America Still Likes Survivor and ER

Via Waxy, here’s a list of the shows TiVo viewers recorded most often (scroll down to the bottom) for a week in late October:

1. Desperate Housewives
2. The Apprentice
3. Lost
4. Survivor: Vanuatu, Islands of Fire
5. CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
6. MLB Baseball: American League Championship Series, Game 7
7. ER
8. CSI: Miami
9. Joey
10. The West Wing

This, in my mind, is the new Nielsen rating. Nielsen apparently still has consumers using pens and logbooks to record their viewing habits. It’s interesting to me that Survivor and ER are still in the top ten. While I enjoy the challenges in Survivor, I can’t stomach all the bitchiness. Besides, the show essentially repeats itself in a new tropical location.

As for ER, they’ve done a remarkable job of retaining viewship despite the exodus of nearly every recognizable cast member. I’ve never been a loyal viewer, though the presence of the lovely Maura Tierney forces me to watch occasionally. I’m guessing that the West Wing’s presence on that list reflects the TiVo’s demographics. There’s no explanation for the presence of Joey.