Week two of the 2012 TV season has been a good one so far. All the shows I follow closely have aired episodes that were just as good as, or better than, their premieres from last week, which is a really good sign for the rest of the season, fingers crossed
Last night saw the second episodes for most of the Thursday shows, along with the premiere of NBC's 30 Rock, for its seventh and final season. It drew a 1.4 18/49 rating and 3.46 million viewers in its half hour slot from 8pm. Following 30 Rock on NBC was Up All Night, which also earned a 1.4 rating, but slightly less viewers, at 3.13 million
Over on ABC, also at 8pm, Last Resort aired its second episode, earning a less than ideal 1.9 rating, and 8.00 million viewers. This is down on last weeks 2.2 rating and 9.31 million viewers. Bear in mind that ABC released the first 9 minutes (to the first commercial break) of the episode onto the internet in the days before last nights episode, though it's hard to see this having any significant effect on the final stats.
CBS won the 8pm timeslot handsomely though, with The Big Bang Theory earning night winning 4.9 rating and 15.18 million viewers. This is marginally down on last weeks premiere, which pulled a 5.0 rating and 15.66 million viewers. Still, this weeks performance, along with Two and a Half Men at 8:30pm, with a 3.6 rating and 12.33 million viewers, was more than enough to convincingly beat The X Factor on FOX, which pulled the third best stats in the 8pm timeslot, with a 3.2 rating and 9.25 million viewers
At 9pm, things got interesting, with Grey's Anatomy shedding 0.6 of a ratings point, and not far off a full million viewers for the second episode of season 9. The final stats were a 3.8 rating and 10.84 million viewers. Glee, on the other hand, gained 0.2 of a ratings point and nearly 300,000 viewers, to increase on last weeks third episode performance, with a 2.6 final rating and 6.07 million viewers. Furthermore, Person of Interest, on CBS, increased on last weeks premiere performance by 0.1 of a ratings point and exactly 300,000 viewers, to earn a 3.0 rating and 14.58 million viewers, which was well deserved in my opinion, because I believe last nights episode was better than the previous weeks premiere. It does seem that there may be a bit more crossover audience between the three shows than I previously thought. Either way, Grey's Anatomy won the timeslot via ratings, but Person of Interest handsomely won the audience battle, with a little under 4 million viewers more than Grey's Anatomy drew.
To the 10pm timeslot now, with freshman CBS series Elementary winning comfortably with a 2.5 rating and 11.13 million viewers. This is down more than 2 million viewers, and 0.6 of a ratings point on last weeks series premiere. Scandal, over on ABC, had another fantastic episode, and fortunately dropped very little on last weeks premiere, with a 2.0 rating and 6.56 million viewers.
Next week, the Vice Presidential Debate takes up the timeslots from 9pm onwards, meaning a forntights break for the shows that fall in that zone. Glee takes things further, with a 5 week break, returning on November 8. It will be interesting to see how Person of Interest and Grey's Anatomy get along with each other in Glee's absence. The Big Bang Theory, Two and a Half Men and Last Resort will all be back for a new episode next week, starting at 8pm
Until then, I hope you've enjoyed reading. Make sure you check out my website for more comprehensive stats, analysis, graphs, and breakdowns of most of the shows I've mentioned.
Jimmy
