or


[01/05/12 - 09:00 AM]
2011 Ratings Recap: Cable's Scripted Dramas - What's Up? What's Down? What's on Top?
By The Futon Critic Staff (TFC)

Please note: As a courtesy, please do not reproduce these comments to newsgroups, forums or other online places. Links only please.

LOS ANGELES (thefutoncritic.com) -- 67 scripted dramas made their way to the cable networks in 2011, many of which delivered broadcast-like numbers. So which were the cream of the crop in 2011? Which are tending up? We've broken out our electronic abacus to find out.

SEASON AVERAGE RANKED BY TOTAL VIEWERS (IN MILLIONS)
1. 6.636 - The Closer S7.1 (TNT)
2. 6.453 - The Walking Dead S2.1 (AMC)
3. 6.377 - Rizzoli & Isles S2.1 (TNT)
4. 5.504 - The Closer S7.2 (TNT)
5. 5.181 - Royal Pains S3.1 (USA)
6. 4.971 - True Blood S4 (HBO)
7. 4.932 - Rizzoli & Isles S2.2 (TNT)
8. 4.901 - Burn Notice S5.1 (USA)
9. 4.787 - Falling Skies S1 (TNT)
10. 4.384 - Covert Affairs S2.1 (USA)
11. 4.183 - Necessary Roughness S1 (USA)
12. 4.161 - Suits S1 (USA)
13. 4.075 - Royal Pains S2.2 (USA)
14. 3.912 - White Collar S3.1 (USA)
15. 3.870 - Sons of Anarchy S4 (FX)
16. 3.808 - Law & Order: Criminal Intent S10 (USA)
17. 3.615 - Army Wives S5 (Lifetime)
18. 3.572 - White Collar S2.2 (USA)
19. 3.554 - Fairly Legal S1 (USA)
20. 3.505 - In Plain Sight S4 (USA)
21. 3.288 - Leverage S4.1 (TNT)
22. 3.160 - Hell on Wheels S1.1 (AMC)
23. 3.116 - Pretty Little Liars S1.2 (ABC Family)
24. 3.064 - Memphis Beat S2 (TNT)
25. 2.847 - Psych S6.1 (USA)
26. 2.821 - American Horror Story S1 (FX)
27. 2.780 - Burn Notice S5.2 (USA)
28. 2.757 - Switched at Birth S1.1 (ABC Family)
29. 2.731 - Boardwalk Empire S2 (HBO)
30. 2.724 - Covert Affairs S2.2 (USA)
31. 2.649 - Justified S2 (FX)
32. 2.642 - Pretty Little Liars S2.1 (ABC Family)
33. 2.639 - Franklin & Bash S1 (TNT)
34. 2.598 - The Glades S2 (A&E)
35. 2.568 - Secret Life of the American Teenager S4.1 (ABC Family)
36. 2.515 - Game of Thrones S1 (HBO)
37. 2.508 - Hawthorne S3 (TNT)
38. 2.431 - Secret Life of the American Teenager S3.2 (ABC Family)
39. 2.264 - Drop Dead Diva S3 (Lifetime)
40. 2.166 - The Killing S1 (AMC)
41. 2.133 - Warehouse 13 S3 (Syfy)
42. 2.052 - Eureka S4.2 (Syfy)
43. 1.991 - Southland S3 (TNT)
44. 1.971 - Leverage S4.2 (TNT)
45. 1.919 - Dexter S6 (Showtime)
46. 1.890 - Breakout Kings S1 (A&E)
47. 1.867 - Breaking Bad S4 (AMC)
48. 1.846 - Haven S2 (Syfy)
49. 1.845 - Alphas S1 (Syfy)
50. 1.828 - Single Ladies S1 (VH1)
51. 1.695 - Teen Wolf S1* (MTV)
52. 1.639 - Make It or Break It S2.2 (ABC Family)
53. 1.636 - Against the Wall S1 (Lifetime)
54. 1.586 - Men of a Certain Age S2.2 (TNT)
55. 1.493 - Merlin S3 (Syfy)
56. 1.489 - Being Human S1 (Syfy)
57. 1.461 - Rescue Me S7 (FX)
58. 1.452 - TNT Mystery Movie Night S1 (TNT)
59. 1.395 - Skins S1 (MTV)
60. 1.369 - The Protector S1* (Lifetime)
61. 1.336 - Nine Lives of Chloe King S1 (ABC Family)
62. 1.286 - Spartacus: Gods of the Arena (Starz)
63. 1.279 - The Lying Game S1.1 (ABC Family)
64. 1.262 - Sanctuary S4 (Syfy)
65. 1.252 - Homeland S1 (Showtime)
66. 1.152 - Big Love S5 (HBO)
67. 1.107 - Glory Daze S1.2 (TBS)
68. 1.029 - Shameless S1 (Showtime)
69. 0.997 - Sanctuary S3.2 (Syfy)
70. 0.958 - Stargate Universe S2.2 (Syfy)
71. 0.956 - Greek S4 (ABC Family)
72. 0.940 - Camelot S1** (Starz)
73. 0.838 - The Borgias S1 (Showtime)
74. 0.813 - Lights Out S1 (FX)
75. 0.639 - Torchwood: Miracle Day** (Starz)
76. 0.574 - Treme S2 (HBO)
77. 0.456 - Boss S1** (Starz)

SEASON AVERAGE RANKED BY ADULTS 18-49 RATING
1. 3.4 - The Walking Dead S2.1 (AMC)
2. 2.7 - True Blood S4 (HBO)
3. 2.0 - Sons of Anarchy S4 (FX)
T4. 1.6 - American Horror Story S1 (FX)
T4. 1.6 - Falling Skies S1 (TNT)
6. 1.5 - Royal Pains S3.1 (USA)
7. 1.4 - Burn Notice S5.1 (USA)
8. 1.3 - Suits S1 (USA)
T9. 1.2 - Army Wives S5 (Lifetime)
T9. 1.2 - Covert Affairs S2.1 (USA)
T9. 1.2 - Necessary Roughness S1 (USA)
T9. 1.2 - Rizzoli & Isles S2.1 (TNT)
T9. 1.2 - The Closer S7.1 (TNT)
T9. 1.2 - White Collar S2.2 (USA)
T9. 1.2 - White Collar S3.1 (USA)
T16. 1.1 - Boardwalk Empire S2 (HBO)
T16. 1.1 - Game of Thrones S1 (HBO)
T16. 1.1 - Hell on Wheels S1.1 (AMC)
T16. 1.1 - Pretty Little Liars S1.2 (ABC Family)
T16. 1.1 - Royal Pains S2.2 (USA)
T16. 1.1 - Secret Life of the American Teenager S4.1 (ABC Family)
T16. 1.1 - Switched at Birth S1.1 (ABC Family)
T23. 1.0 - Burn Notice S5.2 (USA)
T23. 1.0 - Law & Order: Criminal Intent S10 (USA)
T23. 1.0 - Pretty Little Liars S2.1 (ABC Family)
T23. 1.0 - Psych S6.1 (USA)
T23. 1.0 - Secret Life of the American Teenager S3.2 (ABC Family)
T23. 1.0 - Single Ladies S1 (VH1)
T23. 1.0 - The Closer S7.2 (TNT)
T30. 0.9 - Covert Affairs S2.2 (USA)
T30. 0.9 - Dexter S6 (Showtime)
T30. 0.9 - Fairly Legal S1 (USA)
T30. 0.9 - Franklin & Bash S1 (TNT)
T30. 0.9 - In Plain Sight S4 (USA)
T30. 0.9 - Justified S2 (FX)
T30. 0.9 - Leverage S4.1 (TNT)
T30. 0.9 - Rizzoli & Isles S2.2 (TNT)
T38. 0.8 - Breaking Bad S4 (AMC)
T38. 0.8 - Breakout Kings S1 (A&E)
T38. 0.8 - Warehouse 13 S3 (Syfy)
T41. 0.7 - Alphas S1 (Syfy)
T41. 0.7 - Drop Dead Diva S3 (Lifetime)
T41. 0.7 - Eureka S4.2 (Syfy)
T41. 0.7 - Hawthorne S3 (TNT)
T41. 0.7 - Memphis Beat S2 (TNT)
T41. 0.7 - Southland S3 (TNT)
T41. 0.7 - Teen Wolf S1* (MTV)
T41. 0.7 - The Glades S2 (A&E)
T49. 0.6 - Being Human S1 (Syfy)
T49. 0.6 - Glory Daze S1.2 (TBS)
T49. 0.6 - Leverage S4.2 (TNT)
T49. 0.6 - Make It or Break It S2.2 (ABC Family)
T49. 0.6 - Rescue Me S7 (FX)
T49. 0.6 - Skins S1 (MTV)
T49. 0.6 - Spartacus: Gods of the Arena (Starz)
T49. 0.6 - The Killing S1 (AMC)
T57. 0.5 - Against the Wall S1 (Lifetime)
T57. 0.5 - Big Love S5 (HBO)
T57. 0.5 - Haven S2 (Syfy)
T57. 0.5 - Homeland S1 (Showtime)
T57. 0.5 - Shameless S1 (Showtime)
T57. 0.5 - The Lying Game S1.1 (ABC Family)
T63. 0.4 - Camelot S1** (Starz)
T63. 0.4 - Greek S4 (ABC Family)
T63. 0.4 - Lights Out S1 (FX)
T63. 0.4 - Men of a Certain Age S2.2 (TNT)
T63. 0.4 - Merlin S3 (Syfy)
T63. 0.4 - Nine Lives of Chloe King S1 (ABC Family)
T63. 0.4 - Sanctuary S4 (Syfy)
T63. 0.4 - Stargate Universe S2.2 (Syfy)
T63. 0.4 - The Protector S1* (Lifetime)
T72. 0.3 - Sanctuary S3.2 (Syfy)
T72. 0.3 - TNT Mystery Movie Night S1 (TNT)
T72. 0.3 - Torchwood: Miracle Day** (Starz)
T75. 0.2 - The Borgias S1 (Showtime)
T75. 0.2 - Treme S2 (HBO)
77. 0.1 - Boss S1** (Starz)

RANKED BY % CHANGE IN TOTAL VIEWERS FROM 2010
1. 31.22% - Spartacus: Gods of the Arena (Starz, vs. Blood and Sand S1)
2. 24.98% - Law & Order: Criminal Intent S10 (USA, vs. S9)
3. 23.24% - The Walking Dead S2.1 (AMC, vs. S1)
4. 23.07% - Breaking Bad S4 (AMC, vs. S3)
5. 19.74% - Sons of Anarchy S4 (FX, vs. S3)
6. 16.91% - Merlin S3 (Syfy, vs. S2)
7. 11.44% - Army Wives S5 (Lifetime, vs. S4)
8. 9.60% - Justified S2 (FX, vs. S1)
9. 9.19% - Rescue Me S7 (FX, vs. S6)
10. 3.69% - Greek S4 (ABC Family, vs. S3.2)
11. 2.48% - Pretty Little Liars S2.1 (ABC Family, vs. S1.1)
12. 2.04% - In Plain Sight S4 (USA, vs. S3)
13. 0.02% - True Blood S4 (HBO, vs. S3)
14. -0.16% - Haven S2 (Syfy, vs. S1)
15. -1.29% - Leverage S4.1 (TNT, vs. S3.1)
16. -1.66% - Psych S6.1 (USA, vs. S5.2)
17. -3.76% - Dexter S6 (Showtime, vs. S5)
18. -4.90% - Royal Pains S3.1 (USA, vs. S2.1)
19. -5.05% - The Closer S7.2 (TNT, vs. S6.2)
20. -6.88% - Southland S3 (TNT, vs. S2)
21. -6.88% - White Collar S2.2 (USA, vs. S1.2)
22. -7.39% - Rizzoli & Isles S2.1 (TNT, vs. S1)
23. -8.01% - The Closer S7.1 (TNT, vs. S6.1)
24. -8.08% - White Collar S3.1 (USA, vs. S2.1)
25. -10.74% - Secret Life of the American Teenager S4.1 (ABC Family, vs. S3.1)
26. -11.86% - Eureka S4.2 (Syfy, vs. S4.1)
27. -12.62% - Drop Dead Diva S3 (Lifetime, vs. S2)
28. -13.40% - Warehouse 13 S3 (Syfy, vs. S2)
29. -13.44% - Sanctuary S4 (Syfy, vs. S3.1)
30. -13.62% - Burn Notice S5.1 (USA, vs. S4.1)
31. -13.74% - Boardwalk Empire S2 (HBO, vs. S1)
32. -15.51% - Covert Affairs S2.1 (USA, vs. S1)
33. -15.59% - Memphis Beat S2 (TNT, vs. S1)
34. -15.65% - The Glades S2 (A&E, vs. S1)
35. -17.98% - Leverage S4.2 (TNT, vs. S3.2)
36. -18.83% - Hawthorne S3 (TNT, vs. S2)
37. -23.75% - Secret Life of the American Teenager S3.2 (ABC Family, vs. S2.2)
38. -26.13% - Treme S2 (HBO, vs. S1)
39. -27.99% - Make It or Break It S2.2 (ABC Family, vs. S1.2)
40. -29.02% - Big Love S5 (HBO, vs. S4)
41. -33.70% - Stargate Universe S2.2 (Syfy, vs. S1.2)
42. -35.20% - Burn Notice S5.2 (USA, vs. S4.2)
43. -37.73% - Men of a Certain Age S2.2 (TNT, vs. S1)

RANKED BY % CHANGE IN ADULTS 18-49 RATING FROM 2010
1. 50.00% - Spartacus: Gods of the Arena (Starz, vs. Blood and Sand S1)
2. 25.93% - The Walking Dead S2.1 (AMC, vs. S1)
3. 20.00% - Army Wives S5 (Lifetime, vs. S4)
4. 17.65% - Sons of Anarchy S4 (FX, vs. S3)
5. 14.29% - Breaking Bad S4 (AMC, vs. S3)
6. 12.50% - In Plain Sight S4 (USA, vs. S3)
7. 11.11% - Law & Order: Criminal Intent S10 (USA, vs. S9)
8. 11.11% - Pretty Little Liars S2.1 (ABC Family, vs. S1.1)
9. 0.00% - Dexter S6 (Showtime, vs. S5)
10. 0.00% - Eureka S4.2 (Syfy, vs. S4.1)
11. 0.00% - Greek S4 (ABC Family, vs. S3.2)
12. 0.00% - Haven S2 (Syfy, vs. S1)
13. 0.00% - Justified S2 (FX, vs. S1)
14. 0.00% - Leverage S4.2 (TNT, vs. S3.2)
15. 0.00% - Merlin S3 (Syfy, vs. S2)
16. 0.00% - Psych S6.1 (USA, vs. S5.2)
17. 0.00% - Sanctuary S4 (Syfy, vs. S3.1)
18. 0.00% - The Closer S7.2 (TNT, vs. S6.2)
19. 0.00% - Warehouse 13 S3 (Syfy, vs. S2)
20. -6.25% - Royal Pains S3.1 (USA, vs. S2.1)
21. -6.90% - True Blood S4 (HBO, vs. S3)
22. -7.69% - White Collar S2.2 (USA, vs. S1.2)
23. -7.69% - White Collar S3.1 (USA, vs. S2.1)
24. -8.33% - Secret Life of the American Teenager S4.1 (ABC Family, vs. S3.1)
25. -9.09% - Secret Life of the American Teenager S3.2 (ABC Family, vs. S2.2)
26. -10.00% - Leverage S4.1 (TNT, vs. S3.1)
27. -12.50% - Drop Dead Diva S3 (Lifetime, vs. S2)
28. -12.50% - Memphis Beat S2 (TNT, vs. S1)
29. -12.50% - Southland S3 (TNT, vs. S2)
30. -12.50% - The Glades S2 (A&E, vs. S1)
31. -14.29% - Make It or Break It S2.2 (ABC Family, vs. S1.2)
32. -14.29% - Rescue Me S7 (FX, vs. S6)
33. -14.29% - The Closer S7.1 (TNT, vs. S6.1)
34. -15.38% - Boardwalk Empire S2 (HBO, vs. S1)
35. -17.65% - Burn Notice S5.1 (USA, vs. S4.1)
36. -20.00% - Rizzoli & Isles S2.1 (TNT, vs. S1)
37. -20.00% - Stargate Universe S2.2 (Syfy, vs. S1.2)
38. -22.22% - Hawthorne S3 (TNT, vs. S2)
39. -25.00% - Covert Affairs S2.1 (USA, vs. S1)
40. -33.33% - Burn Notice S5.2 (USA, vs. S4.2)
41. -33.33% - Treme S2 (HBO, vs. S1)
42. -37.50% - Big Love S5 (HBO, vs. S4)
43. -50.00% - Men of a Certain Age S2.2 (TNT, vs. S1)

* regular prime airings only

** denotes not all episode data was available

Source: Nielsen Media Research, Live+SD (original airings from 1/1/11-12/31/11, seasons that are split are listed separately)





  [january 2012]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S


· AGAINST THE WALL (LIFETIME)
· ALPHAS (SYFY)
· AMERICAN HORROR STORY (FX)
· ARMY WIVES (LIFETIME)
· BEING HUMAN (SYFY)
· BIG LOVE (HBO)
· BOARDWALK EMPIRE (HBO)
· BORGIAS, THE (SHOWTIME)
· BOSS (STARZ)
· BREAKING BAD (AMC)
· BREAKOUT KINGS (A AND E)
· BURN NOTICE (USA)
· CAMELOT (STARZ)
· CLOSER, THE (TNT)
· COVERT AFFAIRS (USA)
· DEXTER (SHOWTIME)
· DROP DEAD DIVA (LIFETIME)
· EUREKA (SYFY)
· FAIRLY LEGAL (USA)
· FALLING SKIES (TNT)
· FRANKLIN & BASH (TNT)
· FUTON'S RATINGS SURVIVAL GUIDES (TFC)
· GAME OF THRONES (HBO)
· GLADES, THE (A AND E)
· GLORY DAZE (TBS)
· GREEK (ABC FAMILY)
· HAVEN (SYFY)
· HAWTHORNE (TNT)
· HELL ON WHEELS (AMC)
· HOMELAND (SHOWTIME)
· IN PLAIN SIGHT (USA)
· JUSTIFIED (FX)
· KILLING, THE (NETFLIX)
· LAW & ORDER: CRIMINAL INTENT (USA)
· LEVERAGE (TNT)
· LIGHTS OUT (FX)
· LYING GAME, THE (ABC FAMILY)
· MAKE IT OR BREAK IT (ABC FAMILY)
· MEMPHIS BEAT (TNT)
· MEN OF A CERTAIN AGE (TNT)
· MERLIN (SYFY)
· NECESSARY ROUGHNESS (USA)
· NINE LIVES OF CHLOE KING, THE (ABC FAMILY)
· PRETTY LITTLE LIARS (FREEFORM)
· PROTECTOR, THE (LIFETIME)
· PSYCH (USA)
· RESCUE ME (FX)
· RIZZOLI & ISLES (TNT)
· ROYAL PAINS (USA)
· SANCTUARY (SYFY)
· SECRET LIFE OF THE AMERICAN TEENAGER, THE (ABC FAMILY)
· SHAMELESS (SHOWTIME)
· SINGLE LADIES (CENTRIC)
· SKINS (MTV)
· SONS OF ANARCHY (FX)
· SOUTHLAND (TNT)
· SPARTACUS (STARZ)
· STARGATE UNIVERSE (SYFY)
· SUITS (USA)
· SWITCHED AT BIRTH (FREEFORM)
· TEEN WOLF (MTV)
· TORCHWOOD (STARZ)
· TREME (HBO)
· TRUE BLOOD (HBO)
· WALKING DEAD, THE (AMC)
· WAREHOUSE 13 (SYFY)
· WHITE COLLAR (USA)




most recent ratings | view all posts
[06/10/25 - 04:46 PM]
Premiere Episode of NBC's New Unscripted Series "Destination X" Is Now Up to 4.2 Million Viewers Across All Platforms
To date, the series has reached more than 9 million viewers across all platforms.
[06/10/25 - 02:18 PM]
ABC News' "Nightline" Ranks No. 1 in Total Viewers vs. CBS' "After Midnight" and NBC's "Late Night with Seth Meyers" for the 3rd Consecutive Week
On Thursday, "Nightline" scored its strongest telecast in Adults 25-54 (259,000) in nearly 3 months and best Adults 18-49 delivery (202,000) in 5 months.
[06/10/25 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10 Week of June 2: "Straw" Moves Viewers, "Ginny & Georgia" Has Peachy Season 3 Premiere in Top 10
Plus: UK crime thriller "Dept. Q" cracked the code and climbed to No. 2 in its second week (8.9 million views).

[06/10/25 - 11:58 AM]
ESPN Delivers Most-Watched NCAA Division I Women's College World Series on Record
The WCWS Finals, featuring Texas and Texas Tech, averaged 2.2 million viewers across linear as the Longhorns claimed their first national championship in the first three-game series since 2021.

[06/10/25 - 10:54 AM]
TNT Sports' Inaugural Roland-Garros Coverage in U.S. Delivers Record-Breaking Audience & Engagement
Sunday's Men's Singles Final between World #2 Carlos Alcaraz and World #1 Jannik Sinner peaked at 2.6 million viewers at 2:30 p.m. ET and averaged 1.8 million average viewers across TNT and truTV for the entire telecast.
[06/10/25 - 08:56 AM]
ESPN's Most-Watched Season of "Sunday Night Baseball Presented by Capital One" in Eight Years
ESPN's coverage of the Boston Red Sox victory over the New York Yankees on the June 8 edition averaged nearly two million viewers (1,919,000).

[06/09/25 - 12:46 PM]
"The 78th Annual Tony Awards" Hosted by Cynthia Erivo Delivers Its Largest Broadcast Audience Since 2019 and Its Largest Streaming Audience Ever
The telecast averaged 4.85 million viewers, up +38% from last year.
[06/06/25 - 10:42 AM]
"Live with Kelly and Mark" Soars with Star-Studded Week
"Live" ranked as the No. 1 talk show in syndication for 121 consecutive weeks across all key measures.
[06/04/25 - 07:01 AM]
ESPN Scores Stellar Pre-Finals Women's College World Series Viewership
Through the first 12 games, viewers have consumed 2.4 billion minutes of the WCWS across linear and ESPN+.
[06/03/25 - 03:04 PM]
ABC News' "Nightline" Ranks No. 1 in Total Viewers, Adults 25-54 and Adults 18-49 vs. CBS' "After Midnight" and NBC's "Late Night with Seth Meyers"
For the 2nd week in a row, "Nightline" posted increases in Total Viewers, Adults 25-54 and Adults 18-49, turning in its strongest numbers across the board in more than 4 months.
[06/03/25 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10 Week of May 26: "Sirens" Enchants Top 10 Again, "Adolescence" Jumps to No. 2 on Most Popular
Also in English TV, "Cold Case: The Tylenol Murders" debuted at No. 2, as the three-part documentary series reexamined a string of unsolved murders tied to the over-the-counter painkiller that triggered a national panic in the '80s (11.9 million views).
[06/03/25 - 10:05 AM]
FOX MLB Scores 2.2 Million Viewers for 18-2 Yankees-Dodgers Blowout
The network's "Baseball Night in America" coverage was up 16% versus last year's FOX MLB regular-season average, despite heavy competition.
[06/03/25 - 09:40 AM]
ESPN Delivers Two of the Three Most-Watched Women's College World Series Non-Finals Games on Record
UCLA versus Tennessee delivered the largest softball audience in a decade.
[06/03/25 - 09:28 AM]
ESPN's Most-Watched Season of "Sunday Night Baseball" in Eight Years
The June 1 edition was the most-watched in seven years, since August 2018.
[06/03/25 - 07:32 AM]
Mega-Hit "Rock the Block" Delivers Another Standout Season for HGTV
The seven-episode run averaged a .66 live plus three-day rating among Adults 25-54 and a .84 live plus three-day rating among Women 25-54.