Lawrence O'Donnell Ratings: STRONG Debut For 'Last Word'

Lawrence O'Donnell had an impressive ratings debut Monday night, premiering as MSNBC's top-rated show.

"The Last Word" averaged 928,000 total viewers and 266,000 A25-54 viewers Monday, more than "Countdown with Keith Olbermann" (892,000 total viewers/232,000 A25-54) and "The Rachel Maddow Show" (778,000 total viewers/250,000 A25-54).

O'Donnell hosted Vice President Joe Biden for his debut episode.

Of course, O'Donnell's ratings did not match his 10PM competition on Fox News; "On the Record with Greta Van Susteren" averaged 1.830 million total viewers and 360,000 A25-54 viewers. "The Last Word" did, however, crush CNN's "Anderson Cooper 360," which averaged just 420,000 total viewers and 122,000 A25-54 viewers at 10PM.

Comments

[Bodega Express]

08:17 PM on 11/11/2010

LAWRENCE O'DONNELL IS THE SHIT. LOVED HIM ON THE MCLAUGHLIN GROUP, LOVE ALL HIS COMMENTARY ON THE ED SHOW, HARDBALL, COUNTDOWN, ETC. LOVE THAT HE FINALLY HAS HIS OWN SHOW, WHICH IS HIS BEST WORK YET!

http://bodegaexpress.wordpress.com/2010/11/07/lfo/

[KeepUSLegal]

09:19 AM on 11/01/2010

The Last Word is what we all have been waiting for!! What an insightful show - brilliant!!

The featured guest on the very SECOND show was Levi J - what a coup!! Fox can only dream of booking such an icon. My only regret is that I did not TiVo it to replay this mega interview again and again! Cannot understand how Greta crushed this show and that it BARELY managed to crawl ahead of a repeat Keith O slot. All I can say to Laurence O is - don't be discouraged; keep booking relevant guests like Levi J and we, the faithful, will be so educated on the issues facing the nation.

Some suggestions for future guests: Aqua Buddha, Snooki, The Situation (separate shows - so much to learn from each them), Lindsay Lohan, Heidi Montag & Spencer Pratt (PLEASE!!) etc.

[Stuart Black]

10:57 PM on 10/14/2010

hey lawerence,

you would have a lot more credibility if you reported on the news and not the guy you are trying to be like in Bill O'Rielly. Its truly sad that you and that ex sports center reporter (overhim, olde-man, obermann?) have to slam him to get your ratings. I wonder what your rating would be if you actually repeorted news stories?

Actually i dont wonder, i know. You'd be canned. But thats ok, just keep your liberal base mis-informed and out of the loop. It will be great to see the look on their faces when whats coming hits them!!!!!!

good job bud!!!!!!! im sure your college professors are really proud you pathetic half-wit!

good luck finding a job come 1-1-11

[KeepUSLegal]

09:36 AM on 11/01/2010

That is MSNBC's brilliant plan - slam successful journalists to scrape meager ratings for their shows (Ed S, Keith O, Rachel M, etc. - they all do it). Who cares about issues!!! What I really want to spend my 10 PM hour listening about how Bill O's tie does not match his hair. That is more critical for my life than the collapsing economy, insurmountable national debt, terrorist threats, my evaporating nest egg, etc.

What is so sad is how oblivious to reality these these wannabes have become - that they are now SO insignificant that the more successful journalists don't even bother to acknowledge their existence anymore. Aaaah...so painful to watch!

[ClaudiaL]

03:49 AM on 10/04/2010

Lawrence should have been the host of Meet the Press. He is THAT good! I'm also glad they seem to have a good research team working with him. I love his new show!

[cgin]

12:48 AM on 10/04/2010

I'm not as impressed with O'Donnell as others are, but I truly hope that he grows on me. For me, he's too much of an insider to satisfy my insatiable thirst for justice and fairness. He admittedly derives his premises from an insider's perspective in order to formulate his arguments. This, I fear, can only lead to timid queries of the status quo and it's defenders. I really hope I'm wrong. MSNBC is my political home.

[iqfinsvcs]

08:24 PM on 10/03/2010

CNN IS MORPHING INTO A FOX MINI-ME!

[MadamRoma]

07:02 PM on 10/03/2010

Friday nights on MSNBC are the de.ad zone. I have enjoyed all the lockup stories I can stand, enough enough enough, lock the doors and throw the keys away.

[RedWhiteandBlueState]

12:14 PM on 10/16/2010

I hear you, maybe they're afraid if they pull the Prison programming, no one south of the Mason Dixon line would ever watch them again.

(On a more serious note, the prison bloc gets MSNBC's best ratings!)

http://www.mediaite.com/tv/msnbcs-friday-night-doc-beats-oreilly-repeat-as-top-show-at-11pm/

[rory talbot]

12:51 PM on 10/03/2010

Lawerence, met you in NYC. You were electric. You were direct. You were warm. You were right. Hit 'em hard, hit 'em often, my friend.

[Stuart Black]

11:04 PM on 10/14/2010

how bout hit him with a news story instead of talking about other news broadcasters....... that would be a nice change.

do you people really like hearing about other journalist, or would you rather hear an actual news story?

scratch that you are probably liberal and facts and logic dont apply. Just riddicul and hypocracy.


you guys do realize it was your party who blocked slavery from being abolished, it was your party who blocked womens right. And last but not least, it was your party, Mr. Ted Kennedy in fact, who blocked health care from passing when carter was president.....

just a few FACTS for you. and no they didnt come from fox, only the history books that your party is trying to ban because the tell the truth about two faced idealogy!

[elspaniard]

10:33 AM on 10/03/2010

...and Dancing With the Stars still beats all of them.

Tell me again how our priorities aren't wrecked in this country.

[audit]

07:42 PM on 10/02/2010

Nothing like hard hitting journalism - Having Levi Johnson on the debut week is awesome - movers and shakers.....

[RedBirdy]

07:21 PM on 10/02/2010

I wasn't able to watch him mon-thur because of work/sleep schedule. I was so mad to learn he doesn't have a friday time slot!

Darn you MSNBC and those episodes of lock up. They suck and take up way too much air time on the weekends!

[tgd]

07:49 PM on 10/02/2010

Agreed. MSNBC needs to decide if they are a news program or a reality program.

[Mij13]

09:15 PM on 10/02/2010

X2!

[TeresaV]

05:10 PM on 10/02/2010

Lawrence's debut was awesome and I am disappointed he does not have a Friday slot. If he keeps bringing in the diversity of guests like he had this last week and the fact that Lawrence himself, as a former Washington DC insider, author, has an even composure and can ask the tough questions, I definitely want to see more of him.

[RedBirdy]

07:19 PM on 10/02/2010

I wasn't able to watch his new show mon-thur because of my work/sleep schedule, and my dvr didn't record it! I was so disappointed last night when I stayed up to watch. I didn't know he didn't have a friday time slot! Now I know! thanks!

[scorpioleidy]

05:06 PM on 10/02/2010

Enough with the Lockup and child m01ester shows - give us more Keith, Rachel and Lawrence on Fridays and weekends!

[Stuart Black]

11:07 PM on 10/14/2010

sure and give me enemas as well. they are about the same to me!

[tbone0726]

02:33 PM on 10/02/2010

What's killing MSNBC Is the almost total weekend blackout on news, why do we have to watch lock-up or ancient reruns all weekend. Someone in the programming department needs to be fired!

[nana-anne]

02:42 PM on 10/02/2010

THANK-YOU tbone. MSNBC has a far more intelligent viewer than those shows appeal to. Fanned and if you start a campaign sign me up.

[scorpioleidy]

05:08 PM on 10/02/2010

Agree! After Rachel's show on Friday night, I don't watch MSNBC any more until Keith comes back on the air on Monday evenings! No wonder Faux Noise be@ts them in the ratings!!

[tangolas]

01:49 PM on 10/02/2010

Smart Guy, smart show.