CBS Seems Ready to Put Some Older-Skewing Shows Out to Pasture

By John Consoli -- Broadcasting & Cable, 3/16/2012 2:20:04 PM

CBS is not likely to bring back CSI: NY and A Gifted Man and one reason falls into a gray area-literally and figuratively. The series are two of the oldest-skewing shows on television. Each has a median age audience of 61 and both have paltry advertiser-desired 18-49 demo ratings, with CSI: NY at 1.5 and A Gifted Man at 1.2.

Both have decent viewer numbers for low TV-watching Friday nights, and both have won their time periods vs. the competition most weeks, but it's hard to get advertisers to invest in shows that draw such older audiences.

CBS' other Friday night drama, Blue Bloods, also has a median age audience of 61, but it draws more than 10 million viewers and has a slightly better 18-49 rating at 1.6. It also stars Tom Selleck, arguably a bigger name among viewers than Patrick Wilson of A Gifted Man or even Gary Sinise of CSI: NY. Plus, it would be hard to replace an entire primetime slate on the same night. That drastic a move has rarely worked for the networks that have tried it in the past.

These are hardly the only CBS series beloved chiefly by the AARP set; but NCIS (median age audience of 59), NCIS: Los Angeles (58) and newsmagazine 60 Minutes (60), are still producing large viewer numbers in the 18-49 demo. NCIS this season is averaging 17.6 million viewers and a 3.4 demo rating, making it the highest rated scripted drama in the demo. NCIS: Los Angeles is averaging 14.7 million viewers and a 3.0 demo rating, while 60 Minutes is drawing 13.6 million viewers per show and a 2.6 demo rating, tops among all newsmagazines.

Another show not on the list of renewals that CBS released earlier this week was CSI: Miami with a median age of 58, but with declining ratings in its Sunday night at 10 p.m. time period. CSI: Miami is down an average of 700,000 viewers compared to last season, not a huge amount when it still draws an average 9.4 million. However, it is also down to a 2.0 18-49 rating compared to a 2.5 last season-a decline of concern to both advertisers and CBS. CSI: Miami also has a median age audience of 58, up from 55 last season, and star David Caruso doesn't seem to have the female following he did when the show aired on Monday nights two seasons ago.

Meanwhile, freshman drama Unforgettable might be in a similar situation as far as its demo rating goes. The show has consistently won its time period in viewers, averaging an impressive 10.6 million per week, but it is only averaging a 2.1 18-49 rating, with an audience median age of 58.

Conversely, CBS' other freshman drama, Person of Interest, which carries a median age audience of 57, is not only averaging almost 12 million viewers, but is also averaging a 2.6 18-49 demo rating, second only to ABC's Once Upon a Time (3.3) among all rookie dramas, and in the Top 10 in the demo among all broadcast dramas. It has consistently beaten ABC's Grey's Anatomy in viewers and on some weeks in the key demo. Understandably, CBS has announced its renewal for next season.

So with all its old-skewing shows, what is CBS' youngest-skewing show? That would be freshman sitcom 2 Broke Girls with a median age audience of 47.

And despite all its older-skewing shows, CBS doesn't have the single oldest-skewing show in broadcast primetime. That distinction goes to NBC and its Kathy Bates drama, Harry's Law, with a median age of 62. And that ages to 63 for its repeats on Saturday nights.

The youngest-skewing scripted drama in broadcast primetime this season is The CW's One Tree Hill, with a median age of 30. Other primetime dramas with median age audiences in the 30s are: The CW's Gossip Girl and 90210 (32), The Vampire Diaries (35), The Secret Circle (37) and Supernatural and Ringer (39). The CW drama Nikita is that network's oldest-skewing show with a median age of 47.

Among the scripted comedies, the youngest-skewing series is Fox's freshman sitcom New Girl with a median age of 35. Next is NBC's The Office at 36, followed by Fox's Glee, Raising Hope and Breaking In, each at 38, and NBC's Parks and Recreation, 39.

Animated shows also skew young. Fox's The Cleveland Show, Bob's Burgers, American Dad, Family Guy and the cancelled Allen Gregory all posted a median age audience of 30, while Napoleon Dynamite's is 31.

Fox's oldest-skewing show is drama Bones with a median age audience of 51, while ABC's oldest-skewing show is Dancing With the Stars at 59. It is closely followed by dramas Body of Proof (58) and Castle (57). ABC's youngest-skewing show is sitcom Happy Endings with a median age audience of 43 followed by Modern Family (44) and Cougar Town (47).