CBS Leads Wednesday Overnights; Positive Sampling for ABC’s ‘The Real O’Neals’

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 2, 2016

Household Rating/Share
CBS: 5.2 rating/9 share, NBC: 4.8/ 8, ABC: 3.9/ 6, Fox: 2.5/ 4, CW: 0.9/ 1

Percent Change From the Year-Ago Oscar Night (3/01/15):
NBC: – 4, CW: -10, ABC and CBS: -15 each, Fox: -69

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-Winners:
“Survivor” (CBS), “Modern Family” (ABC), “Criminal Minds” (CBS)

-Honorable Mention:
“The Mysteries of Laura” (NBC), “The Goldbergs” (ABC), “Law & Order: SVU” (NBC), “Chicago PD” (NBC)

-Positive Sampling:
“The Real O’Neals” (ABC)

-Losers:
“Rosewood” (Fox), “Greatest Animal Commercials Countdown” (CW), “Hell’s Kitchen” (Fox), “American Crime” (ABC)

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Ratings Breakdown:
Note: These household overnights are treated as preliminary and any assessments are made based on other rating benchmarks (including past performances based on the Live + Same Day, Live + 3 Day and Live + 7 Day data).

All five networks, unfortunately, were down from the year-ago evening (with Fox the most severe because “Empire” is included in the averages in 2015).

CBS topped this first Wednesday in March in the household overnights with its combination of always addictive “Survivor” (#1: 5.7 rating/9 share), veteran “Criminal Minds” (#1: 5.9/ 9) and a 10 p.m. midweek telecast of sophomore “CSI: Cyber” (#1: 4.1/ 7). Comparably, “CSI” Cyber” was nine percent below the 4.5/ 8 for the season (or series) finale of “Code Black” one week earlier. At this point, there is no need for a third season of “CSI: Cyber.”

“Survivor,” meanwhile, increased by 10 percent from last week.

In series premiere news, ABC introduced sitcom “The Real O’Neals” with two episodes. The 8:30 p.m. launch scored a third-place 4.3/ 7 at 8:30 p.m. out of a 4.7/ 8 (#3) for an 8 p.m. edition of “The Goldbergs.” And that put the household retention for this first episode of “The Real O’Neals” at a solid 91 percent. It was also equal to “The Goldbergs” in the time period last week, and that 4.3 rating in the overnights translated into 6.45 million viewers and a 1.9 rating/6 share in adults 18-49 (based on the Live + Same Day data). Episode one results: positive.

The 9:30 p.m. telecast of episode two of “The Real O’Neals” held 68 percent of “The Modern Family” lead-in at a 3.9/ 6 (#3) out of a 5.7/ 9 (#2). And that was seven percent below the 4.2/ 7 for regularly scheduled time period occupant “black-ish” last week. “The Real O’Neals” will certainly not rate this high out of “Fresh Off the Boat” in the Tuesday 8:30 p.m. time period next week. But ABC accomplished what it wanted to do and that was getting “The Real O’Neals” sampled.

Sophomore “American Crime” closed the night for ABC with a distant third-place 2.6/ 4 in the overnights at 10 p.m. While lack of ratings of this magnitude normally warrants cancellation, based on the quality alone “American Crime” is worthy of a third season.

In return series news, “Rosewood” on Fox scored a sluggish 2.6/ 4 (#4) at 8 p.m. into a similarly lackluster 2.5/ 4 for “Hell’s Kitchen” at 9 p.m. Minus “Empire” at the moment at 9 p.m., “Rosewood” did not benefit from the pre-tune in factor. And “Rosewood” is yet another example of why these network scripted dramas do not benefit from these long hiatuses.

In season (or series) finale news, NBC’s sophomore “The Mysteries of Laura” rose to a 5.0/ 8 in the 8 p.m. hour and would be a potentially solid option for the target older viewers for Friday night next season. Issue a renewal, NBC…”The Mysteries of Laura” has earned it.

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Next on NBC was veteran “Law & Order: SVU” (#2t: 4.7/ 8) at 9 p.m. into an identical 4.7/ 8 for “Chicago PD” at 10 p.m. Both dramas (along with “Blindside,” “The Blacklist,” “Chicago Fire,” “Chicago Med” and “Shades of Blue”) have been renewed for next season.

The CW capped off the night with 8 p.m. special “Greatest Animal Commercials Countdown” at a 1.1/ 2 (#5) into a 0.8/ 1 for an encore telecast of the “MADtv 20th Anniversary Reunion.”

Source: Nielsen Media Research