Re: What Today's Top 30 Would Look Like with 1960s Ratings

On Nov 6, 5:02 pm, Mason Barge <masonba...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
On Thu, 6 Nov 2008 13:43:19 -0800 (PST), WQ <w...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
The last time any No. 1 rated show got a 36 rating was Bonanza back in
1964-65.  So, using the Top 30 chart for that season as the basis,
these are what today’s show ratings would look like by ‘60s
standards.  I simply tripled the actual rating for each show to arrive
at the ‘60s ratings, and also included the Top 30 shows of 1964-65 for
comparison’s sake.

The rankings are in accordance with last week’s final Nielsens, but
exclude specials and sports broadcasts.

Maybe it would be interesting to see which ones we'd watch today.

 #   2008  1965

 1   12.0  36.0   ABC   DANCING WITH THE STARS
                   36.3   NBC   Bonanza

Bonanza was good, but I'd take DWTS.  Many will disagree!

--- Bonanza, when Adam was still around.


 2   11.7  35.1   CBS   CSI
                   31.0   ABC   Bewitched

CSI by a mile.

--- Bewitched. The first season was its best, and this was its first
season.


 3   11.0  33.0   ABC   DANCING WITH THE STARS RESULTS
                   30.7   CBS   Gomer Pyle-USMC

Gomer Pyle was idiotic.  If I didn't like DWTS, my answer would be
"neither".

--- Yeah, Gomer was idiotic, but again, its first season was its best,
and this was its first season.


 4   10.8  32.4   CBS   NCIS
                   28.3   CBS   The Andy Griffith Show

NCIS.  Andy G. was good, though.

--- Andy Griffith, which still had Don Knotts, which was all that
really made me watch the show when I did.


 5   10.6  31.8   NBC   NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL
                   27.9   ABC   The Fugitive

Okay, you've got me here.  David Janssen (sp?) any day.

--- Yeah, Fugitive. It was still viable viewing in its second season.


 6   10.1  30.3   ABC   DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES
                   27.4   CBS   The Red Skelton Hour

Red!

--- Skelton was always good for some old-fashioned laughs, but not
someone I watched every week, bit did watch more often than
Housewives.


 6   10.1  30.3   CBS   THE MENTALIST
                   27.1   CBS   The *** Van Dyke Show

Dunno.  Tie.

--- Come on, this is a no-brainer: Van Dyke.


 8   10.0  30.0   ABC   GREY’S ANATOMY
                   26.6   CBS   The Lucy Show

Lucy.

--- Lucy, but not wholeheartedly. This version was in its fourth
season third and had already begun to wear thin.


 9     9.1 27.3   CBS   60 MINUTES
                   26.4   ABC   Peyton Place [Thu]

60 Minutes.

--- 60 Minutes, even though it's only corpses hosting the show now.


10     8.9  26.7   CBS   CRIMINAL MINDS
                   26.1   ABC   Combat!

Combat.

--- Combat!


10     8.9  26.7   CBS   CSI: NY
                   25.7   NBC   Walt Disney

A really easy winner: Walt Disney

--- Disney, but I could only stomach it about a quarter of the time.


12     8.1  24.3   CBS   WITHOUT A TRACE
                   25.6   CBS   The Beverly Hillbillies

Hillbillies I guess, even though the name looks like a barcode.

--- Hillbillies. But you;re right about that bar code look to the
title.


13     8.0  24.0   FOX   HOUSE
                   25.5   CBS   My Three Sons

House

--- The advantage to My Three Sons is that it was only a half-hour and
this version was still in its original form with the original 3 sons.
A slim advantage, but an advantage nevertheless.


14     7.7  23.1   NBC   SUNDAY NIGHT NFL PRE-KICK
                   25.3   NBC   Branded

Neither, I'd read a book.

--- Branded was good, and this was in its first season when it was
better.


14     7.7  23.1   CBS   SURVIVOR: GABON
                   25.2   CBS   Petticoat Junction

Petticoat Junction was so horrid I'd even take Survivor.

--- Naa, I'm not that desperate enough to watch Survivor over
Petticoat Junction. At least Junction had that catchy theme song, but
it was still a tough show to sit through.


16     7.5  22.5   CBS   COLD CASE
                   25.2   CBS   The Ed Sullivan Show

Ed S.

--- Old Ed.


16     7.5  22.5   CBS   ELEVENTH HOUR
                   25.1   CBS   Lassie

Lassie

--- Tough call. Animal shows do nothing for me and forensic
investigator stuff about as nothing, but Lassie was a half-hour and
Eleventh Hour is an hour. Then again, Lassie was on its 87th version
and Eleventh Hour is a fresh new show, so by a hair, I give it to
Eleventh Hour.


16     7.5  22.5   ABC   SATURDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL
                   24.7   CBS   The Munsters

Another two shows I have zero interest in seeing.

--- The Munsters had some good laughs in it, admit it. Yet again,
this was in its first and better season.


16     7.5  22.5   CBS   TWO AND A HALF MEN repeat
                   24.7   CBS   Gilligan’s Island

Gilligan.

--- Yeah, Gilligan. First and best season.


20     7.0  21.0   CBS   CSI: MIAMI repeat
                   24.6   ABC   Peyton Place [Tue]

I'd even watch Peyton Place before subjecting myself to Horatio.

--- Woah, this is another tough one. Ok, I guess I'll have to go by
age. It was the first season for Peyton Place and CSI: Miami is in
its 7th year, so Peyton wins.


20     7.0  21.0   ABC   SAMANTHA WHO?
                   24.4   CBS   The Jackie Gleason Show

Jackie Gleason.

--- Gleason I could take or leave, but compared to Samantha, I'd
definitely take him.


22     6.9  20.7   ABC   EXTREME MAKEOVER: HOME EDITION
                   24.0   NBC   The Virginian

Virginian I guess.

--- Yeah. 90 minutes of Virginian goes by quicker than 60 minutes of
Makeover.


22     6.9  20.7   CBS   NUMB3RS
                   23.9   ABC   The Addams Family

Numbers for me.

--- Naa, come on, John Astin was great as Gomez. I even liked the
kids, and normally I hate kids on TV.


24     6.8  20.4   FOX   THE SIMPSONS
                   23.7   CBS   My Favorite Martian

Ouch, my brain!

--- No-brainer: Martian.


25     6.5  19.5   ABC   BROTHERS & SISTERS
                   23.4   NBC   Flipper

Wow, two of the worst high-rated shows in tv history.  I'd rather go
get a "Marni Noxon for President" tattoo than watch either one.

--- A soap and animal show, and I hate both. But Flipper was in its
first season and I do remember watching and actually enjoying that one
in its first year when I was kid. And yeah, did I also say that it
was just a half-hour to B&S's hour?


26     6.3  18.9   NBC   LAW AND ORDER: SVU
                   23.0   CBS   I’ve Got a Secret

I've got a Secret.  I'd watch it today.

--- Didn't watch much of Secret back then, but would watch it every
week over SVU.


27     6.1  18.3   CBS   GHOST WHISPERER
                           22.6   CBS   Gunsmoke

Gunsmoke plz.

--- Gunsmoke was boring. Ghost Whisperer wins by default.


28     5.9  17.7   CBS   THE AMAZING RACE
                   22.4   ABC   The Patty Duke Show

Amazing Race.

--- Nope. Patty Duke. I like being fooled by twins and wondering how
they do that.


28     5.9  17.7   NBC   E.R.
                   22.3   ABC   McHale’s Navy

ER

--- I guess I prefer whatever laughs I can get out of McHale than all
the ones I know I won't get out of ER.


30     5.8  17.4   FOX   FAMILY GUY
                   22.0   ABC   The Lawrence Welk Show

More agony.  Lawrence Welk.  But I'd have to take drugs first.

--- Both are painful, but I'd have to go with Family Guy - once more,
it's over a half-hour sooner.


So 16.5 to 12.5 for the oldies.  

--- Mine's 26 to 4 for the oldies, with 60 Minutes, Family Guy,
Eleventh Hour and Ghost Whisperer being the only current preferences
over them.
.