Thursday Overnights: ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Tops Night for Victorious ABC

THURSDAY, JANUARY 25, 2018

Household Rating/Share
ABC: 4.4/ 7, CBS: 3.3/ 6, NBC: 2.8/ 7, Fox: 2.7/ 4, CW: 1.1/ 2

Percent Change from Opening Thursday in 2016 – 9/21/16:
NBC: +47, Fox: +29, CW: no change, ABC: -17, CBS: -27

Ratings Breakdown:
With two-thirds of CBS’ primetime line-up in repeats, ABC took control of the Thursday overnights. Veteran “Grey’s Anatomy” topped this final Thursday in January, with a 6.2 rating/10 share in the 8 p.m. hour. And that led into soon-to-conclude “Scandal” at a second-place 4.2/ 7 at 9 p.m., followed by “How To Get Away with Murder” at a 2.8/ 5 (also #2) at 10 p.m. Comparably, “How to Get Away with Murder“ trailed competing “Chicago Fire” on NBC (#1: 4.1/ 7) by 32 percent.

Upcoming “Station 19,” the spin-off from “Grey’s Anatomy,” will premiere with a two-hour installment on Thursday, March 22 at 9 p.m. ET, and then continue to lead out of parent “Grey’s Anatomy” every week. Current time period occupant “Scandal” will move into the Thursday 10 p.m. hour (in place of “How to Get Away With Murder”), where it will remain through its series finale on April 19.

On CBS, 8-9 p.m. special “MVP: Most Valuable Performer” was well below the regularly scheduled sitcoms, with a 2.8/ 4 (#2) in the household overnights. And that led into encore telecasts of “The Big Bang Theory” (#1: 4.4/ 7) and prequel “Young Sheldon” (#1: 4.2/ 7) from 9-10 p.m., followed by a repeat of the freshman reboot of “S.W.A.T.” at 10 p.m. (#3: 2.7/ 5). To the reader emailing yesterday to inquire if “S.W.A.T.” will make it into season two, my prediction is a second season renewal. Stay tuned.

In season (or series) finale news, sophomore NBC comedy “Great News” probably earned its walking papers, with a mere 1.6/ 3 (#4) at 9:30 p.m. That aired out of an encore of “Will & Grace” at a 1.9/ 3 (#4) at 9 p.m.

Earlier in the evening on NBC was underrated comedy “Superstore” (#3: 2.7/ 5) into a 2.5/ 4 in the household overnights (#4) for compatible sophomore “The Good Place” at 8:30 p.m.

Elsewhere, recently introduced Fox singing competition “The Four: Battle of Stardom” was consistent at a 2.7/ 4 from 8-10 p.m. And The CW featured the combination of “Supernatural” (#5: 1.2/ 2 at 8 p.m.) and “Arrow” (#5: 1.0/ 2 at 9 p.m.), which has lost steam since moving to Thursday this season.

What follows is the breakdown by half-hour for Thursday, January 25:

8:00 p.m.
ABC – “Grey’s Anatomy”: 6.3/10 (#1)
CBS – “MVP: Most Valuable Performer”: 3.0/ 5 (#2)
NBC – “Superstore”: 2.7/ 5 (#3)
Fox – “The Four: Battle for Stardom”: 2.5/ 4 (#4)
CW – “Supernatural”: 1.2/ 2 (#5)

8:30 p.m.
ABC – “Grey’s Anatomy”: 6.1/10 (#1)
CBS – “MVP: Most Valuable Performer”: 2.7/ 4 (#2)
NBC – “The Good Place”: 2.5/ 4 (#4)
Fox – “The Four: Battle for Stardom”: 2.6/ 4 (#3)
CW – “Supernatural”: 1.2/ 2 (#5)

9:00 p.m.
ABC – “Scandal”: 4.3/ 7 (#2)
CBS – “The Big Bang Theory” (R): 4.4/ 7 (#1)
NBC – “Will & Grace” (R): 1.9/ 3 (#4)
Fox – “The Four: Battle for Stardom”: 2.7/ 4 (#3)
CW – “Arrow”: 1.0/ 2 (#5)

9:30 p.m.
ABC – “Scandal”: 4.1/ 7 (#2)
CBS – “Young Sheldon” (R): 4.2/ 7 (#1)
NBC – “Great News” (series or season finale): 1.6/ 3 (#4)
Fox – “The Four: Battle for Stardom”: 2.9/ 5 (#3)
CW – “Arrow”: 1.0/ 2 (#5)

10:00 p.m.
ABC – “How To Get Away With Murder”: 3.0/ 5 (#2)
CBS – “S.W.A.T.” (R): 2.9/ 5 (#3)
NBC – “Chicago Fire”: 4.1/ 7 (#1)

10:30 p.m.
ABC – “How To Get Away With Murder”: 2.7/ 5 (#2)
CBS – “S.W.A.T.” (R): 2.6/ 5 (#3)
NBC – “Chicago Fire”: 4.1/ 8 (#1)

Source: Nielsen Media Research