The fall finale of "Grey's Anatomy" provided a boost to ABC, while Fox took an overall win for the night on the strength of "X Factor" and "Big Bang Theory" was predictably the best-rated program of the night Thursday, based on preliminary numbers.
ABC began the night with the final telecast of its canceled "Charlie's Angels" at 8 p.m., which limped to a close with a series low, posting a 1.1 rating/3 share in the adults 18-49 demographic and 5.1 million total viewers.
Despite the anemic performance, "Grey's Anatomy" at 9, which was down slightly last week, got an 11 percent boost with its fall finale, taking a 4.0/10 in the demo with 11.1 million total viewers. That momentum carried over to "Private Practice" the following hour, which grew 12 percent for a 2.9/8 in the demo and 7.6 million total viewers.
Despite a night of declines, Fox was the highest-rated network of the evening, with "The X Factor" at 8 slipping 11 percent to a 3.3/9 in the demo and 10.1 million total viewers, and "Bones" dropping 18 percent from last week's season premiere with a 2.7/7 in the demo and 8.8 million total viewers. That was enough to give the network the highest overall performance in the demo with an average 3.0/8 and 9.5 million total viewers.
CBS began its night with "The Big Bang Theory" at 8, which despite a modest 4 percent slip maintained its ratings reign, grabbing a 5.2/15 in the demo and 15.6 million total viewers (which also made it the most-watched program of the night). "Rules of Engagement" followed at 8:30, posting a 3.6/9 in the demo and 11.7 million total viewers.
The network finished the night with repeats of "Person of Interest" and "The Mentalist." Overall, CBS was the most-watched network of the night, with an average 10.9 million total viewers.
NBC's night was a mixed bag of treading water and losing ground. "Community" at 8 was down 12 percent versus last week, slipping to a 1.5/4 with 3.4 million total viewers. "Parks & Recreation" at 8:30 was also down, slipping 14 percent for a 1.8/5 in the demo and 3.5 million total viewers. "The Office" followed at 9, dipping 6 percent for a 3.0/7 and 5.8 million total viewers, while "Whitney" at 9:30 and "Prime Suspect" at 10 both ran flat with last week, receiving a 2.1/5 and 4.2 million total viewers and a 1.2/3 and 4.8 million total viewers, respectively.