TV ratings: ‘The Voice’ back strong; ‘Blacklist’ wins time slot

The star coaches of NBC’s “The Voice” ought to be feeling good about their reunion.

“The Voice” was back with its original coaching lineup: Adam Levine, Blake Shelton, Cee Lo Green and Christina Aguilera. They kicked off the season with the blind auditions Monday night, and the show drew 14.7 million viewers, making it the most-watched telecast of the night, according to early numbers from Nielsen.

Among the advertiser-desired 18-to-49-year-olds, the show earned a 4.9 rating, an increase of 17% from last fall’s premiere. Looking at the talent, it appears Matthew Schuler, 20, has earned some early attention with his rendition of Young the Giant’s “Cough Syrup.” He went with Christina’s team.

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After that big lead-in, the numbers weren’t so great for the debut of NBC’s new series, “The Blacklist,” the FBI drama starring James Spader. The series, which has received generally favorable reviews, drew 12.6 million viewers and scored a rating of 3.8 among 18-to-49ers.

“Blacklist” was down 7% in the key demographic from last fall’s debut of “Revolution” in the same time slot. “Revolution” opened with a 4.1 last year and had a smaller lead in from “The Voice.”

Keep in mind that last year’s “Revolution” premiere aired a week earlier and went up against little competition from the other networks, including a drama rerun on CBS and a music special on ABC. Compared with week two of “Revolution,” which went against stronger offerings from competitors, “Blacklist” was up 12% in the 18-49 demo.

It’s also worth noting that during the airing of “Blacklist,” the show’s 18-to-49 rating dropped 15%.

Still, the show handily won against its competition in the time slot, beating CBS’ “Hostages” and ABC’s “Castle.”

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NBC was the highest-rated network Monday night, clocking in with average viewership of nearly 14 million and a key demographic rating of 4.6.

“How I Met Your Mother” returned on CBS with the opener of its final season, bringing in an audience of 9.18 million and a rating of 3.6, about even with last year’s premiere.

But after the exploits of Ted Mosby et al., the numbers dropped off for CBS. The return of “Two Broke Girls” turned fewer heads than last year’s premiere. Monday night’s episode drew 8.76 million viewers and a 2.8 rating, down 24% from last fall.

After that, CBS introduced “Mom,” a new sitcom with Allison Janney and Anna Faris, which was down 19% compared with last year’s debut of “Mike & Molly.” “Mom” drew a rating of 2.5 and an audience of 7.92 million.

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Closing out prime time for CBS was “Hostages.” The new thriller drew a 1.8, about flat with last year’s “Hawaii Five-0” in the same time slot.

On ABC, “Dancing With the Stars” had its first celebrity elimination. The show dropped significantly from last week’s premiere -- falling 26% to a 2.3 in the 18-to-49 category with 13.4 million viewers.

The season premiere of “Castle” got a 5% bump to a 2.2.

Fox’s “Sleepy Hollow” retained a healthy portion of its rating from last week’s strong debut, even against much stiffer competition. Its 3.1 rating was down about 11% from last week. No reason for anyone to lose their heads.

[For the record: This post has been updated with additional context about year-to-year comparisons for “The Blacklist.”]

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