Fast National ratings for Wednesday, May 6, 2015.
“Criminal Minds” had its lowest-rated season finale ever, but still grew week-to-week and ranked as Wednesday's most watched show, helping CBS to an overall win for the night. A solid rise for “Black-ish,” meanwhile, played a big part in ABC's won among young viewers.
Not surprisingly, the week's biggest droppers were “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” and “Chicago PD,” which were both highly inflated by last week's crossover event.
Also dropping on Wednesday were ABC's “The Middle” and “The Goldbergs,” FOX's “American Idol” and “The Mysteries of Laura,” which slipped below The Mulaney Line to a 0.9 key demo rating.
“Arrow” had a tiny key demo bump, while “Survivor” added a couple viewers.
Let's get to the numbers…
Among adults 18-49, ABC averaged a 1.9 rating for Wednesday night, tops in the key demographic. CBS was second with a 1.7 key demo rating, followed by FOX's 1.5 key demo rating. NBC was fourth with a 1.2 key demo rating, while The CW's 0.8 key demo rating was fifth.
Overall, though, CBS averaged an estimated 8.805 million viewers and a 5.5 rating/9 share for Wednesday primetime. The other three networks were in a bunch. FOX averaged 6.875 million viewers and a 4.4/7, followed closely by ABC's 6.5 million and 4.1/7 and by the 6.37 million viewers and 4.3/7 for NBC. The CW averaged 1.96 million viewers and a 1.3/2 for the night.
8 p.m. – CBS' “Survivor: Worlds Apart” averaged 9.33 million viewers and a 2.1 rating among adults 18-49 to win the 8 p.m. in both measures. ABC was second with “The Middle” (6.92 million and a 1.7 key demo) and “The Goldbergs” (6.77 million viewers and a 1.9 key demo). FOX's “American Idol” averaged 6.67 million viewers and a 1.4 key demo rating, topping the 6.17 million viewers and 0.9 key demo rating for NBC's “The Mysteries of Laura.” The CW's “Arrow” averaged 2.35 million viewers and a 0.9 key demo rating, tying for the hour lead among men 18-34, if such things matter to you.
9 p.m. – The “Criminal Minds” finale won the 9 p.m. hour overall with 9.63 million viewers and finished second with a 1.9 rating among adults 18-49. ABC was second overall and first in the key demo with “Modern Family” (8.48 million and a 2.9 key demo) and “Blackish” (6.92 million and a 2.3 key demo). “American Idol” rose a hair to 7.08 million viewers and a 1.5 key demo rating in third. NBC's “Law & Order” averaged 6.22 million viewers and a 1.2 key demo rating, which was down a whopping 43 percent from last week's 10 p.m. crossover episode. The CW's “Supernatural” averaged 1.58 million viewers and a 0.7 key demo rating.
10 p.m. – “CSI: Cyber” completed CBS' overall primetime sweep with 7.45 million viewers in the 10 p.m. hour, but finished tied for second with a 1.2 rating among adults 18-49. NBC's “Chicago PD” averaged 6.71 million viewers for second and won the hour with a 1.4 key demo rating. And ABC's “Nashville” averaged 4.96 million viewers and a 1.2 key demo rating.
All ratings information comes from preliminary Fast National Nielsen data, which includes live and same-day DVR viewing. All numbers are subject to change.