TV Ratings: 'Happy Days Reunion' Scores Victory For ABC

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It doesn’t matter whether or not Joanie still loves Chachi, because America, it seems, still loves “Happy Days.” ABC’s “Happy Days 30th Anniversary Reunion” proved to be an across-the-board ratings smash on Thursday (Feb. 3) night, getting ABC off to a strong start for the all-important February sweeps period.

Thursday’s “Happy Days” special averaged 19.9 million viewers during its two-hour run, a particularly impressive total given the tough competition it faced, as the other networks trotted out new episodes for the launch of the sweep. Averaging 16.2 million viewers overall, Thursday marked ABC’s best opening night for a sweeps period since 2000. ABC’s 5.2 rating among adults 18-49 was the network’s best demographic start for a sweep since 2002.

ABC’s reunion special was particularly strong for the 8 p.m. hour, where it averaged just under 20.5 million viewers, spanking around new episodes of “Joey” and “Will & Grace.” ABC doubled up NBC’s struggling comedies for the hour in total viewers as both “Joey” and “Will & Grace” approached record lows for new episodes.

In its second hour, “Happy Days” dipped slightly to 19.3 million and the reunion fell below CBS’ “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” and NBC’s “The Apprentice 3” in the young adult demographic and behind “CSI” in total viewers. Still, the special held “CSI” to under 25 million total viewers, one of the drama’s smallest audiences for a new episode this season and the show’s 18-49 rating of 8.9 was its lowest of the year. CBS still won the night in viewers with 18.54 million.

Although CBS’ “Without a Trace” (19.3 million viewers) topped NBC’s “ER” (18.1 million) in total viewers, “ER” crushed the CBS procedural in the 18-49 demographic, helping NBC to a nightly 18-49 win with a 6.9 rating.

Credit: Zap2It

Murtz Jaffer is the world's foremost reality television expert and was the host of Reality Obsessed which aired on the TVTropolis and Global Reality Channels in Canada. He has professional writing experience at the Toronto Sun, National Post, TV Guide Canada, TOROMagazine.com and was a former producer at Entertainment Tonight Canada. He was also the editor at Weekendtrips.com.