TV Ratings: ‘Men,’ ‘Dancing’ pace a Monday split, while ‘Terra Nova’ holds

Fast National ratings for Monday, October 3, 2011.
Despite a second consecutive week of huge drops, the Ashton Kutcher-ized “Two and a Half Men” remains a major hit and combined with the the network’s resurgent 8 p.m. hour to give CBS an easy Monday win among young viewers. Meanwhile, although ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars” slipped with young viewers, it actually grew slightly overall, as ABC ruled Monday in that measure.
Among other ratings tidbits, FOX’s “Terra Nova” defied expectations and held onto basically its entire audience among young viewers, perhaps leveling off at an acceptable point for the network. Also, The CW saw the tiniest of gains in the second week of “Hart of Dixie,” while NBC has to be just about done waiting for that “Playboy Club” turnaround.
On to the numbers…
Among adults 18-49, CBS averaged a 4.3 rating for the night, beating FOX’s 3.4 rating in the key demographic. ABC was third with a 2.9 rating, far ahead of NBC’s 1.6 rating. The CW averaged a 0.7 rating for the night.
Overall, though, ABC averaged an estimated 14.86 million viewers to go with a 9.7 rating/15 share for the night, easily beating CBS’ 7.6/11 and 12.36 million viewers. There was a sizable drop to FOX’s 5.4/8 and 9.04 million viewers and then a bigger drop to NBC’s 2.7/4 and 4.38 million viewers. The CW averaged a 1.1/2 and 1.62 million viewers.
8 p.m. – ABC started primetime in first overall with 16.165 million viewers for “Dancing with the Stars,” which tied for second with a 3.0 rating among adults 18-49. CBS’ “How I Met Your Mother” (10.5 million and a 4.5 key demo rating) and “Two Broke Girls” (11.37 million viewers and a 4.4 demo rating) were a solid second overall and won the hour in the key demo, retaining almost their entire audiences from last week. FOX’s “Terra Nova” was down in viewers from last week’s two-hour premiere with 8.31 million, but the show’s 3.0 rating in the key demo was basically identical. [Coupled with strong early DVR numbers, FOX has cause for optimism with “Terra Nova” that maybe wasn’t there last week at this time.] NBC’s “The Sing Off” drew 5.08 million viewers and a 1.8 key demo rating, both slightly up from last week. Finally, The CW’s “Gossip Girl” averaged 1.45 million viewers and a 0.7 rating among adults 18-49, up in viewers, but down in the demo.
9 p.m. – After two weeks of lagging behind CBS in the 9 p.m. hour, ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars” was back on top overall with 16.82 million viewers and a 3.1 key demo rating. CBS was second overall, but still dominated the key demo, with “Two and a Half Men” (17.28 million viewers and a 6.1 key demo rating) and “Mike & Molly” (13.24 million and a 4.3 key demo rating). FOX’s “House” premiere averaged 9.77 million viewers and a 3.9 key demo rating, which is either far better than what it was doing last spring or just below what it premiered at last fall, depending on your perspective. NBC’s “The Sing Off” averaged 4.67 million viewers and a 1.8 key demo rating, completing a satisfyingly “up” week. The CW’s “Hart of Dixie” averaged 1.78 million viewers and a 0.8 key demo rating, both building on its lead-in and rising at the half-hour.
10 p.m. – ABC’s “Castle” won the 10 p.m. hour overall despite declining to 11.585 million viewers and a 2.6 key demo rating. CBS’ “Hawaii Five-0” was down, but less significantly, averaging 10.88 million viewers and winning the hour with a 3.2 key demo rating. Despite the growth for its “Sing Off” lead-in, “The Playboy Club” averaged only 3.385 million viewers and a 1.2 key demo rating in third.
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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