RATINGS RECAP: 5/1/14

ABC
8:00 Grey's Anatomy (Repeat)
Viewers: 4.3 million, 18-49 demo: 1.0
9:00 Grey's Anatomy
Viewers: 8.8 million, 18-49 demo: 2.6
10:00 Black Box
Viewers: 5.6 million, 18-49 demo: 1.3

CBS
8:00 The Big Bang Theory
Viewers: 16.1 million, 18-49 demo: 4.5
8:30 The Millers
Viewers: 9.4 million, 18-49 demo: 2.0
9:00 Two and a Half Men
Viewers: 9.0 million, 18-49 demo: 2.1
9:30 Bad Teacher
Viewers: 6.5 million, 18-49 demo: 1.4
10:00 Elementary
Viewers: 7.8 million, 18-49 demo: 1.6 

NBC
8:00 iHeart Radio Music Awards
Viewers: 5.5 million, 18-49 demo: 1.7

FOX
8:00 Hell's Kitchen
Viewers: 4.5 million, 18-49 demo: 1.6
9:00 American Idol
Viewers: 7.0 million, 18-49 demo: 1.5
9:30 Surviving Jack
Viewers: 3.9 million, 18-49 demo: 1.0

The first day of May had some serious spring doldrums for some of the shows. NBC had the iHeart Radio Music Awards and while there wasn't much interest, it was an improvement over NBC's usual Thursday lineup. On CBS, The Big Bang Theory started things out down three tenths in viewers and even in the demo. Then at 8:30pm, The Millers was down six tenths in viewers and a rough four tenths in the demo. Retention out of Big Bang was a terrible 44%, the worst retention yet. CBS cannot let this follow Big Bang again next year but it will probably fall apart anywhere else. At 9pm, Two and a Half Men was down four tenths in viewers and the demo for its worst 9pm performance yet. Then the wheels completely came off for Bad Teacher in week two as it dropped 1.3 million viewers and a horrible seven tenths in the demo. Well there goes any conversation about this show getting renewed as it fell below anything The Crazy Ones got. If CBS renews another sitcom now, it'll be Crazy or Friends with Better Lives with Friends having the much better chance. At 10pm, Elementary was down three tenths in viewers and even in the demo, which is not bad considering how much its lead-in was down. 

On ABC, Grey's Anatomy, featuring the return of Isaiah Washington, was up eight tenths in viewers and three tenths in the demo. It was one of the few shows to grow from last week. Week two of Black Box was rough as it fell 1.3 million viewers and two tenths in the demo. It only had 50% retention out of Grey's so it looks like this is definitely nothing more than a short term option. Finally on FOX, Hell's Kitchen was down four tenths in viewers and a tenth in the demo. Things are getting pretty grim for American Idol. It was down seven tenths in viewers and three tenths in the demo for a series low. These are the kind of numbers that got The X Factor cancelled in the fall. Who would have thought things would continue to unravel this much for Idol? What is FOX going to do about this centerpiece to their schedule? At 9:30pm, Surviving Jack was dead even with last week despite the lead-in's drop.