Thursday Overnights: CBS Rules With Regularly Scheduled Line-Up

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2017

Note: The CBS affiliates in New York and Buffalo preempted the network’s regularly scheduled programming line-up for the Buffalo Bills-New York Jets NFL game airing on NFLN. All programming normally featured on WCBS was seen on WLNY.

Household Rating/Share
CBS: 6.1/10, ABC: 4.0/ 7, NBC: 3.0/ 5, Fox: 2.4/ 4, CW: 1.0/ 2

Percent Change from Opening Thursday in 2016 – 9/21/16:
CBS: +22, Fox: + 4, ABC: + 3, NBC: -17, CW: -23

-Ratings Breakdown:
CBS stood well above the competition care of the launch of its regularly scheduled Thursday night programming block. The big news was the time period premiere of “Young Sheldon,” which at a dominant 8.2 rating/13 share in the household overnights at 8:30 p.m. held 93 percent of its “The Big Bang Theory” lead-in (#1 for the night: 8.8/16 at 8 p.m.). Comparably, that was a hefty 61 percent above year-ago time period occupant “The Great Indoors” (5.1/ 8 on 11/03/16). No other series historically has maintained this much of “The Big Bang” lead-in.

With stronger lead-in support, CBS comedy “Mom” opened season five at a 5.5/ 9 (#1) in the 9 p.m. half hour, which was 17 percent above the 4.7/ 7 one year earlier. “Mom” led into an also dominant 4.4/ 7 for the season three premiere of “Life in Pieces” at 9:30 p.m.

In series-premiere news, CBS crime solver “S.W.A.T.,” a revival of the ABC series of the same name in the 1970s, opened with a first-place 4.7/ 8 at 10 p.m. Comparably, that was seven percent above lead-in “Life in Pieces.” It bested competing “Chicago Fire” on NBC (#2: 3.8/ 7) and “How to Get Away With Murder” on ABC (#3: 2.8/ 5) by 24 percent and 68 percent, respectively. And it was 31 percent above year-ago time period occupant “Pure Genius” (3.6/ 6 on 11/03/16). In other words, consider this positive sampling for “S.W.A.T.”

On NBC, sitcoms “Superstore” (#3: 2.3/ 4) and “The Good Place” (#3: 2.2/ 4) could not compete with aforementioned “The Big Bang Theory” and “Young Sheldon” on CBS. But “Will & Grace,” featuring the passing of the beloved Rosario character, perked up to a second-place 4.2/ 7 in the 9 p.m. half-hour. Sidenote: Shelley Morrison, who played Rosario, is alive and well and decided not to return to “Will & Grace.” For my thoughts on “Will & Grace,” click here

Airing out of “Will & Grace” was sophomore “Great News,” which slipped to a fourth-place 1.9/ 3 at 9:30 p.m. and needs to be replaced. Note: Next week, football begins its Thursday night run on NBC.

Elsewhere, ABC’s 8-10 p.m. combination of “Grey’s Anatomy” (#2: 5.4/ 9) and “Scandal” (#3: 3.8/ 7) was at typical household overnight levels. Just renewed “The Orville” on Fox (#4: 2.7/ 5) was 23 percent above lead-in “Gotham” (#4: 2.2/ 4 at 8 p.m.). And The CW featured “Supernatural” (#5: 1.2/ 2) and “Arrow” (#5: 0.9/ 2), which has lost steam since moving to Thursday.

What follows is the breakdown by half-hour for Thursday, October 26:

8:00 p.m.
ABC – “Grey’s Anatomy”: 5.5/ 9 (#2)
CBS – “The Big Bang Theory” (time period return): 8.8/16 (#1)
NBC – “Superstore”: 2.3/ 4 (#3)
Fox – “Gotham”: 2.2/ 4 (#4)
CW – “Supernatural”: 1.2/ 2 (#5)

8:30 p.m.
ABC – “Grey’s Anatomy”: 5.4/ 9 (#2)
CBS – “Young Sheldon” (time period premiere): 8.2/13 (#1)
NBC – “The Good Place”: 2.2/ 4 (#3)
Fox – “Gotham”: 2.1/ 4 (#4)
CW – “Supernatural”: 1.1/ 2 (#5)

9:00 p.m.
ABC – “Scandal”: 3.8/ 6 (#3)
CBS – “Mom” (season premiere): 5.5/ 9 (#1)
NBC – “Will & Grace”: 4.2/ 7 (#2)
Fox – “The Orville”: 2.7/ 4 (#4)
CW – “Arrow”: 0.9/ 2 (#5)

9:30 p.m.
ABC – “Scandal”: 3.7/ 6 (#3)
CBS – “Life in Pieces” (season premiere): 4.4/ 7 (#1)
NBC – “Great News”: 1.9/ 3 (#4)
Fox – “The Orville”: 2.9/ 5 (#3)
CW – “Arrow”: 0.9/ 1 (#5)

10:00 p.m.
ABC – “How to Get Away With Murder”: 2.9/ 5 (#3)
CBS – “S.W.A.T.” (series premiere): 4.7/ 8 (#1)
NBC – “Chicago Fire”: 3.8/ 6 (#2)

10:30 p.m.
ABC – “How to Get Away With Murder”: 2.7/ 5 (#3)
CBS – “S.W.A.T.” (series premiere): 4.6/ 8 (#1)
NBC – “Chicago Fire”: 3.8/ 7 (#2)

Source: Nielsen Media Research