Primetime Ratings: NBC Takes Win as CBS, ABC Lineups Return Down

'Partners' opens modestly; 'Revolution' still strong in week two

By Andrea Morabito -- Broadcasting & Cable, 9/25/2012 11:29:13 AM

On the first night of the 2012-13 television season, NBC walked away with the Monday victory, posting an overall 4.0 rating/10 share in the adults 18-49 demo, according to Nielsen overnight numbers. Despite The Voice dropping 11% from last week to a 4.2 rating, new drama Revolution held up fairly well in its second week, decreasing 16% to a 3.5.

CBS was second with a 2.7/7 for its new Monday lineup, though compared to the hype-inflated numbers surrounding Ashton Kutcher's debut in Two and a Half Men a year ago, all of its returning series were down. How I Met Your Mother drew a 3.4, down 28% from last year's season premiere. The debut of new comedy Partners scored a modest 2.4, holding 71% of its lead-in.

2 Broke Girls was down considerably from its series premiere (7.1), which aired out of Men, but was up 9% from where it ended in May to a 3.7. Mike & Molly returned down 38% to a 3.0. Most troubling was Hawaii Five-0, which turned in a 1.9, tumbling 44% from its year-ago debut to a series low.

ABC, a close third with a 2.6/7, also saw its series drop, though it took the total viewer victory with 13.5 million viewers. Dancing With the Stars: All-Stars posted a 2.7, down 33% from last fall's premiere and the season opener of Castle dipped 22% to a 2.5.

On Fox, which was fourth at a 1.7/5, Bones was mostly steady, slipping a tenth from last week to a 2.2. Freshman The Mob Doctor moved further toward cancellation, dropping 13% to a 1.3.

The CW aired the finale of The L.A. Complex for an overall 0.2/1.