Booming ‘Bang’ rises to a series high

“The Big Bang Theory” is the hottest scripted show on TV.

For the second straight week, and third time this season, “Bang” hit a series high among total viewers, and it also notched a season best among adults 18-49.

“Bang” drew 17.4 million total viewers at 8 p.m., according to Nielsen overnights, up from a previous series best of 16.7 million last week.

The show also averaged a 5.5 in 18-49s, the week’s highest-rated program so far and up from a 5.1 last week.

“Bang” led the night among total viewers and 18-49s, and it also paced CBS to an easy win on the final Thursday of the November sweeps.

With the strong “Bang” lead-in, “Two and a Half Men” (4.1) and “Person of Interest” (3.1) also reached season highs in the demo.

Another network, Univision, also posted a season high for the night with the live broadcast of the Latin Grammys. It averaged a 1.9 from 8 to 11 p.m., peaking with a 2.1 at 9 p.m.

Meanwhile, elsewhere last night, ABC’s new drama “Last Resort” slid to 1.3, tying a series low, at 8 p.m. But the network’s 10 p.m. drama “Scandal” hit a season high with a 2.1.

Fox’s “Glee” also dipped to a season-low 2.1 at 9 p.m.

And NBC’s 9 p.m. “The Office” was, not surprisingly, down 17 percent from last week when it had a special lead-in from “The Voice.” It averaged a 2.0, ranking as the network’s top show of the night.

CBS finished first in primetime with a 3.4 adults 18-49 rating and 10 share. Fox and ABC tied for second with a 2.2/6 apiece, Univision was fourth with a 1.9/5, NBC was fifth with a 1.4/4, the CW was sixth with a 0.9/3, and Telemundo was seventh with a 0.5/1.

CBS led at 8 p.m. with a 4.8 for “Bang” (5.5) and “Men” (4.0). Fox’s “The X Factor” was second with a 2.4 and Univision was third with a 1.9 for the first hour of the Latin Grammys. NBC’s “30 Rock” (1.2) and “Up All Night” (1.3) and ABC’s “Resort” tied for fourth with a 1.3. The CW was sixth with a 1.2 for “The Vampire Diaries” and Telemundo was seventh with a 0.5 for “Rosa Diamonte.”

CBS’s “Person of Interest” tied ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy” for first at 9 p.m. with a 3.1 apiece, the first time “Person” has matched its ABC rival in the hour. Fox’s “Glee” and Univision’s Latin Grammys tied for third with a 2.1 apiece. NBC’s “Office” (2.0) and “Parks and Recreation” (1.7) were fifth with a 1.9, the CW’s “Beauty and the Beast” was sixth with a 0.6, and Telemundo’s “Corazon Valiente” was seventh with a 0.5.

At 10 p.m. CBS led again with a 2.3 for “Elementary,” followed by ABC’s “Scandal” in second with a 2.1. Univision’s final hour of the Latin Grammys was third with a 1.7, NBC’s “Rock Center with Brian Williams” was fourth with a 1.1, and the first hour of a soccer match on Telemundo was fifth with a 0.5.

CBS also led the night in households with an 8.5 rating and 14 share. ABC was second with a 4.6/7, Fox third with a 3.9/6, NBC and Univision tied for fourth with a 2.4/4, the CW sixth with a 1.4/2, and Telemundo seventh with a 0.7/1.  
 

Tags: abc, big bang, cbs, cw, latin grammys, nbc, overnight ratings, overnights, person of interest, season high, series high, seriesh high, the big bang theory, thursday overnights, time, viewers