The n🤡umbers are in for the opening week of the syndicated TV season and several people, most notably Meredith Vieira, should be pleased.
“The Meredith Vieira Show” opened its fiꦐrst week (Sept. 8) to an average audience of 1.6 million viewers — the third-biggest daytime talk show opening in the past four years (in household rating) behind the now-departed “Katie” (Katie Couric) and “Queen Latifah.” By comparison, “Katie” and “Queen Latifah” averaged 2.5 million viewers and 1.8 million viewers, respectively, in their inaugur𓆏al weeks.
Elsewhere, “Steve Harvey” (2.5 million🍸 viewers) was up 36 percent over last season’s premiere, and “Dr. Phil” led all daytime talkers, averaging 4.4 million viewers. “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire,” with rookie host Terry Crews, opened with 2.8 million view🔜ers — steady with last season’s opening week average.
Look back in ‘Anger’
Charlie Sheen, who was infamously axed from “Two and a Half Men” in 2011, is flapping his (tiger) gums about returning to the CBS sitcom for its final season — a scenario CBS has said, repeatedly, will not happen. I’m guessing it’s no coincidence that Sheen wants back on his former show now that his current series, “Anger Management,” is nearing the end of its 100-eꩵpisode run on FX. The sitcom, which opened to a whopping 6 million viewers in 2012, has nearly dropped off the raꦛtings map since then, averaging 1.7 million viewers (84 episodes) and only 1.4 million viewers this season. Just sayin’.
Last, but not least …
Leah Remini, LL Cool J, Leeza Gibbons and others helped Holly Robinson Peete celebrate her 50th birthday Saturday night in Malibu, drinking Hint water and boogeyi꧃ng to a performance by En Vogue … Public TV’s “American Graduate Day” airs live Saturday on Ch. 13 (11 a.m. to 6 p.m.) with guests including Tony Bennett, Colin Powell, Allison Williams, her dad Brian Williams and Juju Chang. It highlights people and organizations working to keep students on the road to graduation … “Scandal” co-star Scott Foley’s big-screen directorial debut, “Let’s Kill Ward’s Wife,” has been acquired by Tribeca Film and Well Go USA Entertainment. The movie staꦐrs Foley, Amy Acker, Donald Faison, Greg Grunberg and Patrick Wilson.