TV Ratings: ‘Scandal,’ soft ‘McCarthys’ and ‘Elementary’ premieres pace Thursday

Fast National ratings for Thursday, October 30, 2014.

“Scandal” led ABC to a Thursday night victory among young viewers, while CBS held on to the overall title despite soft premieres for “The McCarthys” and “Elementary.”

Even “The Big Bang Theory” was lackluster in its return to Thursday, though the boosted lead-in gave “Mom” a relatively high number.

Perhaps viewers were lured away by night-before-Halloween revelries, or maybe by the off-network Thursday Night Football action, but numbers were generally depressed throughout. 

The ugliest numbers were on NBC where “Bad Judge” slipped below The Mulaney Line to a 0.9 key demo rating and “A to Z” fell to a low enough key demo number that it may be time to keep an eye out for cancellation.

On to all of Thursday's ratings…

Among adults 18-49, ABC averaged a 2.5 rating for Thursday night, edging out CBS' 2.4 rating in the key demographic. NBC and FOX were tied for third with an equally unimpressive 1.0 key demo rating, followed by the 0.6 key demo rating for The CW.

Overall, though, CBS won easily with an estimated 10.68 million viewers and a 6.7 rating/11 share for Thursday primetime. ABC was a distant second with 7.97 million viewers and a 5.2/9. There was a big gap to FOX's 4.43 million viewers and 2.8/5, which was followed closely by NBC's 3.84 million viewers and 2.6/4. The CW averaged 1.43 million viewers and a 1.0/2.

8 p.m. – CBS ruled the 8 p.m. hour with “The Big Bang Theory” (16.22 million viewers and a 4.1 key demo) and the season premiere of “Mom” (11.72 million and a 2.7 key demo). ABC was second with 6.25 million viewers and a 1.7 rating among adults 18-49 for “It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.” FOX's “Bones” was third with 5.53 million viewers and a 1.3 key demo rating, topping the 4.39 million viewers and 1.1 key demo rating for NBC's “The Biggest Loser.” The CW's “The Vampire Diaries” averaged 1.56 million viewers and a 0.7 key demo rating.

9 p.m. – Overall, CBS remained in first for the 9 p.m. hour with premieres for “Two and a Half Men” (11.015 million and a 2.7 key demo) and a big drop to the “McCarthys” premiere 8.78 million and a 1.9 key demo), but dropped to second among adults 18-49. ABC's “Scandal” was second with 9.145 million viewers and won the hour with a 3.0 key demo rating. FOX's “Gracepoint” was third with 3.34 million viewers and tied for third with a 0.8 key demo rating, compared to NBC's “Bad Judge” (3.96 million and a 0.9) and “A to Z” (2.56 million and a 0.7 key demo). The CW's “Reign” averaged 1.31 million viewers and a 0.5 key demo rating.

10 p.m. – “How to Get Away with Murder” lost some viewers with new drama competition, but won the 10 p.m. hour with 8.52 million viewers and a 2.7 rating among adults 18-49. CBS' “Elementary” premiere was second with 8.17 million viewers, but struggled with a 1.4 key demo rating. NBC's “Parenthood” was third with 3.85 million viewers and a 1.1 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.

×