TV Ratings: Sunday viewers favor 'Jesse Stone,' Billboard Music Awards

'Celebrity Apprentice' is down from last year, but wins 10 p.m.

By Daniel Fienberg Monday, May 23, 2011 11:58 AM

Tom Selleck stars in 'Jesse Stone: Innocents Lost'

Credit: CBS

Fast National ratings for Sunday, May 22, 2011.

Viewers had an eclectic assortment of Sunday options this week: Older audiences flocked to the Tom Selleck telefilm "Jesse Stone: Innocents Lost" in droves, while younger viewers favored the 2011 Billboard Music Awards and the season finale of NBC's "Celebrity Apprentice." The result was an amusing Sunday ratings split.

Among adults 18-49, ABC averaged a 2.6 rating for the night. FOX's 2.2 rating and the 2.1 rating for NBC were close behind. CBS was a distant fourth in the key demographic with a 1.4 rating.

Overall, though, CBS won a commanding victory for the night, averaging 12.14 million viewers and a 7.8 rating/13 share. ABC was a distant second with a 4.3/7 and 7.42 million viewers, edging out NBC's 4.0/6 and 6.47 million viewers. FOX's 2.6/4 and 4.57 million viewers came in fourth.

7 p.m. - CBS started primetime in first with the 10.21 million viewers for "60 Minutes," which also tied for first with a 1.5 rating among adults 18-49. ABC was second overall with the 6.15 million viewers for "America's Funniest Home Videos," which tied with CBS in the key demo. NBC's "Dateline" averaged 5.02 million viewers, bettering the 3.11 million viewers for FOX's "Simpsons" repeat and a new "American Dad," as both networks tied with a 1.3 rating among adults 18-49.

8 p.m. - A "60 Minutes" special edition averaged 10.87 million viewers for CBS in the 8 p.m. hour. The start of ABC's Billboard Music Awards telecast averaged 7.775 million viewers and won the hour with a 2.7 rating among adults 18-49. FOX's finales for "The Simpsons" and "Bob's Burgers" averaged 4.78 million viewers in third and a 2.3 key demo rating, second for the hour. NBC's "Minute to Win It" averaged 4.16 million viewers in fourth.

9 p.m. - "Jesse Stone: Innocents Lost" averaged a whopping 13.75 million viewers for CBS to dominate the 9 p.m. hour. But before you get too excited about the numbers for the latest entry in the Tom Selleck franchise, note that the new Jesse Stone movie was fourth for the hour with a dismal 1.3 rating among adults 18-49, a rather severe demo split. ABC's Billboard telecast peaked with 8.97 million viewers and an hour-winning 3.5 rating in the key demo. The first hour of NBC's "Celebrity Apprentice" finale was third overall with 7.75 million viewers and third with a 2.6 demo rating. FOX was fourth with 5.83 million viewers for the "Family Guy" "Return of the Jedi" episode, which came in second with a 3.0 demo rating.

10 p.m. - The second hour of "Jesse Stone: Innocents Lost" was steady with 13.74 million viewers and a 1.3 demo rating for the 10 p.m. hour. NBC's "Celebrity Apprentice" finale averaged 8.95 million viewers and a 3.1 demo rating, notably down from last May's "Celebrity Apprentice" finale. ABC's Billboard broadcast slipped to 6.8 million viewers and a 2.7 demo rating for its last hour.

All ratings information comes from preliminary Fast National Nielsen data, which includes live and same-day DVR viewing. All numbers are subject to change.

Daniel Fienberg
Executive Editor

A long-time member of the TCA Board and a longer-time blogger of "American Idol," Dan Fienberg writes about TV, except for when he writes about movies or sometimes writes about the Red Sox. But never music. He would sound stupid talking about music.