TV Ratings: 'Big Bang Theory' carries CBS Thursday, though 'Scandal' ties 'Elementary'
'Vampire Diaries' has a strong (football-aided) night
Kerry Washington of "Scandal"
Credit: ABC
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Led by yet another huge night for "The Big Bang Theory," CBS led Thursday in all key measures, though the network may have minor concerns that after an 8 p.m. peak, its ratings dipped every half-hour leading to "Elementary" actually tying with ABC's "Scandal" among young viewers.
Nah. Given the network's wide margins of Thursday victory, CBS probably isn't that concerned at all.
For the night, CBS averaged a 3.3 rating among adults 18-49, far ahead of the 2.5 rating for FOX in the key demographic. ABC was third with a 2.1 key demo rating. NBC's 1.2 key demo rating narrowly held off the 1.1 key demo rating for The CW.
Overall, CBS' margin of victory was far wider as the network averaged 13.39 million viewers and an 8.3 rating/13 share, topping the 4.3/7 and 7.02 million viewers for FOX. ABC was a close third with a 4.6/7 and 6.86 million viewers, with NBC lagging in fourth with a 2.3/4 and 3.4 million viewers. The CW averaged a 1.7/3 and 2.68 million viewers for Thursday primetime.
[Note that The CW's regular programming was preempted by NFL football in Atlanta and high school football in Baltimore.]
8 p.m. - "The Big Bang Theory" (17.15 million viewers and a 5.4 key demo) and "Two and a Half Men" (13.81 million viewers and a 4.1 key demo) dominated the 8 p.m. hour for CBS. [Thankfully, "Two and a Half Men" was completely flat from its last airing, saving pundits from having to do Angus T. Jones-based analysis.] FOX's "The X Factor" was a distant second with 8.23 million viewers and a 2.7 key demo rating. ABC's "Last Resort" averaged 5.2 million viewers for third and a 1.0 key demo rating for fifth in its first episode since being cancelled. NBC was fourth overall and in the demo with "30 Rock" (3.61 million viewers and a 1.3 key demo rating) and "Up All Night" (2.97 million viewers and a 1.2 key demo rating). [Hopefully we won't bend over backwards to pretend "30 Rock" got any sort of bump from Liz Lemon's nuptials.] The CW's "The Vampire Diaries" is probably a little inflated by preemptions, but still finished third with a 1.5 key demo rating and a close fifth with 3.2 million viewers.
9 p.m. - "Person of Interest" kept CBS in first overall with 14.33 million viewers, but dropped to second with a 2.9 rating among adults 18-49. ABC was tops in the key demo with a 3.0 rating for "Grey's Anatomy," which came in second with 8.71 million viewers. FOX's "Glee" averaged 5.8 million viewers and a 2.2 key demo rating in third. NBC was fourth with "The Office" (3.89 million viewers and a 1.9 key demo) and "Parks and Recreation" (3.04 million viewers and a 1.4 key demo). The CW's "Beauty and the Beast" averaged 2.15 million viewers and a 0.8 key demo rating.
10 p.m. - "Elementary" finished CBS' overall sweep with 10.36 million viewers, but tied for the lead among adults 18-49 with a 2.2 rating. ABC's "Scandal" averaged 6.67 million viewers and a 2.2 key demo rating for second overall and a first place tie in the demo. NBC's "Rock Center" averaged only 3.44 million viewers and a 0.9 key 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.
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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Login or create a HitFix account Login SignupWalter P
November 30, 2012 at 2:58PM EST Reply to CommentGo SCANDAL! Best. Show. Ever.
dan Ever?
November 30, 2012 at 3:03PM EST-Daniel
tammicha Luv,luv scandal it's hot!!!
November 30, 2012 at 4:04PM ESTTW EVER!!!!!!!!!
November 30, 2012 at 10:55PM ESTmichelle
November 30, 2012 at 4:32PM EST Reply to CommentIt honestly makes me sad when Parks and Rec gets a series low 1.4 in the demo while The Big Bang Theory is viewed by 17m people and gets a 5.4.
Drew I never understood why, according to some, liking Big Bang Theory and Parks and Rec have to be mutually exclusive. I enjoy both.
November 30, 2012 at 4:51PM ESTMichelle @Drew That's a fair point. I no longer watch The Big Bang Theory, but did enjoy it for a few seasons. What I don't understand is how it manages to pull in an audience 5x as large as Parks & Rec. For whatever reason, there seems to be a perception that Parks & Rec is a niche show and not very accessible, but in reality, I think it's a much broader show than others on NBC like 30 Rock or Community. There's no reason it shouldn't be able to generate the kind of ratings The Office once did, so a 1.4 and a drop of 0.3 vs. its last original episode is disappointing to see.
November 30, 2012 at 9:17PM EST