It appears that “Will & Grace” fans weren’t as interested in finding out how the first season of NBC’s old/new hit ended as they were to see how it started.
On Thursday, the 9 p.m. season-closer of the revival grabbed a 0.9/4 in the advertiser-coveted 18-49 demographic and an average of 3.6 million total viewers, according to overnight data from Nielsen.
Back in October, the return of the sitcom was the most-viewed scripted show of the night, with 10.2 million viewers and a 3.0 rating/11 share in the key demo in those same preliminary numbers.
However, the “Will & Grace” Season 1 finale — or Season 9, whatever — did remain steady with last week’s installment, which had a 0.9/4 and 3.7 million viewers. And those numbers are in line with what the show has been seeing the past few weeks.
When comparing these ratings, it’s important to note a few things. First, the sitcom’s return was a highly anticipated premiere, and a drop off in viewership (which was already seen by week 2) was anticipated by the network. Second, lower TV ratings are seen across the board this time of year. And third, “Will & Grace” opened the season over a stretch when there was no CBS comedy competition during its time slot, due to “Thursday Night Football.”
And speaking of CBS, the network was No. 1 in both ratings and total viewers for the evening, thanks to its ever-steady “Big Bang Theory.”
CBS was first in ratings with a 1.3 rating/6 share in the advertiser-coveted 18-49 demographic and in total viewers with an average of 8.2 million, according to Nielsen data. At 8 p.m., “Big Bang Theory” scored a 2.3/11 and 12.7 million viewers. At 8:30, “Young Sheldon” hit a 1.9/8 and 11.6 million viewers. “Mom” at 9 got a 1.4/5 and 8.5 million viewers. At 9:30, “Life in Pieces” managed a 0.9/4 and 6.2 million viewers. “S.W.A.T.” at 10 had a 0.8/3 and 5.1 million viewers.
ABC was second in ratings with a 1.2/5 and in viewers with 5.2 million. “Grey’s Anatomy” at 8 took a 1.6/7 and 6.9 million viewers. At 9, “Station 19” saw a 1.0/4 and 5.1 million viewers. “Scandal” at 10 got a 0.9/4 and 3.9 million viewers.
NBC was third in ratings with a 0.8/3 and in viewers with 3.6 million. At 8, “Superstore” had a 0.8/4 and 3.2 million viewers. “A.P. Bio” at 8:30 managed a 0.6/3 and 2.3 million viewers. At 9, the season finale of “Will & Grace” earned a 0.9/4 and 3.6 million viewers. At 9:30, “Champions” settled for a 0.5/2 and 2 million viewers. “Chicago Fire” at 10 put up a 1.0/4 and 5.4 million viewers.
Fox was fourth in ratings with a 0.7/3 and in viewers with 2.6 million. “Gotham” at 8 got a 0.7/3 and 2.5 million viewers. “Showtime at the Apollo” at 9 posted a 1.0/4 and 5.1 million viewers.
The CW and Univision tied for fifth in ratings with a 0.5/2.
The CW was fifth in viewers with 1.6 million, filling its primetime block with a Major League Baseball game between the Baltimore Orioles and New York Yankees.
Univision was sixth in viewers with 1.5 million.
Telemundo was seventh in ratings with a 0.4/2 and in viewers with 1.2 million.