General MotorsGlee tried, it surely did, suiting up and getting all football-y on Super Bowl Sunday.
But did the show really go with the big game? Would fewer people have tuned out something less musical-y?
The Office says no.
As noted yesterday, the NBC comedy, a magnet for men (who don't necessarily like football, by the by), lost a bigger percentage of its Super Bowl lead-in than any show in recent years.
Grey's Anatomy says no, too.
The ABC soap, a magnet for women (who don't necessarily dislike football, by the by), held onto a bigger percentage of its Super Bowl lead-in than any show in recent years.
And Glee asks, what else was Fox going to showcase? And, another thing, how late were men and women supposed to stay up anyway?
Sunday's game ran longer than last year's. Postgame ratings accordingly were down about 15 percent. By the time Glee got rolling, it was nearly 10:40 p.m. ET. At the same point in the evening last year, Undercover Boss was half over.
So there. Now stop saying Kurt Hummel doesn't belong.
Other TV ratings winners and losers:
• The Black Eyed Peas: The sound mix was whack, and the critics weren't kind, but the Super Bowl's halftime show scored its highest ratings since Michael Jackson's 1993 set, and, per Fox stats, inspired fewer trips to the bathroom than The Who (2010), Bruce Springsteen (2009) and Tom Petty (2008).
• Christina Aguilera: While the Super Bowl averaged an astonishing 111 million viewers, the national anthem-boasting pregame show averaged just 22.2 million, which looks like a promising development for the embarrassed singer until it is noted that: (a) the pregame show hit a nine-year ratings high; and, (b) 22.2 million witnesses are more than enough to report a crime.
• American Idol: All on its own, its Wednesday edition scored an audience nearly as big as the Super Bowl-assisted Glee—25.1 million viewers.
• One Tree Hill: It hit a season high (2.4 million) and got name-checked on Sunday night by Heather Morris .
• Charlie Sheen: Last night's Two and a Half Men was the night's most-watched show (estimated 15.1 million). We're not sure if this is good or bad news for its rehabbing star.
• Chicago Code: Yes, Super Bowl commercials are important. After being copiously promoted during the game, last night's House was way up over its last new episode (12.3 million), and this brand-new cop show was on its way to a solid start (9.4 million).