The series finale of Fox's "House" made big gains in ratings and total viewership as "America's Got Talent" dropped from last week's season premiere but still helped NBC win the night Monday, according to preliminary numbers.
NBC took first place in ratings with an average 2.6/7 share in the advertiser-coveted 18-49 demographic and third place in total viewership with an average 7.2 million. "America's Got Talent" at 8 p.m., which last week premiered with new host Howard Stern, dropped 16 percent in the demo but was still the top-rated show with a 3.1/9. It drew 9.5 million total viewers. "American Ninja Warrior" the following hour posted a 2.4/6 — a 41 percent leap over last summer's special — with 6.1 million total viewers.
ABC came in second in ratings with an average 2.5/7 and first in total viewers with an average 10.6 million. The "Dancing With the Stars" performance finale had a 2.8/8 and drew 16.5 million total viewers, making it the night's most-watched program. "The Bachelorette" the following hour took an 8 percent dip in the demo from last week's season premiere, scoring a 2.4/6. It received 6.6 million total viewers.
Fox came in third in the demo and second in total viewers with an average 2.4/7 and 7.4 million. Following a "House" retrospective at 8, which drew a 2.0/6 in the demo and 6.2 million total viewers, the series finale of "House" the following hour posted a 2.9/7 in the demo — a 32 percent leap from last week's episode. It attracted 8.7 million total viewers, a 36 percent jump from last week.
CBS took fourth in the demo and in total viewers with an average 1.5/4 and 5.7 million. The network aired repeats except for the special "Clash of the Commercials: USA vs. The World" at 10, which posted a 1.4/4 in the demo and 6 million total viewers.
