>CBS wins the night by a mile and premieres a new comedy successfully. NBC’s comedy shuffling goes unnoticed, and The Firm further erodes the 10 pm hour.
Nightly Adult 18-49 Rating
Thursday CBS ABC FOX NBC CW
01.12.2012 3.5 2.8 2.1 1.8 1.0
01.13.2011 2.3 3.3 1.5 1.3 —
CBS is back in charge on Thursday with all originals and the promising premiere of Rob (starring Rob Schneider). Big Bang Theory was near a season high, and Rob opened above the season high that Rules of Engagement set. Person of Interest is on line to set a new season high (unless it drops in the official nationals). For the night, CBS averaged a 3.5 rating, well above the 2.3 on the same night last year with mostly repeats: Big Bang Theory (3.0), $#*! My Dad Says (2.9), CSI (2.0) and The Mentalist (1.9).
Season Past Six Weeks
CBS Thu High Low 12.8 1215 1222 1229 01.5 1.12
Big Bang Theory 5.4 4.5 4.6 2.9R 2.6R 2.8R 3.5R 5.2*
Rules Engagment 3.7 2.7 3.0 2.7 1.9R 2.1R 2.5R
Rob 4.1 4.1 4.1*
Person Interest 3.1 2.6 2.8 2.8 1.6R 1.7R 1.8R 3.2*
Mentalist 2.9 2.5 2.7 2.7 1.5R 1.7R 1.9R 2.7*
ABC finished second with a 2.8 rating from 8-11 pm with its original line-up coming back down to normal levels (compared to last week’s original episodes which faced mostly repeats on the other networks). Last year on this night, ABC averaged a 3.3 rating for the night: Wipeout (3.7), Grey’s Anatomy (4.3) and Off the Map (2.0).
Season Past Six Weeks
ABC Thu High Low 12.8 1215 1222 1229 01.5 1.12
Charlie’s Ang 2.1 1.1 — — — — —
Wipeout 2.7 2.2 2.7 2.2*
Grey’s Anatomy 4.5 3.1 — — 0.7R 0.7R 4.5 3.8*
Private Prac 2.8 2.1 — — — — 2.7 2.4*
FOX was in third place (2.1 rating from 8-10 pm) with a soft number for a Bones original at 8 and the weak premiere of The Finder at 9. This night last year: Million Dollar Drop (1.7) and Bones repeat (1.3).
Season Past Six Weeks
FOX Thu High Low 12.8 1215 1222 1229 01.5 1.12
X Factor 4.3 2.8 2.9 2.9 3.8 — —
Bones 3.3 2.6 2.4 1.5R — 1.1R 1.1R 2.4*
The Finder 1.7 1.7 1.7*
NBC aired originals and could muster only a 1.8 rating from 8-11 pm. 30 Rock returned at 8:00 and did about what Community does on a good day (which isn’t much). The Office is now getting used to being under a 3 rating, and Up All Night is not going to solve any problems at 9:30, premiering in the time period at Whitney‘s season lows. But 10 pm continues to be the real disaster: after previewing Sunday from 9-11 pm with a tepid 1.4 rating, The Firm premiered in its regular time period to a stunning bad 1.0 rating, making Prime Suspect look like a runaway hit. Last year on this night NBC sported a 1.3 rating from 8-11 pm with the six-comedy repeat strategy: Community (1.1), Community (1.2), The Office (1.5), The Office (1.8), 30 Rock (1.3) and 30 Rock (1.1).
Season Past Six Weeks
NBC Thu High Low 12.8 1215 1222 1229 01.5 1.12
Community 1.8 1.4 1.5 0.7R — 0.6R 0.8R
30 Rock 1.8 1.8 1.8*
Parks & Rec 2.1 1.8 1.8 0.7R — 0.7R 0.9R 1.9*
The Office 3.9 2.9 2.9 1.1R 0.9R 1.0R 1.1R 2.9*
Whitney 3.3 1.9 1.9 0.8R 0.8R 0.8R 0.8R
Up All Night 2.0 2.0 2.0*
Prime Suspect 1.8 0.8 — 0.9 1.0 — —
The Firm 1.0 1.0 1.0*
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