TV Ratings: 'Judge Judy' Wins Syndication Sweeps

The verdict is in and Judge Judy has won the May sweep for the 10th year in a row with a nosebleed-level 7.1 live-plus-same day national Nielsen average, matching its second-highest May rating in five years. According to TV NewsCheck, that beat back a furious challenge from a surging Jeopardy and its most dominant player in years, James Holzhauer.

By the end of the sweep, which ran from April 25 to May 22, trivia titan Holzhauer had ratcheted up the popular game show’s ratings 19% from last year to a second-place 7.0 while already winning 25 straight games and more than $1.9 million.

Judge Judy, which has been syndication’s highest-rated show in the May sweep every year since 2010, not only made it a full decade at No. 1, but finished with a bigger average than the four other nationally rated court shows combined and easily out-rated the Jeopardy sweep episodes that did not feature Holzhaurer by double-digit percentages.

⏩ Talk Shows:  Dr. Phil waltzed to victory among the talk shows in May for the eighth year in a row with a 2.8 sweep average and approximately 3.8 million daily viewers. The sweep’s top-rated daytime talk shows in the women 25-54 demo were:

1. Dr. Phil (1.2 average, -8% from last May)
2. Live with Kelly and Ryan (0.9, unchanged)
3. Ellen DeGeneres (0.8, -20%), tied with Maury (0.8, unchanged) and Wendy Williams (0.8, unchanged)

In the household rating rankings that follow, % change is from May 2018; * indicates a new season-high rating; ** indicates a new season low; NC indicates no change from the previous week; NA mean not applicable.

⏩ Court Shows:
Judge Judy  7.1 NC
Hot Bench 2.3 NC
People’s Court 1.4 -7%
Judge Mathis 1.0 NC
Divorce Court (20th Television) 0.7 -22%

⏩ Game Shows:
Jeopardy 7.0 +19%
Family Feud  5.9 -5%
Wheel of Fortune  5.9 +2%
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire 1.6 NC
Funny You Should Ask  0.5 +25%

⏩ Magazine Shows: Entertainment Tonight remained the top-rated magazine in a tie with sister show Inside Edition at a 2.8 and approximately 4 million daily viewers.
Entertainment Tonight 2.8 -7%
Inside Edition 2.8 -7%
TMZ  1.2 -8%
Access  1.2 NC
Extra 1.0 -9%

⏩ Off-Net Sitcoms:
Big Bang Theory 4.3 -2%
Last Man Standing 2.0 -5%
Modern Family 1.7 -19%
Two and a Half Men 1.4 -7%
The Goldbergs 1.4 -7%