Fast National ratings for Monday, May 7, 2012.
After NBC dropped from first among young Monday viewers last week, “The Voice” got a bit of a finale bump and helped the network reclaim that crown. ABC still easily won Monday overall, thanks to “Dancing with the Stars” and a “Castle” finale bump.
Meanwhile, a highly competitive 8 p.m. hour led to only so-so numbers for CBS’ hour-long “2 Broke Girls” finale and to almost “L.A. Complex”-low numbers for The CW’s “Gossip Girl.”
For the night, NBC averaged a 3.1 rating among adults 18-49, edging out CBS’ 2.9 rating in the key demographic. ABC’s 2.6 rating and the 2.0 rating for FOX followed, while The CW did a 0.5 key demo rating for the night.
Overall, though, ABC won easily with an estimated 14.85 million viewers and a 9.6 rating/15 share. CBS was second for the night with 9.605 million viewers and a 6.0/9, with NBC’s 5.5/9 and 8.98 million viewers good for third. FOX averaged 6.54 million viewers and a 3.9/6, while The CW managed a 0.8/1 and just under 1.1 million viewers.
8 p.m. – “Dancing with the Stars” launched primetime for ABC with 15.03 million viewers to win the 8 p.m. hour, coming in third with a 2.4 rating among adults 18-49. NBC’s “The Voice” averaged 9.99 million viewers for the first hour of its final performance episode and won the hour with a 3.4 key demo rating. The season finale for “2 Broke Girls” averaged 8.86 million viewers and a 3.2 key demo rating. FOX’s “Bones” averaged 6.91 million viewers and a 1.9 key demo rating in fourth. On The CW, “Gossip Girl” averaged only 869,000 viewers and a 0.4 rating.
9 p.m. – In its second hour, “Dancing with the Stars” improved to 16.96 million viewers and finished third again with a 2.8 rating among adults 18-49. NBC’s “The Voice” was up to 11.03 million viewers and a 4.0 key demo rating. CBS was a close third overall and second in the key demo with “Two and a Half Men” (11.26 million viewers and a 3.7 key demo) and “Mike & Molly” (10.18 million viewers and a 3.1 key demo rating). FOX’s “House” averaged 6.17 million viewers and a 2.1 key demo rating. Even with its weirdly low lead-in, “Hart of Dixie” was able to draw 1.33 million viewers and a 0.6 key demo rating for The CW.
10 p.m. – The “Castle” season finale won the 10 p.m. hour overall with 12.56 million viewers and also won with a 2.5 rating among adults 18-49. CBS’ “Hawaii Five-0” averaged 9.24 million viewers and a 2.3 key demo rating in second, beating NBC’s “Smash,” which averaged 5.92 million viewers and a 1.9 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.