Thursday’s “Glee” farewell to Cory Monteith and his character, Finn Hudson, gave the show a 75 percent boost over last week and it’s best numbers in a year.
Airing on Fox at 9 p.m., the episode earned a 2.8/8 in the key 18-49 demographic and 7.4 million viewers, a 68 percent week-to-week increase.
CBS was first in ratings with a 2.8 rating/8 share in the advertiser-coveted 18-49 demographic and first in total viewers with an average of 11 million, according to preliminary numbers. At 8, “The Big Bang Theory” earned a 4.9/16 and 17 million viewers — making it the highest-rated and most-watched show of the night. “The Millers” at 8:30 received a 3.1/9 rating, retaining 94 percent of its premiere rating — better retention than any other new series. It had 11.9 million total viewers. At 9, “The Crazy Ones” had a 2.4/7 — down 17 percent from last week — and 9.9 million viewers. “Two & a Half Men” at 9:30 received a 2.3/6 and 9 million viewers. At 10, “Elementary” earned a 1.9/6 and 8.9 million viewers.
See video: Cory Monteith ‘Glee’ Tribute: Cast Sings ‘Seasons of Love’ (Video)
ABC was second in ratings with a 2.5/7 and in total viewers with 7.8 million. The series debut of “Once Upon a Time in Wonderland” at 8 received a 1.7/5 and 5.7 million viewers, marking the lowest ABC Thursday fall premiere since 2010. “Grey’s Anatomy” at 9 had a 2.8/8 and 8.7 million viewers. At 10, “Scandal” earned a 3.1/9 and 9 million viewers.
Fox was third in ratings with a 2.4/7 and fourth in total viewers with 6.9 million viewers. Before “Glee,” “X Factor” at 8 got a 1.9/6 and 6.3 million viewers.
Univision was fourth in ratings with a 1.3/4 and fifth in viewers with 3.3 million.
Also read: Jimmy Kimmel’s Kanye West Episode Scores Best Ever Ratings Win Over Leno, Letterman
NBC was in fifth in ratings with a 1.1/3 and fourth in viewers with 3.4 million. “Parks and Recreation” at 8 earned a 1.2/4 and 3.2 million viewers, flat with last week and tying a series low. The rest of NBC’s Thursday night comedy lineup was down at least 20 percent from the prior week. At 8:30, “Welcome to the Family” received a 0.8/2 and 2.5 million viewers. At 9, “Sean Saves the World” got a 1.0/3 and 3.3 million viewers. “The Michael J. Fox Show” at 9:30 earned a 1.2/3 and 3.9 million viewers. “Parenthood” at 10 had a 1.2/3 and 3.8 million viewers.
The CW was sixth in ratings with a 0.9/3 and in total viewers 2.2 million, though due to the NFL preemption, those numbers are inflated. “Vampire Diaries” at 8 earned a 1.1/3 and 2.5 million viewers. A rerun followed.
Telemundo was seventh in ratings with a 0.4/1 and in total viewers with 1.2 million.