CBS Gets 'Big Bang,' Status Is 'Elementary'

ElementaryCBS' revamped schedule on a high-profile night pushed it to the first Thursday night win of the new television season.

Although CBS had a bumpy start of the week -- particulary on Monday -- it prevailed over Thursday night kings ABC and Fox, averaging a Nielsen preliminary 3.4 rating/10 share among 18-49 viewers. ABC scored a 2.9/8 with Fox just a tick behind at 2.8/8; NBC was a distant fourth at a 1.7/5; Univision earned a 1.4/4; and CW came in at a 0.3/1.

CBS' "The Big Bang Theory" at 8 p.m. continued where it left off a year ago  -- the most-watched TV show of the night, registering a 4.8/15 among 18-49 viewers, down just one-tenth of a rating point versus a year ago.

Fox's "X Factor" didn't lose much steam week-to-week, running against stronger competition now at 8 p.m. and earning a 3.2/10 -- down from a 3.5 rating the week before. Against such strong competitors, ABC was still able to get good results at 8 p.m. with a new 8 p.m. drama "The Last Resort," which scored a 2.2/7.

ABC's best result came from its still-strong "Grey's Anatomy" at  9 p.m., coming up with a 4.3/12, gaining two-tenths of a rating point versus its season premiere a week ago. CBS' "Person of Interest" premiered to a decent opening at a 2.9/8 in the same time period, down a bit from a year ago.

advertisement

advertisement

Also in the time period, Fox's "Glee" earned a 2.5/7, down about a half-rating point versus a week ago.

New CBS show "Elementary" at 10 p.m. got off to a strong 3.1/9 -- a full rating point better than the next-best show,  ABC's "Scandal," which took in a 2.2/6. NBC's "Parks & Recreation" saw a 2.1/5. Researchers say the time period continues to compete with heavy DVR playback more than other time slots.

NBC didn't offer much resistance to the big three Thursday night networks, but it generally improved -- even against stronger competition -- versus a week ago.

NBC's best results were with "The Office," now at a 2.4/7 at 9 p.m. -- up from a 2.1 rating a week ago. "Parks and Recreation" at 10 p.m. also gained ground, about a half-rating point, earning a 2.1/5. At 8:30 p.m, "Up All Night" grabbed a 1.8/5, up from a 1.3 rating.

Next story loading loading..