“Judge Judy” Heats Up as Spring Begins

Review based on a national syndicated rating report for the week ending March 27, 2022.

While ratings for most syndicated shows remained under pressure as spring — with its traditionally lower viewing levels — got underway in the session ending March 27, a handful of programs still managed to improve.

Judge Judy (4.5 live plus same day national Nielsen, up 10% from the week before) had more than triple the rating of the next highest court show and led the category for the 1,331^st consecutive week (or every week for more than 25 years).

Oddly enough, the “Judy” rally came in the face of preemptions for Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson’s Senate confirmation hearings as well as the Sweet Sixteen round of the NCAA’s “March Madness” Men’s College Basketball Tournament.

Elsewhere in daytime, Live with Kelly and Ryan (1.6, steady) topped the talkers for a third straight week, followed closely by Dr. Phil (1.5, up 7%).

Ellen DeGeneres (0.9, up 13%), currently in its 19^th and final season, completed the top three in the 15-show category. One of the biggest hits in daytime TV history, “Ellen” was one of the very few programs to have held 100% of its year-ago rating.

Further down the chart, the recently cancelled Maury (0.7, down 30% from the same week last year) had the steepest year-to-year decline of any talk show.

In access time periods Family Feud (5.2, unchanged) set the pace among game shows for the second consecutive week with Jeopardy (5.1, up 2%) right behind. Further back were Wheel of Fortune (4.6, up 2%) and You Bet Your Life with Jay Leno (0.7, down 13%).

Among magazines Inside Edition (2.0, down 5%) held on to a narrow lead.