CBS tops ratings with 'Mentalist'

Premieres on Fox, CW fail to bring in auds

By JON WEISMAN

With a night of hourlong repeats, CBS won the primetime ratings competish in the adults 18-49 demo and dominated in total viewers, according to preliminary nationals from Nielsen. A couple of series premieres on Fox and the CW failed to make noteworthy dents with auds.

“The Mentalist” (2.4 rating/6 share in 18-49, 12.3 million viewers overall), “NCIS” (2.2/7, 12.2 million) and “Without a Trace” (2.1/6, 9.6 million), all airing on the Eye, filled the top three slots Wednesday.

NBC’s block of programming - the two-hour special “TV’s 50 Funniest Phrases (2.1/6, 6.6 million) and “Law and Order: SVU” (2.1/6, 6.4 million) - came in next. However, cable results later in the day could slide TNT’s Cleveland-Orlando NBA overtime playoff thriller ahead of the Peacock programs in total viewers.

Of the series premiering Wednesday, Fox’s “Mental” (2.1/5, 5.8 million) performed the best while competing at 9 p.m. against the similarly named “Mentalist.” During the same hour, the CW launched “Hitched or Ditched” (0.7/2, 1.4 million).

Both premieres outperformed the second two-hour part of ABC miniseries “Diamonds” (0.6/2, 3.1 million from 9-11 p.m.) in the demo.

The finale of “Reaper” (0.9/3, 2.2 million ) on the CW went as quietly as one would have expected at 8 p.m., not quite matching a rerun of Fox’s “House” (1.7/5, 4.2 million) or two of ABC’s “According to Jim” (1.1/3, 3.7 million combined for the pair).

The Alphabet’s poor showing left the door open for Univision to outperform ABC in primetime Wednesday.

Preliminary 18-49 averages for the night: CBS 2.3/6, NBC 2.1/6, Fox 1.9/5, Univision 1.6/5, ABC 0.8/2, CW 0.8/2.

In total viewers: CBS 11.3 million, NBC 6.5 million, Fox 5.0 million, Univision 4.2 million, ABC 3.3 million, CW 1.8 million.