TV Ratings: ‘NCIS’ helps CBS hold off ABC’s ‘Dancing with the Stars’ to win Tuesday

Fast National ratings for Tuesday, March 27, 2012.

ABC’s two-hour “Dancing with the Stars” block took a big bite out of “NCIS: Los Angeles” and contributed to a drop for “Unforgettable,” but it was the resilient “NCIS” mothership that helped CBS claim Tuesday night both overall and among young viewers. 

Meanwhile, “Dancing” ate into the audience for FOX’s suddenly flagging “New Girl,” while NBC’s “Fashion Star” took a step back after last week’s gains.

Among adults 18-49, CBS averaged a 2.8 rating, beating ABC’s 2.3 rating in the key demographic. NBC’s 1.8 rating and FOX’s 1.7 key demo rating followed, with The CW averaging a 0.6 rating for Tuesday night.

Overall, CBS averaged an estimated 14.455 million viewers to go with a 9.1 rating/15 share. ABC was second with a 7.9/13 and 11.91 million viewers. There was a big drop to NBC’s 3.3/5 and 5.08 million viewers. FOX averaged a 2.2/3 and 3.645 million viewers, with The CW averaging 1.23 million viewers and a 0.8/1 for the night.

[Univision averaged 3.515 million viewers and a 1.4 rating among adults 18-49 for Tuesday primetime.]

8 p.m. – “NCIS” started primetime in first for CBS with 18.24 million viewers and a 3.4 rating among adults 18-49, down from last week in viewers, but up a hair among young viewers. ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars” recap episode averaged 10.42 million viewers and a 1.9 key demo rating for second. NBC was third with 5.26 million viewers and a 1.8 key demo rating for “The Biggest Loser.” FOX was fourth with a new “Raising Hope” (3.77 million viewers and a 1.5 key demo) and a “Raising Hope” repeat (3.095 million and a 1.3 key demo), which improved on last week’s returns for a new “I Hate My Teenage Daughter.” The CW’s “90210” averaged 1.36 million viewers and a 0.7 key demo rating, up slightly in viewers and several of The CW’s favorite demos.

9 p.m. – “Dancing with the Stars” won the 9 p.m. hour with 15.32 million viewers and a 3.0 rating among adults 18-49 for the season’s first results show. “NCIS: Los Angeles” slipped to 14.69 million viewers, though its 2.9 key demo rating was up a sliver from last week. NBC’s “The Biggest Loser” was third with 5.99 million viewers and a 2.1 key demo rating. FOX’s “New Girl” (4.9 million viewers and a 2.5 key demo rating) was down, while “Breaking In” (2.82 million and a 1.4 key demo) was down in viewers but up by 0.1 in the demo, thanks again to creative encroachment from its lead-in. The CW’s “Ringer” averaged just under 1.1 million viewers and a 0.5 key demo rating.

10 p.m. – “Unforgettable” put CBS in first for the 10 p.m. hour overall, but the drama finished second with a 2.0 rating among adults 18-49. The “Dancing” lead-in gave ABC’s “Body of Proof” a huge bump to 9.99 million viewers and a 2.1 key demo rating, though ABC fell below CBS in the key demo for the 9:30-to-10 half-hour. NBC’s “Fashion Star” averaged 4 million viewers and a 1.5 key demo rating in third.