How CBS's Old School Lineup Took Over the Ratings

When one looks at the weekly TV ratings, they usually see CBS more than any other initials. Each week, CBS shows dominate the top 20 in TV ratings, and the trend is unlikely to stop. CBS dramas and comedies control the TV ratings week after week, while other networks are either playing catchup, or failing completely.

CBS shows may not all be critically acclaimed award winners with quirky cult audiences. But when it comes to the all-important ratings game, how does CBS still find a way to win?

CBS can be regarded as the most formulaic network on television, judging by its shows. While other networks have flashy, high concept shows, CBS sticks with a more traditional lineup. Cop shows, legal shows, and sitcoms with laugh tracks are often looked down upon nowadays. Yet CBS uses all of these "old fashioned" formats to get the biggest ratings on television.

CBS has the biggest cop show franchises in the business, in CSI and NCIS. The Law & Order franchise used to rule the crime drama roost, but CSI and NCIS are the most powerful TV institutions now. Criminal Minds, The Good Wife and The Mentalist have also helped CBS become the best crime drama network on TV. These shows may have the same formula for most weeks, but they bring in more viewers than most experimental programs.

The TV ratings also show how CBS wins with traditional sitcoms. Today's most critically acclaimed comedies are single-camera shows like 30 Rock, Modern Family and The Office. In most networks except for CBS, the traditional sitcom format is dead. Yet on Two and a Half Men, The Big Bang Theory, and How I Met Your Mother, millions of viewers tune in to prove the format isn't dead yet.

Not everything that CBS touches turns to ratings gold, like Three Rivers for instance. But they frequently succeed with shows that 'hip audiences' have little regard for. They rarely win any Emmys and are sometimes derided by TV critics. CBS rarely deviates from the usual TV formulas, as shows like Lost, 30 Rock, Fringe, FlashForward and others would never find a home there. But given their success as the top network on TV anyway, CBS doesn't need them.

Despite being a network of formulaic shows, CBS is actually ahead of the curve in many ways. With CSI and NCIS, CBS has two powerful franchises that have equally powerful spinoffs. ABC hasn't quite done that yet with the Grey's Anatomy franchise, while NBC's Law & Order lineup has seen better days. The Mentalist and The Good Wife may have the usual case-of-the-week format, but each show has attention-grabbing leads to carry the formula.

As for comedies, How I Met Your Mother and The Big Bang Theory prove that the usual sitcom format can still be hip and funny, while Two And a Half Men is an established ratings champ. Other networks have their experimental comedies that win awards, but quite often, they need massive help from critics and cult audiences to stay alive.

And of course, reality and news are still reliable winners for CBS, with the Survivor series and 60 Minutes. The network even controls late night again, with old controversial stalwart David Letterman ahead of NBC's late night experiments.

Overall, CBS has become the most watched network in the ratings for a variety of reasons. Their established hits have maintained the same high numbers for years, something which other veteran shows can struggle to do. As such, those hits can spin off new shows that become just as big, with the same built-in audience - which means they can't be cancelled after a few weeks.

CBS also has those rare comedies that can get high ratings, and be embraced by hip, cult audiences - helping them stand tall against Dancing With the Stars on Monday night. But of course, CBS may also be winning the ratings by default, given the mistakes of the other networks, and the downright collapse of NBC in general.

On the week of October 25, 11 of the top 20 shows on broadcast TV aired on CBS. Only sports, Dancing With the Stars, Grey's Anatomy, House and Desperate Housewives seem capable of breaking up the CBS juggernaut each week. Although it has been the highest-rated network for some time, CBS's ratings lead is bigger than ever now, and it may take a very long time to change that - at least until American Idol returns.

If the other networks still want to try, then they might want to dial down their high concept ideas, and figure out how to copy the CBS formula.

Sources

Zap2It- "Nielsen Television TV Ratings for Network Primetime Series"

InsideBlip- "CBS Ratings Winning Streak Move To Three"