Fast National ratings for Tuesday, September 24, 2013.
Although it may have come in below the highest of expectations, ABC’s “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” delivered TV’s highest rated drama debut since November 2009 (that would be “V”). In addition, “S.H.I.E.L.D.” helped generate good premiere numbers for “The Goldbergs” and, to a lesser extent, “Trophy Wife,” but couldn’t help “Lucky 7,” which takes an early lead in the race to become fall’s first casualty.
For all of that, though, ABC didn’t come close to winning Wednesday night. “NCIS” and “NCIS: Los Angeles” returned strong and helped CBS dominate overall, while “The Voice” and good numbers for “Chicago Fire” helped NBC win among young viewers.
There was plenty of bad news on Tuesday as well. FOX’s “Dads,” “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” and “The Mindy Project” all plummeted after decent premieres last week, while the transition to a new slot was anything but smooth for CBS’ “Person of Interest,” which continued the network’s 10 p.m. struggles.
Oh and “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” didn’t perform nearly as well against competition as it did in the fallow summer months for The CW.
On to the numbers…
Among adults 18-49, NBC averaged a 4.0 rating for Tuesday night, topping ABC and CBS’ 2.9 ratings in the key demographic. FOX did a 1.7 key demo rating, while The CW had a 0.4 key demo rating.
Overall, though, CBS won easily with a 10.0 rating/16 share and an estimated 15.98 million viewers for Tuesday primetime. NBC was still strong in second with a 7.7/12 and 12.51 million viewers. ABC’s full night of new shows debuted with a 4.8/8 and 8.11 million viewers, far ahead of the 2.4/4 and 3.7 million viewers for FOX. The CW averaged a 0.6/1 and 1.02 million viewers.
8 p.m. – “NCIS” led the 8 p.m. hour overall for CBS with 19.47 million viewers and finished third with a 3.4 rating among adults 18-49 (below the 20+ million viewers and 4.1 key demo rating for last year’s premiere Fast Nationals, but not dangerously below). NBC’s “The Voice” was second with 12.66 million viewers and a 4.0 key demo rating. ABC’s “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” was third with 11.89 million viewers and won the hour with a 4.6 key demo rating. [ABC notes that “S.H.I.E.L.D.” was Tuesday’s top show in all key male demos.] There was a massive drop to FOX, which saw big declines for “Dads” (3.65 million and a 1.5 key demo) and “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” (4 million and a 1.8 key demo). The CW’s “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” averaged 1.31 million viewers and a 0.5 key demo rating.
9 p.m. – CBS stayed in first overall for the 9 p.m. hour with 16.17 million viewers for “NCIS: Los Angeles,” which came in second with a 3.0 rating among adults 18-49. The second hour of “The Voice” took a big leap for NBC, averaging 15.61 million viewers and a 5.2 key demo rating. ABC was third with “The Goldbergs” (9.11 million viewers and a 3.2 key demo) and “Trophy Wife” (6.61 million and a 2.3 key demo). [ABC notes “The Goldbergs” is TV’s top new comedy premiere since “Go On” last summer.] FOX’s “New Girl” (4.1 million and a 2.1 key demo) and “The Mindy Project” (3.03 million and a 1.5 key demo) were down from last week. On The CW, “Capture” averaged 721,000 viewers and a 0.2 key demo rating.
10 p.m. – “Person of Interest” won the 10 p.m. hour for CBS with 12.29 million viewers and finished second with a 2.3 rating among adults 18-49, though both numbers are significantly below the 14.5+ million and 2.5 key demo rating for the “Vegas” premiere in this slot last year, with the 2.3 key demo rating coming in as a series low. NBC’s “Chicago Fire” capitalized on its lead-in to averaged 9.25 million viewers and an hour-winning 2.8 key demo rating (even if it slipped a bit to 8.26 million and a 2.5 key demo rating for its second half-hour). ABC’s “Lucky 7” was DOA with 4.57 million viewers and a 1.3 key demo rating, numbers that may have ABC thinking seriously about whether a second episode is worthwhile. It’s the lowest rated fall drama premiere in ABC history.
All ratings information comes from preliminary Fast National Nielsen data, which includes live and same-day DVR viewing. All numbers are subject to change.