Primetime Ratings: New Series Highs for 'Big Bang Theory,' 'Scandal'

CBS' The Big Bang Theory continues to reach new
ratings marks in its sixth season, posting a series-high 6.3 rating with adults
18-49 on Thursday, up 3% from last week, according to Nielsen overnight
numbers. The CBS comedy also hit a series-high with total viewers with 19.8
million, up 3% as well. The rest of the network's lineup was down, however. Two
and a Half Men
fell 7% to a 4.2, Person of Interest dropped a tenth
to a 3.3 and Elementary was down two tenths to a 2.4. CBS won the night
with an overall 3.6 rating/10 share.

NBC's official premiere of new comedy 1600 Penn drew
just a 1.6 rating at 9:30 p.m. (but on par with what the time period had been
averaging), airing out of The Office, which was up a tenth from its last
episode to a 2.2. Earlier, 30 Rock returned up 27% to a 1.4. A repeat of
1600 Penn's preview episode drew a 1.4 at 8:30 p.m. At 10 p.m., Rock
Center
was up a tenth to a 1.1. NBC finished in third with a 1.5/4.

ABC's Scandal continued its strong sophomore season,
hitting a new series high with a 2.8 rating, up 17% from its last episode. Grey's
Anatomy
also returned up 7% to a 3.1. Last Resort was up two tenths
to a 1.2. ABC took second with a 2.4/7.

Over on The CW, the 18th Annual Critics Choice Movie
Awards
, which returned to broadcast television, drew a 0.6 rating with
18-49s and 1.9 million total viewers, the most in both measurements since 2006
(when it aired on The WB). It had aired on VH1 since 2008.

Fox's (0.9/3) Mobbed was up a tenth from last week to
a 1.2.