Thursday Overnights: New CBS Comedies Adequately Sampled; NBC Sitcoms Remain Out of the Competitive Loop

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Household Rating/Share
Fox: 8.9/16, CBS: 4.3/ 8, ABC: 3.7/ 7, NBC: 2.3/ 4, CW: 0.4/ 1

-Percent Change from the Year-Ago Evening:
Fox: +19, CW: no change, ABC: -12, CBS: -25, NBC: -30

Ratings Breakdown:
There were five series premieres last night (“The Unicorn,” “Carol’s Second Act” and “Evil” on CBS; and “Perfect Harmony” and “Sunnyside” on NBC) and six season openers, but it was football that clearly dominated on Fox. The Philadelphia Eagles/Green Bay Packers match-up, which concluded at 12 a.m., scored a hefty (and approximate) 8.9 rating/16 share in the household overnights for the primetime (8-10 p.m.) portion. Full overnight results for the football game were not available.

In series premiere news, both new CBS comedies were adequately sampled. “The Unicorn” out of the third season premiere of “Young Sheldon” (#2: 5.8/10), now at 8 p.m., held 74 percent of the lead-in with a 4.3/ 7 (#3) at 8:30 p.m. While “Young Sheldon” was solid, it was also 31 percent below “The Big Bang Theory” on the year-ago evening (8.4/14 on 9/27/19).

“Carol’s Second Act” on CBS at 9:30 p.m. also scored a 4.3/ 7 in the household overnights, which ranked second in the time period. But the retention out of the season-premiere of “Mom” (#2: 4.8/ 8 at 9 p.m.) was significantly stronger at 90 percent. That is impressive.

At 10 p.m., the series premiere of CBS drama “Evil” won the hour with a 3.4/ 7 in households. Comparably, that bested the season premieres of NBC’s “Law & Order: SVU” (#2: 3.2/ 6) and the final season of ABC’s “How to Get Away with Murder” (#3: 2.0/ 4) by 6 percent and 70 percent, respectively. “Evil,” however, opened 13 percent below former time period occupant “S.W.A.T.” on the year-ago evening (3.9/ 7). Keep in mind, of course, that most new series drop 10 to 20 percent in week two.

On NBC, the positive news for the launch of comedy “Perfect Harmony” (#4: 2.2/ 4 at 8:30 p.m.) was full overnight retention out of the season-premiere of “Superstore.” But, let’s face it…a 2.2 rating is nothing to boast about. “Sunnyside” at 9:30 p.m. was left at the starting gate with a mere 1.4/ 2 (#4) out of a 1.9/ 3 for the season premiere of critically acclaimed “The Good Place” (1.9/ 3 at 9 p.m.). Once again, NBC’s biggest obstacle is finding an audience for its comedies.

In a night of season premiere installments of ABC, veteran “Grey’s Anatomy” opened season 16 with a solid 5.1/ 9 (#2t) at 8 p.m., which led into a 4.0/ 7 (#3) for compatible season two of “A Million Little Things” at 9 p.m.

The CW featured the season (or series) finale of drama “The Outpost,” which scored a typically unimpressive 0.4/ 1 at 9 p.m. (#5).

What follows are the household overnights by network and by half-hour for Thursday, September 26:

8:00 p.m.
ABC – “Grey’s Anatomy” (season premiere): 5.1/ 9 (#3)
CBS – “Young Sheldon” (season premiere): 5.8/10 (#2)
NBC – “Superstore” (season premiere): 2.2/ 4 (#4)
Fox – Pregame: Thursday Night Football (Philadelphia Eagles at Green Bay Packers): 6.2/12 (#1)
CW – “The Outpost”: 0.5/ 1 (#5)

8:30 p.m.
ABC – “Grey’s Anatomy” (season premiere): 5.0/ 8 (#2)
CBS – “The Unicorn” (series premiere): 4.3/ 7 (#3)
NBC – “Perfect Harmony” (series premiere): 2.2/ 4 (#4)
Fox – Thursday Night Football (Philadelphia Eagles at Green Bay Packers): 9.0/16 (#1)
CW – “The Outpost”: 0.4/ 1 (#5)

9:00 p.m.
ABC – “A Million Little Things” (season premiere): 4.1/ 7 (#3)
CBS – “Mom” (season premiere): 4.6/ 8 (#2)
NBC – “The Good Place” (season premiere):
Fox – Thursday Night Football (Philadelphia Eagles at Green Bay Packers): 9.9/17 (#1)
CW – “The Outpost” (season or series finale): 0.4/ 1 (#5)

9:30 p.m.
ABC – “A Million Little Things” (season premiere): 3.9/ 7 (#3)
CBS – “Carol’s Second Act” (series premiere): 4.3/ 7 (#2)
NBC – “Sunnysidee” (series premiere): 1.4/ 2 (#2)
Fox – Thursday Night Football (Philadelphia Eagles at Green Bay Packers): 10.6/18 (#1)
CW – “The Outpost” (season or series finale): 0.4/ 1 (#5)

10:00 p.m.
ABC – “How to Get Away With Murder” (season premiere): 2.0/ 4 (#3)
CBS – “Evil” (series premiere): 3.6/ 7 (#1)
NBC – “Law & Order: SVU” (season premiere): 3.1/ 6 (#2)

10:30 p.m.
ABC – “How to Get Away With Murder” (season premiere): 1.9/ 4 (#3)
CBS – “Evil” (series premiere): 3.2/ 6 (#1t)
NBC – “Law & Order: SVU” (season premiere): 3.2/ 6 (#1t)

LATE NIGHT

11:30 p.m.
ABC – “Jimmy Kimmel”: 1.8/ 4 (#2)
CBS – “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert”: 3.1/ 8 (#1)
NBC – “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon”: 1.5/ 4 (#3)

12:00 a.m.
ABC – “Jimmy Kimmel”: 1.1/ 4 (#2t)
CBS – “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert”: 2.1/ 7 (#1)
NBC – “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon”: 1.1/ 4 (#2t)

12:30 a.m.
ABC – “Nightline”: 1.0/ 4 (#3)
CBS – “The Late Late Show with James Corden”: 1.1/ 4 (#2)
NBC – “Late Night with Seth Meyers”: 1.2/ 4 (#1)

1:00 a.m.
CBS – “The Late Late Show with James Corden”: 0.8/ 4 (#1)
NBC – “Late Night with Seth Meyers”: 0.8/ 3 (#2)

1:30 a.m.
NBC – “A Little Late with Lilly Singh”: 0.6/ 3

Source: Nielsen Media Research