TV Ratings: 'Arrow' opens big, 'Nashville' tops 'Chicago' and FOX, CBS split Wednesday
'Modern Family' has a big 9 p.m. hour for ABC
Stephen Amell and Willa Holland of "Arrow"
Credit: The CW
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Wednesday night featured a trio of significant show premieres and a ton of ratings news, but very little of it had anything to do with the two networks that split the night.
Led by two solid hours of "X Factor," FOX came out on top among young viewers (with an asterisk), while "Criminal Minds" and "CSI" helped CBS claim the night overall.
But why concentrate on FOX and CBS when "Arrow" was able to give The CW its most watched premiere telecast since the November of 2009 and the network's most watched premiere since "The Vampire Diaries" in the fall of 2009?
And why concentrate on FOX and CBS when "Nashville" either had a terrific premiere (if you buy ABC's spin) or shed a heaping ton of its "Modern Family" lead-in? Or both? One week is too early to make any real calls.
On to the numbers...
Among adults 18-49, FOX averaged a 3.4 rating for Wednesday night, edging out ABC's 3.2 rating in the key demographic. [In the two hours the networks shared, ABC had a slim advantage.] CBS was third with a 2.8 rating, followed well back by NBC's 1.6 rating in the key demo. The CW did a robust 1.2 key demo rating for Wednesday.
Overall, though, the advantage went to CBS with an average of 10.5 million viewers and a 6.7 rating/11 share. ABC was second with a 5.9/9 and 9.38 million viewers, with FOX's 9.36 million viewers and 5.6/9 close behind. NBC averaged 5.55 million viewers and a 3.7/6, beating The CW's strong 2.0/3 and 3.3 million viewers.
8 p.m. - "Survivor: Philippines" started primetime in first for CBS With 9.58 million viewers, though the resilient reality franchise had a sluggish weak with a 2.6 key demo rating. FOX's "The X Factor" was second with 9.19 million viewers and won the hour with a 3.2 rating among adults 18-49. ABC was third with "The Middle" (7.81 million viewers and a 2.4 key demo rating) and "The Neighbors" (6.27 million viewers and a 1.9 key demo rating), both down in viewers, but with "The Middle" up and "Neighbors" down in the key demo. NBC's "Animal Practice" (3.875 million viewers and a 1.1 key demo) and "Guys with Kids" (4.2 million viewers and a 1.4 key demo) were both way down. The CW's "Arrow" averaged 4.02 million viewers and a 1.3 key demo rating, beating "Animal Practice" overall and in the key demo in the 8 p.m. half-hour.
9 p.m. - A double-dose of "Modern Family" helped ABC dominate the 9 p.m. hour with 12.13 million viewers and a 4.8 rating among adults 18-49. CBS' "Criminal Minds" was second overall with 11.35 million viewers and third with a 3.0 key demo rating. FOX's "The X Factor" was second in the key demo with a 3.6 rating and third overall with 9.52 million viewers. NBC's "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" averaged 6.18 million viewers and a 1.8 key demo rating in fourth. The CW's "Supernatural" was way up from its premiere with 2.59 million viewers and a 1.0 key demo rating.
10 p.m. - "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" won the 10 p.m. hour for CBS with 10.58 million viewers and finished a close second with a 2.6 rating among adults 18-49. ABC's "Nashville" was second with 8.98 million viewers and won the hour with a 2.8 key demo rating. ["Nashville" was down to 8.44 million viewers and a 2.5 key demo rating, which lost to "CSI," in its second half-hour.] NBC's "Chicago Fire" improved on its lead-in with 6.44 million viewers and a 1.9 key demo rating and didn't slip at the half-hour, so there's that.
All ratings information comes from preliminary Fast National Nielsen data, which includes live and same-day DVR viewing. All numbers are subject to change.
A long-time member of the TCA Board and a longer-time blogger of "American Idol," Dan Fienberg writes about TV, except for when he writes about movies or sometimes writes about the Red Sox. But never music. He would sound stupid talking about music.
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October 11, 2012 at 12:20PM EST Reply to CommentThe CW executives must be doing backflips.
That is a great number.
But I now expect Animal Practice to be cancelled by Tomorrow.
Losing to the CW is embarrassing even for NBC
Jobin00 I think its even more embarassing that Guys with Kids had better ratings.
October 11, 2012 at 12:28PM ESTdan Jonathan - Unlike a CBS or even a FOX, NBC has nothing to put in that time slot that's guaranteed to do better, but certainly figuring out a replacement for November sweeps has to be high on NBC's to-do list...
October 11, 2012 at 12:41PM EST-Daniel
Prettok NBC has nothing? We all know that it has a pair of sitcoms-on-hiatus in its back pocket that they dont know what else to do with.
October 11, 2012 at 5:49PM ESTJohn
October 11, 2012 at 12:23PM EST Reply to CommentIs it just me, or is CBS kinda-sorta having a pretty bad start to the season for most things that aren't called '2 Broke Girls' or 'Big Bang Theory'? Sure, it often still crushes in overall viewers, but even they can't seem to appropriately monetize non-demo viewers (cancelling Made in Jersey with >7M viewers).
dan John - CBS is definitely not off to a great start... "Made in Jersey" is gone. "Partners" could go at any time. "Vegas" and "Elementary" are doing OK, but they haven't been improvements over the shows CBS moved to put 'em there... Definitely not a terrific start, nope...
October 11, 2012 at 12:42PM EST-Daniel
Balaji K
October 11, 2012 at 12:29PM EST Reply to CommentArrow beating Animal Practice is not good for NBC. I haven't watched Animal Practice but my be it should get the post "Office" slot. Whitney and Guys with Kids on Wednesdays, Community, Parks & Rec at 8:00 pm hour on Thursday, the final season of 30 Rock and a likely final season of Up all Night on Fridays.
Nashville might not be the hit that ABC was hoping for. That was not great retention and there was a big drop in the second half hour. Next week, it has Suburgatory as it's lead-in. The ratings are likely to decrease. ABS will not be happy with the performance of Last Resort, 666 Park Avenue and Nashville.
John I don't see any way NBC would put 'Animal Practice' after 'The Office'. The opportunity cost of putting basically anything that isn't 'Animal Practice' in that spot is just too high (in NBC, not real world, numbers). 'Animal Practice' isn't a moderately successful show (again, in NBC terms) that just needs some propping up. It's a disaster.
October 11, 2012 at 12:34PM ESTBalaji K I mean if they want to persist with the show. Otherwise, they have 3 comedies on the bench - 1600 Penn, Next Caller, Save me - that they can launch in the post Office slot.
October 11, 2012 at 12:43PM ESTdan Balaji - Yeah, I think "Animal Practice" is just headed for cancelation. There's no point in wasting a lead-in on it.
October 11, 2012 at 12:45PM ESTWe'll see what "Nashville" does in Week 2. This is yet another example of a show that was sampled online early. But yeah, it's likely to take a huge drop next week, since "Suburgatory" will take a big drop from "Modern Family."
As for "Last Resort," I doubt ABC's worried about it, yet. It's had two weeks of fairly big Live+3 bumps. Unless the bottom falls out tonight, I'd bet it survives where it is for a while...
-Daniel
Balaji K I'd like to addd...while Go On and to an extent The New Normal got a very good lead-in, Animal Practice was made to launch an hour without so much of a lead-in. Go on is very much dependant on The Voice.
October 11, 2012 at 12:50PM ESTBalaji K I hope Last resort sticks around for a while. I pretty much liked the 2 episodes I watched.
October 11, 2012 at 12:52PM ESTHatfield
October 11, 2012 at 12:49PM EST Reply to Comment"though the resilient reality franchise had a sluggish weak"
Who you calling sluggish and weak, Dan Fienberg?!?!?!? - Jeff Probst
jurassica
October 11, 2012 at 1:07PM EST Reply to CommentDid NBC even bother programming a 9 PM hour? It's not in the rundown.
Jobin00 SVU
October 11, 2012 at 1:26PM ESTdan Jurassica - "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" is absolutely in the rundown. Did I confuse you because I didn't include "NBC's" in front of it?
October 11, 2012 at 1:42PM EST-Daniel
jurassica Indeed it did! I tend not to notice and/or recognize the show known as Law & Order in all its permutations, to be honest.
October 11, 2012 at 1:57PM ESTdan Jurassica - Added "NBC's." Because I aim for clarity in all things!
October 11, 2012 at 2:23PM EST-Daniel