AFTERNOON UPDATE: HELL’S KITCHEN climbed 0.1, but AMERICAN IDOL stayed put, meaning that IDOL ended up just 0.2 above KITCHEN, even though KITCHEN faced off with THE BIG BANG THEORY. BIG BANG, meanwhile, stayed at 4.9, but the other CBS sitcoms were down after adjustment, THE MILLERS and 2 1/2 MEN by 0.2 and THE CRAZY ONES by 0.1. For THE MILLERS, that added up to a half-point drop from last week. SCANDAL rose 0.1, so it held steady from last week, and PARKS & RECREATION found another 0.1. REIGN declined 0.1, although its 0.5 still wasn’t bad following a VAMPIRE DIARIES rerun.
THURSDAY CABLE: SUITS (USA) dropped 0.1 to 0.7 from last week’s midseason premiere, and SIRENS was at 0.4, which was down 0.1 from the premiere last week but in line with the 10:30PM episode. Also in Week 2, SAINT GEORGE (FX) fell from its already low start, down 0.1 to 0.3 (8 weeks until FX has to decide whether to commit to the 90-episode backorder). VIKINGS (History) led the night at 1.2, up 0.1 from last week. Lead-in PAWN STARS slipped 0.1 to 1.1. EAGLEHEART (Adult Swim) dropped 0.2 to 0.6. On the lower end of the spectrum, PORTLANDIA (IFC) remained a niche item in its season debut at 0.15, and the new BREAKING BOSTON (A&E) debuted with an even more modest 0.13.
FOX’s scheduling move paid moderate dividends last night.
FOX: HELL’S KITCHEN scored a creditable 1.9 in its first Thursday 8PM outing, in 2d place for the hour and bringing a lot more eyeballs to the night than Rake had been doing, although it was down 0.2 from last season’s premiere. AMERICAN IDOL‘s move to 9PM and away from The Big Bang Theory probably saved it from slipping below a 2 (for now, anyway), but even holding at last week’s 8PM series low 2.2, its vulnerabilities were exposed, as against weaker competition, it was only 0.3 above Kitchen, and could manage just a 3rd place finish in the 9-9:30PM half-hour, behind ABC and CBS.
ABC: GREY’S ANATOMY dropped 0.3 to 2.3, which tied its series low and put it down an ugly 0.8 in the 2 weeks since the show’s midseason premiere. SCANDAL fell 0.1 to a season low 2.7, and ONCE UPON A TIME IN WONDERLAND also shed 0.1 to 0.8.
CBS: THE BIG BANG THEORY was down 0.4 to 4.9, although local basketball preemptions may change the network’s numbers this afternoon. THE MILLERS is currently down 0.3 to 2.6, then against Idol, 2 1/2 MEN wasn’t damaged at all, holding at 2.6. THE CRAZY ONES actually rose 0.1 to 1.8. ELEMENTARY closed out the night down 0.1 to 1.7.
NBC: The usual horror. COMMUNITY stayed at its series low 1.0, PARKS & RECREATION lost 0.2 to 1.1, HOLLYWOOD GAME NIGHT slipped 0.1 to 1.0, tying its series low, and PARENTHOOD held at 1.2.
CW: Basketball preemptions may change these numbers too, but for now, REIGN looks pretty good with 0.6, off just 0.1 from last week even though its lead-in was a VAMPIRE DIARIES rerun at 0.3, one-third the lead-in it had last week.
All the networks are new tonight, with RAKE making its Friday debut at 8PM on FOX. On cable, BANSHEE has its season finale on Cinemax.
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