Thursday Overnights: Football Rules on NBC; ‘Young Sheldon’ on CBS is a Solid Fit

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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2017

Household Rating/Share
NBC: 6.9/12, CBS: 5.7/10, ABC: 4.1/ 7, Fox: 2.2/ 4, CW: 1.0/ 2

Percent Change from Opening Thursday in 2016 – 9/21/16:
CBS: +10, NBC: + 8, Fox: + 5, ABC: – 2, CW: -23

-Ratings Breakdown:
Last night’s NFL match-up — Pittsburgh Steelers 40, Tennessee Titans 17 — led NBC to Thursday overnight victory with an estimated 7.2 rating/12 share in households from 8:30-11:30 p.m. ET. Combined with coverage on the NFLN and that household rating rose to a 9.4 (with a 4.5 rating in adults 18-49). As always, results for any live sporting event are always approximate.

On CBS, recent entry “Young Sheldon” is the real deal, with a dominant 7.4/12 in the 8:30 p.m. half-hour and retention out of lead-in “The Big Bang Theory” (#1 for the night: 8.9/15 at 8 p.m.) of a solid 83 percent. No other series in the past has held this much of the “Big Bang” lead-in.

Next on the Eye net was “Mom” at a second-place 5.5/ 9 (#2) in the 9 p.m. half-hour, followed by “Life in Pieces” (#2: 4.0/ 7 at 9:30 p.m.) and episode of three of crime solver “S.W.A.T.” (#2: 4.2/ 7 at 10 p.m.). While nothing exceptional, “S.W.A.T.” did beat failed year-ago time period occupant “Pure Genius” (3.7 / 6 on 11/17/16) by 11 percent. And it bested competing “How To Get Away With Murder” on ABC (#3: 3.0/ 5) by 40 percent.

Earlier in the evening on ABC was old faithful “Grey’s Anatomy” at a consistent 5.6/ 9 at 8 p.m. (#2), followed by another episode in this final season of “Scandal” (#3: 3.9/ 6) at 9 p.m.

Elsewhere, it was overnight business as usual on both Fox (8 p.m. – “Gotham”: #4: 2.0/ 3; 9 p.m. – “The Orville”: #4: 2.4/ 4) and The CW (8 p.m. – “Supernatural”: #5: 1.2/ 2; 9 p.m. – “Arrow”: #5, 1.0/ 2). At this point, it is time for Fox’s perennially low-rated “Gotham” to conclude.

What follows is the breakdown by half-hour for Thursday, November 16:

8:00 p.m.
ABC – “Grey’s Anatomy”: 5.7/ 9 (#2)
CBS – “The Big Bang Theory”: 8.9/15 (#1)
NBC – “Football Night in Pittsburgh”: 4.1/ 7 (#3)
Fox – “Gotham”: 2.1/ 3 (#4)
CW – “Supernatural”: 1.2/ 2 (#5)

8:30 p.m.
ABC – “Grey’s Anatomy”: 5.5/ 9 (#3)
CBS – “Young Sheldon”: 7.4/12 (#1)
NBC – “Thursday Night Football” (Tennessee Titans at Pittsburgh Steelers): 6.9/12 (#2)
Fox – “Gotham”: 1.9/ 3 (#4)
CW – “Supernatural”: 1.1/ 2 (#5)

9:00 p.m.
ABC – “Scandal”: 3.9/ 6 (#3)
CBS – “Mom”: 5.5/ 9 (#2)
NBC – “Thursday Night Football” (Tennessee Titans at Pittsburgh Steelers): 7.8/13 (#1)
Fox – “The Orville”: 2.4/ 4 (#4)
CW – “Arrow”: 1.0/ 2 (#5)

9:30 p.m.
ABC – “Scandal”: 3.8/ 6 (#3)
CBS – “Life in Pieces”: 4.0/ 7 (#2)
NBC – “Thursday Night Football” (Tennessee Titans at Pittsburgh Steelers): 8.0/13 (#1)
Fox – “The Orville”: 2.4/ 4 (#4)
CW – “Arrow”: 0.9/ 1 (#5)

10:00 p.m.
ABC – “How to Get Away With Murder”: 3.0/ 5 (#3)
CBS – “S.W.A.T.”: 4.2/ 7 (#2)
NBC – “Thursday Night Football” (Tennessee Titans at Pittsburgh Steelers): 7.2/12 (#1)

10:30 p.m.
ABC – “How to Get Away With Murder”: 2.9/ 5 (#3)
CBS – “S.W.A.T.”: 4.1/ 8 (#2)
NBC – “Thursday Night Football” (Tennessee Titans at Pittsburgh Steelers): 7.2/12 (#1)

Source: Nielsen Media Research