Primetime Ratings: CBS Wins Despite Comedy Drop

CBS won the Thursday ratings race, its comedies leading the network to a 1.1 in viewers 18-49, per the Nielsen overnights, and a 5 share. That squeaked by the 1.0/5 put up by ABC.

CBS’ comedies showed stiff slides. The Big Bang Theory was down 17% to 1.9 and Young Sheldon was off 22% at 1.4. Mom fell 15% to 1.1 and Fam slid 22% to 0.7, before SWAT was down 13% for a 0.7.

On ABC, Grey’s Anatomy did a level 1.5 and Station 19 fell 10% to 0.9, then For the People was a flat 0.6.

NBC did a 0.7/3. Superstore rated a 0.8 and AP Bio a 0.5. The Will & Grace finale did a 0.7 and Abby’s a 0.5, all four comedies flat with last week. Law & Order: SVU was also flat at 0.8.

Telemundo did a 0.5/2, with Exatlon Estados Unidos and Betty en NY both at 0.5. Univision did a 0.4/2.

Fox got a 0.3/2 with repeats.

The CW did a 0.3/1. Supernatural lost a tenth for a 0.3 and the premiere of In the Dark, about a blind and boozy twenty-something woman, got a 0.2. 

Michael Malone

Michael Malone, senior content producer at B+C/Multichannel News, covers network programming, including entertainment, news and sports on broadcast, cable and streaming; and local broadcast television. He hosts the podcasts Busted Pilot, about what’s new in television, and Series Business, a chat with the creator of a new program, and writes the column “The Watchman.” He joined B+C in 2005. His journalism has also appeared in The New York Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Playboy and New York magazine.