TV Ratings: Rising ‘Voice,’ ‘Dancing’ lead Monday, while ‘Following’ finale is up

Fast National ratings for Monday, April 28, 2014. 

Monday night offered more good news than usual.

“Dancing with the Stars” got a big overall bump and helped ABC win Monday in total viewers, while “The Voice” rose, albeit far less, to help NBC keep control of the night among young viewers. 

Among the other shows posting growth on Monday were ABC's “Castle,” all of CBS' comedies including “Friends with Better Lives” and the season finale for “The Following,” which was up a hair despite a “Bones” repeat as a lead-in.

Of course, not everything can rise and “The Blacklist” was down a hair on Monday, but not in any notable way.

The CW's dramas were down from last Monday's Fast Nationals, but in line with Monday's Finals, which accounted for baseball preemptions.

On to the numbers…

Among adults 18-49, NBC averaged a 2.9 rating for Monday night, topping ABC's 2.2 rating in the key demographic. CBS was third with a 1.6 key demo rating, followed by FOX's 1.2 key demo rating and the 0.3 key demo rating for The CW.

Overall, though, ABC averaged an estimated 13.44 million viewers and an 8.5 rating/13 share for Monday, topping the 6.9/11 and 11.24 million viewers for NBC for the night. There was a big drop to CBS' 4.0/6 and 6.135 million viewers and to FOX's 4.38 million viewers and 2.7/4. The CW averaged 888,000 viewers and a 0.6/1 for the night.

[Univision averaged 3.02 million viewers and a 1.3 rating among adults 18-49.]

8 p.m. – “Dancing with the Stars” led the 8 p.m. hour overall with 14.86 million viewers, as ABC finished second with a 2.4 rating among adults 18-49. NBC's “The Voice” was second with 11.54 million viewers and led the hour with a 2.9 key demo rating. CBS was third with “2 Broke Girls” (7.78 million viewers and a 2.2 key demo) and “Friends with Better Lives” (6.22 million and a 1.9 key demo). FOX's repeat of “Bones” averaged 3.98 million viewers and a 0.9 key demo rating, while The CW's “Star-Crossed” averaged 874,000 viewers and a 0.3 key demo rating.

9 p.m. – ABC stayed in first for the 9 p.m. hour with 15.33 million viewers for “Dancing with the Stars,” which remained in second with a 2.5 rating among adults 18-49. NBC's “The Voice” held its position in second with 11.3 million viewers and led the hour with a 3.0 key demo rating. CBS was third with a new “Mike & Molly” (7.55 million and a 2.2 key demo) and a “Big Bang Theory” repeat (6.28 million and a 1.7 key demo). On FOX, “The Following” rose to 4.78 million viewers and a 1.5 key demo rating as it closed its second season. On The CW, “The Tomorrow People” averaged 902,000 viewers and a 0.3 key demo rating).

10 p.m. – “The Blacklist” closed primetime in first with 10.87 million viewers and a 2.7 rating among adults 18-49 for NBC. ABC's “Castle” was second with 10.12 million viewers and a 1.9 key demo rating. [Both “Castle” and “The Blacklist” posted big drops at the half-hour.] A repeat of “Person of Interest” averaged 4.49 million viewers and a 0.9 key demo rating for CBS.

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