RATINGS RECAP: 3/1/11

ABC
8:00 No Ordinary Family
Viewers: 4.3 million, 18-49 demo: 1.2
9:00 V
Viewers: 5.0 million, 18-49 demo: 1.8
10:00 20/20 Special
Viewers: 9.3 million, 18-49 demo: 3.2

CBS
8:00 NCIS
Viewers: 19.2 million, 18-49 demo: 3.8
9:00 NCIS: Los Angeles
Viewers: 15.7 million, 18-49 demo: 3.2
10:00 The Good Wife
Viewers: 11.4 million, 18-49 demo: 2.2

NBC
8:00 The Biggest Loser
Viewers: 7.1 million, 18-49 demo: 2.4
10:00 Parenthood
Viewers: 5.0 million, 18-49 demo: 1.9

FOX
8:00 American Idol
Viewers: 21.4 million, 18-49 demo: 7.6
9:30 Raising Hope
Viewers: 8.7 million, 18-49 demo: 3.3

ABC had an underwhelming Tuesday night with its regular shows. At 8pm, No Ordinary Family fell another half a million viewers and two tenths in the demo for more series lows. While it was against tougher competition on FOX, this show is an outright flop for the network at this point. At 9pm, V was down just a tenth in viewers and the demo against increased competition which is still ok by comparison but not stellar. It has at least been consistent in this timeslot. At 10pm, Detroit 1-8-7 was promoted for the much talked-about Charlie Sheen interview. This may have been huge had it actually been an "exclusive" but Charlie Sheen has done a huge media tour so that may have dulled the numbers a bit. Still, it was far stronger than Detroit has been in this timeslot and it won the hour for ABC, which is rare on Tuesday. 

CBS had a decent night against tougher competition all evening. At 8pm, NCIS was down 1.9 million viewers and six tenths in the demo but still solid as it faced American Idol. At 9pm, NCIS: Los Angeles was down a rougher 3 million viewers and seven tenths in the demo from last week's season highs. After hitting the highs last week, this week tied a season low and Idol was only on for half an hour so this bigger drop than the lead-in was somewhat surprising. At 10pm, The Good Wife was down half a million viewers but up two tenths in the demo. The rise in the demo despite much tougher competition on ABC and a much weaker lead-in is good news for a show that's been maligned for its very old-skewing nature.

NBC took a bit of a hit against tougher competition. At 8pm, The Biggest Loser was down half a million viewers and three tenths in the demo, hitting more lows for this edition. It should go up when the competition is different or in repeats and the finale nears. NBC announced they will launch The Voice on Tuesdays in late April. At 10pm, Parenthood was down half a million viewers and two tenths in the demo as it dropped from a demo win last week to third in the demo this week, which is disappointing.

FOX had a great night thanks to American Idol airing on a special night as it dominated the 8pm hour especially in the demo. Still, between Idol, NCIS, The Biggest Loser, with a tiny bit of help from No Ordinary Family, over 50 million people were watching the big four broadcast networks which proves there is still a big audience to be had with the right programming. This led into Raising Hope, which easily hit series highs and was up 2.7 million viewers and nine tenths in the demo from last week's 9pm airing. But the retention of Idol was absolutely terrible, proving that Hope may have a loyal niche audience but not much growth possibility.