Holzhauer lifts “Jeopardy” to highest rating in months

Review based on a national syndicated rating report for the week ending November 17

Superstar contestant James Holzhauer took home first place in the Tournament of Champions on “Jeopardy” and the game show cashed in with its biggest rating since the week ending June 2, 2019.

In the session ending November 17, Jeopardy (new season high 7.2 live plus same day national Nielsen, up 7% from the week before) was the quiz and giveaway category leader by a full point over sister show Wheel of Fortune (6.2, down 2%). Family Feud (5.9, down 2%) was third in the genre.

Most other shows were hampered by heavy preemptions for the impeachment hearings and Thursday Night Football. For example, only one magazine was up in households from the previous frame, Entertainment Tonight (2.8, up 4%), which matched its season high and tied stable-mate Inside Edition (2.8, down 3%) for the category lead. Among W25-54 however Access Hollywood (0.8 demo rating, up 14%) grew and matched its best number of the season in the target age group.

Dr. Phil (2.5 household rating, down 4%) outperformed the talkers for 167^th week in a row. Live with Kelly & Ryan (2.1, steady) remained at its season high and snared second place honors for the 38^th straight week.

Full season Nielsen champion Judge Judy (6.8, down 4%) overcame several large market preemptions and continued to clobber the court shows for a remarkable 1,208^th consecutive week.

Among the syndication newcomers the already renewed Kelly Clarkson Show (1.4, steady) held its own and tied veteran “Wendy Williams” as the 4^th highest talk show in the household ratings, behind only “Phil,” “Live” and “Ellen.” In addition “Clarkson” was the number one show in its time slot in major markets such as Los Angeles, Dallas and Atlanta. The highly regarded Tamron Hall (1.0, steady) also continued to shine despite the preemptions, holding its season high and scoring first or second place in its time period in four of the ten largest markets.

Further down the ratings chart Mel Robbins (0.4, unchanged), the season’s third rookie talker, was next in line but well behind the top two.

Among the court show newcomers, Jerry Springer’s Judge Jerry (1.0, steady), by far the most successful of the season’s rookie gavelers, continued to roll over the new courtrooms. In the new game show race Meredith Vieira’s 25 Words or Less (0.8, down 11%) remained slightly ahead of fellow freshman America Says (0.6, unchanged).

Elsewhere the test run for magazine wannabe Central Ave (0.9/2 weighted metered market average) was down 18% from both its lead-in and year-ago time periods in the third week of a five week tryout, which began November 4.