TV ratings: ‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ has solid opening
For young adults watching Tuesday night TV, it was a toss-up between the non-superheroes of “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” and the wannabe superstars of “The Voice.”
“Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,” the “Avengers” offshoot from producer Joss Whedon, had a successful launch Tuesday night, according to early numbers from Nielsen.
The ABC series, which is Marvel’s first television effort since its acquisition by the Walt Disney Co., drew nearly 12 million viewers and posted a 4.6 among 18-to-49-year-old viewers, the demographic most coveted by advertisers.
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That’s a strong debut, and the show did particularly well among its younger core audience. Its demo rating increased slightly from its first half-hour to its second, indicating that viewers stuck with the program. A ratings point equals roughly 1.3 million viewers.
“Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” more than doubled the demo number the network posted last year in the same time period with the “Dancing With the Stars” results show. ABC is also expecting to get a lot more viewers when recorded viewing is factored in.
With the “S.H.I.E.L.D.” lead-in, ABC’s new comedy “The Goldbergs” was up 78% from last year’s beginning installment of “Happy Endings” for a 3.2. “Trophy Wife,” another new comedy, was up 35% from last year’s “Don’t Trust the B in Apt. 23.”
The ABC drama “Lucky 7,” about lottery winners, wasn’t so lucky, down 32% from last fall’s “Private Practice” for a 1.3.
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On NBC, the second night of blind auditions for “The Voice” averaged more than 15.6 million viewers over the course of its two-hour Tuesday premiere and averaged a rating of 4.6 among 18- to 49-year-olds. The demo rating was up 15% from last year’s Tuesday opening but fell 10% from the Monday night kickoff episode.
The heat from “The Voice” helped light up NBC’s second-season premiere of “Chicago Fire,” which increased its rating 47% from last year to a 2.8. The firefighter show drew 9.25 million viewers.
CBS had a busy night too, with premieres of “NCIS,” NCIS: Los Angeles” and “Person of Interest” drawing a total average audience of about 16 million in prime time, making it the most-watched network of the night.
“NCIS,” in its 11th season, was first in viewership, bringing in 19.5 million people, followed by “NCIS: Los Angeles” with 16.17 million.
The numbers were generally down from last year though. “NCIS” pulled a 3.4 rating, down 17% from last fall’s premiere, while “NCIS: LA” fell 12% to a 3.0, its lowest season opener. “Person of Interest,” in a new time slot, fell 21% to a 2.3.
Up against much stronger competition compared with last week, Fox’s comedy lineup was down across the board.
The critically despised Seth MacFarlane comedy “Dads” dropped 32% from last week’s disappointing premiere to a 1.5, while the new Andy Samberg cop comedy “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” slipped 31% to a 1.8. “New Girl” was down 28% week to week and “The Mindy Project” fell 21%.
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