Fast National ratings for Thursday, November 6, 2014.
Up slightly week-to-week, “The Big Bang Theory” was Thursday's top show in all measures and helped CBS win the night overall, but “How To Get Away With Murder” was also up and helped ABC reign among young viewers.
CBS ruled overall despite a big post-premiere drop from “Two and a Half Men” and a smaller drop from “The McCarthys.” “Mom” was also down from last week's Fast Nationals, but retained well relative to other recent post-“Big Bang” shows.
There was more positive news for NBC's “Bad Judge” and “A to Z,” which rose despite effectively being cancelled last week, while “Parenthood” was also up.
Of course, NBC had the NFL preemption in Cincinnati, while CBS had the game in Cleveland, meaning that any variations for both networks could well be wiped out or minimized.
Let's get to numbers…
Among adults 18-49, ABC averaged a 2.7 rating for Thursday night, topping CBS' 2.3 rating in the key demographic. NBC's 1.3 key demo rating and the 1.0 key demo rating for FOX followed. The CW had a 0.6 key demo rating for Thursday.
Overall, though, CBS and NBC both averaged a 6.2 rating/10 share for Thursday with CBS averaging 10.115 million viewers to the 9 million for ABC. There was a big drop to FOX's 4.29 million viewers and 2.6/4 and to NBC's 4.24 million and 2.7/4. The CW averaged 1.44 million viewers and a 1.0/2 for the night.
8 p.m. – CBS started primetime in first with “The Big Bang Theory” (16.57 million and a 4.2 key demo) and “Mom” (11.52 million and a 2.6 key demo). ABC's “Grey's Anatomy” was second with 8.04 million viewers and a 2.4 rating among adults 18-49. “Bones” averaged nearly 5.6 million viewers and a 1.3 key demo rating, compared to the 4.73 million viewers and 1.3 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. – “Scandal” jumped into first for the 9 p.m. hour with 9.78 million viewers and a 2.9 rating among adults 18-49 for ABC. CBS was second with “Two and a Half Men” (9.82 million and a 2.3 key demo) and “The McCarthys” (7.43 million and a 1.7 key demo). NBC was third with “Bad Judge” (4.18 million and a 1.1 key demo) and “A to Z” (3.17 million and a 1.0 key demo). FOX's “Gracepoint” slipped a little to 2.98 million viewers and a 0.7 key demo rating, still beating the 1.32 million viewers and 0.4 key demo rating for The CW's “Reign.”
10 p.m. – “How To Get Away With Murder” won the 10 p.m. hour for ABC with 9.18 million viewers and led comfortably with a 2.8 rating among adults 18-49. CBS' “Elementary” was second with 7.675 million viewers and a 1.4 key demo rating, while “Parenthood” also did a 1.4 key demo rating and drew 4.31 million viewers.
All ratings information comes from preliminary Fast National Nielsen data, which includes live and same-day DVR viewing. All numbers are subject to change.