Syndies see season highs

The top three syndicated game shows all hit season highs for the week ending February 6. The rest of the news wasn't quite as good, but it's an imperfect world. Broadcasting & Cable provides the details...

Wheel of Fortune 8.4 - up four ticks to the aforementioned season high
Jeopardy 6.8 - up three ticks to its own season high, and this is pre-Watson
Millionaire 2.5 - up a tick to another season high and maybe settling into its new format
Family Feud 1.9 - flat at season high
5th Grader 1.0 - down a tick and looking imperiled
Lyrics 0.9 - flat and looking even more imperiled

TV by the Numbers charts the viewership averages for Pat and Vanna and Alex and Meredith: Wheel of Fortune 13.9 million (weekend repeat 6.9 million), Jeopardy 11.0 million, Millionaire 3.6 million. These numbers will maintain healthy cash flow.

UPDATE: In the first news about Watson's ratings impact, Jeopardy scored an 8.7 household rating for the first night of the super gadget's three-night gig. That was the best overnight for the show in four years. On Monday Jeopardy beat the overnight household ratings for everything else on TV except Two and a Half Men. And Watson doesn't need rehab like Charlie Sheen. Especially after it crushed the mere human competition on Tuesday.

UPDATED UPDATE: The ratings news got even better on Tuesday, as Jeopardy scored a six-year household ratings high at 9.6. I just hope other shows don't run this gimmick into the ground.