Ratings: ‘American Idol’ Climbs After News of Randy Jackson’s Exit

"Scandal" rises to series high; "Community" up slightly with season finale

Look out, dawg: Could Randy Jackson's departure already be proving fortuitous for "American Idol"?

While it could just be a coincidence, "American Idol" grew solidly on Thursday night, following news that longtime judge Jackson is leaving the show after this season. Meanwhile, CBS's "The Big Bang Theory" took the night's top ratings, helping to propel the network to an overall win.

CBS was first in both the advertiser-sought 18-49 demographic with a 2.7/8 and in total viewers with 12.1 million. "The Big Bang Theory" at 8 was the night's top-rated show despite a minor decline from last week, posting a 4.6/16, and was also the night's most-watched show with 15.7 million total viewers. The "Two and a Half Men" season finale at 8:30 grew slightly to a 3.4/11 and took 12.6 million total viewers. "Person of Interest" aired its season finale at 9, drawing even with last week for a 2.4/7 and taking 13 million total viewers. The freshman drama "Elementary" at 10 dropped 10 percent to hit a series low of 1.8/5 and had 9.1 million total viewers.

Also read: Insider: 'American Idol' to Axe All 4 Judges as Part of Massive Makeover (Exclusive)

Fox tied ABC for second place in ratings with a 2.4/7 and took second place in total viewers outright with 8.6 million. "American Idol" at 8 grew 12 percent from last week for a 2.8/9 and had 11.2 million total viewers, a slight improvement over last week. "Glee" the following hour was up 11 percent to a 2.1/6 and took 6.1 million total viewers.

ABC was third in total viewers with 7.3 million. "Wipeout" premiered its new season at 8 with a 1.2/4, hitting a premiere low for the series, and took 4.3 million total viewers. "Grey's Anatomy" the following hour had a 2.9/8 with 8.6 million total viewers, while "Scandal" at 10 jumped 23 percent from last week, hitting a series high of 3.2/9 and taking 8.9 million total viewers.

NBC was fourth in ratings with a 1.5/5 and fifth in total viewers behind Univision with 3.3 million, compared to Univision's 3.5 million. (Univision posted a 1.5/4 in the demo.) The season finale of "Community" at 8 was up 8 percent from last week but flat with last year's finale, posting a 1.3/5 and taking 3.1 million total viewers. An "Office" repeat was followed by a new one-hour episode of the series at 9, which jumped 28 percent over last week for a 2.3/6 and took 4.4 million total viewers. "Hannibal" at 10 was even with last week for a 1.1/3 and had 2.7 million total viewers.

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