Thursday Overnights: ‘Big Brother’ Leads CBS to Victory; Solid ‘SNL Weekend Update’ on NBC

THURSDAY, AUGUST 24, 2017

Household Rating/Share
CBS: 3.1/ 6, NBC: 2.8/ 5, Fox: 1.8/ 3, ABC: 1.5/ 3, CW: 1.0/2

-Percent Change From the Year-Ago Evening:
CW: +67, Fox: +12, CBS: -14, ABC and NBC: -35 each

-Ratings Breakdown:
The weekly live eviction show on “Big Brother” led CBS to Thursday overnight household victory, scoring a 3.8 rating/7 share in the 9 p.m. ET hour. Comparably, this was right on par with the year-ago overnight rating. But, speaking as the ultimate fan of “Big Brother,” these housemates all naively thinking they can beat Paul at the end is just plain difficult to watch. My vote for the worst “showmance” in the history of the reality/competition: Matt and Raven. To chime in with your thoughts, visit The PI Facebook page by clicking here

Particularly positive for NBC was “Saturday Night Live Weekend Update” tying “Big Brother,” with a 3.9/ 7 in the 9 p.m. half-hour. For a look a Alec Baldwin’s latest impersonation of our president, click here

Unfortunately, the support from “SNL” has not benefited lead-out sitcom “Great News,” which dipped by 54 percent in the household overnights with a 1.8/ 3 (#2t) at 9:30 p.m.

There were two season finales last night: Game show “The Wall” (#2: 3.0/ 6), which remained a respectable option for NBC, and ABC singing competition “Boy Band” (#4: 1.6/ 3), which is unlikely to see a second season.

Also original last night was Fox’s pairing of “Beat Shazam” (#3: 1.8/ 3) and “Love Connection” (#4: 1.7/ 3), which are both confirmed to return next season despite the ongoing lack of interest; and “Penn & Teller: Fool Us” (#5: 1.1/ 2 from 8-9 p.m.) and “Whose Line is it Anyway?” on The CW (#5: 0.9/ 2 in the 9 p.m. half-hour).

Medical drama “The Night Shift” (#1: 2.4/ 5) on NBC, meanwhile , bested competing “Zoo” on CBS (#2: 1.6/ 3) by 50 percent. Chances of a fourth season for “Zoo” is highly unlikely. And “Battle of the Network Stars” on ABC remained out of the competitive loop at a fourth-place 1.6/ 3 in the 9 p.m. hour.
What follows is the breakdown by half-hour for Thursday, August 24:

8:00 p.m.
ABC – “Boy Band” (season or series finale): 1.8/ 3 (#3t)
CBS – “The Big Bang Theory” (R): 4.2/ 8 (#1)
NBC – “The Wall” (season finale): 2.9/ 6 (#3)
Fox – “Beat Shazam”: 1.8/ 3 (#3t)
CW – “Penn & Teller: Fool Us”: 1.1/ 2 (#5)

8:30 p.m.
ABC – “Boy Band” (season or series finale): 1.5/ 3 (#4)
CBS – “Kevin Can Wait” (R): 3.2/ 6 (#1)
NBC – “The Wall” (season finale): 3.1/ 6 (#2)
Fox – “Beat Shazam”: 1.9/ 3 (#3)
CW – “Penn & Teller: Fool Us”: 1.1/ 2 (#5)

9:00 p.m.
ABC – “Battle of the Network Stars”: 1.6/ 3 (#3t)
CBS – “Big Brother”: 3.9/ 7 (#1t)
NBC – “Saturday Night Live: Weekend Update”: 3.9/ 7 (#1t)
Fox – “Love Connection”: 1.6/ 3 (#3t)
CW – “Whose Line is it Anyway?”: 0.9/ 2 (#5)

9:30 p.m.
ABC – “Battle of the Network Stars”: 1.7/ 3 (#4)
CBS – “Big Brother”: 3.7/ 7 (#1)
NBC – “Great News” (R): 1.8/ 3 (#2t)
Fox – “Love Connection”: 1.8/ 3 (#2t)
CW – “Whose Line is it Anyway?” (R): 0.8/ 1 (#5)

10:00 p.m.
ABC – “The Gong Show” (R): 1.3/ 2 (#3)
CBS – “Zoo”: 1.8/ 3 (#2)
NBC – “The Night Shift”: 2.5/ 4 (#2)

10:30 p.m.
ABC – “The Gong Show” (R): 1.3/ 3 (#3)
CBS – “Zoo”: 1.5/ 3 (#2)
NBC – “The Night Shift”: 2.4/ 5 (#2)

Source: Nielsen Media Research