ABC swept the board and took an overall win Thursday night, according to preliminary numbers — though the victory was mitigated by the competition's lack original programming.
With Fox, CBS and NBC all running repeats throughout the evening, ABC took the top three slots with its primetime slate, scoring the highest ratings average of the night with a 33 rating/9 share in the adults 18-49 demographic and and the largest viewership of the evening, with an average 9.4 million total viewers.
Despite the win, ABC's night began with a bit of grim news. The season premiere of "Wipeout" at 8 p.m. was down 26 percent from last January's premiere, drawing a 2.8/8 in the demo and 8.5 million total viewers — the series' lowest-rated premiere to date.
The return of "Grey's Anatomy" at 9 after a two-month sabbatical was up 10 percent from its last original airing in November, taking a 2.8/7 in the demo and 12 million total viewers, making it both the top-rated and most-watched show of the evening.
The night ended for the network with "Private Practice" at 10 — also back from a lengthy absence — which received a 2.8/7 in the demo and 7.8 million total viewers.
Meanwhile, the CW returned with original episodes of "The Vampire Diaries" and "The Secret Circle," which had both been on break since November. "Vampire Diaries" at 8 performed on a par with its last original airing, receiving a 1.4/4 in the demo and 3.2 million total viewers. "The Secret Circle" the following hour also held steady with its most recent new episode with a 0.8/2 in the demo and 2 million total viewers.
