Each week, Experian Hitwise releases its online rankings of most visited TV show websites. These rankings represent the US online visits to the TV show sections of the each networks’ websites to provide a weekly ranking of the top visited TV show websites based off of our sample of 10 million US Internet users.

BROADCAST

FOX was #1 among the Broadcast network rankings. ABC was #2. CBS was ranked #3.
FOX’s American Idol was the #1 ranked TV show website among the broadcast networks. ABC’s Dancing with the Stars was the #2 most visited site followed by FOX’s Glee

· Moves among the top 25 websites included FOX’s The Simpsons ranked #9 from #51 and NBC’s The Event ranked #17 from #32.

· Top shows among Women for April 2011: Survivor, NCIS, and Glee.

· Top shows among Men for April 2011: Survivor, NCIS, and Glee

CABLE

· Comedy Central’s South Park was the #1 ranked TV show website among the cable networks (adult shows only). MTV’s 16 & Pregnant ranked #2 followed by MTV’s America’s Best Dance Crew ranked #3.

· Moves among the top 25 websites included VH1’s Basketball Wives ranked #22 from #33 and MTV’s Teen Wolf ranked #24 from #105.

CABLE NEWS

FOX News’ O’Reilly Factor was the #1 ranked TV Cable News talk show website. MNSBC’s Rachel Maddow Show ranked #2 followed by MSNBC’s The Last Word ranked #3.

· No moves among the top 10

LATE NIGHT TALK SHOWS

Comedy Central’s The Daily Show was the #1 ranked TV late night talk show website. Comedy Central’s The Colbert Report ranked #2 followed by NBC’s The Tonight Show with Jay Leno ranked #3.

· No moves among the top 10

MORNING TALK SHOWS

NBC’s The Today Show was the #1 ranked TV morning talk show website. ABC’s Good Morning America ranked #2 followed by CBS’s The Early Show ranked #3.

BROADCAST & CABLE (Combined)

Fox’s American Idol was the #1 ranked TV show website among broadcast and cable networks. Nick’s SpongeBob was the #2 most visited site, followed by Comedy Central’s South Park ranked #3.

· Moves among the top 25 websites included MTV’s America’s Best Dance Crew ranked #15 from #25 and Nick’s Fairly Odd Parents ranked #25 from #35.

From Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment come Volumes 1 and 2 of the animated television show, “The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes”, which debuted on the Disney XD network in the fall of 2010.  These two separate DVD sets cover micro-episodes 1-13 of the first season.

As fans of the Avengers know, this group of superheroes is comprised of several characters from the Marvel comics universe who come together to battle the forces of evil.  Each 22-minute micro-episode of the series tends to highlight one of the heroes, giving a bit of back story for those of us who may be unfamiliar with them.  Featured on these discs are:

• Iron Man
• Thor
• Hulk
• Captain America
• Ant-Man
• The Black Panther
• Hawkeye
• Wasp

While I am a superhero fan, my knowledge of The Avengers is limited to my exposure to the “Incredible Hulk” television show of the 1970s, the Iron Man movies of recent years, and the newly released Thor.  My mindset as I watched these programs was definitely one of discovery.  So I appreciate the time that the creators took in offering background information on the characters.

“Mightiest Heroes” is a fun program, hearkening back to the days when I used to watch “Superfriends” on Saturday morning TV.  The difference with this show, however, is its sophistication.  It takes itself a little more seriously and has a crisp, modern look about it.  The rock soundtrack and extended fight scenes would appeal to older teens and adults more so than young children.  In fact, I wouldn’t necessarily recommend the program for younger viewers, not just because of the amount of fighting, but the writing may actually go over kids’ heads a bit.  My best advice would be for parents to view a few episodes and decide what’s best for their children and what they may enjoy.  There’s a touch of old-fashioned innocence about it, while at times it can have a bit of dark intensity.

A few thoughts about some of the characters and episodes:

I enjoyed the program’s personification of Iron Man – the voice actor Eric Loomis is clearly doing a pseudo-impression of Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark, which I thought was a great choice considering the popularity of the 2008 and 2010 films.  He gives levity to the character that is very enjoyable without being silly.

These episodes were my first exposure to the character of Thor, which came in handy when I went to see the 2011 live-action film later.  Here we’re able to learn much about this hero’s unusual back story and see the mythology that surrounds him.  I found his stilted manner of speaking to be unusual, but it put a smile on my face.

As a child I enjoyed the “Hulk” television show, but on this program I could do with less of him.  Especially in his episode “Hulk vs. the World”, there’s very little plot and mostly just smashing, bashing and fighting.  Yes, this is the nature of the character, but I could have used a bit more narrative and story line.  But if you enjoy the Hulk doing his destructive thing, then this will be right up your alley.

On the flip side, the episode “Meet Captain America” has plenty of narrative, giving us Steve Roger’s origin story and well preparing us for not only this television program, but the upcoming live action movie as well.  He’s a very patriotic and all-American character, perfect for these times when the American flag has been waving proudly.

Overall this is a fun program for fans of the superhero genre, suited to teens and adults.  The 2D animation is well done, and the micro-episode format is great for tailoring your viewing time to your preferences and schedule.  Enjoy these on a Saturday morning and get set for an entertaining ride!

DVD Release Date: April 26, 2011
TV Rating: G
Length: Volume One – 1 Disc, 7 Episodes, 161 Minutes.
Volume Two – 1 Disc, 6 Episodes, 137 Minutes.

The Fresh Prince of Bel Air: The Complete Sixth Season DVD is available in an April 19th 3-disc, 572 minute DVD release from Warner Home Video.

About The Fresh Prince of Bel Air: Season 6 DVD

It’s a rap: the final season! The Fresh Prince’s reign is over. Will Smith and the rest of the hilarious cast take their final bows with all 24 Season 6 Episodes on 3 Discs. A lot’s happened since Will’s life got flipped, turned upside down and he showed up at the Banks’s Bel-Air doorstep. And the final season keeps the fun rollin’ to the very end with hip comedy style, phat one-liners, a not-to-be-missed blooper episode, and guest stars that include William Shatner, B.B. King, Dick Clark, Richard Roundtree, Wayne Newton and – in a standout turn – Chris Rock as an on-the-rise comic and his butt-ugly sister. Any guess who ends up as Will’s date for a night for dancin’ and (ugh) romancin’? You go, Will!

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Enter to win The Fresh Prince of Bel Air: Season 6 DVD Giveaway

Entry Rules: This giveaway is open to residents of the US and Canada (Must be 18 or older – Not Rated). Entry is free and you can enter up to 8 times by following the entry guidelines below. ONE random winner will be drawn for the DVD on May 7th, at or around 6PM ET/5PM CST. Please include your email address in your entry in order to be contacted if you win. Learn more about the TVShowsDb complete giveaway rules.

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Growing Pains: The Complete Second Season DVD is available in an April 26th 3-disc, 572 minute DVD release from Warner Home Video.

About Growing Pains: Season 2 DVD

Congratulations…you’re fired. Mike (Kirk Cameron) receives a car from his pleased parents after he’s named Employee of the Month. (So how’s he going to tell them he’s been canned?) Mike’s not the only one with secrets. Brainy Carol (Tracey Gold) wants everyone to think she has a romantic extracurricular life with a hunky football hero. And what’s up with 10-year-old Ben (Jeremy Miller) and those 67 calls to a sex line? (No, it’s not what you might think.) These events don’t all happen at the same time, but they do all happen at the same place: the Season 2 home-sweet-ho-ho-home of the Seavers – dad Jason (Alan Thicke), mom Maggie (Joanna Kerns), three on-the-grow kids. Jason works as a psychiatrist. You think maybe it’s time to add some family appointments to his calendar?

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Enter to win Growing Pains: Season 2 DVD Giveaway

Entry Rules: This giveaway is open to residents of the US and Canada (Must be 18 or older – Not Rated). Entry is free and you can enter up to 8 times by following the entry guidelines below. ONE random winner will be drawn for the DVD on May 7th, at or around 6PM ET/5PM CST. Please include your email address in your entry in order to be contacted if you win. Learn more about the TVShowsDb complete giveaway rules.

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Acorn Media now has four episodes from Season 12 of “Midsomer Murders” available in a DVD box set.  On the air since 1997, “Midsomer Murders” is a popular British television program.  It stars John Nettles as DCI Tom Barnaby and Jason Hughes as DS Ben Jones, partners in the Midsomer Police Department.  Ben is the younger, slightly hipper of the two, and Tom is the seasoned and sometimes cranky veteran.  Together they work to solve crimes committed in the small town of Midsomer, Manchester.

“Midsomer Murders” touts itself as an English, rural version of Law & Order.  While I’ve never been a huge fan of “Law & Order”, I can say that the only thing this program has in common with its supposed American counterpart is the murder mystery element.  “Law and Order” is much grittier, and “Midsomer Murders” is fairly quiet and restrained, as one would expect from an English program.  This is not a negative trait; it simply is a differentiating quality.  “Midsomer” is also 100 minutes in length, thereby making it more of a 2-hour program than a standard 1-hour American crime drama.  The benefit of this span of time is that the show is able to take its time in building the plot and developing the characters.  It makes for a longer commitment when watching an episode, but it takes away from the sometimes rushed feeling found in programs of shorter length.

Here are my thoughts on the four episodes in this box set, which originally aired in March and July of 2009:

Episode 12.1 – “The Dogleg Murders”
Season 12 of “Midsomer Murders” opens with “The Dogleg Murders”, set at the swanky Whiteoaks Golf Club in Midsomer.   The club is very exclusive, never allowing residents of the local village to become members.  This leads some to take drastic measures (including murder)to try to get their foot in the door for membership.  I must say that I really had no idea who the killer was, almost until the very end.  While not overly flashy, this was an entertaining episode.

Episode 12.2 – “The Black Book”
A local art auction bizarrely leads to multiple murders.  The story was interesting, and it was good to see Susannah Harker and David Bamber of the 1995 Pride and Prejudice in starring roles.  However, I could have done without several instances of nudity, including extended shots of full frontal female nudity.  They didn’t need that to tell the story.  And there were a couple of murder/torture scenes that were a bit rough.

Episode 12.3 – “Secrets and Spies”
This episode had a very intriguing story line with espionage and a European Underground Railroad, going back to the early 80s.  The plot was layered and rich.  I could have done without the manner in which they handled a murder scene at the end, as well as some other graphic elements.  There were some amusing moments of comic relief, though.  I got a chuckle out of Tom’s enjoyment of being a Cricket referee, when he says, “I enjoy this job.  Playing God in a limited universe.” Overall a good episode.

Episode 12.4 – “The Glitch”
A local man who has developed new air-traffic control system discovered a glitch in the software that could cost lives.  He was prepared to go public with his knowledge, which led to an attempt on his life.  In addition, a “Bucketman” has been vandalizing local residents’ card with paint.  Barnaby and Jones work to make the connections between these strange events to solve the mystery.  This was kind of a quirky episode, but pleasant enough.

*     *     *

Overall, “Midsomer Murders” is a quiet, understated crime drama.  It takes its time with each story and always keeps the audience guessing as to the identity of the murderer(s) at large.  I could have done without some of the occasional graphic/adult moments in the show, but by and large it’s a quality program.  The next time you have a quiet, rainy night at home, you may want to give “Midsomer Murders” a try.

DVD Release Date: February 22, 2011
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Length: 4-Discs, 4-Episodes