RATINGS RAT RACE: ‘Bones’ Ticks Up With Wedding, ‘The Voice’ & ‘Dancing’ Dip
UPDATE: Mom did finish up week to week. The comedy was adjusted down a tenth in the finals, making its gain 15%. Also slipping down by a tenth was 2 Broke Girls, while Hostages dropped .2 to tie its low from last week. How I Met Your Mother, The Voice, Bones and Dancing with the Stars were adjusted up by a tenth.
PREVIOUS: Fox last night gave promising new drama Sleepy Hollow two extra weeks of Bones lead-in in November before a newcomer, Almost Human, comes into the Monday 8 PM slot. The Headless Horseman drama sure could use the reprieve because its fifth episode last Monday would’ve been the last original with a Bones lead-in. It was a special episode of Bones last night, featuring the eight-seasons-in-the-making Booth and Brennan wedding. The veteran dramedy only got a modest bump (5%, to a 2.1 rating in adults 18-49). Still, Sleepy Hollow would’ve benefited by following it with an original. Instead, the drama aired a repeat because of its complex production that didn’t allow for a sixth episode to be completed for last night’s airing. Sleepy Hollow will again stay dark next Monday for the World Series, making it a two-week break five weeks into the series run. Those lengthy hiatuses early in the run of new series are disruptive (Fox’s New Girl never recovered from a series of early pre-emptions). They also allow time-slot competitors to get stronger by wooing available eyeballs. Fortunately for Sleepy Hollow, it is a heavily DVR-ed show that is likely already locked on people’s season passes.
The lack of a new Sleepy Hollow seems to have helped CBS’ 9-11 PM block. The network’s fast nationals were inflated by an NFL pre-emption in Minnesota. Still, while How I Met Your Mother (2.9) at 8 PM was down a tenth from its fast national last week, and 2 Broke Girls (2.6) at 8:30 PM was flat, a The Big Bang Theory repeat (2.5) at 9 PM jumped 14% from last Monday’s rerun, while Mom (2.4) at 9:30 PM shot up by 20% and is expected to stay in positive territory in the finals. The tide lifted even Hostages (1.4, up 17%), though it may end up even week to week in the finals.
The second week of battle rounds on NBC’s The Voice opened with a 4.2 18-49 rating. That’s down 7% from last week but will likely be adjusted up, cutting the decline to 4%. The Blacklist (3.0) is currently running even with last week. It has a good chance of holding on in the finals thought it could go down a peg to a 2.9 because of a minute of Voice overrun. ABC’s Dancing With The Stars (1.9) and Castle (1.9) were down 10% and 14% from last week, respectively, and may hit/tie series lows. Ratings for the CW are unreliable because of a football pre-emption in the No. 1 market, New York, and a basketball one in the No. 3 market, Chicago. Hart Of Dixie and Beauty And The Beast are both up sharply week to week but will be adjusted down significantly.
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RATINGS RAT RACE: Strong Debut For ‘Sleepy Hollow’, Solid Finish For ‘Under The Dome’
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