Today in TV History 2/29





Today is Saturday, February 29, 2020

Today in
Television History

1988 – “Day by Day” premiered on NBC-TV.

1996 – A television summit was held between U.S. President Clinton and broadcast industry representatives. At the meeting, the American television, cable and production community announced that it would establish and implement a voluntary rating system by January 1, 1997.

Today in
American Bandstand History

1960 – The Revels performed “Midnight Stroll” on “American Bandstand.”



NBC PRIMETIME SCHEDULE as of: 02/28/2020





NBC PRIMETIME SCHEDULE as of: 02/28/2020 Saturday February 29, 2020 – Sunday March 15, 2020
“SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE”

“ALEC BALDWIN / ED SHEERAN”

ORIGINAL

02/29/2020 (10:00PM – 11:00PM) (Saturday) :

TV-14

“LITTLE BIG SHOTS”

“ICING ON THE CAKE”

ORIGINAL

03/08/2020 (08:00PM – 09:00PM) (Sunday) :

TV-G

“THE WALL”

“REBEKAH AND CHRIS”

ORIGINAL

03/15/2020 (07:00PM – 08:00PM) (Sunday) : The all new season opens with Rebekah and Chris, a married couple from Houston, Texas. Rebekah is a Boston Bombing Marathon survivor who lost her leg in the blast as she was shielding her young son from danger. After both Rebekah and her son recovered from the bombing Rebekah realized that the emotional injuries her son sustained were far worse than the physical ones. This led Rebekah to form a charity to help kids suffering from PTSD. Rebekah vowed to do everything she could have done on two legs, on one leg, including winning millions of dollars.

TV-PG

( X Denotes Changes/Addition)



LISTINGS FOR NBC’S ‘LATE NIGHT WITH SETH MEYERS’ February 28 – March 6





LISTINGS FOR NBC’S ‘LATE NIGHT WITH SETH MEYERS’ February 28 – March 6

Friday, February 28: Guests Leslie Jones (Leslie Jones: Time Machine), Max Greenfield (The Neighborhood) and Taika Waititi (Jojo Rabbit). Chris Coleman sits-in with the 8G Band. (OAD 1/30/20)

**Monday, March 2: Guest Cecily Strong (SNL), Winston Duke (Spenser Confidential) and musical guest Surfaces (“Sunday Best,” Album: HORIZONS). Glen Sobel sits-in with the 8G Band. Show 0958

Tuesday, March 3: Guests John Oliver (Last Week Tonight with John Oliver), Elizabeth Debicki (The Burnt Orange Heresy) and Jenny Offill (Weather). Glen Sobel sits-in with the 8G Band. Show 0959

Wednesday, March 4: Guests Ty Burrell (Duncanville) and Susie Essman (Curb Your Enthusiasm). Glen Sobel sits-in with the 8G Band. Show 0960

Thursday, March 5: Guests Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (U.S. Representative for New York’s 14th congressional district), James Taylor and musical guest James Taylor (“God Bless The Child,” Album: American Standard, Break Shot: My First 21 Years). Glen Sobel sits-in with the 8G Band. Show 0961

**Friday, March 6: Guests RuPaul (RuPaul’s Drag Race), Stacey Abrams (Founder of Fair Fight) and Maria Bamford (Weakness Is The Brand, What’s Your Ailment?!). Elijah Wood sits-in with the 8G Band. (OAD 2/11/20)



THE CIRCUS HEADS SOUTH FOR A PALMETTO STATE BRAWL





THE CIRCUS HEADS SOUTH FOR A PALMETTO STATE BRAWL
Featuring Interviews with Tom Steyer, John Legend, South Carolina State Senator Dick Harpootlian, And More
‘On the Boil’ Airs Sunday At 8 PM on SHOWTIME®

Coming up next on THE CIRCUS: INSIDE THE CRAZIEST POLITICAL CAMPAIGN ON EARTH, hosted by John Heilemann, Alex Wagner, and Mark McKinnon, along with guest contributor Jennifer Palmieri …
THE CIRCUS travels to South Carolina, where candidates are competing in the first southern primary election of the 2020 cycle. McKinnon catches up with Tom Steyer, whose campaign has the largest operation in the state, to discuss his standing in the race and what it means for Joe Biden’s effort to slow Bernie Sanders’ momentum. For a preview go to: https://youtu.be/RBsLdbO9YC0.

Other episode highlights:
Wagner sits down with Grammy® award-winning singer/songwriter John Legend to discuss the 2020 race and issues that motivate African American voters.

Heilemann speaks with Dick Harpootlian, a South Carolina state senator and political veteran, about the history of the first-in-the-south primary and his support for Joe Biden.

Palmieri interviews Sanders’ national co-chair Nina Turner about whether the campaign can keep its momentum heading into Super Tuesday.

THE CIRCUS also goes behind-the-scenes at the South Carolina Ministers’ Breakfast honoring Congressman James Clyburn on the day he publicly endorsed Biden.

THE CIRCUS is produced by Left/Right for SHOWTIME. John Heilemann, Mark McKinnon, Alex Wagner, Banks Tarver, Ken Druckerman, Ted Bourne, Tom Johnson and Siobhan Walshe serve as executive producers.
SHOWTIME is currently available to subscribers via cable, DBS, and telco providers, and as a stand-alone streaming service through Amazon, Apple®, Google, LG Smart TVs, Oculus Go, Roku®, Samsung Smart TVs and Xbox One. Consumers can also subscribe to SHOWTIME via Amazon’s Prime Video Channels, Apple TV Channels, AT&T TV Now, FuboTV, Hulu, The Roku Channel, Sling TV and YouTube TV or directly at http://www.showtime.com/.



The Rookie 3/15 on ABC





The Rookie: Casualties (3/15)

OFFICER NOLAN’S HEART IS RACING ON AN ALL-NEW EPISODE OF
ABC’S ‘THE ROOKIE,’ AIRING SUNDAY, MARCH 15

“Casualties” – Officers Nolan and Harper investigate a murder which may have national security implications, while Officer Bradford must confront his past when he crosses paths with a homeless veteran on an all-new episode of “The Rookie,” airing SUNDAY, MARCH 15 (10:00-11:00 p.m. EDT), on ABC. Episodes can also be viewed the next day on demand or on Hulu.

“The Rookie” stars Nathan Fillion as John Nolan, Mekia Cox as Nyla Harper, Alyssa Diaz as Angela Lopez, Richard T. Jones as Sergeant Wade Grey, Titus Makin Jr. as Jackson West, Melissa O’Neil as Lucy Chen and Eric Winter as Tim Bradford.

Guest starring in this episode is Harold Perrineau as Detective Armstrong, Ali Larter as Dr. Grace Sawyer and Brent Huff as Officer Smitty.

“Casualties” was written by Bill Rinier and directed by Sylvain White.

Alexi Hawley is writer and executive producer. Mark Gordon, Nathan Fillion, Michelle Chapman, Jon Steinberg, Bill Norcross, Terence Paul Winter and Rob Bowman are executive producers on the series. “The Rookie” is a co-production with Entertainment One (eOne) and ABC Studios. ABC Studios is a part of Disney Television Studio, alongside 20th Century Fox Television and Fox 21 Television Studios.

A TV parental guideline will be assigned to this episode at a later date.

For more information on “The Rookie,” visit abc.com.

Follow “The Rookie” (#TheRookie) on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.



ABC’s ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’: Senator Elizabeth Warren, Ben Affleck, Elle Fanning, Eric Andre and More





ABC’s ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’: Senator Elizabeth Warren, Ben Affleck, Elle Fanning, Eric Andre and More

Feb. 28, 2020

SENATOR ELIZABETH WARREN, BEN AFFLECK, ELLE FANNING, ERIC ANDRE
AND MORE SCHEDULED GUESTS ON ABC’S ‘JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE!,’ MARCH 2 – 6

“Jimmy Kimmel Live!” airs every weeknight at 11:35 p.m. EST and features a diverse lineup of guests that includes celebrities, athletes, musical acts, comedians and human-interest subjects, along with comedy bits and a house band.

Following are the episodes scheduled to air the week of March 2-6 (subject to change):

Monday, March. 2
1. Senator Elizabeth Warren (campaign for the Democratic nomination for the President of the United States) 2. Freddie Highmore (“The Good Doctor”) 3. Tame Impala

Tuesday, March. 3
1. Ben Affleck (“The Way Back”) 2. Justina Machado (“One Day at a Time”) 3. Musical Guest Victoria Monét

Wednesday, March. 4
1. Elle Fanning (“All the Bright Places”) 2. Dave Burd (“Dave”) 3. Musical Guest Local Natives

Thursday, March. 5
1. Eric Andre (“Bad Trip”) 2. Musical Guest Phantogram

Friday, March. 6 (OAD: 2/27/20)
1. Mark Wahlberg (“Spenser Confidential”) 2. Storm Reid (“The Invisible Man”) 3. Musical Guest Goody Grace feat. blink-182

Kimmel and Jill Leiderman serve as executive producers. David Craig, Douglas DeLuca, Erin Irwin, Molly McNearney and Jennifer Sharron serve as co-executive producers. “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” is taped in front of a live studio audience and produced by 12 05 AM Productions LLC in association with Kimmelot and ABC Studios. (CLOSED-CAPTIONED)



ABC’s ‘The View’: Jason Biggs, Dan Abrams, Pamela Adlon, Rocco DiSpirito





ABC’s ‘The View’: Jason Biggs, Dan Abrams, Pamela Adlon, Rocco DiSpirito, Ana Navarro, Andrew Yang, Sara Haines and More

Feb. 28, 2020

JASON BIGGS, DAN ABRAMS, PAMELA ADLON, ROCCO DISPIRITO, HOT TOPICS AND MORE ON ‘THE VIEW,’ MARCH 2 – 6
Ana Navarro, Andrew Yang and Sara Haines Guest Co-Host

Celebrating season 23, “The View” (11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. EST) is the place to be heard with live broadcasts five days a week. Hilary Estey McLoughlin serves as senior executive producer with Candi Carter and Brian Teta as executive producers. “The View” is directed by Sarah de la O. For breaking news and updated videos, follow “The View”  (@theview) and Whoopi Goldberg (@whoopigoldberg), Joy Behar (@joyvbehar), Sunny Hostin (@sunny) and Meghan McCain (@meghanmccain) on Twitter.  

Scheduled guests for the week of MARCH 2-6 are as follows (subject to change):

Monday, March 2 – Guest co-host Ana Navarro; Day of Hot Topics; “View Your Deal” with hottest items at affordable prices

Tuesday, March 3 – ABC News’ chief legal analyst Dan Abrams (author, “John Adams Under Fire”)

Wednesday, March 4 — Jason Biggs (“Outmatched”)

Thursday, March 5 — Guest co-host Andrew Yang; Pamela Adlon (“Better Things”)

Friday, March 6 — Guest co-host Sara Haines (co-host “GMA3: Strahan, Sara and Keke”); chef Rocco DiSpirito (author, “Rocco’s Keto Comfort Food Diet”)



ABC Wins Its 3rd Straight Week in Adults 18-49 With Nearly Half of the Week’s Top 20 Series





ABC Wins Its 3rd Straight Week in Adults 18-49 With Nearly Half of the Week’s Top 20 Series

Feb. 28, 2020
Live+3 Day Ratings for the Week of Feb. 17, 2020 (Week No. 22):

ABC Wins Its 3rd Straight Week in Adults 18-49

ABC Claims Nearly Half of the Week’s Top 20 Highest-Rated Series
Series photos are available at wdtvpress.com
During the week of Feb. 17, 2020, ABC stood as the No. 1 network for the 3rd week in a row among Adults 18-49 (1.1/6), beating NBC by 10% (1.0/5), Fox by 10% (1.0/5) and CBS by 22% (0.9/5). ABC ranked No. 1 on 3 of 7 nights of the week (Monday, Thursday and Sunday) in Adults 18-49, winning more nights of the week than any other network.
ABC delivered 9 of the week’s Top 20 highest-rated series in Adults 18-49, more than NBC – 5, CBS – 5 or Fox – 3: “The Bachelor” (2.3/11), “Grey’s Anatomy” (1.9/10), “American Idol” (1.7/8), “The Good Doctor” (1.6/9), “The Conners” (1.4/8), “Station 19” (1.4/7), “A Million Little Things” (1.3/7), “The Rookie” (1.3/7) and “Modern Family” (1.3/6).
· ABC claimed the Top 2 programs on Monday with “The Bachelor” and “The Good Doctor,” respectively, the Top 2 programs on Thursday with “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Station 19” (tie), respectively, and the Top 3 broadcast programs on Sunday with “American Idol,” “The Rookie” and “America’s Funniest Home Videos”(1.1/6), respectively.
· ABC delivered the No. 1 comedy for the 2nd straight week with “The Conners” (tied with CBS’ “Young Sheldon”).
· ABC had the No. 1 10:00 p.m. program for the 2nd week running with “The Good Doctor.”

ABC delivered 6 of the week’s Top 15 gainers in TV playback among Adults 18-49—the most for any network (NBC – 5, CBS – 2, Fox – 2): “Grey’s Anatomy” (+0.8 rating points), “The Good Doctor” (+0.7 rating points), “A Million Little Things” (+0.7 rating points), “For Life” (+0.5 rating points), “Modern Family” (+0.5 rating points) and “The Rookie” (+0.5 rating points).

· ABC’s “For Life” was the week’s No. 1 playback gainer for a new series (+0.5 rating points-tie) and also stood as the No. 1 new series gainer on a percentage basis on the major networks (+83%).

Source: The Nielsen Company, as dated, rankers exclude repeats.



ABC’s ‘The Rookie’ Returns With Its Largest Audience Since Its Series Debut





ABC’s ‘The Rookie’ Returns With Its Largest Audience Since Its Series Debut

Feb. 28, 2020
Quick Take for Sunday, Feb. 23, 2020
(National Live+3 Day Program Ratings)

ABC Wins All 4 Hours of Sunday Night in Adults 18-49 with a 3-Month High

‘America’s Funniest Home Videos’ Builds to New Season Highs

‘American Idol’ Is Sunday’s No. 1 Series for the 2nd Straight Week in Adults 18-49

‘The Rookie’ Returns With Its Largest Audience Since Its Series Debut

Series photos are available at wdtvpress.com

ABC Sunday Prime Time (7:00-11:00 p.m. – 8.0 million and 1.5/7 in AD18-49):
ABC ranked as Sunday’s No. 1 network among Adults 18-49 (1.5/7), dominating its nearest competition by 88% (CBS = 0.8/4) and ranking as the No. 1 broadcaster in all 4 hours of the night. ABC claimed the night’s Top 3 broadcast shows in Adults 18-49 with “American Idol,” “The Rookie” and “America’s Funniest Home Videos,” respectively. Excluding only the night of “The Oscars®,” ABC delivered its highest-rated Sunday in 3 months – since 11/24/19.

“America’s Funniest Home Videos” (7:00-8:00 p.m. – 6.4 million and 1.1/6 in AD18-49):
ABC’s “America’s Funniest Home Videos” spiked week to week by 7% in Total Viewers (6.4 million vs. 6.0 million) and by 22% among Adults 18-49 (1.1/6 vs. 0.9/5) to hit new season highs. In fact, “America’s Funniest Home Videos” scored its most-watched telecast in nearly 1 year – since 3/3/19. “America’s Funniest Home Videos” ranked as the No. 1 program in the 7 o’clock hour in Adults 18-49.

“American Idol” (8:00-10:00 p.m. – 8.7 million and 1.7/8 in AD18-49):
ABC’s “American Idol” ranked as Sunday’s No. 1 program with Adults 18-49 (1.7/8), standing as the night’s top-rated series for the 2nd week in a row. In addition, “American Idol” dominated its 2-hour time period in Adults 18-49, more than doubling its nearest competition in the slot (+113% – 0.8/4 for CBS and Fox tied) and ranking No. 1 on broadcast in both hours. “American Idol” held steady with its week-earlier premiere in Adults 18-49 (coming within 1-tenth of a ratings point – 1.7/8 vs. 1.8/9).

· ABC’s “American Idol” was Sunday’s No. 1 most social entertainment program across broadcast and cable, earning 1.0 million total social interactions.

“The Rookie” (10:00-11:00 p.m. – 8.2 million and 1.3/7 in AD18-49):
The winter premiere of ABC’s “The Rookie” grew over the series’ last telecast in December by 14% in Total Viewers (8.2 million vs. 7.2 million) to draw its biggest audience since its series debut in October 2018 (and its 2nd largest audience ever) – since 10/16/18. In addition, “The Rookie” returned with growth of 8% among Adults 18-49 over its most-recent telecast (1.3/7 vs. 1.2/6) to score a season high. “The Rookie” won Sunday’s 10:00 p.m. hour in both Total Viewers and Adults 18-49.

· “The Rookie” was Sunday’s No. 1 gainer in TV playback in Total Viewers (+3.32 million) and Adults 18-49 (+0.5 rating points-tie).

Source: The Nielsen Company, National Live+3 Day Program Ratings, 2/23/20. Nielsen Social for 2/23/20.

*COPYRIGHT ©2020 American Broadcasting Companies, Inc. All photography is copyrighted material and is for editorial use only. Images are not to be archived, altered, duplicated, resold, retransmitted or used for any other purposes without written permission of ABC. Images are distributed to the press in order to publicize current programming. Any other usage must be licensed. Photos posted for Web use must be at the low resolution of 72dpi, no larger than 2×3 in size.



‘World News Tonight With David Muir’ Wins Largest February Sweep Victory





‘World News Tonight With David Muir’ Wins Largest February Sweep Victory Over NBC in 24 Years and CBS in at Least 28 Years, Winning Across the Board in Total Viewers, Adults 25-54 and Adults 18-49

Feb. 28, 2020

** Ratings Report for ABC News’ “World News Tonight with David Muir”
For February 2020 Sweep

‘WORLD NEWS TONIGHT WITH DAVID MUIR’ WINS LARGEST FEBRUARY SWEEP VICTORY OVER NBC IN 24 YEARS AND CBS IN AT LEAST 28 YEARS, WINNING ACROSS THE BOARD IN TOTAL VIEWERS, ADULTS 25-54 AND ADULTS 18-49

‘World News Tonight’ Ranks No. 1 for the 14th Consecutive Sweep in Total Viewers and 5th Sweep in a Row Among Adults 25-54

David Muir Anchored From Iowa, New Hampshire, and Washington, D.C.,
During the February Sweep

ABC News’ “World News Tonight with David Muir” won the February 2020 sweep across the board: Total Viewers (9.200 million), Adults 25-54 (1.810 million) and Adults 18-49 (1.181 million), based on Most Current Data from Nielsen Media Research. “World News Tonight” ranked No. 1 in all key demos during a February sweep for the first time in 13 years – since February 2007.
Muir anchored from Iowa on Monday, Feb. 3, to report on the Iowa Caucuses; Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, Feb. 4, and Wednesday, Feb. 5, to cover the State of the Union and Democratic Response and the final days of the Senate impeachment trial; and New Hampshire on Thursday, Feb. 6, and Friday, Feb. 7, for ABC News’ Democratic Debate; and Tuesday, Feb. 11, to cover the New Hampshire Primary.
In Total Viewers, “World News Tonight”’s victory represented its 4th straight year to lead the February sweep and marked its 14th consecutive sweep victory overall – since February 2017 and November 2016, respectively. In Adults 25-54, “World News Tonight” won back-to-back February sweeps for the first time in 12 years (since February 2007 and 2008) and has won in the key adult news demo for the 5th straight sweep overall (since February 2019).
“World News Tonight” outdelivered “NBC Nightly News” (8.005 million, 1.683 million and 1.156 million, respectively) by 1.195 million Total Viewers, 127,000 Adults 25-54 and 25,000 Adults 18-49. “World News Tonight” delivered its largest Total Viewer lead during a February sweep in 24 years and biggest during any sweep in nearly 24 years – since February 1996 and May 1996, respectively. In addition, the ABC evening newscast posted its biggest news demo victory during February in 13 years and its largest during any sweep in over 12 years – since February 2007 and July 2007, respectively.
“World News Tonight” improved on the previous sweep (November 2019) in Total Viewers (+251,000/+3% – 9.200 million vs. 8.949 million) and Adults 25-54 (+55,000/+3% – 1.810 million vs. 1.755 million), standing as the only evening newscast to grow in the key adult news demo.
“World News” beat CBS’ “Evening News” (5.927 million, 1.124 million and 804,000, respectively) by 3.273 million Total Viewers, 686,000 Adults 25-54 and 377,000 Adults 18-49 during the February 2020 sweep, seeing its largest Total Viewer lead during any sweep in at least 28 years (since at least the November 1991 sweep during the start of Nielsen electronic database in the 1991-1992 season).
ABC “World News Tonight with David Muir” airs 6:30–7:00 p.m. EDT on ABC. Almin Karamehmedovic is the executive producer of the broadcast.

EVENING NEWS (February 2020 Sweep)

TOTAL VIEWERS
ADULTS 25-54
ADULTS 18-49
HOUSEHOLDS
ABC WORLD NEWS TONIGHT
9,200,000
1.5/8; 1,810,000
0.9/6; 1,181,000
6.1/13
NBC NIGHTLY NEWS
8,005,000
1.4/7; 1,683,000
0.9/6; 1,156,000
5.1/11
CBS EVENING NEWS
5,927,000
0.9/5; 1,124,000
0.6/4; 804,000
3.9/ 9

Source: The Nielsen Company, NTI Total Viewers, Adults 25-54 and Adults 18-49. Sweeps based on Live+7/Most Current: February 2020 Sweep (1/30 – 2/26/20), February 2019 Sweep (1/31 – 2/27/19) and November 2019 Sweep (10/31 – 11/27/19). Sweep periods (November, February, May and July). NOTE: Due to the digital transition, the 2009 February sweep was 3/5 – 4/1/09. Averages based on regular telecasts.

*COPYRIGHT ©2020 American Broadcasting Companies, Inc. All photography is copyrighted material and is for editorial use only. Images are not to be archived, altered, duplicated, resold, retransmitted or used for any other purposes without written permission of ABC News. Images are distributed to the press in order to publicize current programming. Any other usage must be licensed. Photos posted for Web use must be at the low resolution of 72dpi, no larger than 2×3 in size.