CBS’s ‘Elementary’ Gets Prized Post-Super Bowl Slot

CBS's freshman Sherlock Holmes update has performed solidly since its September premiere — but airing after the Super Bowl certainly won't hurt its chances

CBS's freshman Sherlock Holmes drama "Elementary" will get a big boost in February, when it airs following Super Bowl XLVII, the network said Monday.

The series, which stars Jonny Lee Miller and Lucy Liu, delivers a modern-day take on the Sherlock Holmes saga, with both the detective and his sidekick Watson living in contemporary New York.

Also read: Super Bowl Most-Watched U.S. Show Ever; "Voice" Scores Big

The special episode will air Sunday, Feb. 3 at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT, following the network's post-game coverage.

The series, which also stars Aidan Quinn, has already proven to be a hit for the network, regularly winning its Thursday at 10 p.m. timeslot. "Elementary," which premiered Sept. 27, has averaged a 3.5 rating/10 share in the advertiser-cherished 18-49 demographic, and 14.2 million total viewers.

Also read: "Elementary," "Vegas" Get Full-Season Orders

Even so, the exposure that a post-Super Bowl slot provides certainly can't hurt. The second-season premiere of NBC's "The Voice" after the Super Bowl, meanwhile, scored the highest ratings of any entertainment telecast since 2006.

"The Voice" scored a 16.3 rating in the key demo and 37.6 million total viewers overall. It was the best rating since a 16.5 for "Grey's Anatomy" after the Super Bowl on ABC in 2006, and provided a welcome boost for fourth-place network NBC. The show was up 47 percent in the demo and 40 percent in total viewers over the episode of "Glee" that aired after the Super Bowl on Fox last year. ("Glee" scored an 11.1 and 26.8 million total viewers.)

The ratings victory gave "The Voice" a huge start to its second season. It spent much of 2011-12 neck-in-neck with the Wednesday night edition of "American Idol" to be the highest-rated show on television after "Sunday Night Football." "Idol" ultimately beat "The Voice" on Wednesdays, but just barely.

The Super Bowl is typically the most-watched program of the year, and this year's game set a record as the most-watched television program in U.S. history, with 111.3 million total viewers.

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