Isabella Vosmikova/FOXWhat was the least-watched bubble show renewed this week? What was the most-watched? And what was the sometimes-slim difference between shows that made it (Law & Order, etc.) and shows that didn't (Medium, Terminator, etc.)?
The answers—and more questions—in this week's TV ratings quiz:
1. Which bubble show most boldly defied its Nielsen numbers? Dollhouse, and it wasn't even close. (Keep in mind, CBS and the CW haven't formally announced their final verdicts yet.) The Joss Whedon series earned a second season on the strength of, as it were, 3.7 million viewers (and, yes, a ton of TiVo use). Better Off Ted (4.6 million) and Scrubs (4.5 million) were two other low-rated winners.
2. Which bubble show was the biggest loser? Bob Saget's Surviving Suburbia averaged 10 million viewers, more than Castle (9.2 million) and Ugly Betty (7.4 million), to name two other renewed ABC shows. Samantha Who? (8.3 million) was the next-biggest show to go. Like Suburbia, Samantha's numbers largely were a figment of Dancing With the Stars' imagination.
3. What was the difference between My Name Is Earl and Parks and Recreation? About 700,000 viewers—in Earl's favor. The canceled Earl averaged 6 million viewers; the renewed P&R, 5.3 million. The NBC shows were even among adults 18-49.
4. What was the difference between Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles and Dollhouse? About 1 million viewers—in the canceled Terminator's favor.
5. What was the difference between Medium and Law & Order? To date, the canceled Medium has scored about 15 percent higher ratings among supposedly all-important adults 18-49 than the renewed L&O. The NBC shows are about even in overall viewers: 7.4 million for Medium; 7.5 million for L&O.
6. Is JONAS a bubble show? Enough with the bubble talk! Now as for JONAS...Week three for the brother-band's cable sitcom in its regular time slot was a big, 36 percent improvement over week two: 3 million viewers versus 2.2 million, per the latest Nielsen rankings.
7. What happens when an all-new JONAS airs after an all-new Hannah Montana? For starters, both Disney Channel shows get edged out, ever so slightly, by Nick's iCarly (3.364 million), which, in a twist, itself was edged out for Sunday-night sitcom supremacy by Disney's Sonny With a Chance (3.5 million). But to answer the question more specifically, what happens is tweens don't move. At 7:30 p.m., Hannah scored 3.361 million viewers; at 8 p.m., the JONAS stunt scored 3.356 million.
8. What were the week's top prime-time cable shows, not including sports, pro wrestling and iCarly movie reruns? A Saturday iCarly (4.3 million) was the most-watched series, followed by In Plain Sight (3.9 million), True Jackson, VP (3.9 million), Law & Order: Criminal Intent (3.7 million) and the aforementioned Sonny With a Chance.
9. What's bigger: New York or New Jersey? Depends on how you measure. The Real Housewives of New York reunion special scored a series-high 2.3 million viewers. The Real Housewives of New Jersey premiere (1.7 million) set a new mark for Real Housewives premieres.
10. How big was the Grey's Anatomy's finale? So big that it outdrew a real-live Tuesday American Idol among women 18-34. Overall, Wednesday's Idol (24.7 million) was TV's most-watched show, followed by Tuesday's Idol (22.7 million), Monday's DWTS (18.6 million), Grey's (16.5 million) and The Mentalist (16.2 million).
11. What's that noise Jimmy Fallon hears? Craig Ferguson gaining on him. For the late-night week ended May 8, Ferguson's Late Late Show squeezed by Fallon's Late Night, 1.873 million viewers to 1.867 million, per CBS, the first such win of the Fallon era for Ferguson.