RATINGS RAT RACE: Under The Dome Syndrome For NBC, ‘Reign’ Slips In Week 2
It feels like NBC’s Thursday night has developed its own electromagnetic field affecting every program that enters it so it cannot go above a 1.3 in adults 18-49. That was the high-water mark logged by Parks And Recreation and Parenthood last week, and it was the case again last night. The network didn’t see any significant improvement after pulling Welcome To The Family last week. The Voice repeat in the 8 PM hour matched Parks And Recreation‘s 1.3 from last week (though did better than Welcome To The Family‘s 0.9). Sean Saves The World, The Michael J. Fox Show and Parenthood matched their deliveries from last week — 1.1, 1.2 and 1.3, respectively — as NBC’s lineup appears isolated from the rest of the world and impervious to competition.
And competition did change last night, with Fox airing Game 2 of the World Series, which continues to run ahead of last year’s Series with a better matchup. The Boston-St. Louis face-off drew a 3.4 in preliminary non-time-zone adjusted ratings, up 17% vs. Game 2 last fall. Baseball ratings will go up in the finals, giving Fox a nightly demo win.
The CW’s Vampire Diaries was down 15% in 18-49 (1.1) but matched last week’s high in 18-34 (1.3), topping both NBC and ABC in the 18-34 demo at 8 PM. Reign was down from its premiere but the slide also indicated a generational shift to younger female audiences. While the teen soap was down 25% in adults 18-49 to a 0.6, its drop in total viewers was 7% (to 1.84 million) and the show actually doubled its premiere rating in female teens (0.5 to 1).
No third-week wonder for ABC’s Once Upon A Time In Wonderland, which shed another tenth for a new demo low of 1.1, tied in the hour with the Vampire Diaries, en route to cancellation. Veteran Grey’s Anatomy (2.8) perked up, by 8% from last week’s fast national and soaring 155% above its lead-in. Scandal (3.0) was down 9% from last week.
CBS incumbents help well while newbies faltered against the World Series. The Big Bang Theory (4.9) was even with its 18-49 fast national from last Thursday, Two And A Half Men (2.3) was up 10%, while Elementary (1.8) grew 13%. But newly renewed freshmen The Millers (2.8) and The Crazy Ones (2.3) were both down, by 13% and 11%, respectively.
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