ABC and NBC dramas struggle at 10

The 10 p.m. hour is looking weak on Tuesday nights.

Last night ABC’s third-year drama “Body of Proof” returned to low ratings, and it finished third in the timeslot, behind CBS and Univision but ahead of NBC’s “Smash,” which slid to another series low.

“Proof” averaged a 1.2 adults 18-49 rating at 10 p.m., according to Nielsen, off 29 percent from its 1.7 season-long average last year. It also tied a series low.

Also in that hour, week two of NBC’s “Smash” averaged a 0.9, down from a 1.2 for its second-season premiere two weeks ago. (Last week’s episode was preempted by the State of the Union address.)

CBS won the hour with a mere 1.5 rating for “Vegas,” the first-year drama that’s suddenly looking unbeatable in this timeslot.

Elsewhere last night, CBS’s “NCIS” was the night’s top show with a 3.5 at 8 p.m.

Only a couple shows posted gains over their most recent episodes. ABC’s 8 p.m. reality show “The Taste” was up 7 percent from last week to a 1.6, while the 8:30 p.m. episode of NBC’s “Betty White’s Off Their Rockers” grew 8 percent to a 1.4.

A number of shows saw notable declines. NBC’s “Go On” (1.1) and “The New Normal” (1.0), which hadn’t aired in three weeks, both slid to series lows.

Fox’s 9 p.m. comedy “New Girl” fell 15 percent from its most recent original two weeks ago, to a 2.2, and lead-out “The Mindy Project” dipped 16 percent, to a 1.6.

And the premiere of the CW’s new drama “Cult” bombed, drawing only 941,000 total viewers, a 0.3 in 18-49s and a 0.2 in adults 18-34 in the 9 p.m. hour.

CBS was first for the night among 18-49s with a 2.6 average 18-49 rating and a 7 share. ABC was second at 1.8/5, Univision third at 1.7/5, Fox fourth at 1.7/4, NBC fifth at 1.1/3, Telemundo sixth at 0.6/2 and CW seventh at 0.4/1.

As a reminder, all ratings are based on live-plus-same-day DVR playback, which includes shows replayed before 3 a.m. the night before. Seven-day DVR data won’t be available for several weeks. Forty-seven percent of Nielsen households have DVRs.

At 8 p.m. CBS was first with a 3.5 for “NCIS,” followed by Univision with a 1.8 for “Por Ella Soy Eva.” ABC was third with a 1.6 for “Taste.” NBC and Fox tied for fourth at 1.4, NBC for two episodes of “Rockers” and Fox for “Raising Hope” (1.5) and a repeat of “Girl” (1.3). And the CW and Telemundo tied for sixth at 0.5, CW for “Hart of Dixie” and Telemundo for “Pasion Prohibida.”

CBS was first again at 9 p.m. with a 2.7 for “NCIS: Los Angeles,” while ABC moved to second with a 2.6 for “The Bachelor: Sean Tells All.” Fox was third with a 1.9 for “Girl” (2.2) and “Mindy” (1.6), Univision fourth with a 1.8 for “Amores Verdaderos,” NBC fifth with a 1.0 for “Go” (1.1) and “Normal” (1.0), Telemundo sixth with a 0.8 for “La Patrona” and CW seventh with a 0.3 for “Cult.”

At 10 p.m. CBS led with a 1.5 for “Vegas,” with Univision second with a 1.4 for “Amor Bravio.” ABC was third with a 1.2 for “Proof,” NBC fourth with a 0.9 for “Smash” and Telemundo fifth with a 0.5 for “El Rostro de la Venganza.”

CBS dominated the night in households, averaging a 9.9 rating and 15 share. ABC was second with a 4.4/7, NBC was third with a 2.4/4, Fox was fourth with a 2.1/3, Univision was fifth with a 2.0/3, and the CW and Telemundo tied for sixth with a 0.8/1.

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