Ratings: Johnny Football dings ‘Shark Tank,’ ‘Malibu Country,’ and more

We’re not typically ones to try and make excuses for other shows’ ratings dropping, but when you look at the recent tradition for most shows this week returning to high numbers (and in the case of “The Big Bang Theory,” a series high), there is really just one logical explanation for what we saw most shows down versus some recent airings in the fall: the Cotton Bowl.

Thanks to the presence of Heisman Trophy winner “Johnny Football” Johnny Manziel, this annual BCS game saw its ratings surge up to a 3.1 in the 18-49 demographic. This is up over half of a ratings point from last year’s game, and you have to think that some of these viewers gravitated over from some other shows.

With that in mind, don’t be too concerned for “Undercover Boss” (1.5), “Shark Tank” (1.8), or “Last Man Standing” (1.4) at the moment. While their numbers are not great, we don’t have a feeling that any of these shows are in any sort of immediate danger of being sent to the big TV graveyard in the sky.

Unfortunately, we cannot say the same thing about some other programs. Even though “Malibu Country” gets decent viewership for a comedy with over six million people tuning in, the 1.2 rating in the demo is bad enoguh to get it canceled by the end of the season. The same goes for “CSI: NY,” which is the weakest link at the moment in the CBS lineup with a 1.4. Yes, it did score higher than “Blue Bloods” (1.3) this week, but this is a little bit more of anomaly for this show than it is the norm, especially when you look at the ratings for the fall. Plus, we assume that “Blue Bloods” will be renewed for another season just for syndication purposes, if nothing else.

What did you watch Friday? If you want to read our full “Shark Tank” review for the week, you can do so over here.

Photo: ABC