Fast National ratings for Thursday, January 23, 2014.
Even a diminished “American Idol” was strong enough to carry FOX to a Thursday night ratings victory, albeit while CBS was in repeats and with an underwhelming debut performance from “Rake.”
For the night, FOX averaged a 2.5 rating among adults 18-49 and 9.6 million viewers. CBS was second (1.9, 7.8 million), followed by ABC (1.1, 3.9 million), NBC (1.0, 3.2 million) and the CW (0.9, 2.2 million).
8 p.m. — “Idol” won the hour for FOX with a 3.3 demo rating and 12.1 million viewers. CBS was second (2.4, 10.8 million), and it’s worth noting that a “Big Bang Theory” repeat (2.9, 12.8 million) about tripled the audience for a new “Community” (1.1, 3 million) on NBC. Together, “Community” and “Parks and Recreation” (1.2, 3 million) barely finished in third for NBC, followed by the CW’s “Vampire Diaries” (1.1, 2.7 million) and ABC’s “The Taste” (1.0, 3.8 million).
9 p.m. — CBS won the hour with repeats of “The Crazy Ones” and “Two and a Half Men,” which averaged a 1.9 demo rating and 7.9 million viewers. The premiere of “Rake” (1.7, 7.1 million) lost nearly half its “Idol” lead-in among viewers under 50, and dipped at the half hour, but still finished the hour in second place, followed by more of “The Taste” (1.2, 4.1 million), the continually troubled “Sean Saves the World” and “The Michael J. Fox Show” on NBC (0.7, 2.4 million) and the CW’s “Reign” (0.7, 1.8 million).
10 p.m. — “Parenthood” (1.3, 4.3 million) narrowly won the demographic battle for the hour, but it was also the only non-repeat in the timeslot, and a CBS “Elementary” rerun (1.2, 7.6 million) did significantly better among total viewers. A “Shark Tank” repeat (1.1, 3.9 million) was third for ABC.
All ratings information comes from preliminary Fast National Nielsen data, which includes live and same-day DVR viewing. All numbers are subject to change