Some shows said farewell to their seasons more effectively than others.
ABC: SCANDAL had its biggest season finale to date, up 0.4 from last week to 3.4 and (with Big Bang Theory in reruns) easily the highest-rated show of the night. It towered over lead-in GREY’S ANATOMY, which fell 0.1 to 2.5 after an 0.8 rerun at 8PM to start the night. The Scandal effect extended into late-night, where a JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE entirely devoted to post-finale talk was at 1.4 in 18-49s and 3.4 in total households (both The Tonight Show and Letterman, however, were in reruns last night).
NBC: The COMMUNITY season finale managed to score 0.1 above last week, still pretty terrible at 1.0. PARKS & RECREATION, already renewed for next season, fell 0.1 to a new series low 0.9. After 0.9 for HOLLYWOOD GAME NIGHT, and despite huge competition from ABC, the PARENTHOOD season finale was up 0.2 to 1.3, as high as it’s been for a while.
CBS: After 2.2/2.6 for a pair of BIG BANG THEORY reruns, the season finale of THE CRAZY ONES ended the season on a low note, with 1.6 in the first half-hour (down 0.1) and a series low 1.3 at 9:30PM–not what a bubble show wants to leave as its last impression. An NCIS rerun aired at 10PM with 1.0.
FOX: Without a new Big Bang Theory airing against it, HELL’S KITCHEN was up 0.3 to 1.7. That helped AMERICAN IDOL climb for the first time in quite a while, up 0.1 to 1.9, which unusually was equal to the show’s Wednesday number. However, SURVIVING JACK did itself no favors by falling 0.2 from last week to a new series low 1.0.
CW: Viewers are clearly not engaging with the current VAMPIRE DIARIES storyline, as the show hit its 2d consecutive series low, down 0.1 from last week to a less than immortal 0.7. With that lead-in, REIGN tied its series low 0.4.
As networks conserve their final fresh episodes for May sweeps, tonight’s schedule is a patchwork, with UNFORGETTABLE the only new entry on CBS, DATELINE airing instead of Grimm on NBC (but a new HANNIBAL at 10PM nonetheless), and a rerun LAST MAN STANDING in the 8:30PM slot on ABC.
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