Respectable Overnight Sampling for ‘Imaginary Mary;’ Fox’s ‘Shots Fired’ Loses Steam

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What follows are the metered market (overnight) results in households by network and by half-hour for Wednesday, March 29, 2017:

Household Rating/Share
CBS: 4.2/ 7, ABC and Fox: 3.8/ 6 each, NBC: 3.5/ 6, CW: 0.9/ 2

Percent Change from the Year-Ago Evening:
ABC: +27, NBC: -15, CBS: -19, CW: -31, Fox: -38

-Ratings Breakdown:
CBS led this final Wednesday in March, with “Survivor: Game Changers” topping the night at a 5.2 rating/9 share in the household overnights from 8-9 p.m. An almost identical 5.1 rating in the overnights one week earlier for “Survivor” translated into 8.1 million viewers and a 1.7 rating/7 share in adults 18-49, based on the Live + Same Day data. In other words, “Survivor” remains a consistently positive performer for CBS.

In series-premiere/preview news, ABC sitcom “Imaginary Mary,” starring Jenna Elfman, opened with a distant second-place 3.4/ 6 at 8:30 p.m. Comparably, overnight retention out of “The Goldbergs” (#2: 3.9/ 7 at 8 p.m.) was respectable at 87 percent. But airing in the Tuesday 9:30 p.m. half-hour in place of “The Real O’Neals” and out of “Fresh off the Boat” (effective on April 4) is likely to result in a smaller return for “Imaginary Mary.”

“Survivor” led into a second-place 4.3/ 7 in households for “Criminal Minds” at 9 p.m., followed by “Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders” at a third-place 3.2/ 7 at 10 p.m. Comparably, “Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders,” which is not expected back next season, trailed “Chicago PD” on NBC (4.1/ 7) and “Designated Survivor” on ABC (#2: 3.6/ 7) by 22 percent and 11 percent, respectively. Unfortunately, that recent three month hiatus did not benefit “Designated Survivor.”

Next on ABC was a 4.7/ 8 in the household overnights for “Modern Family” at 9 p.m. (#2) into a 3.3/ 6 (#4) for critically acclaimed “black-ish” at 9:30 p.m. In other words, nothing unusual.

In week two news, Fox drama “Shots Fired” dropped by 23 percent in the overnights week-to-week, with a fourth-place 2.8/ 5 at 8 p.m. Last week, a 3.5 household rating for the “Shots Fired” opener translated into 4.70 million viewers and a 1.1/ 5 in adults 18-49, based on the Live + Same Day data.

At 9 p.m., while a 4.9/ 8 for Fox’s “Empire” at 9 p.m. increased by 75 percent out of “Shots Fired,” year-to-year “Empire” declined by 41 percent (from the 8.3/13 on March 30, 2016).

Elsewhere, NBC’s “Blindspot” finished third in the 8 p.m. hour, with a 2.9/ 5. Next was veteran “Law & Order: SVU” at a 3.5/ 6 (#4) at 9 p.m. And The CW had nothing unusual to report with its pairing of “Arrow” (#5: 1.2/ 2) and “The 100” (#5: 0.7/ 1).
What follows are the household overnight results for March 29 by half-hour:

8:00 p.m.
ABC – “The Goldbergs”: 3.9/ 2 (#2)
CBS – “Survivor: Game Changers”: 5.2/ 9 (#1)
NBC – “Blindspot”: 2.9/ 5 (#3)
Fox – “Shots Fired”: 2.7/ 5 (#4)
CW – “Arrow”: 1.2/ 2 (#5)

8:30 p.m.
ABC – “Imaginary Mary” (series premiere/preview): 3.4/ 6 (#2)
CBS – “Survivor: Game Changers”: 5.2/ 9 (#1)
NBC – “Blindspot”: 2.8/ 5 (#3t)
Fox – “Shots Fired”: 2.8/ 5 (#3t)
CW – “Arrow”: 1.1/ 2 (#5)

9:00 p.m.
ABC – “Modern Family”: 4.7/ 8 (#2)
CBS – “Criminal Minds”: 4.3/ 7 (#3)
NBC – “Law & Order: SVU”: 3.3/ 5 (#4)
Fox – “Empire”: 4.8/ 8 (#1)
CW – “The 100”: 0.7/ 1 (#5)

9:30 p.m.
ABC – “black-ish”: 3.3/ 6 (#4)
CBS – “Criminal Minds”: 4.3/ 7 (#2)
NBC – “Law & Order: SVU”: 3.6/ 6 (#3)
Fox – “Empire”: 5.0/ 8 (#1)
CW – “The 100”: 0.7/ 1 (#5)

10:00 p.m.
ABC – “Designated Survivor”: 3.7/ 6 (#2)
CBS – “Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders”: 3.2/ 5 (#3)
NBC – “Chicago PD”: 4.1/ 7 (#1)

10:30 p.m.
ABC – “Designated Survivor”: 3.5/ 7 (#2)
CBS – “Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders”: 3.1/ 6 (#3)
NBC – “Chicago PD”: 4.0/ 7 (#1)

Source: Nielsen Media Research