Looks as if The Secret Talents of Stars will remain a secret forever. The April 8 premiere of the reality series posted a disappointing 4.6 million total viewers, and a measly 1.5 rating against Adults 18-49 finishing third in its 10 p.m. time period behind an original episode of Boston Legal and a repeat of Law and Order: SVU. The show, reports Carat Programming, was yanked after just one airing.
NBC’s entire Thursday night line-up was back on Thursday April 10. The second post-strike original episode of My Name is Earl (8 p.m.), fell by 6% versus last week. The critically acclaimed 30 Rock (8:30 p.m.), which had to contend with the second half-hour of an American Idol results-show special, returned with close to 5.8 million total viewers, slightly below its final pre-strike episode performance. However 30 Rock’s Adult 18-49 rating for the episode was pretty much on par. (By the way, The American Idol results special (8-9 p.m.) was the highest-rated telecast for the night in both total viewers (20.1 million) and Adults 18-49 (7.0 rating). The Office (9 p.m.) returned with 9.3 million total viewers, 6% higher than its final pre-strike episode. Its 4.9 rating against Adults 18-49 performed on par. Scrubs posted 6.5 million total viewers, an impressive 36% gain versus its final pre-strike original back in December. In addition, the comedy’s 3.4 rating against Adults 18-49, represented a gain of a full rating point. The return of ER (10 p.m.) delivered 7.5 million viewers, a 16% falloff versus its final pre-strike original and Adults 18-49 slipped to a 3.1 rating, a 9% decline.
In other ER news, the 15th season of the medical drama will also be its last. Series regulars Maura Tierney and Goran Visnjic, have not renewed their contracts for a full year, and will both depart early next season. In addition to original cast member Noah Wyle, whose contract calls for him to return for four more episodes, executive producer John Wells has expressed interest in trying to lure back other ER alumni such as George Clooney and Julianna Margulies for the series finale. ER is currently tied with NBC’s Law and Order as the longest-running prime-time drama on television. ER’s last show is slated to be episode No. 327.
