TV Ratings: 'Bachelor' finale rules Olympics-free Monday

'Two and a Half Men,' 'Big Bang Theory' are big, while 'Chuck' returns steady

Tuesday, Mar 2, 2010 12:00 PM

Daniel Fienberg

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TV Ratings: 'Bachelor' finale rules Olympics-free Monday

Jake kisses his final choice in 'The Bachelor' finale

Credit: ABC

Fast National ratings for Monday, March 1, 2010.

Freed from the shadow of NBC's Winter Olympics coverage, both ABC and CBS unleashed new programming to control Monday night. ABC won the night in most key measures with the finale of "The Bachelor," while CBS got especially strong numbers from the 9 p.m. comedy block.

Meanwhile, NBC returned to 10 p.m. programming with a new "Law & Order" and while the network remained stuck in third place, at least the results were initially better than "The Jay Leno Show."

For the night, ABC was tops among adults 18-49, doing a 5.3 rating. CBS was a solid second in the key demographic with a 4.3 rating. FOX's 2.3 rating and the 2.1 rating for NBC followed, leaving The CW's 0.7 rating in fifth.

Overall, ABC averaged an estimated 14.75 million viewers to go with a 9.4 rating/15 share. CBS' 7.8/12 came in second. FOX and NBC both posted a 4.7/7, though FOX had the advantage in total viewers. The CW's 1.1/2 trailed.

ABC started the night in first with a 9.1/14 for the opening hour of "The Bachelor," which also did a 9.1/14. CBS was second with "How I Met Your Mother" (6.3/10) and the season premiere of "Rules of Engagement" (5.9/9). FOX's "House" repeat was third, edging the 4.1/6 for NBC's "Chuck," which did a 2.4 demo rating, solid retention after a brief hiatus. The CW's repeat of "Life Unexpected" was fifth.

In a tight 9 p.m. hour, ABC's "The Bachelor" had a 10.0/15 and 15.67 million viewers, to go with a 5.6 demo rating. CBS' "Two and a Half Men" and "The Big Bang Theory" were second in ratings with a 9.6/14, but won the hour in viewers (16.18 million) and the 18-49 demo (5.8 rating). FOX's "24" had a 5.1/8 and a 2.5 demo rating. NBC's "Law & Order" finished fourth. The CW's "Life Unexpected" did a 1.3/2 in its last airing in the 9 p.m. hour.

"The Bachelor" did a 9.2/15 and a 5.4 demo rating to win the 10 p.m. hour. CBS' Rob Zombie-directed "CSI: Miami" had a 7.7/13 for second. NBC's "Law & Order" moved into its new time period with a 5.1/9 and a 2.1 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.