On a night chockablock with season finales, the big success story was Grey’s Anatomy’s two-hour mega-episode, which topped CSI and CSI: New York’s finales and obliterated Fox and NBC, leading ABC to a ratings win for the night. NBC fared badly, meanwhile, with its comedies all posting some of their lowest numbers for the season and freshman drama Southland falling to less than half its premiere audience. And Fox’s Bones and Hell’s Kitchen held on to their average numbers.
| Time | Show | Viewers (in millions) |
| 8:00 p.m. | Survivor (CBS) Bones (Fox) Ugly Betty (ABC) My Name is Earl (NBC) Smallville (The CW) |
12.0 8.7 6.8 4.8 3.2 |
| 8:30 p.m. | Parks & Recreation (NBC) | 4.2 |
| 9:00 p.m. | Grey’s Anatomy (ABC) CSI (CBS) Hell’s Kitchen (Fox) The Office (NBC) Supernatural (The CW) |
16.3 14.4 7.4 6.7 2.9 |
| 9:30 p.m. | 30 Rock (NBC) | 5.7 |
| 10:00 p.m. | CSI: NY (CBS) Southland (NBC) |
12.7 4.6 |
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Grey’s Anatomy is getting its audience back again as CSI continues to erode. Smallville has maintained a small but loyal fanbase of 3.2 million viewers a week.
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So glad that George and Izzy died, no need for return cameos. http://yuppiedating.com
It is so sad that more people watch Grey’s Anatomy a show that is a poorly written angst filled – soap opera, when there are other better alternatives on t.v. The Office for instance is consistently funny, and enjoyable.
CSI also scored a series low (according to tvbythenumbers)
http://tvdonewright.com/2009/05/15/upfront-preview-fox-still-has-some-bones-to-pick-plus-new-shows/
I couldn’t possibly care less. The show is lame.
actually grey’s anatomy is a well-written perfectly acted ensemble drama. if you actually watched the episode you would realize how great it is that show had quality numbers. and yeah, it’s angst-filled. that comes with the territory it’s a PRIME TIME SOAP!! geeze…oh and for the record, i’m a huge office fan as well.
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Neither show is worth watching, a show about the dead (CSI) or Grey’s. Not much choice on a Thursday night at 9:00. And, sorry entertain…, Grey’s isn’t getting it’s numbers back. They did better with last year’s finale. So long Greys…
Things we know for sure are:
1) Grey’s has increased it audience steadily over the last month
2)That +2 million spread in total viewers is a season best win for Grey’s over CSI
3)The buzz level is so strong for the Grey’s finale, it will be the center of tv talk speculation over the course of the summer leading up to the fall season. As a result, expect a “who shot J. R.” effect to follow suit. The season premiere will be one of the most watched premieres of the fall.
hey matt i agree with you…
but LOST will be the talk of the summer as it is every year..
How does Supernatural get 4.5 million less viewers then Hells Kitchen…it boggles my mind
Life being canceled = No more NBC for me. Big Mistake NBC.
It’s time to re-think ratings. I watch Grey’s and 30 Rock. I watch one or both on-line.
I hope with the bad ending with no answers, of Grey’s that when it returns in fall fans revolt and not watch premiere. We can all download it instead so they don’t get the numbers and teach creator and the network a lesson.
Dave, Lost is my show. Nothing stops me from missing it. And I’m dredding next season’s Lost finale as much as I am anticipating it. But you can’t deny the buzz this Grey’s Anatomy finale generated. It’s huge! And will produce a huge premiere despite the envious punks that so desperately can’t accept the truth. Not everybody that watches Grey’s Anatomy has internet service, much less their own personal computer. F@cking idiots!!
What crapola!!! The Office is better than Grey’s???? Only if you are a fan of sophomoric or is that moronic, frat boy humor!
Good for Grey’s. It was a great season finale.
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don’t you love how entertainment measures itself with numbers and not quality…yeah my TV was tuned to grays vagaina but only cuz i can’t beat my wife for watching it. but seriously, i hate to see a world of entertainment mangaged by numbers and not by quality of entertainment. there has to be a way to leverage quality to the consumer market. I just think hollywood is lazy and doesn’t care what we watch as long as somebody tunes in.
CSI needs a LOT of improvement not to lose viewers since the departure of so many anchor actors. The replacements aren’t getting the job done, and the veterans who are left don’t have the skills. Lawrence Fishburne is a great actor, but something isn’t clicking on this show with him. Wallace Langham and David Berman are just plain creepy! They’ve lost a lot of the sexiness.
I would like to see Southland catch on because it is well written and the cast is perfect. It’s full of so much energy, I just do not understand why it hasn’t caught on. NBC Thursday night is solid (sans Earl… I’m not a fan). Even Parks and Recreation is picking up its game. Grey’s used to be an interesting show, now its just a soap opera with a bigger budget.
The only people that matter are the Nielsen homes. Every Nielsen home represents 26,000 people. If you are not a Nielsen home, what you watch does not matter; YOU DO NOT EXIST.
I watched gripping Game 7 hockey on Versus and recorded Smallville and The Office… I can watch CSI and hour or so after it is broadcast On Demand for free.. But I don’t count since I am not metered…
Yes, If you do not have a box. YOU DO NOT EXIST. Sorry! but that’s the way it works. You home needs to be envited to be part of “the sample” and represent 26,000 people.
I was a Neilson family for a sweeps week. You record the shows you watch in a journal, both things you recorded and what you watch live. If you watch a recorded show within a week of its airdate, that counts for the numbers. It’s archaic, and they should be able to capture what you’re watching at the cable point, but whatever, they didn’t ask
Grey’s is proof that if you listen to your viewers and improve the storytelling, they will come back! The finale was fantastic with the best cliffhanger this season (sorry fellow LOST fans, but it’s true).
Grey’s Anatomy Season 5 Finale Episode was sad. Was reading here
http://celebrise.com/blog/2009/05/15/grey%E2%80%99s-anatomy-season-5-finale-episode.html
I am not surprised that Grey’s or anything else beat CSI lately, which is sad, but I knew it would happen.
Since William Peterson and Jorja Fox left I haven’t watched. Gary Dourdan’s character was pretty much off the show, even before he was killed.
Producers, Executives and writers take note once you get rid of the best of your main characters on a show it is ruined. You may think you can fill the void, but CSI was an ensemble for 8 1/2 years and now it is just another crime show with new boring characters that I don’t care about. I think season 10 should be the end, so it sort of goes out on top….
I think alot of you need psychiatric help! Grays did awesome this finale. I think it was better than last year, and according to the numbers, it was better than everything this year. Numbers don’t lie. Maybe everyone that doesn’t watch Grays really should. Then you might know why the other 12 MILLION people watch it.
Gray’s Anatomy had the best ending that was shown in a long time. Other prime time shows were lacking the excitement. The writers ending of Gray’s will be talked about until the start of next season. It brought back the memories of the excitement from the show of Dallas “who shot JR” Bravo ABC!!
I just heard that Fringe is coming to Thursday nights at 9. Oh no – my 2 favorite shows – Fringe and Grey’s! Thank god for DVR.