TV ratings: ‘Following’ down without football as most shows rise

As expected, ratings for the second episode of the season for Fox’s “The Following” were significantly lower in its move to its regular time slot, while most broadcast shows rose week-to-week and CBS’ lineup surged to win Monday night.

The second-season premiere of the Kevin Bacon crime drama last Sunday benefited from a huge lead-in: the NFC championship game. The NFL-boosted premiere scored a 4.4 rating in the advertiser-coveted age group. Monday’s telecast at 9 p.m., after a “Following” rerun, drew 6 million viewers and a rating of 2.0 in the key 18-49 demographic.

Still, the network is expecting a substantial lift from viewers catching up via digital video recorders, video-on-demand and online streaming.

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CBS had a strong night, with double-digit percentage gains across its lineup. The 200th episode of “How I Met Your Mother” was the highest-rated show of the night in the key demo, earning a 3.8 (up 23% from last week), and reaching its largest audience (10.7 million) since December 2011. “2 Broke Girls” rose 11% to a 3.0, leading into “Mike & Molly,” which rose 24% to a 2.6. “Mom” surged to a 2.4. Closing out prime time, “Intelligence,” which has posted lackluster numbers since its premiere, drew a 1.5 in 18-49, up 36% from last week.

On NBC, the FBI drama “The Blacklist” grew 9% from last week to a 2.5 in 18-49 and drew 9.96 million viewers overall. Back-to-back episodes of “Hollywood Game Night” drew 5.6 million viewers at 8 p.m. and 4.5 million at 9 p.m.

ABC’s two-hour “The Bachelor” rose 9% week-to-week to a 2.5 and averaged 8.6 million viewers overall, its best numbers since the season premiere this month.

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