Soft Opening for ‘Kevin (Probably) Saves the World’ on ABC

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2017

Note: Austin is excluded from the following averages.

Household Rating/Share
CBS: 7.2/12, NBC: 5.9/10, ABC: 3.3/ 5, Fox: 2.2/ 4, CW: 0.4/ 1

Note: Comparisons to the year-ago evening are excluded due to the airing of the Vice Presidential Debate.

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Ratings Breakdown:
CBS topped this second Tuesday in the household overnights, besting No. 2 NBC by 22 percent. But the home of “The Voice” and “This Is Us” is a lock for dominance in adults 18-49 (and all the key young adult demographics).

There were two series premieres, both on ABC, and both opened at modest overnight levels. Sitcom “The Mayor” scored a third-place 3.0 rating/5 share in households at 9:30 p.m., which held 88 percent of the 3.4/ 5 (#3) for the season premiere of critically-acclaimed lead-in “black-ish.” “The Mayor” also more than doubled the household rating of competing “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” on Fox (#4: 1.3/ 2), and it could fit in well on the alphabet net’s marginally rated Tuesday sitcom block.

The second ABC premiere was drama “Kevin (Probably) Saves the World,” which opened at a third-place 2.9/ 5 at 10 p.m. and trailed competing “NCIS: New Orleans” on CBS (#1: 6.0/11) and “Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Brothers” on NBC (#2: 3.2/ 6) by 52 percent and 9 percent, respectively. While this is an improvement from year-ago time period occupant “Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD,” the expected erosion in episode two, and beyond, may not bode well for survival for this Jason Ritter vehicle.

“Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Brothers,” meanwhile, dipped by 26 percent in the household overnights from its already modest week-ago opener (4.3/ 7 on Sept. 26), and it held only 42 percent of its “This Is Us” lead-in (#1: 7.6/12 at 9 p.m.). NBC had a golden opportunity in the Tuesday 10 p.m. ET hour this fall and wasted it, unfortunately.

Top-rated for the evening in the overnights was “NCIS” on CBS (8.7/14 at 8 p.m.), which led into a solid (and second place) 7.0/11 for sophomore “Bull” at 9 p.m.

In the respectable department was the ninth – and final – season premiere of ABC comedy “The Middle” at a third-place 4.2/ 7 at 8 p.m., which led into a 3.0/ 5 (#3) for the fourth season premiere of “Fresh Off the Boat” at 8:30 p.m.

What follows are the household overnight results for Tuesday, October 3 by half-hour:

8:00 p.m.
ABC – “The Middle” (season premiere): 4.2/ 7 (#3)
CBS – “NCIS”: 8.6/14 (#1)
NBC – “America’s Got Talent”: 6.7/11 (#2)
Fox – “Lethal Weapon”: 2.9/ 5 (#4)
CW – “The Flash” (R): 0.6/ 1 (#5)

8:30 p.m.
ABC – “Fresh off the Boat” (season premiere): 3.0/ 5 (#3)
CBS – “NCIS”: 8.8/14 (#1)
NBC – “America’s Got Talent”: 7.3/12 (#2)
Fox – “Lethal Weapon”: 2.9/ 5 (#4)
CW – “The Flash” (R): 0.5/ 1 (#5)

9:00 p.m.
ABC – “black-ish” (season premiere): 3.4/ 5 (#3)
CBS – “Bull”: 7.1/11 (#2)
NBC – “This Is Us”: 7.8/12 (#1)
Fox – “The Mick”: 1.8/ 3 (#4)
CW – “Machinima’s Chasing the Cup: Injustice 2: 0.3/ 0 (#5)

9:30 p.m.
ABC – “The Mayor” (series premiere): 3.0/ 5 (#3)
CBS – “Bull”: 7.0/11 (#2)
NBC – “This Is Us”: 7.4/12 (#1)
Fox – “Brooklyn Nine-Nine”: 1.3/ 2 (#4)
CW – “Machinima’s Chasing the Cup: Injustice 2: 0.2/ 0 (#5)

10:00 p.m.
ABC – “Kevin (Probably) Saves the World”: 3.1/ 5 (#3)
CBS – “NCIS: New Orleans”: 6.1/10 (#1)
ABC – “Law & Order: The Menendez Brothers”: 3.4/ 6 (#2)

10:30 p.m.
ABC – “Kevin (Probably) Saves the World”: 2.8/ 5 (#3)
CBS – “NCIS: New Orleans”: 5.9/11 (#1)
ABC – “Law & Order: The Menendez Brothers”: 3.0/ 6 (#2)

Source: Nielsen Media Research