moment of truth

• At 8, ABC has a new Wife Swap, followed by new episodes of Supernanny and Men in Trees.
• CBS has a new Survivor at 8 (special night), then a new Big Brother.
• FOX has new episodes of Moment of Truth and American Idol.
• The CW has a new America's Next Top Model at 8.
• At 9, HGTV has a new Deserving Design, then new episodes of Design on a Dime, House Hunters, and Sleep on It.
• Sci-Fi has a new Ghost Hunters at 9, followed by a new Destination Truth.
• At 9:30, HBO has a new In Treatment.
• At 10, NBC has a new Law and Order.
• TBS has two new episodes of Tyler Perry's House of Payne.
• TV Land has a new High School Reunion at 10.
• Also at 10: Comedy Central has a new South Park, then a new Lewis Black's Root of All Evil.

Check your local TV listings for more.

• At 8, CBS has a new Big Brother.
• ABC has a new Wife Swap at 8, followed by new episodes of Supernanny and Men in Trees.
• FOX has new episodes of Moment of Truth and American Idol.
• NBC has a new Deal Or No Deal at 8.
• There's a new America's Next Top Model on The CW at 8.
• Also at 8: TCM has The Rat Race, then Boeing, Boeing (both starring Tony Curtis).
• At 9:30, HBO has a new In Treatment.
• At 10, NBC has a new Law and Order.
• Bravo has the season premiere of Top Chef at 10.
• TBS has two new episodes of Tyler Perry's House of Payne at 10.
• TV Land has a new High School Reunion at 10.
• Comedy Central has the season premiere of South Park at 10, then the series premiere of Lewis Black's Root of All Evil.

Check your local TV listings for more.

Here are the weekly TV ratings, by number of viewers.

No shock that American Idol grabs the first three slots again this week (and helps push both New Amsterdam episodes into the top 20), but I'm curious as to why the Thursday results show isn't higher than the Tuesday and Wednesday episodes, and why some weeks the Tuesday ep is number 1 in the ratings and other weeks the Wednesday show is number 1.

Lost continues to impress on its new night, and if you're wondering how 20/20 got to be number 5 for the week, it was the special "Royal Family" episode.

1. American Idol - Weds (FOX)
2. American Idol - Tues (FOX)
3. American Idol - Thurs (FOX)

Here are the weekly TV ratings, by number of viewers.

There's good news and bad news about this list. The good news is that we live in a world where a great show like Lost, now in its fourth season and in a new time slot, can still come in at #4. The same thing with 60 Minutes, which has been on forever. The bad news? We live in a world where Deal Or No Deal takes up three of the top twenty spots (including two in the top ten). Ugh.

1. American Idol - Tues (FOX)
2. American Idol - Weds (FOX)

Here are the weekly TV ratings, by number of viewers.

I can't remember the last time that one network had the first seven spots in the Nielsen ratings. FOX got the number one slot with the Super Bowl (of course), but then got the next six spots too, with the post-game, the episode of House that followed the post-game, the two American Idol episodes (again, of course), the other episode of House, and the new game/reality show Moment of Truth. And if you extend it to the top 20, FOX also had Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader? and Don't Forget The Lyrics. Good week for them.

1. Super Bowl (FOX)
2. Super Bowl Post-Game (FOX)
3. House (FOX)

• At 8, ABC has a new Wife Swap, followed by a repeat of the season finale of Lost, with new on-screen info.
• FOX has a new American Idol at 8, then a new Moment of Truth.
• The CW has a new Crowned at 8.
• There's a new America's Ballroom Challenge at 8 on PBS.
• CNN has a Republican Presidential Debate at 8.
• Also at 8: G4 has a new X-Play.
• At 9, Sci-Fi has a new Ghost Hunters International.
• At 9:30, Food Network has a new Good Eats.
• HBO has a new In Treatment at 9:30, then a new Inside the NFL.
• At 10, NBC has a new Law and Order.
• TBS has two new episodes of Tyler Perry's House of Payne at 10.

Check your local TV listings for more.

Here are the weekly TV ratings, by number of viewers.

No surprise who grabbed the first two slots in the ratings: both episodes of American Idol. I am surprised - OK, not surprised, just dismayed - by the strong showing of Moment of Truth, which came in #3 after Idol. Interesting to see that 60 Minutes is still consistently in the top 10 after all these decades. Of course, CBS always has a lot of shows in the top 20 every week. It's amazing how shows like Without A Trace, NCIS, Criminal Minds, Two and a Half Men, Shark, and all of the CSI shows are always always always on the list.

1. American Idol - Tues (FOX)
2. American Idol - Weds (FOX)

According to TMZ, the game show Moment of Truth sent a letter to Roger Clemens' manager asking him to appear as a contestant on the show. For those unaware, the former Yankees pitcher was mentioned in a document called the Mitchell Report which accused multiple baseball players of taking steroids and caused a big stir in the sport.

While as a viewer, I would find this entertaining (Clemens has not been proven to have taken steroids). That still doesn't stop me from thinking it's a bad idea for Clemens to do so. There is no advantage for him to it. The cynics of America will think either he takes steroids or the game is rigged (such as when it was revealed that one of the contestants was an actor). If they want Clemens on a reality show, I think he would do better on Dancing with the Stars.

On January 23rd, FOX will debut its newest gameshow, The Moment of Truth. On the show, contestants will have to answer 21 increasingly personal questions honestly (as determined by a polygraph) to win $500,000. Now, that's a lot of cash, but is it worth revealing your deepest feelings on national television while your family, friends, or spouse sit on stage and heckle you? After trying it out today, I really don't know.

FOX set up a Moment of Truth Booth here in Santa Monica at the Third Street Promenade and let people try out the game in front of shoppers and other passers-by. For those of you who haven't been to Santa Monica, the Promenade is an open-air shopping mall with street performers, restaurants, and sadly, way too many homeless people. I'll give you the run-down of the questions they asked me after the jump.

Hey, Brigitte here with TV Squad Daily. I'll be covering the TV stories I find interesting each day, Monday through Friday, in this video blog.

Today on TV Squad Daily:

• On some game shows, you win big money for admitting you once paid a hit man to rub out your husband.
• America's Psychic Challenge is so disappointing!
  
• Shows that did the best job of depicting torture are nominated for an award from a human rights charity.
  

The video's embedded below, or you can subscribe to this podcast via our feed. Plus, you can also download the file directly.

One of these things is not like the other. I read this story and that's the song that got stuck in my head. The Hallmark Channel just bought the rights to air 29 feature films on its network. Soon, films like Miss Congeniality, Troy, The In-Laws, and New York Minute will pick up where Little House on the Prairie and Moment of Truth movies left off. The one movie that really stands out from the others is March of the Penguins. It actually makes a little bit of sense that it's on the Hallmark Channel, because the movie ends up being very emotional and about life's struggles and the saving grace of family. I just expected it to be on Discovery.