"Family Guy" Living Large

Tue., May. 3, 2005 1:55 PM PDT by Joal Ryan

Stewie Griffin is one big baby.

The once lowly rated Family Guy returned to Fox Sunday for the very belated launch of its fourth season as a bona fide top 25 hit, with 11.9 million viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research.

Among the coveted 18-49 crowd, the animated adventures of Stewie and the Griffins proved a particularly strong draw. The show scored a 10th place finish in the demo category for the TV week ended Sunday.

Family Guy took an unconventional route to success. For starters, it was canceled by Fox in 2002. In its third and heretofore final season, the show averaged just 4.5 million viewers. The forgotten likes of Wolf Lake, Bob Patterson and Emeril all pulled in more viewers. But cable reruns and a hit DVD convinced Fox to get back in the family way with creator Seth MacFarlane's clan.

Meanwhile, the premiere of MacFarlane's all-new 'toon, American Dad, wasn't good news for Arrested Development fans.

In the 9:30 p.m. Sunday home that might have gone to Development this month if the Emmy winner hadn't been given an early spring vacation, Dad got parental with 9.3 million (41st place). In various Sunday time slots this past season, Development averaged 5.9 million viewers.

Maybe if the Bluths got themselves canceled, they could stage a glorious prime-time return in three years.

Or maybe that only works for Stewie.

Elsewhere:

When first lady Laura Bush makes jokes about ABC's Desperate Housewives (first place, 25.7 million), it's official--everybody's watching.
Controversy or no, Fox's Tuesday American Idol (second place, 25.5 million) kept on rocking. Constantine or no, Wednesday Idol (third place, 24.4 million) kept on rolling.
In their first head-to-bad-hair matchup, CBS' Survivor: Palau (fifth place, 21.2 million) outwitted NBC's The Apprentice (21st place, 12.4 million).
Good thing Paris Hilton's thinking of diversifying. Her career as a reality-series star is sinking. Moved to Thursday night, Simple Life scrounged up just 3.6 million viewers (96th place).
House is out of control--a top 10 finish (seventh place, 16.5 million) for a rerun.
If every JAG performed like its series finale--17th place, 14 million, up 30 percent over its season-long average--CBS might not have discharged the military series.
ABC's helpful season-to-date recap of Lost proved helpful to only 13.7 million (18th place).
Rosie O'Donnell and Andie MacDowell's Riding the Bus with My Sister gave a lift to CBS Sunday Movie franchise--12th place, 15 million.
The Saturday night premiere of Kenneth Branagh and Cynthia Nixon's Warm Springs (1.7 million) was fairly tepid for HBO.
Viewers are losing their religion with NBC's Revelations (42nd place, 9.1 million).
Deal with it: ABC's According to Jim (51st place, 8.1 million) is coming back for a fifth season; ABC's America's Funniest Home Videos (62nd place, 6.8 million) is coming back for a 16th.

Overall, CBS won the week among total viewers, averaging 13 million. Fox (10.1 million viewers) took the 18-49 demo crown.

ABC (9.3 million) ran third in both races. NBC (9.1 million) pulled up the rear.

The big four networks looked no worse for having faced TV-Turnoff Week. Even with a nonprofit group urging people to peel themselves off of their couches from Apr. 25-May 1, CBS and Fox were both up over their season averages.

Of more concern to the networks was Thursday's President Bush press conference. The hastily called confab, occurring on the first night of May sweeps, scuttled programming in the 8-9 p.m. hour. Bush's comments actually ran into the 9 p.m. hour, but by then CBS, NBC and Fox cut away to shows they thought more people wanted to watch. ABC, which doesn't air shows on Thursday that people want to watch, presented the press conference in its entirety.

Meanwhile, in the battle of the netlets, WB topped UPN, 3.7 million to 3.4 million.

Here's a rundown of the 10 most watched prime-time shows for the week ended Sunday, according to Nielsen Media Research:

1. Desperate Housewives, ABC, 25.7 million viewers
2. American Idol (Tuesday), Fox, 25.5 million viewers
3. American Idol (Wednesday), Fox, 24.4 million viewers
4. CSI, CBS, 23.7 million viewers
5. Survivor: Palau, CBS, 21.2 million viewers
6. Grey's Anatomy, ABC, 17.9 million viewers
7. House, Fox, 16.5 million viewers
8. Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, ABC, 16.4 million viewers
9. Cold Case, 16.3 million viewers
10. Everybody Loves Raymond, CBS, 15.8 million viewers