The five hottest shows on broadcast

Yes, it’s been a generally dreary season for broadcast, with adults 18-49 ratings for the Big Five down 9 percent and an unusually dismal crop of midseason shows.

Still, there have been some highlights for the networks, and the brightest one is “The Big Bang Theory.”

CBS’s sixth-year comedy is on pace for its best year ever, rare for a show that’s been on the air so long.

In fact, if the current ratings hold, it will become the first scripted show since “CSI” to finish ahead of “American Idol” for the full season in 18-49s.

The show has hit series highs this season among adults 18-49, 25-54 and total viewers.

It’s averaging a 5.4 18-49 rating, 0.2 ahead of “Idol,” and 17 million viewers.

The show’s momentum is a combination of things, one key being syndication. Since the show began airing in syndication last year, ratings have been growing as people catch the reruns on TBS and other off-network runs and then start watching the originals as well.

In addition to “Bang,” here are broadcast’s four other most notable gainers at midseason:

“Scandal,” ABC

This show has gone from “Grey’s Anatomy” afterthought to actually outrating its lead-in for the first time a few weeks ago. It’s the first time a 10 p.m. show on ABC has ever accomplished that feat. The combination of over-the-top storylines, huge popularity among African-American viewers and tense chemistry between stars Kerry Washington and Tony Goldwyn have turned the show into one of TV’s few must-see dramas.

“Supernatural,” CW

Still growing in its eighth season, “Supernatural” has flourished paired with the network’s most-watched show, the new drama “Arrow.” That led the CW to renew the show for a ninth season last month when it picked up its top two programs, “The Vampire Diaries” and “Arrow.”

“Shark Tank,” ABC

Fridays are synonymous with low ratings, but ABC’s reality show has had a real breakout season, posting its best-ever ratings in its fourth season and consistently finishing as the No. 1 show on Friday nights. “Tank” often fuels ABC to its only night win of the week.

“The Following,” Fox

“Following” would be notable simply for being Fox’s only strong new launch this season. But it’s also seeing some terrific DVR numbers, following a network campaign reminding people to time-shift the show. The drama grows by 57 percent when seven-day DVR viewership is added in. On L+7 numbers, it’s now the No. 3 drama on broadcast, behind NBC’s breakout “Revolution” and ABC’s long-running “Grey’s.”

***

In broadcast ratings for the week ended March 3:

Among adults 18-49, Fox was first for the week with a 2.2 average rating and a 6 share, followed by CBS at 1.9/5, ABC at 1.6/5, Univision at 1.5/4, NBC at 1.2/4, Telemundo at 0.6/2, CW at 0.5/1, UniMás and ION at 0.3/1, Estrella at 0.1/0 and MundoFox and Azteca at 0.0/0.

Top five English-language Big Five shows (18-49s): Tie-1. ABC’s “Modern Family” and Fox’s “American Idol-Wednesday” 3.9; 3. Fox’s “American Idol-Thursday” 3.8; 4. CBS’s “NCIS” 3.4; Tie-5. CBS’s “2 Broke Girls” and “How I Met Your Mother” 3.3.

Top five English-language Big Five shows (total viewers): 1. CBS’s “NCIS” 20.69 million; 2. CBS’s “NCIS: Los Angeles” 17.02 million; 3 Fox’s “American Idol-Wednesday” 13.30 million; 4. Fox’s “American Idol-Thursday” 12.56 million; 5. CBS’s “60 Minutes” 12.02 million.

Show on the rise: Fox’s “Kitchen Nightmares,” Friday, 8 p.m. The reality show didn’t post a great rating, just a 1.3 among 18-49s, but that was up 18 percent from a 1.1 the previous week.

Show on the decline: CBS’s “CSI,” Wednesday, 10 p.m. The long-running drama posted a 1.9 among 18-49, off 17 percent from the previous week’s 2.3.

Tags: 2013, big bang theory, Big Five, broadcast, broadcast recap, Fox Kitchen Nightmares, ratings, reality, reality show, scandal, shark tank, supernatural, TEL, the following, time, TOP, UNI, viewers