“American Idol” paired with the Rainn Wilson crimedy “Backstrom” debut on Thursday, handing Fox a ratings victory in the key 18-49 demographic.
CBS topped the night in total viewers, with a “Big Bang Theory” repeat boasting a primetime-best 11.6 million. For NBC, while its entire lineup ticked up slightly, “Bad Judge” and “A-to-Z” closed their seasons — and series — with soft finale numbers.
Fox was first in ratings with a 2.4 rating/7 share in the advertiser-coveted 18-49 demographic and second in viewers with an average of 9.3 million, according to preliminary numbers. “American Idol” at 8 p.m. had a 2.7/9 — best of the night — and 10.5 million viewers. “Backstrom” at 9 premiered to a 2.0/6 and 8 million viewers.
CBS was second in ratings with a 2.0/6 and first in viewers with 9.5 million. Following a rerun, “Mom” at 8:30 got a 2.5/8 and 11.2 million viewers. “Two and a Half Men” at 9 received a 2.3/7 and 9.6 million viewers. A repeat followed. Finally, at 10, “Elementary” had a 1.5/5 and 8.2 million viewers.
Univision and NBC tied for third in ratings, both with a 1.1. Univision had a 4 share, NBC got a 3. NBC was third in viewers with 3.9 million, Univision was fourth with 2.9 million.
For NBC, “The Biggest Loser” at 8 received a 1.2/4 and 4.6 million viewers. “Bad Judge” at 9 had a 0.8/2 and 3 million viewers. “A-to-Z” at 9:30 closed with a 0.6/2 and 2.1 million viewers. “Parenthood” at 10 got a 1.3/4 and 4.4 million viewers.
ABC was fifth in ratings with a 0.7/2 and in total viewers with 2.8 million. “The Taste” at 8 had a 0.8/2 and 3 million viewers. A rerun followed.
Telemundo and the CW tied for sixth in ratings, both with a 0.6/2. Telemundo was sixth in viewers with 1.51 million, CW was seventh in viewers with 1.45 million.
For CW, “The Vampire Dairies” at 8 had a 0.7/2 — down 22 percent from its most recent original — and 1.7 million viewers. “Reign” at 9 got a 0.4/1 — down 20 percent — and 1.3 million viewers.