‘Survivor’ Ticks Up In Audience To Win Wednesday; ABC’s Covid-19 Retrospective Earns 1.6M Viewers

Let it never be said that Stacey Kay doesn’t know how to leave an audience wanting more.

NEW YORK -- The NBA playoffs have begun with no clear championship favorite, and that appears to be good news for ABC and ESPN.The opening-round schedule of five games last weekend on the networks had more viewers than any playoff start since 2011, and its average of 4.17 million was up 32% over last year, the Nielsen company said.Leading the way was the instant classic between the Brooklyn Nets and Boston Celtics, with 6.9 million viewers Sunday afternoon, making it the most-watched first round game since 2016, Nielsen said. Viewership peaked at 9.8 million when the Celtics hit a last-second layup to win 115-114.Among the broadcast networks, CBS led the way last week with an average of 4.5 million viewers in prime time. ABC had 3.5 million, NBC had 3 million, Fox had 2.8 million, Univision had 1.4 million, Ion Television had 1 million and Telemundo had 800,000.Fox News Channel led the cable networks with a prime-time average of 2.24 million viewers.

Ramón Rodríguez is set as the lead role of ABC’s drama pilot Will Trent, which now has been officially cleared for production. He also will be a producer on the project, from 20th Television.

The latest episode of Chicago Fire knocked fellow Wednesday ratings winner Survivor off its primetime throne. The NBC drama was the sole winner, bringing in both the largest audience and highest rating of Wednesday primetime.

Shirley Halperin Executive Editor, MusicTom Windish is the head of business development and A&R for the talent agency Wasserman Music, where his clients include the artists Lorde, the xx and Coachella headliner Billie Eilish. And like the most seasoned of booking agents, he got his start while still in college.

Mattea Roach’s winning streak on “Jeopardy!” has now reached six games.

Darren Moore admits he cannot put his finger on why Elias Kachunga's time at Sheffield Wednesday did not go to plan but is well aware of the danger the attacker presents his side if he lines up for Bolton Wanderers tomorrow.

Ian Evatt admits that Bolton Wanderers will have to tweak how they play against Sheffield Wednesday and for the rest of the season as long as they are without influential captain Ricardo Almeida Santos.

Once again Survivor and Chicago Fire were the top dogs of Wednesday primetime, as the highest-rated programs of the evening. While the two were riding high, Fox’s slate including The Masked Singer and newbie Domino Masters hit season lows.

As the Kardashian-Jenner family prepares to debut their new Hulu show, Kris Jenner, Kim Kardashian, Kourtney Kardashian and Khloé Kardashian are getting candid about their lives, telling all in a new special with Robin Roberts.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterThe ABC comedy pilot “Not Dead Yet” starring Gina Rodriguez has found five new series regulars, Variety has learned.Josh Banday (“Pam & Tommy,” “Upload”), Jessica St. Clair (“Playing House,” “Avenue 5”), Mary Elizabeth Ellis (“It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” “Licorice Pizza”), Angela Gibbs (“Black Jesus,” “Hacks”), and Rick Glassman (“Old Dads,” “A Futile and Stupid Gesture”) will all appear alongside Rodriguez.In the single-cam pilot, Nell Stevens (Rodriguez) is broke, newly single and feeling old. Nell – a self-described disaster – works to restart the life and career she left behind 10 years ago.

Ben Croll Up until a few short years ago, French scripted dramas offered terrestrial viewers and international buyers the same steady promise: Be they criminal investigators or 17th-century dukes, rarely would a series’ cast skew too young.“Traditional French broadcasters served a somewhat old­er set of viewers,” says Series Mania artistic director Frederic Lavigne. “And they oriented their programming toward that public.

ABC will get more of The Rookie, renewing the cop drama for Season 5. The Rookie hails from creator and executive producer Alexi Hawley and stars Nathan Fillion, Mekia Cox, Alyssa Diaz, Richard T. Jones and more.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterBoth “The Rookie” and “The Good Doctor” have been renewed at ABC.For “The Rookie,” that means the show will go to a fifth season, while “The Good Doctor” will be back for a sixth. “The Rookie” currently airs Sundays on ABC with “The Good Doctor” airing on Mondays.The renewals come as ABC is also prepping a potential spinoff of “The Rookie” starring Niecy Nash. The spinoff will be introduced in a two-episode backdoor pilot during “The Rookie’s” fourth season.“The Rookie” stars Nathan Fillion as John Nolan, Mekia Cox as Nyla Harper, Alyssa Diaz as Angela Lopez, Richard T.

No need for the “American Idol” judges to take it easy on Danielle Finn.

Former Jane the Virgin star Gina Rodriguez is returning to broadcast television as the lead in ABC’s single-camera comedy pilot Not Dead Yet from The Real O’Neals creators Casey Johnson and David Windsor, McG and 20th Television.

EXCLUSIVE: Reema Sampat (Orange Is the New Black) has been tapped as the female lead opposite Chris Sullivan in The Son In Law, ABC’s single-camera comedy pilot from 20th Television.