Ratings: Sluggish Bow For CBS’ ‘McCarthys'; ‘Big Bang’ Hits Season Low in Return to Night

CBS had an unspectacular premiere for its Thursday comedy lineup, with “The Big Bang Theory” easily topping the night but at season lows and “The McCarthys” looking lackluster in its debut behind the solid “Two and a Half Men.” ABC, off to a hot start on the night this fall opposite football on CBS, stayed on top in young adults with “Scandal” and “How to Get Away With Murder.”

According to preliminary national estimates from Nielsen, ABC opened the night lower than usual with the annual special “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” (1.7/6 in 18-49, 6.2 million viewers overall), which placed second for the 8 o’clock hour and was down half a ratings point from its performance on the same night a year ago. It was followed by “Scandal” (3.0/9 in 18-49, 9.1 million viewers overall) and “How to Get Away With Murder” (2.7/8 in 18-49, 8.5 million viewers overall), which held up well — winning their hours in adults 18-49 and poised to finish as the week’s top two-rated broadcast dramas.

“Scandal” was on par with last week while “Murder” — facing additional drama competition in the form of CBS’ “Elementary” — was off 10% to its low but was able to beat the combined scores of “Elementary” and “Parenthood” in 18-49.

At CBS, whose prelim scores will be adjusted (likely downward a bit) in the nationals due to preemptions for NFL football in New Orleans and Charlotte, “The Big Bang Theory” made its return to Thursday with season-low numbers (4.1/14 in 18-49, 16.2 million viewers overall), down about 10% from its final Monday episode last week but ruling as the night’s top show in just about every category. “Mom” looked pretty good behind it at 8:30 p.m., winning its time period and (if it holds up in the updated nationals) hitting series highs; it retained about two thirds of its “Big Bang” lead-in, better than the roughly 50% average for “The Millers” with its last 10 originals behind TV’s No. 1 comedy.

Kicking off its final season, “Two and a Half Men” (2.7/8 in 18-49, 11.0 million viewers overall) placed second in 18-49 and first in adults 25-54 and total viewers for the 9 o’clock hour, and newcomer “The McCarthys” (1.9/6 in 18-49, 8.8 million viewers overall) retained about 70% of its lead-in behind it. Though a decent number given its lead-in, “McCarthys” appears to have delivered CBS’ lowest-ever fall comedy premiere score in 18-49 (and it figures to be adjusted downward in the nationals).

And at 10 p.m., “Elementary” (1.4/4 in 18-49, 8.2 million viewers overall) was on par with last season’s finale in May, but that represents the show’s lowest same-night score to date.

NBC’s entire lineup drooped opposite the return of CBS’ entertainment series, with “The Biggest Loser” posting a series-low 1.1/4 in 18-49 while drawing 4.4 million viewers overall. First-year comedies “Bad Judge” (0.9/3 in 18-49, 4.0 million viewers overall) and “A to Z” followed (0.7/2 in 18-49, 2.6 million viewers overall) followed with their lowest ratings to date, with the former drawing just one-third the young-adult audience of timeslot competitor “Two and a Half Men.” “Parenthood” (1.1/3 in 18-49, 3.9 million viewers overall) held up reasonably well, down a tick week to week.

At Fox, “Bones” (1.3/4 in 18-49, 5.5 million viewers overall) was down 24% (0.4) from its prior original, and “Gracepoint” (0.8/2 in 18-49, 3.3 million viewers overall) held at last week’s number.

CW’s “The Vampire Diaries” (0.7/2 in 18-49, 1.6 million viewers overall) tied its series low, down a tenth from last week, but “Reign” held steady (0.5/2 in 18-49, 1.3 million viewers overall).

Preliminary 18-49 averages for the night: ABC, 2.5/8; NBC, 2.4/7; Univision, 1.1/3; NBC and Fox, 1.0/3; CW, 0.6/2; Telemundo, 0.5/2.

In total viewers: CBS, 10.7 million; ABC, 8.0 million; Fox, 4.4 million; NBC, 3.8 million; Univision, 2.7 million; CW, 1.4 million; Telemundo, 1.2 million.

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