Thursday Ratings: Big ‘Parenthood’ finale bump, ‘Scandal’ up, ‘Backstrom’ down

Fast National ratings for Friday, January 29, 2015.

“Scandal” and “Grey's Anatomy” both returned up from their November finales, leading ABC to an easy Thursday win among young viewers, though a strong primetime start from “The Big Bang Theory” let CBS hold on for an overall win.

With ABC's dramas returning big and several CBS comedies rising from last week, FOX bore the brunt of the audience hit, with “American Idol” drooping 19 percent week-to-week and “Backstrom” falling 26 percent.

Finally, the series finale of “Parenthood” rose 31 percent over both last week and last series finale's 18-49 numbers, drawing its biggest overall audience since December 2012.

Let's get to the numbers…

Among adults 18-49, ABC averaged a 3.1 rating for Thursday night, tops in the key demographic. CBS was second with a 2.3 key demo rating, followed by the 1.8 key demo rating for FOX. NBC averaged a 1.5 key demo rating in fourth, still ahead of The CW's 0.5 key demo rating for Thursday night.

Overall, though, CBS and ABC both averaged a 6.2 rating/10 share, with CBS averaging 10.16 million viewers for Thursday night, topping the 9.4 million for ABC. FOX was third with a 4.4/7 and 7.28 million viewers for Thursday night, followed by NBC's 5.36 million viewers and 3.4/6. The CW averaged a 0.8/1 and 1.25 million viewers for the night.

8 p.m. – CBS started primetime in first with “The Big Bang Theory” (17 million and a 4.4 key demo) and “Mom” (11.84 million and a series high 2.8 key demo rating). FOX's “American Idol” was second with 9.24 million viewers and third with a 2.2 key demo rating. ABC was third with 8.64 million viewers and second with a 2.7 rating among adults 18-49 for the return of “Grey's Anatomy.” The first part of NBC's “Biggest Loser” finale averaged 4.86 million viewers and a 1.3 key demo rating, followed by the 1.45 million viewers and 0.7 key demo rating for “The Vampire Diaries” on The CW.

9 p.m. – “Scandal” moved ABC into first for the 9 p.m. hour with 10.42 million viewers and a 3.6 rating among adults 18049. CBS was second with “Two and a Half Men” (9.7 million viewers and a 2.3 key demo) and “The McCarthys” (7.125 million and a 1.6 key demo). NBC's “The Biggest Loser” finale averaged 5.76 million viewers and a 1.5 key demo rating, holding off the 5.325 million viewers and 1.4 key demo rating for FOX's “Backstrom.” The CW's “Reign” averaged only 1.04 million viewers and a 0.4 key demo rating.

10 p.m. – “How To Get Away With Murder” returned to ABC in first with 9.14 million viewers and a 3.0 rating among adults 18-49, down a hair from its fall finale. CBS' “Elementary” was second overall with 7.635 million viewers and third with a 1.3 key demo rating. NBC's “Parenthood” averaged 5.47 million viewers and a 1.7 key demo rating in its series finale.

All ratings information comes from preliminary Fast National Nielsen data, which includes live and same-day DVR viewing. All numbers are subject to change.

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