Primetime Ratings: CBS Wins as Comedy Duo Improves

CW's 'Beauty and the Beast' down against stiffer competition

By Tim Baysinger -- Broadcasting & Cable, 10/19/2012 11:34:54 AM

CBS won Thursday with adults 18-49, posting an overall 3.1 rating/9 share, according to Nielsen overnight numbers. The net's comedy duo of The Big Bang Theory and Two and a Half Men were both up from last week, with Big Bang rising 4% to a 4.7 and Two and a Half Men (which featured guest star Miley Cyrus) hitting a season-high 4.0 rating, up 14%. Person of Interest was down 7% from two weeks ago for a 2.8, while new drama Elementary returned from a week off to a 2.3, down 8%.

The second episode of The CW's Beauty and the Beast lost 42% of its premiere audience to fall to a 0.7 with adults 18-49. In the net's targeted adults 18-34 demo, Beauty was down 33% to a 0.8. Earlier, The Vampire Diaries was down 25% in 18-49 to a 1.2 and fell by 24% with 18-34s to a 1.3. The network finished with a 1.0/3 for the night.

ABC took second with an overall 2.4/7. Last Resort improved 6% to a 1.7, Grey's Anatomy was off by 13% for a 3.3 and Scandal was even with two weeks ago to a 2.0.

Fox aired Game 4 of the National League Championship Series Thursday night, which drew a 1.6 rating and averaged 6.04 million total viewers.

NBC finished fourth with a 1.4/4. 30 Rock was even with last week at 1.3 and Up All Night was up 27% to a 1.4. The Office was down 9% to a new series-low 2.0 and Parks & Recreation fell 16% to a 1.6, to tie its own series low. Rock Center was down 10% to a 0.9.