The two-hour premiere of the new ABC drama "Red Widow" got off to a weak start on Sunday night, while CBS's "The Amazing Race" jumped to draw the night's top numbers in the key demographic, according to preliminary numbers.
"Red Widow" from 9 to 11 averaged a 1.4 rating/4 share in the 18-49 demo — 36 percent short of the 2.2/6 that the premiere of the now-canceled "GCB" drew last March. It came in behind both NBC's "All-Star Celebrity Apprentice" premiere (which had a 1.6/4 from 9 to 11) and CBS's "The Good Wife" and "The Mentalist" — which, in the same time period, drew a 1.6 and 1.5, respectively.
"Red Widow" tied the February premiere of "Zero Hour," which was pulled last week after three episodes. "Zero Hour" matched the network's lowest ever in-season debut.
The "Red Widow" premiere drew 6.9 million total viewers.
Overall, ABC took third place in ratings with a 1.6/4 and second in total viewers with 6.9 million. "America's Funniest Home Videos" at 7 had a 1.6/5 and drew 6.5 million total viewers. "Once Upon a Time" the following hour slid 13 percent from its last original airing two weeks ago for a series low of 2.1/6 and had 7.2 million total viewers.
CBS tied Fox for first place in ratings and took first outright with a 1.85 and 9.8 million. "60 Minutes" at 7 was up 31 percent from its last original airing two weeks ago for a 1.7/5 and had 11.9 million total viewers. "The Amazing Race" the following hour took a narrow ratings win, jumping 26 percent to a 2.4/6 and drawing 9.1 million total viewers. "The Good Wife" at 9 also rose, climbing 23 percent for a 1.6/4. It had 8.9 million total viewers. "The Mentalist" at 10 was down slightly for a 1.5/4 and took 9 million total viewers.
Fox, in fourth place in total viewers with 3.8 million, ran a "Simpsons" repeat at 7, followed by "The Cleveland Show" at 7:30, which jumped 36 percent from its last original two weeks ago for a 1.5/5. It had 3.3 million total viewers. A new episode of "The Simpsons" at 8 climbed 15 percent from two weeks ago for a 2.3/6 and took 4.8 million total viewers, while a second "Cleveland Show" episode at 8:30 posted a 1.9/5 and had 3.8 million total viewers. Following a "Family Guy" repeat, "Bob's Burgers" at 9:30 was down 11 percent to a 1.7/4 and took 3.6 million total viewers.
NBC took fourth place in ratings and third in total viewers with a 1.3/4 and 4.9 million. Following consecutive repeats of "Betty White's Off Their Rockers," "Dateline" at 8 posted a 1.3/3, down 13 percent from its last airing in January, and had 6 million total viewers. The two-hour premiere of "All-Star Celebrity Apprentice" the following hour drew a 1.6/4, down 38 percent from last February's premiere, and had 5.1 million. It was the series' lowest-rated premiere for a celebrity edition.
