Primetime Ratings: 'Raising Hope' Returns Low as Fox Tuesday Struggles

CBS wins but lineup also down; 'Hart of Dixie' steady with last year

By Andrea Morabito -- Broadcasting & Cable, 10/3/2012 12:02:31 PM

The season premiere of Raising Hope struggled to self-start on Tuesday, posting a 1.7 rating with adults 18-49 in its new 8 p.m. timeslot, according to Nielsen overnight numbers.

That was down 45% from last season's debut, when it aired out of the highly rated New Girl premiere. Following Hope, new comedy Ben and Kate lost 24% of its week-ago audience, falling to a 1.6. New Girl was the one solid performer, holding steady from its season premiere at a 2.8. That didn't stop The Mindy Project from falling 21%, however, down to a 1.9.

Fox was third overall with a 2.0 rating/6 share. On The CW (0.5/1) the season premiere of Hart of Dixie drew a 0.8 rating with its key demo of adults 18-34, on par with its series opener last year.

CBS won Tuesday night, averaging a 2.9/8 and 15.1 million viewers while its lineup also posted declines. New drama Vegas lost 16% of its premiere audience to a 2.1, NCIS slipped 12% to a 3.6 and NCIS: LA decreased 9% to a 3.1.

NBC was second in the demo with a 2.2/6. The Voice, which aired a special recap episode, was down 31% to a 2.9. Without the big lead-in, Go On and The New Normal, which were just picked up for full seasons, both declined. Go On was down 19% to a 2.2 and New Normal 15% to a 1.7. Parenthood dipped a tenth to a 1.8.

ABC came in fourth with a 1.7/5. A special Dancing With the Stars episode at 8 p.m. drew a 1.3 while the 9 p.m. results show was even at a 2.1. Private Practice's 100^th episode lost 16% to a 1.6.