Looks like the Eye will thrive -- not just survive -- on Thursdays.
CBS' gamble of placing its juggernaut franchise "Survivor" opposite NBC's dominant "Friends" has paid off with a round-one victory in Thursday's leadoff hour and a solid second-place finish for the night.
According to Nielsen, it took the net's best showing in the hour since at least the advent of people-meters in 1987, but "Survivor: The Australian Outback" topped NBC's combo of a super-sized "Friends" and an original 22-minute installment of "Saturday Night Live" in total viewers (29.04 million to 21.19m), adults 18-49 (11.9/28 vs. 10.5/25) and adults 25-54 (13.1/29 to 10.9/24), among other breakdowns.
News was also very good at 9 p.m. for the Eye, whose rookie crime drama hit "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" won its hour in total viewers (21.26m) and tied with NBC's comedies for the lead in adults 25-54 (10.4/22).
For CBS, these numbers represent an overnight transformation of epic proportions. The older-skewing net has had a particularly difficult time drawing young adults to Thursday -- a night that can prove especially lucrative for a high-rated net because of the ad market demand for movies that open in theaters on Fridays.
In some demos, "Survivor" more than quadrupled the net's performance in Thursday's opening hour this season, while "CSI" delivered CBS' largest audience and best 25-54 rating in the 9 o'clock hour since an episode of "The Flash" in September 1990.
Peacock can still preen
And while "Survivor" knocked "Friends" down a peg, NBC's lineup as a whole actually fared better than on the opening Thursday of February last year, when ABC was the hard-charging net, led by "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire."
The Peacock used a dominant perf from "ER" to clinch the night in total viewers (22.2 million) and adults 18-49 (11.5/28), up in the latter by 6% vs. a year ago.
"ER" was the night's top show in adults 18-49 (13.4/34), while "Will & Grace" -- benefiting from the unusually high number of young adults watching the nets from 8:30 to 9 -- delivered the night's top score in adults 18-34 (12.4/30).
"Friends" (22.24 million, 11.0/27 in adults 18-49) was off by just 8% from its firstrun average this season. As a sign of how well it stood up to its stiffest challenge yet, consider that the perennial top-5 comedy likely will still finish the week as the No. 3 program in total viewers -- behind only "Survivor" and "ER."
"Saturday Night Live" also performed admirably, with its 88% retention of "Friends" in 18-49 (9.7/22 vs. 11.0/27) likely better than anything the net could have stuck in the tough slot.
Back in the pack
This double-barreled assault on Thursday by NBC and CBS, though, means that everybody else was dust in their paths. ABC was the net hit hardest, averaging less than half the lofty 18-49 rating it posted a year ago on the opening night of the sweep (3.1/8 vs. 6.6/17).
Fox also continues to be unable to generate much on the night, although its fourth-place 2.9/7 in adults 18-49 is better than last year's 2.4/6. Net had perhaps the most apropos title in the 8 o'clock hour opposite the "Survivor"/"Friends" heavyweight match: "Surviving the Moment of Impact 3," a repeat reality spec.
UPN's "WWF Smackdown" was pinned to the mat for its second weakest numbers of the season (6.45 million, 2.3/5 in A18-49) -- behind only Thanksgiving. Wrestling series, which usually dominates among male teens, settled for second in that demo to "Survivor" in its first hour (5.8/15 vs. 7.8/22) before coming on strong from 9 to 10, winning comfortably over "CSI" (8.6/23 to 5.0/14).
The WB, which rested freshman drama "Gilmore Girls" and aired one original and one repeat seg of "Charmed," was off by about 10% from its firstrun average this season (4.9 million, 1.9/5 in A18-49) but was up vs. last year.
Something for everyone
While there's certainly some crossover audience between shows like "Survivor" and "Friends" at 8 and "CSI" and "Will & Grace" at 9, CBS and NBC appear to be appealing to enough unique segments of the audience for both to succeed.
From 8 to 8:30, for example, "Friends" topped "Survivor" among women 18-34 (15.5/38 to 11.3/27) while the reality adventure series won in men 18-34 (9.8/29 to 8.0/24). "Survivor" also prevailed among kids, teens and adults 35-plus.
And from 9 to 10, "CSI" certainly lost a chunk of the younger "Survivor" crowd to NBC's comedies and UPN's wrestling, but the crime drama hit a bull's-eye with the Eye's target 25-54 aud while dominating among adults 35 and over.
"CSI" had a marked effect on ABC's "Millionaire" (16.25m, 3.7/9 in A18-49), which logged its weakest Thursday numbers yet. Its 16 million-plus viewer total will likely be enough to land it in the top 15 for the week, but in this tough hour, it's good enough for only third place (behind "CSI's" 21.26m and NBC comedies' 18.8m).
NBC pointed out that the Big Four broadcast networks delivered 30% more adults 18-49 and 22% more viewers overall than their Thursday night average this season. Meanwhile, the number of people watching cable TV on Thursday night was down 18% in adults 18-49 and 14% in total viewers vs. season-to-date averages.
The six broadcast nets combined for some amazing share totals on the night, especially in the leadoff half-hour: an 81 share in women 18-34, a 73 share in adults 18-49 and a 67 share among teens.
Contact Rick Kissell at
rick.kissell@variety.com