ABC's 'V' fell 27% from last week's strong debut and finished second in most categories to CBS' 'NCIS.'
'Biggest Loser'
ABC's "V" came back to Earth in its second outing Tuesday, dropping sharply from its boffo bow but still delivering a solid number.
According to Nielsen nationals that include same-night DVR playback, "V" averaged a 3.8 rating/10 share in adults 18-49 and 10.7 million viewers overall. It placed second in most categories to CBS' "NCIS" (4.4/12 in 18-49, 20.96m) while winning the 8 o'clock hour in men 18-34 and tying "NCIS" for the lead in men 18-49.
"V" fell off 27% from last week's surprisingly strong preem perf (5.2/14 in 18-49, 14.30 million viewers overall), which was the best demo delivery for an 8 o'clock drama on any net since the Alphabet's "Lost" in 2004. Despite the decline, the show's second-week rating in 18-49 is better than that of any new drama this season except for "NCIS: Los Angeles," which had the advantage of following its
progenitor.
This is also much better than anything ABC has tried in Tuesday's leadoff hour lately, rising about 80% above its weak showing on the same night a year ago.
Key for ABC now is holding as much of this audience as possible for the last couple of episodes in its mini four-week run. The show shut down production and changed showrunners, and the remainder of its 13-episode order is scheduled to start shooting in January for a March airdate.
CBS won Tuesday behind "NCIS," "NCIS: Los Angeles" (3.7/9, 16.23m) and "The Good Wife" (2.8/8, 13.35m), with each show up a tick vs. last week.
NBC's "Biggest Loser" (3.8/10 in 18-49, 9.65m) was up week to week and year to year, moving to the 18-49 lead from 9 to 10. And "The Jay Leno Show" (1.9/5, 5.81m) placed third at 10, tying with FX's "Sons of Anarchy" (1.9/5, 3.38m), which led the hour in key male demos.
At ABC, "V" led into an above-average perf for the "Dancing With the Stars" results show (3.5/9, 16.23m), and the 10 p.m. spec "In the Spotlight With Robin Roberts" (2.3/6, 9.34m) was an improvement over recent weeks of drama "The Forgotten."
Fox ran fourth with "So You Think You Can Dance" (2.3/6 in 18-49, 5.76m).
And CW's "90210" (1.2/3, 2.06m) matched some season highs in demos while "Melrose Place" (0.7/2, 1.28m) continues to struggle. Next week, Heather Locklear returns to "Melrose."
Contact Stuart Levine at
stuart.levine@variety.com