TV ratings: ‘Resurrection’ down vs. ‘Walking Dead’; ‘Good Wife’ up
Most network series fell in the ratings Sunday night as the fourth-season finale of AMC’s “The Walking Dead” took a bite out of rivals’ viewership. CBS’ “The Good Wife,” however, surged after last week’s big plot twist.
“Resurrection,” ABC’s high-rated freshman drama, drew 8.2 million viewers and a rating of 2.3 among advertiser-desired 18- to 49-year-olds, according to early numbers from Nielsen. Compared with last week’s episode, “Resurrection” posted an 8% decline in the key demographic.
Fox’s “Cosmos,” which also faced “The Walking Dead” directly, fell 12% week-to-week to a 1.5 in the 18-49 category and brought in 3.9 million viewers overall. The network’s animated comedies were all either down or flat with their week-ago outings. “Bob’s Burgers” suffered a 17% hit as it faced direct competition from NCAA basketball coverage on CBS.
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CBS’ regular prime-time lineup was delayed by March Madness, so its early numbers are unreliable. Still, it looks like “The Good Wife,” which violently killed off a major character last week, is on an upswing. According to the preliminary ratings, Sunday night’s episode drew 10.4 million viewers and earned a 1.7 in the 18-49 demographic, up 21% from last week.
Ratings for “The Walking Dead” won’t be released until later Monday, though the zombie drama will almost certainly turn out to be the most-watched series of the night. The previous season closer drew 12.4 million viewers on average and the fourth-season premiere scored a whopping 16.1 million.
NBC’s lineup was generally down, starting with the new home-renovation contest “American Dream Builders,” which fell 11% from its debut last week, to a low 0.8 in 18-49. “Believe” fell 8% to a 1.1 while “Crisis” dropped 23% to a 1.0.
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