Good Night Sweet Princess: Desperate Housewives
ABC brought home a win Sunday night with the swansong for eight-season network keystone, Desperate Housewives. The series, which averaged 23.69 million viewers and a 10.66 rating among adults 18-49 during its premiere run in the 2004-2005 season, ended on a relatively quiet note given its gargantuan beginnings. Fast affiliate ratings give the two-hour ender 11.1 million viewers and a 3.2 rating among adults 18-49. That demo score grew 19 percent from the penultimate episode and matches its high from the season premiere and tops the most recent finale.
Tying Desperate Housewives for the top broadcast of the night was lead-in Once Upon a Time. The finale rose 7 percent for a 3.2 in the demo as well, airing after America's Funniest Home Videos pulled a 1.6 with 18-49-ers. ABC averaged a 2.8 rating with adults and 9.5 million viewers for the night.
CBS came in a narrow second among viewers (9.43 million) and a more distant 2.3 rating among adults 18-49. 60 Minutes dropped tied a season low of a 1.2 in the demo, while the Survivor finale (airing on a special night) tied Wednesday's score of a 2.8 rating with adults. The reunion earned a 2.4 rating with 18-49-ers.
Fox's animation block saw dips against the competitive line-up of finales, giving the network an average 3.6 million viewers and a 1.7 rating among adults 18-49 for the night. The Cleveland Show was down just a tenth of a point, earning a 1.3 adults rating, while The Simpsons (1.9) and Family Guy (2.3) were both down about 15 percent. Bob's Burgers earned a 1.8 adults rating and American Dad earned a 2.0. The now-canceled Harry's Law pulled a 1.0 rating in the demo for NBC, rising two tenths of a point, before The Apprentice dropped a tenth, earning a 1.8 with adults 18-49. Factoring in a rising Dateline (0.8), NBC averaged a 1.3 adults rating and 5.5 million viewers.
Even the ending was catty, no Edie!
