live + 7, while delivery of adults 25-54 grew from 2.4 million to 3.1 million. The Aug. 23 episode of Rizzoli & Isles grew its audience from 6.7 million viewers in Live + Same Day to 8.8 million viewers in Live + 7, while that episode’s delivery of adults 25-54 grew from 2.5 million to 3.5 million.
Through Aug. 23, The Closer’s sixth season is on pace to rank as the series’ best ever, with 8.4 million viewers in Live + 7 delivery. The series is also averaging more than 3 million adults 25-54. Building on that success, Rizzoli & Isles is scoring blockbuster numbers in its first season, with 8.7 million viewers and 3.3 million adults 25-54.
TNT’s hit series Leverage continues to command outstanding numbers in time-shifted viewing, demonstrating the show’s strong, loyal following. New data for the series’ Aug. 29 episode shows the total audience growing from 2.9 million viewers in Live + Same Day to 4.3 million in Live + 7, while delivery of adults 18-49 grew from 1.1 million to 1.7 million, and adults 25-54 grew from 1.3 million viewers to 2.1 million viewers.
With one more week of Live + 7 data left for its summer season, Leverage is currently averaging more than 4.4 million viewers, 1.8 million adults 18-49 and 2.2 million adults 25-54.
TNT’s special weekend telecast of The Lord of the Rings trilogy scored strong numbers, with The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King ranking as ad-supported cable’s top movie for the week among adults 18-49 (1.1 million) and adults 25-54 (1.2 million). The Sunday telecast was watched by 2.1 million viewers overall, while Saturday night’s presentation of The Two Towers garnered 1.8 million viewers and Friday night’s telecast of The Fellowship of the Ring delivered 1.5 million viewers.
Cartoon Network
The Monday night juggernaut of animated comedies (7-10 p.m.) continue to generate huge ratings and delivery gains for Cartoon Network compared to the same time period last year. Overall kids 6-11 delivery (710,000) increased by 65% and ratings (2.9) by 61%; kids 2-11 delivery (973,000) increased by 60% and ratings (2.3) by53%; and kids 9-14 delivery (519,000) increased by 51% and ratings (2.1) by 50%.
Leading off the night at 7 p.m., SCOOBY-DOO! MYSTERY INCORPORATED earned remarkable gains, well into triple digits among girls demos vs. last year. While kids 6-11 delivery (836,000) grew by 88%, girls 6-11 delivery (294,000) grew by 398% and boys 6-11 delivery (542,000) by 41%. Similarly, kids 2-11 delivery (1,227,000) grew by 96%, while girls 2-11 delivery (461,000) grew by 323% and boys 2-11 delivery (766,000) grew by 49%.
Original animated series kicked off at 8 p.m. with ADVENTURE TIME, which continued to propel the evening—kids 6-11 delivery (1,054,000) improved by 92%, kids 2-11 delivery (1,333,000) improved by 88% and kids 9-14 delivery (707,000) improved by 77%.
The newest Cartoon Network original series, THE REGULAR SHOW (8:15 p.m.) saw remarkable double-digit gains among all kids and boys demos vs. the prior year. Kids 6-11 delivery (1,040,000) expanded by 79%, kids 2-11 delivery (1,339,000) expanded by 65%, kids 9-14 delivery (716,000) expanded by 43%, boys 6-11 delivery (756,000) expanded by 71%, boys 2-11 delivery (944,000) expanded by 52%, and boys 9-14 delivery (533,000) expanded by 28%.
Immediately following was the new series MAD (8:30 p.m.), which earned solid gains across the board: kids 6-11 delivery (868,000) grew by 60%, kids 2-11 delivery (1,139,000) grew by 43%, kids 9-14 delivery (706,000) grew by 82%, boys 6-11 delivery (656,000) grew by 60%, boys 2-11 delivery (837,000) grew by 39% and boys 9-14 delivery (560,000) grew by 75%.
TOTAL DRAMA WORLD TOUR (Monday, 9 p.m.) wrapped up the evening with double and triple-digit gains compared to the same 2009 time period. Kids 6-11 delivery (555,000) improved by 88%, kids 2-11 delivery (735,000) improved by 62%, kids 9-14 delivery (504,000) improved by 89%, boys 6-11 delivery (402,000) improved by 62%, boys 2-11 delivery (527,000) improved by 41% and boys 9-14 delivery (358,000) improved by 38%.
Adult Swim
Compared to the same week in 2009, Adult Swim saw double-digit increases in ratings and delivery among adults and men 18-24. Adults 18-24 delivery (270,000) increased by 11% and ratings (0.9) rose by 13%. Men 18-24 delivery (173,000) rose by 15% and ratings (1.2) increased by 20%.
Adult Swim telecasts—including FAMILY GUY and ROBOT CHICKEN—accounted for 10 of the Top 50 telecasts of the week on ad-supported basic cable among adults 18-34. Adult Swim programs accounted for 13 of the top 50 telecasts among men 18-34.
truTV
Still basking in the glow of finishing its strongest summer ever, truTV experienced solid primetime growth last week, with total viewers up 5%, adults 18-34 up 7%, adults 18-49 up 12% and men 18-49 up 5%.
truTV’s hit series Rehab: Party At the Hard Rock Hotel and Black Gold premiered their newest seasons, with both significantly out-delivering the network’s overall primetime averages.
Rehab: Party At the Hard Rock Hotel (Tuesday, Sept. 7, at 10 p.m.) outdelivered truTV’s Q3-to-date primetime average by 29% among adults 18-49 (717,000) and 42% among men 18-49 (441,000).
Black Gold (Wednesday, Sept. 8, at 10 p.m.) attracted 671,000 adults 18-49 and 433,000 men 18-49, up 20% and 40%, respectively, when compared to truTV’s Q3-to-date averages.
Several truTV series ranked among cable’s Top 5 entertainment programs in their respective time periods in delivery of key demos, including The Smoking Gun Presents: World’s Dumbest… and Top 20 Most Shocking.
TBS
TBS utterly dominated the sitcom arena this week, with Tyler Perry’s Meet the Brown leading the way. The series scored ad-supported cable’s top two sitcom telecasts for the week among total viewers, with 2.9 million viewers for Wednesday’s 10 p.m. episode and 2.8 million for the 10:30 p.m. episode.
Tyler Perry’s Meet the Browns also scored ad-supported cable’s top four sitcoms for the week among adults 18-49, with the Wednesday 10 p.m. episode delivering 1.7 million in the demo and the 10:30 p.m. episode garnering 1.5 million.
Overall, TBS accounted for all of ad-supported cable’s Top 10 sitcom telecasts for the week among adults 18-49, with Meet the Browns joined by The Office, Tyler Perry’s House of Payne and The King of Queens. TBS also claimed nine of the Top 10 sitcom telecasts for the week among adults 18-34, with The Office leading the pack