The ladies of TGIT finally returned to ABC on Thursday after long midseason hiatuses. And they brought even better ratings with them. The Shondaland shows all came back with stronger numbers than their fall finales — with “Grey’s Anatomy” even hitting a season high (8.2 million viewers) after the announcement of star Ellen Pompeo’s impressive new deal with ABC.
However, Olivia Pope, Meredith Grey and Annalise Keating’s drama just couldn’t compete with the laughs CBS doled out that evening with “The Big Bang Theory” universe, leaving CBS in first place in the advertiser-coveted 18-49 demographic.
Meanwhile, NBC and Fox duked it out, with Fox pulling ahead in primetime Nielsen ratings thanks to a steady performance from its new Diddy-led singing competition series, “The Four.” But the Peacock grabbed more total viewers, with “Will & Grace” bouncing back from last week’s season low.
CBS was first in ratings with a 1.7 rating/7 share in the key demo and in total viewers with an average of 9.3 million, according to preliminary numbers. At 8, “The Big Bang Theory” posted a 2.9/12 and 14.7 million viewers. At 8:30, “Young Sheldon” landed a 2.4/9 and 13.2 million viewers. At 9, “Mom” took a 1.6/6 and 9.3 million viewers. At 9:30, “Life in Pieces,” received a 1.2/5 and 6.8 million viewers. At 10, “S.W.A.T.” had a 1.0/4 and 6 million viewers.
ABC was second in ratings with a 1.5/6 and in viewers with 5.7 million. At 8, the return of “Grey’s Anatomy” earned a 2.2/9 and 8.2 million viewers. At 9, the midseason premiere of “Scandal” put up a 1.3/5 and 5.2 million viewers. At 10, the comeback of “How to Get Away With Murder” took a 1.0/4 and 3.8 million viewers.
Fox was third in ratings with a 1.1/4 and fourth in viewers with 3.5 million. From 8-10 p.m., “The Four: Battle for Stardom” scored a 1.2/5 and 3.5 million viewers.
NBC was fourth in ratings with a 1.0/4 and third in viewers with 4.2 million. At 8, “Superstore” had a 1.0/4 and 3.7 million viewers. At 8:30, “The Good Place” took a 1.0/4 and 3.1 million viewers. At 9, “Will & Grace” grabbed a 1.3/5 and 4.5 million viewers. At 9:30, “Great News” settled for a 0.7/2 and 2.5 million viewers. At 10, “Chicago Fire” earned a 1.0/4 and 5.6 million viewers.
Univision, Telemundo and The CW tied for fifth in ratings with a 0.5/2.
The CW was fifth in viewers with 1.6 million. At 8, “Supernatural” received a 0.6/2 and 1.9 million viewers. At 9, “Arrow” managed a 0.5/2 and 1.4 million viewers.
Univision was sixth in viewers with 1.4 million. Telemundo was seventh in viewers with 1.2 million.