overnights

CBS finished first behind Robin William’s new comedy for the night among 18-49s with a 3.7 rating and an 11 share. ABC, led by Gray’s Anatomy, came in second at 2.7/8. Fox, with Glee, was third at 2/6, and NBC was fourth at 1.7/5. The Crazy Ones can thank CBS favorite The Big Bang Theory, which aired back-to-back episodes, for the big assist.

The first Wednesday of the new fall season goes to ABC, thanks to its Emmy award-winning comedy Modern Family. ABC averaged a 2.8 among 18-49 and 8 share for the night, according to Nielsen. That was just ahead of Fox at 2.5/7, backed by The X Factor. CBS, with CSI, and NBC, with Law & Order: SVU, tied for third at 2.4/7.

The singing competition helped NBC capture a 4.0 rating among 18-49s and an 11 share. ABC’s “S.H.I.E.LD.” got off to a monstrous start at 8p.m. with a 4.6, according to Nielsen data, and helped lead-out “The Goldbergs” to a 3.2, making it the top comedy debut this season and best for any ABC sitcom in two years. CBS tied with ABC for second place behind “NCIS and NCIS: Los Angeles,” while Fox, which kicked off its premieres last week, suffered from the strong comptition.

The singing competition helped NBC dominate Monday night, with a 4.6 in the key 18-49 demographic, which helped lift the network’s new drama “The Blacklist” at 10 p.m. “Hostages,” CBS’s 10 p.m. show didn’t have a strong showing with a 1.8. ABC’s “Dancing With The Stars” fell 26% from last week’s debut to a 2.3, but “Castle” grew 5% to a 2.2 at 10 p.m.

The Emmys were popular last night and ultimtaely won in total viewers, but NBC’s Sunday Night Football remained the top Sunday show when it comes to the key 18-49 demographic. The game between the Chicago Bears and Pittsburgh Steelers averaged a 5.5 overnight rating for that age group and a 15 share. CBS, with its 3.5 hour Emmys broadcast, was narrowly behind at 4.8/13. Fox came in third with repeats of The Simpsons and Bob’s Burgers. ABC was fifth for a repeat of Once Upon a Time.

There were plenty of original shows on broadcast last night but CBS still finished first on the strength of its repeats. Two reruns of The Big Bang Theory finished as the night’s top shows, with the 8 p.m. edition averaging a 2.1 adults 18-49 rating, and the 9 p.m. edition rising to a 2.2. Week two of Fox’s The X Factor averaged a series-low 1.9 in the 8 p.m. hour, down from a 2.2 for last week’s episode, though that aired two hours instead of one. The first hour of last week’s Factor drew a 2.0.

A few long-in-the-tooth shows proved they’re still capable of drawing winning ratings last night. The 27th season premiere of CBS’s Survivor and the eighth-season finale of NBC’s America’s Got Talent were both up over their comparable performances last season. Talent averaged a 2.5 adults 18-49 rating, for its two-hour finale, which began at 9 p.m. That was up 4% over last summer’s finale and marked a Wednesday night high for the reality show. Survivor was the night’s highest-rated show with a 2.6 from 8 to 9:30 p.m., up 8% over last spring’s 26th season bow.

Fox’s two new comedies got off to good starts last night, bettering the season premiere ratings for the shows that held their timeslots last year. Dads, which airs at 8 p.m., averaged a 2.1 adults 18-49 rating, and lead-out Brooklyn Nine-Nine drew a 2.5. Both programs won their timeslot and were up double-digit percentages over the bows for Raising Hope (24% better) and the canceled Ben and Kate (19% better) last year. Dads probably did slightly better than anticipated, considering the controversy it ignited. Critics panned it and also accused the show of employing racist humor.

The new drama became Fox’s highest-rated fall drama premiere in six years last night, averaging a 3.4 adults 18-49 rating at 9 p.m. That was the best rating for any fall Fox drama since 2007, and it marked the best premiere for any broadcast drama in a year, since Revolution’s strong bow last September. Unlike Revolution, which aired behind The Voice, Hollow didn’t have a huge lead-in. The 8 p.m. ninth-season premiere of Fox’s Bones drew a 2.2, down a tenth from last season’s bow. Hollow also grew from a 3.4 in its first half hour to a 3.5 in its second, always a good sign.

ABC’s Miss America got a more favorable timeslot and much better ratings last night. The beauty pageant averaged a 2.3 adults 18-49 rating from 9 to 11 p.m., its best number since 2004. That was up 19% over last year, when Miss America aired on Saturday night, where TV viewership tends to be lower than any other night. The show averaged 9.8 million total viewers, also its best since 2004. As usual, NBC won the evening with Sunday Night Football, despite a one-hour weather delay for the game between the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers.

Fox won its second straight night among adults 18-49 with a two-hour edition of The X Factor. While Factor grew slightly over Wednesday night’s season premiere, the show continued to be off sharply from last year. Factor averaged a 2.2 adults 18-49 rating from 8 to 10 p.m., growing from a 2.1 for a one-hour episode Wednesday. It also increased from a 2.0 in its first hour to a 2.3 in its second. But Factor was down 29% from last year’s Thursday bow, when it averaged a 3.1.

The X Factor introduced two new judges last night but lost a portion of its old audience. The Fox reality show premiered to a 2.1 adults 18-49 rating, finishing second in the 8 p.m. timeslot to CBS’s Big Brother. By comparison, last September Factor bowed to a 3.4, though that was for a two-hour episode. This year’s debut was only one hour. Still, even compared to last year’s 8 p.m. hour Factor was still off by 22% from a 2.7.

President Obama addressed the nation last night about the possible use of military force in Syria, and it threw the networks’ schedules into disorder in several time zones. It also appeared to lead to ratings losses as the speech aired smack in the middle of primetime on the East Coast, at 9 p.m., and interrupted the season finale of Fox’s So You Think You Can Dance and the start of NBC’s America’s Got Talent. Dance averaged a 1.4 adults 18-49 rating from 8 to 9 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. to 10 p.m..

NBC’s new game show Million Dollar Quiz got off to an okay start last night against heavy competition from ESPN’s Monday Night Football. Quiz averaged a 1.7 adults 18-49 rating at 8 p.m., winning the timeslot on broadcast. That’s not a huge rating, but it’s summer and very few new shows have done any better. In fact, Quiz had NBC’s best rating in the timeslot since the Stanley Cup finals in June. Quiz will air the next five nights, take a break on Sunday, and return for its final three broadcasts next week.

NBC’s Sunday Night Football returned to typically dominant numbers last night. The game between the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys averaged a 16.6 metered-market household rating. It was the show’s fifth-best rating ever, and the second-biggest overnight for a Cowboys-Giants regular-season matchup on SNF, which has televised seven such games. The game boosted NBC to a 12.6 rating in primetime, the best Sunday evening rating for any network since ABC hosted the Oscars in February.

NBC drew very strong numbers for the opening game of the NFL season last night, not that it was any surprise. The network averaged a 16.2 metered-market household rating from 9:15 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. It was the fourth straight year that the kickoff drew at least a 16.0 metered-market rating. The start of the game between the defending Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens and the host Denver Broncos was delayed for more than half an hour due to lightning in the Denver area. NBC averaged a 14.9 for the night, becoming the highest-rated Thursday on any TV network since NBC’s coverage of the Olympic Games in August 2012.

Fox won its 13th Wednesday night in the past 16 weeks last night, but NBC had the top show of the evening. Fox’s MasterChef averaged a 2.0 adults 18-49 rating, for a special two-hour episode starting at 8 p.m. The show usually airs at 9. MasterChef built from a 1.9 in its first hour to a 2.1 in its second. But NBC’s America’s Got Talent still finished first in the 9 p.m. slot, averaging a 2.3, up 5 percent from last week.

NBC won yet another Tuesday night with its top show, America’s Got Talent, seeing gains. Talent averaged a 2.3 adults 18-49 rating from 9 to 11 p.m., up 5% from last week’s episode. It was easily the highest-rated program of the evening, 35% ahead of Univision’s Porque el Amor Manda, which drew a 1.7 at 8 p.m. on Univision.

Labor Day sees modest Monday growth across the broadcast networks, while ABC’s Mistresses jumps in a new time slot. With its primetime lineup finally back in the hands of Time Warner Cable customers in New York, Los Angeles and Dallas, CBS won its first night back from the month-long blackout with a small boost for Under the Dome.

CBS was tops in primetime Thursday in both total viewers (7.2 million) and in the advertiser-coveted 18-49 demo (2.0). Football boosted CBS’ Big Brother (8.4 million, 2.6) significantly, about 24% in the adult demo from last week’s comparable eviction episode. The season finale of ABC’s Motive (6.3 million, 1.3) also improved drastically, about 40% from the previous week. Rookie Blue (6 million, 1.5) notably jumped 36% in week-to-week comparisons, likely thanks to football.

Two episodes of MasterChef lifted Fox to its 12th Wednesday night victory in the past 15 weeks, with the 9 p.m. show finishing as the night’s No. 1 program. MasterChef drew a 2.4 adults 18-49 rating at 9, even to last week. It finished slightly ahead of NBC’s competing America’s Got Talent, which drew a 2.2 in the same hour. That was up a tenth from last week, when the show dropped to a season low.

America’s Got Talent once again lifted NBC to a Tuesday night victory. Talent averaged a 2.2 adults 18-49 rating from 9 to 11 p.m., even to last week. It was easily the top show of the night. Univision’s Porque el Amor Manda was the night’s second-ranked program with a 1.5 at 8 p.m. That lifted Univision to second place behind NBC on the night.

NBC’s American Ninja Warrior powered to its best rating since its premiere on Monday night. Ninja averaged a 1.7 adults 18-49 rating at 8 p.m., equaling the season high set for its July 1 bow. ABC’s Mistresses also grew in the 9 p.m. hour, up 11% over last week to a 0.9 in its new timeslot debut. The show had been airing at 10 p.m. CBS had the No. 1 show of the night yet again with Under the Dome, which drew a 2.5 at 10 p.m., up a tenth over last week.

Against another winning preseason Sunday Night Football game on NBC, CBS’s two original Sunday shows saw week-to-week gains. Big Brother was last night’s top non-football show, averaging a 2.3 adults 18-49 rating at 8 p.m. That was up 10% from last week’s episode. Lead-out Unforgettable, a second-year drama, averaged a 1.2 at 9 p.m., up 9% from last week.

As they did on the same night last week, the broadcast networks saw notable week-to-week gains on Thursday. Whether those reflected actual viewership for their shows or preemptions for NFL preseason games won’t be clear until final numbers come out later today. ABC, CBS, NBC and the CW were all preempted in at least one market for NFL preseason coverage. ABC’s Motive saw the biggest week-to-week bump, jumping 38% to a 1.1 adults 18-49 rating at 9 p.m. That was up from a 0.8 last week.

Fox cooked up another Wednesday victory with MasterChef, the No. 1 show on broadcast last night. MasterChef averaged a 2.3 adults 18-49 rating at 9 p.m., up 5% over last week. It finished just barely ahead of CBS’s Big Brother, the No. 2 program of the evening, which drew a 2.2 at 8 p.m. Brother was up 10% over the previous week. NBC’s America’s Got Talent finished behind MasterChef in their shared timeslot, averaging a 2.1, flat to last week.

Even when America’s Got Talent falls to a series low, it’s still strong enough to lift NBC to No. 1 for the night. The network finished a half-point ahead of the competition among adults 18-49 last night on the strength of the night’s highest-rated show. Talent averaged a 2.2 18-49 rating from 9 to 11 p.m., down 8% from a 2.4 last week. It marked the lowest-rated episode of Talent ever to air on a Tuesday evening. But it was well ahead of the competition. The night’s No. 2 program, Univision’s Porque el Amor Manda, managed just a 1.4.

CBS’s Under the Dome was once again the top Monday night show, lifting the network to a primetime win. Dome averaged a 2.4 adults 18-49 rating, even to last week’s season low. The show was well ahead of its nearest competition in primetime, American Ninja Warrior, which averaged a 1.5 at 8 p.m. on NBC. Ninja was off 6% from last week, while lead-out Get Out Alive with Bear Grylls declined 14% to a 1.4.

Preseason NFL coverage on Fox boosted the network to an easy Sunday night victory. The network averaged a 1.9 adults 18-49 rating from 7 to 10 p.m., according to Nielsen overnights, 58% ahead of CBS, which finished second with a 1.2. The game between the Indianapolis Colts and New York Giants peaked with a 2.2 at 8 p.m. Still, it was not the No. 1 show on broadcast last night. CBS’s Big Brother finished as the top program, averaging a 2.0 at 8 p.m.

CBS’s reality show Big Brother slipped versus last week, but it still performed well enough to lead the network to a first-place finish among 18-49s on a slow night for broadcast. Brother averaged a 2.3 overnight rating among viewers 18-49 in the 9 p.m. hour, up from a 2.0 the night before but off 8% from a 2.5 the previous Thursday. It should be noted that overnight ratings for ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox were all affected by local NFL preseason coverage, and ratings are likely to be adjusted downward when official national ratings are released.

With two other top reality shows seeing week-to-week declines, Fox’s MasterChef became the No. 1 show on Wednesday night. The reality program averaged a 2.2 adults 18-49 rating at 9 p.m., even to last week. NBC’s America’s Got Talent averaged a season-low 2.1 in the same hour, down 16 percent from last week. And CBS’s Big Brother fell 9% from last week, to a 2.0, in the 8 p.m. timeslot.

The network finished well ahead of Fox and Univision, which tied for second, on the strength of veteran reality show America’s Got Talent, which once again finished as the night’s top program. Talent averaged a 2.4 adults 18-49 rating from 9 to 11 p.m., down 4% from last week and tying a season low. Even so, it finished a full point ahead of the night’s No. 2 shows, Univision’s Porque el Amor Manda and La Tempested, which averaged a 1.4 at 8 p.m. and 9 p.m., respectively.

The CMA Music Festival: Country’s Night to Rock played to a much bigger audience this year. ABC’s special averaged a 2.0 adults 18-49 rating from 8 to 11 p.m. last night, up 33% from a 1.5 last year. It likely benefited from the lack of original competition. When Festival aired last year, it faced the premieres of NBC’s The Voice and Revolution and Fox’s Bones. The show drew its best rating since 2006 in the demo and its biggest audience since moving to ABC among total viewers, averaging 8.2 million. That was up 44% from last year.

The Teen Choice Awards were even bigger among their target audience this year. The show, which aired from 8 to 10 p.m. last night on Fox, averaged a 2.8 rating among teens 12-17. That was up 17% over last year’s show, which drew a 2.4. The program featured appearances by Demi Lovato and boy band One Direction, teen favorites who no doubt helped bump up ratings.

At first glance, it looks like the broadcast networks had a pretty good night on Thursday. But the gains seen by a number of shows on the Big Three was likely due to preemptions for NFL preseason games, which probably drew stronger ratings than the shows they replaced. Big Brother was the night’s top show, drawing a 2.5 adults 18-49 rating at 9 p.m., even to last week. At 10 p.m., a repeat of Elementary was up 22% over last week, to a 1.1, and earlier in the night, repeats of The Big Bang Theory were up by 0.1 and 0.2, respectively, over last week.

NBC saw the biggest growth from last week.

NBC just barely grabbed a win on Wednesday night over Fox, with both its original shows seeing week-to-week gains. America’s Got Talent was the night’s top program, as usual, with a 2.5 adults 18-49 rating at 9 p.m., up 4% over last week’s season low. That helped lift lead-out Camp to a 1.2, up 9% over last week. The scripted dramedy won its timeslot over a repeat of CSI on CBS that drew a 1.1.

A guest appearance by President Barack Obama last night boosted NBC’s The Tonight Show with Jay Leno to its best numbers in nine months. The show averaged a 3.8 household rating, Tonight’s best showing since the president’s last appearance on the program on Oct. 24, 2012, which drew a 4.0. Tonight easily outdistanced the competition, with ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live and a repeat of CBS’s The Late Show with David Letterman drawing a 1.8 apiece. Meanwhile, in primetime, NBC also proved a winner. It had the night’s top show, America’s Got Talent, which drew a 2.5 from 9 to 11 p.m.

ABC’s The Bachelorette surged to a season-high rating in its ninth-season finale last night. Bachelorette averaged a 2.6 adults 18-49 rating from 8 to 10 p.m., up 8% from last week, its previous season high. It peaked with a 2.9 in its final half hour at 9:30 as Desiree made her final choice. The finale did slide 16% from last summer’s season-ender, which averaged a 3.1.

The Hall of Fame game between the Dallas Cowboys and Miami Dolphins gave NBC the highest-rated Sunday night for any network since ABC carried game five of the NBA Finals on June 16. The network averaged a 5.6 household rating for the night, and a 6.7 for the game, easily the night’s top-rated show. NBC averaged a 3.3 adults 18-49 rating for the primetime portion of the game, which ran from 8 to 11 p.m. That was up 10% compared to the same time period last year.

Big Brother‘s ratings roll continues.The CBS reality show, now in its 15th season, tied last week’s season high last night, averaging a 2.5 adults 18-49 rating at 9 p.m. The show also drew a season-high 7.04 million total viewers. It has seen ratings bump up over the past three weeks, ever since an online controversy erupted over racist comments made by several contestants on the live Web feed of the show. Brother was easily the night’s top show in 18-49s. CBS’s repeat of The Big Bang Theory was No. 2 for the night, earning a 2.1 at 8 p.m.