“We’re happy with the show creatively,” an ABC spokeswoman tells TheWrap. “We’re hoping we can build in our delayed viewing numbers”
ABC’s “Kids Say the Darndest Things” is not getting darn good TV ratings. As a matter of fact, Nielsen numbers for the Tiffany Haddish-hosted reboot on Sunday nights are pretty darned bad.
Continue reading
Join WrapPRO for Exclusive Content,
Full Video Access, Premium Events, and More!
“Kids Say the Darndest Things” is averaging a 0.6 rating among adults ages 18-49, according to Nielsen’s “most current” ratings, a data set that includes one week of delayed viewing per episode where available. That puts it in a tie for the 89th highest-rated show on broadcast television this season alongside reruns of “Young Sheldon” and “SWAT” (with a little bit of summer spillover mixed in).
And there are actually three show’s with rerun episodes that are doing better than “Kids” new ones: “NCIS,” “The Neighborhood” and “Family Guy.”
Also Read: How Great Was 'Jeopardy: Greatest of All Time' in TV Ratings?
OK, so Haddish’s show focuses on children, so maybe it does better among parents, right? Not really. “Kids” climbs just one row higher on the Nielsen sheets among adults 25-54, tying for 88th.
All right, maybe grandparents? A little better, we guess: Among adults 50-plus, “Kids Say the Darndest Things” rises to 78th.
Well, what about younger? It’s 69th in 18-34.
Also Read: Golden Globes Drop 11% in Key Demo Ratings to New NBC Low
The median age of the new “Kids Say the Darndest Things” viewer is 60.4 years old, making it the 58th oldest-skewing show on broadcast.
All in, the program averages 4.008 million viewers, which ranks it 83rd in that metric among shows on CBS, NBC, Fox, ABC and The CW.
Those numbers are not as strong as the network had hoped, one insider acknowledged to TheWrap.
“We’re happy with the show creatively, and we feel it’s a good fit between ‘America’s Funniest Home Videos’ and ‘Shark Tank.’ We’re hoping we can build in our delayed viewing numbers,” a spokeswoman for ABC told TheWrap.
Also Read: Why Winter Break Is Tough on TV Ratings But Great for Binging
This past weekend was a particularly rough one for “Kids Say the Darndest Things.”
On Sunday, the show’s 0.5 rating was significantly below (-29%) the 0.7 that its “America’s Funniest Home Videos” lead-in received. Now, it’s true that “Kids” faced the Golden Globes, but “AFHV” was up against NFL Playoff football, which is even stiffer competition.
“Kids Say the Darndest Things” is an updated version of the original series, which was hosted by Bill Cosby and aired in 1998 and again in 2000.
Haddish’s “Kids Say the Darndest Things” airs Sundays at 8/7c on ABC. If you’re intrigued by it, we suggest you watch it while you still can.
10 Highest-Rated TV Specials of 2019: From Hostless Oscars to 'Little Mermaid Live' (Photos)
-
With increased competition and a general downward trend in live viewing, television specials tend to feel, well, less special with each passing year. There are still quite a few annual must-see live-TV hours -- and no, we're not even talking about sports (for this one).
From the Oscars to the Emmys and everything toward the top, TheWrap ranked the 10 highest-rated broadcast-television entertainment specials of 2019. All numbers in this story come from Nielsen's Live + Same Day data set and measures adults 18-49, the demographic most sought after by advertisers on entertainment programming.
Thanks to ABC's "The Little Mermaid Live," we've got a musical on the list again this year. We declined to include the Oscars red carpet half-hours this time around, as they would bump a few standalone specials from the Top 10.
-
Getty
Rank: 10
Special: American Music Awards
Date: Nov. 24, 2019
Net: ABC
18-49 rating: 1.72Also Read: Ratings: AMAs Fall to Another Record Low in Demo Despite Even More Taylor Swift Than Last Year
-
ABC
Rank: 9
Special: "Live in Front of a Studio Audience: All in the Family/The Jeffersons"
Date: May 22, 2019
Net: ABC
18-49 rating: 1.74Also Read: Viola Davis, Tiffany Haddish and More Join ABC’s ‘Live in Front of a Studio Audience: Good Times’
-
CBS
Rank: 8
Special: Thanksgiving Day Parade (CBS)
Date: Nov. 28, 2019
Net: CBS
18-49 rating: 1.78Also Read: 16 Best Thanksgiving TV Episodes and Specials Ever (Photos)
-
Photo by Terry Wyatt/Getty Images
Rank: 7
Special: Country Music Awards
Date: Nov. 13, 2019
Net: ABC
18-49 rating: 1.96Also Read: Ratings: CMAs Slip to Another Record Low in Key Demo, But Rise in Total Viewers
-
Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for dcp
Rank: 6
Special: Billboard Music Awards
Date: May 1, 2019
Net: NBC
18-49 rating: 2.08Also Read: How Kelly Clarkson’s Talk Show ‘Kellyoked’ Its Way to the Hottest Syndicated Launch Since 2012
-
ABC/Mitch Haaseth
Rank: 5
Special: "Little Mermaid Live!"
Date: Nov. 5, 2019
Net: ABC
18-49 rating: 2.60Also Read: Live TV Musicals Ranked by Ratings, From ‘Little Mermaid’ to ‘Rent’ (Photos)
-
Getty
Rank: 4
Special: Golden Globes
Date: Jan. 6, 2019
Net: NBC
18-49 rating: 5.27Also Read: 19 Golden Globes Nominations Snubs and Surprises, From ‘When They See Us’ to Cate Blanchett (Photos)
-
Peter Kramer/NBC
Rank: 3
Special: Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
Date: Nov. 28, 2019
Net: NBC
18-49 rating: 5.49Also Read: Tito Ortiz and Alberto Del Rio on Going From Real Punches to Pro-Wrestling Punches – and Back
-
Getty
Rank: 2
Special: Grammys
Date: Feb. 10, 2019
Net: CBS
18-49 rating: 5.61Also Read: 26 Stars Who Only Need a Grammy to EGOT, From Liza Minnelli to Al Pacino (Photos)
-
Getty
Rank: 1
Special: Oscars
Date: Feb. 24, 2019
Net: ABC
18-49 rating: 7.70Also Read: Why the Oscars Could Be Walking Into a Diversity Minefield This Season
The Emmys missed the cut this year, but the rest of these did not
With increased competition and a general downward trend in live viewing, television specials tend to feel, well, less special with each passing year. There are still quite a few annual must-see live-TV hours -- and no, we're not even talking about sports (for this one).
From the Oscars to the Emmys and everything toward the top, TheWrap ranked the 10 highest-rated broadcast-television entertainment specials of 2019. All numbers in this story come from Nielsen's Live + Same Day data set and measures adults 18-49, the demographic most sought after by advertisers on entertainment programming.
Thanks to ABC's "The Little Mermaid Live," we've got a musical on the list again this year. We declined to include the Oscars red carpet half-hours this time around, as they would bump a few standalone specials from the Top 10.
Tony Maglio
TV Editor • tony.maglio@thewrap.com • Twitter: @tonymaglio