During an evening marked by heavy competition from the NBA playoffs matchup between Miami and Boston, NBC and CBS each suffered several series lows as ABC's "Dancing With the Stars" dominated, according to preliminary numbers.
CBS's "How I Met Your Mother," at 8 p.m., had an 11 percent decline in the adults 18-49 demo from last week, with a 2.5 rating/8 share — tied as a series low — and 6.3 million total viewers. "Mad Love" at 8:30 had another series low with a 1.8/5 in the demo — down 18 percent from last week — and 5.1 million total viewers. A "Two and a Half Men" repeat at 9 had a 1.7/5 and 6.3 million total viewers, while "Mike & Molly" at 9:30 brought yet another series low for the network. It suffered an eight percent slide in the demo, with a 2.3/6, and 7.5 million total viewers. The evening capped off with "Hawaii 5-0" at 10, which hit a series low last week and dropped another 8 percent Monday with a 2.3/6 in the demo and 9.1 million total viewers.
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NBC's "Chuck" at 8 tied with its all-time low, garnering a 1.3/4 in the demo and 4 million total viewers. "The Event" also matched its series low, sliding 15 percent from last week's performance with a 1.1/3 and 3.7 million total viewers. "Law & Order" the following hour was likewise down — 14 percent from last week — with a 1.2/3 in the demo and 5 million total viewers.
Unsurprisingly, "Dancing With the Stars" on ABC at 8 received the evening's top numbers. Though down 9 percent from last week, it received a 4.1/11 in the demo and grabbed 20.1 million total viewers. That momentum carried over to "Castle" at 10, which was up 7 percent compared to last week with 3.1/8 and 12.6 million total viewers — enough to make it the second-highest rated show of the night.
Fox's "House" at 8 was flat with last week with a 2.9/9 in the demo and 7.7 million total viewers. "The Chicago Code" the following hour had a 6 percent bump in the demo with a 1.7/4 and 5.7 million total viewers.