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This is what it’s come to: on a Thursday night, repeats of CBS sitcoms beat new NBC sitcoms in every half-hour.
NBC: Last night’s episode of THE OFFICE set a new all-time low of CBS: Some, including us, have posited a 4-sitcom Thursday for CBS next fall, and last night provided weighty proof that it would be a good idea. A 9PM repeat of THE BIG BANG THEORY beat new episodes of The Office, Grey’s Anatomy and Touch, and a repeat 2 BROKE GIRLS beat NBC in the half-hour and was competitive with the other networks. Another repeat Big Bang and a new RULES OF ENGAGEMENT also beat everything in the 8PM hour except American Idol. Rounding out the good news, a repeat PERSON OF INTEREST had a strong 2d place finish at 10PM.
ABC: GREY’S ANATOMY was only 0.1 above last week’s season low to 2.9. Even with a repeat on CBS and virtually nonexistent competition on NBC, SCANDAL did manage to build slightly to a 2.1, which isn’t much of a number (see NBC, above), but is at least moving in the right direction. SCANDAL was only able to hold even with last week’s 2.0 in final numbers. MISSING hit a new low 1.4.
FOX: AMERICAN IDOL easily won the night for FOX, and with a repeat Big Bang Theory airing against it, the show rebounded from last week’s season low to 4.2. That helped TOUCH, which held steady at 2.3.
CW: Repeats of THE VAMPIRE DIARIES and THE SECRET CIRCLE drew 0.4/0.3.
Tonight CBS preempts its scripted shows for a 2-hour Lionel Richie country-music concert special that one assumes was part of the network’s overall deal with the Academy of Country Music. Most of the other networks (except CW) air new episodes.
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