• by Wayne Friedman , November 21, 2007

Syndicated entertainment magazine shows led the way for the second week in the mid-November sweeps period--all showing strong double-digit percentage viewer improvements.

Big entertainment news over the sudden death of Marie Osmond's father, George Osmond--as well as her continued big star turn on "Dancing with the Stars"--pushed shows such as "Entertainment Tonight," "Inside Edition," "The Insider" and NBC Universal's "Access Hollywood" to new season highs.

"ET" was up 12% over the week before to a Nielsen Media Research 5.5 rating; "Inside Edition" climbed 9% to a 3.7; "The Insider" had an 8% rise to a 2.7; and "Access Hollywood" also increased 8% to a 2.6.

Warner Bros.' rookie sensation magazine show "TMZ" rocketed 18% to a 2.0--besting Warner's veteran "Extra," which also climbed a healthy 12% to a 1.9.

Other new daytime shows also pointed to double-digit gains: NBC Universal's "Steve Wilkos Show" grew 11% to a 1.0, its season high. Twentieth Television's "The Morning Show with Mike and Juliet" had a 13% improvement to a 0.9, also its season high. Twentieth's "Temptation" soared 20% to a 0.6, a new high.

Industry daytime syndication leaders also followed suit: CBS Television Distribution's "Oprah Winfrey" grew a healthy 16% to a 6.7, a season high. CBS' "Dr. Phil" didn't do as well--up 2% to a 4.9.

Among the court shows, the best-rated gaveler--CBS Television Distribution's "Judge Judy"--climbed 9% to a season-high 5.1. Twentieth's "Divorce Court" showed the biggest improvement, 11% to a 2.0.

Game shows had fewer improvements: CBS Television Distribution's "Wheel of Fortune" was up 3% to an 8.1, and CBS' "Jeopardy" inched 2% higher to a 6.7--both season highs. Disney-ABC's "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" had a 3% gain to a 3.0. Debmar-Mercury's "Family Feud" went up 6% to a 1.8.

The top two off-network shows, running neck and neck, continued to show positive results. Warner Bros.' "Two and a Half Men" was up 7% to a 4.6. CBS Television Distribution's "Everybody Loves Raymond" also gained 7%, just behind "Men" at a 4.5.