overnights

With both new comedies seeing gains over last week, CBS won the final Thursday of the November sweeps. The 8:30 p.m. sitcom The Millers grew 8% over last week, to a 2.8 in adults 18-49. The growth is impressive considering lead-in The Big Bang Theory, the night’s top show with a 5.2 at 8 p.m., was flat to last week. The bump continued into the 9 p.m. slot, with CBS’s other new comedy on the night, The Crazy Ones, growing 4% over last week to a 2.2.

For all but a handful of shows on the Big Four, Wednesday was a night of declines. Every network had at least one show that fell week to week, and a few slid to season lows. ABC’s Modern Family suffered the biggest week-to-week dip, posting a 3.3 adults 18-49 rating. It was still easily the night’s top-rated show, but it also marked Family’s lowest rating since 2009.

Nothing like a little sweeps stunting to lift a network’s average. David Blaine: Real or Magic lifted ABC to an eight-week high on Tuesday night, tying for second place on the night with NBC. Blaine averaged a 2.5 adults 18-49 rating from 9:30 to 11 p.m., finishing first during the 90-minute chunk. The network averaged a 2.3 rating and 6 share for the night, its best Tuesday rating since premiere week. CBS won the night with a 2.5/7.

As expected, Fox’s new drama Almost Human took a big hit in its second episode last night. The show averaged a 2.2 adults 18-49 rating, according to Nielsen, down 29% from the 3.1 it posted in Sunday night’s debut. The dip wasn’t a surprise. Human’s premiere had a huge lead-in from the end of Fox’s NFL coverage, which averaged a 5.3 at 7:30 p.m. Last night Human led off the night with no such support.

Categorize this under “as expected.” Fox moved two veteran shows to Friday, and both saw their ratings plummet. Bones averaged a 1.2 adults 18-49 rating in its new 8 p.m. Friday timeslot, off 43% from what it had averaged on Mondays so far this season. Meanwhile, Raising Hope made its season debut with back-to-back episodes at 9 p.m., where it struggled to a 0.7 for each. That was off a full point from last fall’s bow on Tuesday night.

With a big lead-in from NFL coverage, Fox’s new drama Almost Human debuted to solid, though not spectacular, numbers Sunday night. The new show posted a 3.1 adults 18-49 rating in its 8 p.m. slot, making it Fox’s second-highest-rated new show premiere this fall, behind Sleepy Hollow, which drew a 3.5. While that’s a good number, Fox does have some cause for concern. The show’s rating declined 18% from its first to its second half hour, from a 3.4 to a 2.8.

NBC’s Thursday comedies continue to struggle. All three tied series lows last night. Parks and Recreation returned from a four-week hiatus with a 1.2 for back-to-back episodes at 8 p.m., down a tenth from its most recent original. Lead-out Sean Saves the World posted a 1.0 at 9 p.m., sliding 29% from last week’s 1.4, which was fueled by a much stronger lead-in, an episode of The Voice. And The Michael J. Fox Show posted a 1.0 at 9:30, even to last week.

These days most overnight ratings stories are a recitation of what show dropped what percentage from last week. But last night a number of programs bucked that common trend. Shows on ABC, CBS, Fox, the CW and NBC saw notable growth compared to their most recent episodes.

It might be time for Iron-Man or Thor to make a ratings-grabbing appearance on Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. The new ABC drama fell to a series low last night, continuing the ratings declines that have plagued the program since its promising premiere in September. S.H.I.E.L.D. averaged a 2.2 adults 18-49 rating at 8 p.m., off 12% from last week and 0.7 behind NCIS, which easily won the timeslot.

CBS’s Monday rating was down a tenth from last week as three of its five shows suffered declines last night. Mike & Molly saw the biggest dip, off 15% from last week’s season premiere to a 2.2 in the 9 p.m. slot. That took a small toll on lead-out Mom, which fell a tenth from last week to a 1.9. Earlier in the evening, How I Met Your Mother slid 9% from last week to a 3.1, though it was still CBS’s top show of the night and the No. 2 program on broadcast for the evening.

NBC continued its fall Sunday domination thanks to primetime pro-football rights, topping the night in both ratings and viewers. CBS was second in both categories. Fox, the third network that carries the NFL on Sundays, came in third in ratings. Though due to the nature of live sports, their numbers are approximate. ABC was fourth in ratings.

There’s nothing like an extra episode of The Voice to perk up NBC’s lineup. The network scheduled a special edition of the show last night, replacing Parks and Recreation and the now-canceled new sitcom Welcome to the Family, and it gave the entire Thursday night a lift. Voice averaged a 2.7 adults 18-49 rating at 8 p.m., a season low but easily the highest-rated Thursday night program on NBC this season.

Moving to Wednesday after airing on Thursday last year, ABC’s Country Music Association Awards drew very strong numbers last night. The program averaged a 4.7 adults 18-49 rating in primetime, up 24% over last year, when it drew a 3.8. That gave ABC its fifth Wednesday victory in seven weeks, and marked the first time the network has won the first Wednesday of sweeps in six years. The show peaked with a 5.0 from 10 to 10:30 p.m., outdrawing the other four broadcast networks in the timeslot combined.

The majority of broadcast shows declined on Monday night, including four new shows, but two veteran scripted programs notched big gains. Both Castle and How I Met Your Mother were up double-digit percentages over the previous week. ABC’s Castle hit a season high with a 2.4 adults 18-49 rating at 10 p.m., up 14% over last week. CBS’s Mother grew 13% to a 3.4, finishing as the No. 2 show of the night behind NBC’s The Voice. It was Mother’s highest-rated episode since its premiere. But most other shows on broadcast saw declines last night.

It was a night of gains for drama series on broadcast last night. All three of ABC’s dramas and CBS’s The Good Wife hit their best numbers in weeks. Wife matched a season high with a 1.6 adults 18-49 rating at 10 p.m. The show was pushed back by NFL overrun, which lasted until 7:59 p.m. and bumped CBS’s entire lineup back an hour. Earlier in the night, ABC’s Once Upon a Time posted a 2.3, its best rating in two weeks and up 5% over last week in the 8 p.m. slot. Lead-out Revenge drew a 1.7 at 9 p.m., up 21% over last week to its best rating since Oct. 6.

TV viewing levels were down dramatically as children were trick-or-treating through the neighborhood. ABC came in first averaging a 2.6, led by Scandal at 10 p.m., which finished as the top show of the night. An hour earlier, Gray’s Anatomy drew a 2.6, down 7% from last week. The end of the MLB season hurt Fox, which ran a special recap of The X-Factor contestants, scoring a 0.7. CBS, which came in second, ran a rerun of The Big Bang Theory. The Millers and The Crazy Ones dropped to a 2.0 and 1.9, respectively.

The final game of the World Series, won by the Boston Red Sox, pulled big ratings on Fox last night, and that led to lower ratings for every other broadcaster. Fox easily won the night with a 5.4 adults 18-49 rating and 15 share, more than double the No. 2 network, CBS, with a 2.2/6. The big ratings for the World Series probably mean people skipped watching scripted shows for sports and are planning to catch up on their DVRs, so it will be interesting to see what the three-day DVR playback levels are for last night. Nearly every original show on the Big Three networks was down from last week.

For the first time in the history of Nielsen’s people meter, which goes back to 1987, NBC has won the first six Tuesdays of the season among adults 18-49. The network finished first last night once again on the strength of The Voice, its hit singing competition, on an evening when ABC was largely in repeats and Fox ran a special edition of The X Factor, which usually airs Wednesday and Thursday.

Game 5 of the World Series lifted Fox into a tie for first place Monday night with NBC, which had finished No. 1 on the night for the first five weeks of the fall season. Both networks averaged a 3.8 adults 18-49 rating and 10 share. NBC’s The Voice was the evening’s top program with a 4.1 from 8 to 10 p.m., down a tenth from last week. The World Series contest drew a 3.8 in primetime, even with the most recent Game 5 two years ago. That number will change when final numbers are released later this afternoon, though, because overnights measure only timeslot data and do not account for time zone differences.

Sunday night was all about sports on the broadcast networks. Fox appeared to snap NBC’s eight-week winning streak on the night with coverage of Game 4 of the World Series between the Boston Red Sox and St. Louis Cardinals. Fox averaged a 5.1 adults 18-49 rating and 13 share in primetime, just ahead of NBC’s 4.5/11.

CBS’s The Big Bang Theory was Thursday night’s top non-baseball show, even though it, like many programs on broadcast last night, suffered declines against Game 2 of the World Series. Bang” averaged a 4.9 adults 18-49 rating at 8 p.m. That was off 6% from last week and marked a new season low for the show, no surprise considering the additional competition. Lead-out The Millers was also off from last week, 13% to a 2.8, but it was second in the timeslot to Fox’s World Series coverage.

Fox’s World Series dominated the other networks Wednesday night. Fox led every half hour during primetime, at least according to early numbers. Among the also-rans, CBS led the pack, with the 300th episode of CSI matching a season high at 10 p.m. CSI averaged a 2.1 adults 18-49 rating, up a tenth from last week and finishing ahead of ABC and NBC in the timeslot. CBS’s Criminal Minds was the night’s top drama with a 2.7 at 9 p.m., even to last week.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine is still far from a hit, but the new comedy saw a ratings boost days after getting a full-season order from Fox. Brooklyn rose 7% versus last week, to a 1.6 adults 18-49 rating in the 8:30 p.m. timeslot. It improved 14% over its lead-in, new comedy Dads, which was off a tenth from last week to a 1.4. Brooklyn was Fox’s No. 2 show on Tuesday night, finishing just 0.2 behind the network’s top program, New Girl, which drew a 1.8 at 9 p.m.

Just how dominant has NBC been on Monday nights this season? The network has led every single half hour of every Monday, including last night. The combination of The Voice and The Blacklist, the night’s two highest-rated programs, lifted NBC to its fifth straight Monday victory.

Peyton Manning’s much-hyped return to Indianapolis, where he played the first 14 seasons of his storied NFL career, produced ratings records for NBC’s Sunday Night Football. The game between Manning’s current team, the Broncos, and his former one, the Colts, averaged a 17.3 household rating from 8:30 p.m. to 12:15 a.m. The game peaked with a 19.0 rating from 9:30 to 10 p.m. That marked a season high for SNF and the fourth-best overnight rating in the franchise’s history, behind two games from last year and the season opener from 2010.

Expect a full-season order for The Millers later today. The new CBS comedy continued to post solid numbers, growing week to week in its third outing. “Millers” averaged a 3.2 adults 18-49 rating last night, up 7% from a 3.0 last week. And that was despite its strong lead-in, The Big Bang Theory, actually sliding a tenth from last week, to a 5.0. Millers has shown decent retention out of Bang, but just as importantly, it’s not seeing the huge week-to-week falloffs that so many other new shows have experienced this season.

The popular “Toy Story” franchise boosted ABC’s ratings on Wednesday night. A Halloween special starring the gang of Pixar cut-ups, Toy Story of Terror!, averaged a 3.0 adults 18-49 rating at 8 p.m. last night, posting the network’s best rating in the timeslot since November 2011. Among kids 2-11 the special did even better, no surprise. It averaged a 5.7, the network’s best rating in the timeslot since 2007 and broadcast’s highest-rated animated special since November 2011. Toy helped ABC to a three-way tie for No. 1 on Wednesday night with Fox, which carried game four of the American League Championship Series, and CBS.

NBC won another Tuesday night on the strength of The Voice, though the network’s veteran reality show The Biggest Loser posted its lowest-ever debut rating. Voice averaged a 3.9 adults 18-49 rating, easily the highest-rated program of the night. The evening’s No. 2 program, NCIS, was well behind with a 3.0.

Girls are apparently stronger than men. CBS’s 2 Broke Girls moved into a new timeslot last night, replacing the canceled We Are Men at 8:30 p.m. and showing big improvements over Men’s numbers last week. Girls averaged a 2.5 adults 18-49 rating at 8:30 p.m., up from a 1.9 for Men last week. In fact, Girls improved over the 2.3 it posted in its old 9 p.m. timeslot last week as well.

Dramas and reality shows were no match for NBC’s NFL coverage or Fox’s MLB playoffs Sunday. Live sports dominated the night, according to early ratings from 56 markets. According to the metered markets, Sunday night’s Dallas Cowboys vs. Washington Redskins was not only the No. 1 telecast of the evening, the game was also the strongest performance against Fox’s MLB League Championship series since 1997, NBC tweeted.

There were some alarmingly low numbers on broadcast last night for a number of new shows, while veteran drama Glee rose to a one-year high on Fox as it paid tribute to the late actor Cory Monteith. ABC’s new spinoff Once Upon a Time in Wonderland drew a 1.7 adults 18-49 rating at 8 p.m., finishing third in its timeslot behind CBS’s The Big Bang Theory (the night’s top show with a 4.9) and The Millers (retaining an impressive 94% of last week’s debut with a 3.1) and Fox’s The X Factor.

Every single program on the Big Four took a hit last night, seeing declines from last week. That included two notable new shows, ABC’s Super Fun Night and NBC’s Ironside. Fun slid 22% from last week, from a 3.2 to a 2.5 adults 18-49 rating. The show retained 66% of lead-in Modern Family’s rating, compared to 76% last week. Some of the decline could certainly be attributed to the fact that Family was also off, falling 10% from last week to a 3.8. Family was easily the night’s top show.

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is still delivering good if not great numbers for ABC on Tuesday, while the network’s new comedies are struggling after decent debuts two weeks ago. Last night The Goldbergs fell behind Fox’s rival New Girl for the first time. Lead-out Trophy Wife was even to last week, a notable achievement, but its rating remains low. Goldbergs averaged a 2.0 adults 18-49 rating, down 9% from last week and off by more than a third from its debut. Girl drew a 2.1 in the same 9 p.m. slot, up 11% from last week.

CBS may be mulling some changes on Monday night following the third week of the new season. Its three new Monday shows saw week-to-week declines, most notably 10 p.m. drama Hostages, which is struggling at 10 p.m. Hostages averaged a 1.2 adults 18-49 rating last night, down 20% from last week. It’s lost a third of its audience since its debut two weeks ago drew a 1.8.

ABC has already canceled one new drama this season, and another is struggling as well. Last night the network’s 10 p.m. show Betrayal slid 27% from last week’s already-low premiere, to a 1.1 adults 18-49 rating. The show got less lead-in support from Revenge, ABC’s 9 p.m. drama, which fell 17% from last week to a 1.9. Betrayal bowed to a 1.5 last week, the third-worst rating for any new show.

ABC’s Scandal started the new season just as it ended the last one, with record ratings. The hot drama debuted to a series-high 3.6 adults 18-49 rating last night at 10 p.m., up 13 percent over its then-record season finale last May, which drew a 3.2. Scandal soared by an impressive 71% over last fall’s 2.1 premiere, and it finished as the No. 2 show of the night on broadcast, behind only CBS’s The Big Bang Theory (5.0).

Rebel Wilson’s much-hyped new comedy Super Fun Night got off to a good start last night behind Modern Family. Fun averaged a 3.2 adults 18-49 rating at 9:30 p.m., retaining 76% of Family’s 4.2 at 9. The 76% retention was the highest percentage retention behind Family for any new comedy in four years. The rating ties Fun with The Golbergs for the No. 2 comedy premiere this season, behind CBS’s The Crazy Ones (3.9). Fun was also the No. 2 show of the night behind Family.

Last week’s big premiere for Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. did not hold. The new ABC drama lost a big chunk of its premiere audience in its second episode last night. S.H.I.E.L.D. averaged a 3.1 adults 18-49 rating at 8 p.m., down 34% from a 4.7 last week. The show finished third in its timeslot behind NBC’s The Voice, the night’s top show with a 4.6 from 8 to 10 p.m., and CBS’s “NCIS (3.4, off only 6% from last week). That was still ABC’s best performance in the timeslot in two years.

NBC remains dominant on Monday, and CBS may have a few issues with its new shows on the night. NBC’s The Voice was last night’s top-rated show with a 4.6 adults 18-49 rating from 8 to 10 p.m., off 10% from last week’s strong debut. Lead-out The Blacklist continued to post strong ratings at 10 p.m., averaging a 3.6 for its second episode and finishing as the night’s No. 2 show behind Voice. That was down only 5% from last week, a good sign for the new drama.

On a night where every returning broadcast scripted series saw year-to-year declines, ABC may have another turkey in the 10 p.m. hour. The new drama Betrayal bowed to a 1.5 adults 18-49 rating in the timeslot, losing 38% of its 2.4 lead-in from Revenge. ABC has struggled in this hour for the past two years, since Brothers and Sisters went off the air. Betrayal was well below the 2.1 that 666 Park Avenue premiered to last year in the same timeslot.