ABC's fairytale drama "Once Upon a Time" had a less-than-fairy-tale performance Sunday night, sliding 23 percent to a series low, while NBC took a commanding if predictable win on the strength of "Sunday Night Football," according to preliminary numbers.
While NBC's numbers are subject to revision due to the nature of live sports, the network currently holds a wide first place in the advertiser-cherished 18-49 demographic with a 7.0 rating/17 share and in total viewers with 15 million.
Following three consecutive episodes of "Football Night in America" from 7 to 8:30 p.m., which scored a 1.9/5, 2.7/7 and 4.4/11 respectively, the Chicago-Houston game at 8:30 posted a 10.8/23 — down slightly from last week's numbers but still the night's top-rated program by far — and scored 18.7 million total viewers, making it the night's most-watched program.
Though Fox's numbers are also skewed due to NFL overrun — "The Simpsons" didn't air until 8:20 on the east coast — the network currently holds second place in ratings and total viewers with a 4.2/11 and 10.3 million, with its slate of animated fare including "The Simpsons," "Bob's Burgers," and "Family Guy" sliding in ratings as the evening progressed.
ABC grabbed third place in ratings and fourth in total viewers with a 2.0/5 and 6.6 million. "America's Funniest Home Videos" at 7 slid 18 percent from last week to a 1.4/4 and took 6 million total viewers, while "Once Upon a Time" the following hour slid 23 percent to a series low of 2.7/7 and received 8.7 million total viewers.
"Revenge" the following hour also took a hit, dropping 11 percent for a 2.4/5 and pulling 7.5 million total viewers, while "666 Park Avenue" held even with last week to tie its series low of 1.3/3 and drew 4 million total viewers.
CBS took fourth place in ratings and third in total viewers with a 1.9/5 and 9.9 million. "60 Minutes" at 7 posted a 1.7/4 and received 11.3 million total viewers, while "The Amazing Race" the following hour ticked down to a 2.4/6 with 9.2 million total viewers.
Both "The Good Wife" at 9 and "The Mentalist" at 10 remained even with last week, with the former posting a 1.7/4 and 9 million total viewers and the latter receiving a 1.8/5 and 10 million total viewers.
