Primetime Ratings: 'A.D.' Opens Below 'The Bible'

NBC debuted the follow-up to History's 2013 miniseries The Bible with A.D. The Bible Continues on Sunday.
The Mark Burnett-Roma Downey produced miniseries opened to a 2.3 rating with adults 18-49 and 9.5 million total viewers, according to Nielsen overnight numbers. While it was the top-rated series on Sunday, it was short of what The Bible premiered to on History two years ago.
Following A.D., the debut of American Odyssey drew a 1.2 rating in the demo and 5.4 million total viewers. Odyssey was 25% below the premiere of Crisis in that same spot last March. With Dateline averaging a 0.9 rating from 7-9 p.m., NBC finished in second with a 1.3 rating/4 share.
ABC led the night with its annual airing of The Ten Commandments with a 1.4/5, which rose 40% from last year’s Saturday airing.
CBS saw declines for much of its lineup on Sunday, finishing with a 0.9/3. Madam Secretary sunk 21% to a 1.1, while Battle Creek fell another 13% to a 0.7; both were lows for the rookie shows. The Good Wife was steady with last week’s 1.0 rating.
Fox aired repeats.
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