Thursday Overnights: ‘Murphy Brown’ Reboot is Not the Hit CBS Was Hoping For

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2018

Household Rating/Share
Fox: 8.3/14, CBS: 5.5/ 9, ABC: 3.7/ 6, NBC: 2.7/ 5, CW: 0.9/ 1

-Percent Change from the Year-Ago Evening:
Note: NBC aired Thursday Night Football one year earlier
Fox: +277, CBS: – 7, ABC: -12, CW: -18, NBC: -60

-Ratings Scorecard:
As expected, Thursday Night Football (Pittsburg Steelers 52, Carolina Panthers 21) led Fox overnight victory. The 8:30-10 p.m. portion of the game, which ended at 12:11 ET (and does not include the portion on the NFLN), scored a 9.0 rating/15 share in the household overnights. Full game results will be posted later today at programminginsider.com.

Tops for the night in scripted, as always, was CBS veteran “The Big Bang Theory” at an 8.6/14 in the 8 p.m. half-hour. And that gave lead-out prequel “Young Sheldon” a boost at a 7.2/12 (#2) at 8:30 p.m. But will viewers still flock to “Young Sheldon” next season after the parent series is over? Stay tuned.

Next on the Eye net was “Mom:” at a healthy (and consistent) 5.5/ 9 (#2) in the 9 p.m. half-hour. But the revival of “Murphy Brown” (#2: 4.3/ 7 at 9:30 p.m.) is not the hit the network was hoping for. Comparably, this is on par with year-ago time period occupant “Life in Pieces” (which will be returning in midseason).

CBS’ sophomore crime solver “S.W.A.T.” scored a typical 3.7/ 7 in the household overnights at 10 p.m., which bested competing “Law & Order: SVU” on NBC (#3: 3.3/ 6) and sinking “How To Get Away With Murder” on ABC (#4: 2.5/ 5) by 12 percent and 48 percent, respectively. Worth positively noting for “Law & Order: SVU” was overnight growth of 27 percent out of a clips edition of “The Voice” in the 9 p.m. hour (2.6/ 5). NBC has announced changes on Thursday in midseason, which can be accessed by clicking here https://programmingins.wpengine.com/nbc-announces-midseason-thursday-night-line-up/

Earlier in the evening on NBC was the low-rated pairing of 8-9 p.m. sitcoms “Superstore” (#4: 2.3/ 4) and “The Good Place” (#4: 1.9/ 3).

ABC, meanwhile, had nothing unusual to report with “Grey’s Anatomy” (#3: 5.1/ 9) and spin-off “Station 19” (#3: 3.6/ 6) from 8-10 p.m. And The CW featured veteran “Supernatural” (#5: 1.0/ 2 at 8 p.m.) into recent entry “Legacies” (#5: 0.8/ 1 at 9 p.m.), which had its initial 13-episode order extended by three episodes.

What follows are the household overnight ratings for Thursday, November 8 broken out by half-hour.

8:00 p.m.
ABC – “Grey’s Anatomy”: 5.1/ 9 (#3)
CBS – “The Big Bang Theory”: 8.6/14 (#1)
NBC – “Superstore”: 2.3/ 4 (#4)
Fox – Thursday Night Football Pregame: 6.1/11 (#2)
CW – “Supernatural”: 1.0/ 2 (#5)

8:30 p.m.
ABC – “Grey’s Anatomy”: 5.0/ 8 (#3)
CBS – “Young Sheldon”: 7.2/12 (#1)
NBC – “The Good Place”: 1.9/ 4 (#4)
Fox – Thursday Night Football (Carolina Panthers at Pittsburgh Steelers): 8/615 (#1)
CW – “Supernatural”: 0.9/ 2 (#5)

9:00 p.m.
ABC – “Station 19”: 3.6/ 6 (#3)
CBS – “Mom”: 5.5/ 9 (#2)
NBC – “The Voice” (clips show): 2.5/ 4 (#4)
Fox – Thursday Night Football (Carolina Panthers at Pittsburgh Steelers): 9.4/16 (#1)
CW – “Legacies”: 0.8/ 1 (#5)

9:30 p.m.
ABC – “Station 19”: 3.6/ 6 (#3)
CBS – “Murphy Brown”: 4.3/ 7 (#2)
NBC – “The Voice” (clips show): 2.7/ 5 (#4)
Fox – Thursday Night Football (Carolina Panthers at Pittsburgh Steelers): 9.0/15 (#1)
CW – “Legacies”: 0.8/ 1 (#5)

10:00 p.m.
ABC – “How To Get Away With Murder”: 2.5/ 4 (#4)
CBS – “S.W.A.T.”: 3.7/ 7 (#2)
NBC – “Law & Order: SVU”: 3.3/ 6 (#3)
Fox – Thursday Night Football (Carolina Panthers at Pittsburgh Steelers): NA

10:30 p.m.
ABC – “How To Get Away With Murder”: 2.4/ 5 (#4)
CBS – “S.W.A.T.”: 3.6/ 7 (#2)
NBC – “Law & Order: SVU”: 3.3/ 6 (#3)
Fox – Thursday Night Football (Carolina Panthers at Pittsburgh Steelers): NA

Source: Nielsen Media Research