Going against the grain, Fox’s Empire improved from its lofty premiere in its second week, rising 5% to a 4.0 rating with adults 18-49, according to Nielsen overnight numbers.
The 4.0 rating is the highest for any scripted drama on broadcast this season — AMC’s The Walking Dead holds the high mark with an 8.7 rating for its premiere in October – and is behind only CBS comedy The Big Bang Theory in the demo.
American Idol was fairly steady in its second week, dropping 6% from last Wednesday’s premiere to a 2.9. Fox easily led the night with an overall 3.4 rating/10 share.
ABC took second with a 1.8/6, as its lineup fell across the board from last week. The Middle was down 4% to a 2.2; The Goldbergs dipped 8% to a 2.3; Modern Family fell 6% to a 3.0, while Black-ish posted its lowest live-same-day numbers with a 2.0, down 5% from last week.
CBS was in third with a 1.7/5. The Mentalist was even with last week’s 1.7, while Criminal Minds was up 5% in its first episode of 2015 with a 2.2. Stalker was up 7% from its last episode to a 1.5.
NBC’s lineup was down as well, with Mysteries of Laura drawing its lowest overnight numbers with a 1.1, down 15% from last week. Law & Order dropped 18% to tie its series low of 1.4, while Chicago P.D. dipped 6% to a 1.5. NBC ended in fourth with a 1.3/4.
The CW aired repeats.
