I wonder if The Last Word will have a ratings drop-off once Keith Olbermann’s Current show goes up against it. They’ll be sharing the 8 pm Eastern time slot, and while Current has fewer overall viewers (for now), Keith is a draw.

That said, even though I’m not a huge fan of some of MSNBC’s shows, I always root for their team, especially the fantastically effective, swell, and always sharp as a tack Rachel Maddow, who is wiping the floor with CNN. Via TVNewser:

• “Hardball with Chris Matthews” finished the quarter well ahead of CNN at 7 p.m by 22% in total viewers at 7 p.m. (734,000 vs. 602,000). This is the 6th consecutive quarter MSNBC has topped CNN at 7 p.m. and marks “Hardball’s” best total viewer delivery since 1Q09.  [...]

• At 8 p.m., where “The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell” currently airs, MSNBC continued to dominate CNN for the quarter, beating CNN by 59% in total viewers (1,027,000 vs. 644,000) and 22% in A25-54 (247,000 vs. 202,000).  [...]

• “The Rachel Maddow Show” finished 1Q well ahead of CNN a 9 p.m., where “Piers Morgan Tonight” currently airs, by 26% in total viewers (1,065,000 vs. 848,000) and 10% among adults 25-54 (295,000 vs. 269,000). TRMS delivered the strongest A25-54 and total viewer audiences for the hour since 1Q09.  [...]

• At 10 p.m., where “The Ed Show” with Ed Schultz currently airs, MSNBC beat CNN’s “AC 360” for the 3rd consecutive quarter (881,000 vs. 858,000). This is MSNBC’s strongest total viewer delivery since 4Q08….

All the numbers and more here.

This concludes today’s Moment of Happy.