Fast National ratings for Thursday, October 17, 2013.
“Big Bang Theory” led CBS to its usual Thursday wins and helped both “The Millers” and “Crazy Ones” post tiny gains among young viewers. However, both “Two and a Half Men” and “Elementary” posted ugly numbers to close CBS’ night.
Speaking of ugly numbers, “Once Upon a Time in Wonderland” took a big drop for ABC and looks like yet another fast Thursday 8 p.m. disappointment for the network, even while “Scandal” ticked back up after last week’s small declines.
NBC continued its Thursday struggles as well, with none of its shows going above 4 million viewers for the second straight week, though “Parks and Recreation” and “Parenthood” both were up a hair with 1.3 key demo ratings.
Finally, The CW’s “The Vampire Diaries” was up from its early season airings, leading into a very mixed launch for the new drama “Reign,” which will make me do some deeper analysis either today or tomorrow.
On to the numbers…
Among adults 18-49, CBS averaged a 2.6 rating for Thursday night, beating the 2.4 rating for ABC and FOX’s 2.3 rating in the key demographic. NBC averaged a 1.2 key demo rating, nipping the 1.0 key demo rating for The CW. [The CW and NBC tied for fourth among adults 18-34 with a 1.0 rating, if you care about such things.]
Overall, CBS had more breathing room, averaging an estimated 10.71 million viewers and a 6.7 rating/11 share. FOX was second with 8.4 million viewers and a 5.2/8, beating the 5.1/7 and 7.52 million viewers for ABC. NBC’s 3.415 million viewers and 2.3/4 and the 2.42 million viewers and 1.5/2 for The CW followed.
8 p.m. – CBS kicked off primetime in first with “The Big Bang Theory” (17.2 million and a 4.9 key demo) and “The Millers” 12.17 million viewers and a 3.2 key demo). FOX’s coverage of the Red Sox and Tigers drew 8.64 million viewers and a 2.7 rating among adults 18-49. ABC’s “Once Upon a Time in Wonderland” slipped to 4.5 million viewers and a 1.2 key demo rating in its second airing. NBC was fourth overall and fifth in the key demo with “Parks and Recreation” (3.245 million and a 1.3 key demo rating) and “Welcome to the Family” (2.45 million and a 0.9 key demo). The CW’s “The Vampire Diaries” averaged 2.84 million viewers and a 1.3 key demo rating.
9 p.m. – CBS held a slim overall lead in the 9 p.m. hour and tied for second in the key demo with “The Crazy Ones” (9.53 million and a 2.5 key demo) and “Two and a Half Men” (8.52 million and a 2.1 key demo). ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy” as second with a low 8.58 million viewers and won the hour with a 2.6 rating among adults 18-49. FOX’s baseball coverage slipped to third with 8.17 million viewers and tied for second with a 2.3 key demo rating. NBC was fourth with “Sean Saves the World” (3.37 million viewers and a 1.1 key demo) and “The Michael J. Fox Show” (3.53 million and a 1.2 key demo). The CW’s “Reign” premiere averaged just over 2 million viewers and a 0.8 key demo rating, almost identical to what an encore of “The Originals” did last week, albeit with some demo differences I’ll write about later.
10 p.m. – “Scandal” won the 10 p.m. hour for ABC with 9.46 million viewers and a 3.3 key demo rating, both up. CBS’ “Elementary” hit series lows with 8.41 million viewers and a 1.6 key demo rating, still holding off the 3.95 million viewers and 1.3 key demo rating for “Parenthood.”
All ratings information comes from preliminary Fast National Nielsen data, which includes live and same-day DVR viewing. All numbers are subject to change, particularly in the case of live events.