“Desperate Housewives” again dropped to a series low adults 18-49 ratings mark, and this time, there was no major awards show or event on broadcast.
While the NBA Playoffs got off to a strong start on cable (and the Knicks-Celtics game, which went head-to-head with “Housewives,” did especially well), they neither skew as an obvious competitor nor pull the viewership numbers that should intimidate broadcast numbers.
Yet “Housewives” did fall, stumbling back to its low 2.7 adults 18-49 rating with 8.83 million. The weak performance for the once-dominant Sunday soap resulted in a soft performance for lead-out “Brothers & Sisters,” which ranked at a clear-third for the 10PM hour with a 1.7 rating and 6.33 million viewers.
ABC, however, was not the only network to struggle Sunday night. FOX’s “Family Guy,” the nightly demographic champion, was down in its own right to a 3.0 with 6.04 million viewers. “The Cleveland Show” followed with a 2.3 and 4.70 million viewers while “American Dad” led into “Guy” at a 2.2 and 4.70 million.
NBC saw its solid “Celebrity Apprentice” fall from its recent highs to a 2.5 with 7.41 million viewers, while CBS’ “Undercover Boss” was annihilated, falling to just a 1.9 rating with 8.66 million viewers. Its lead-in “The Amazing Race” was also down significantly, landing at a 2.3 with 8.71 million viewers.