‘DWTS’ finale foxtrots to a season high

“Dancing with the Stars” isn’t the ratings powerhouse it used to be; that’s been clear all season. But it can still stir up some interest in the finale.

The show grew to a season high for last night’s two-hour season ender for the all-star edition, boosting ABC to its first win of the season on a Tuesday night, an evening where it has struggled this fall.

“Stars” averaged a 3.0 adults 18-49 rating from 9 to 11 p.m., according to Nielsen, up from a 2.0 for last week’s Tuesday results show.

The finale was off 9 percent from last spring’s season ender, which drew a 3.3, and down even more sharply from last fall’s 13th-season finale, which drew a 4.1.

“Stars” averaged 16.6 million total viewers last night.

Among 18-49s it was easily ABC’s best Tuesday of the season thanks to solid ratings for its Christmas specials in the 8 p.m. hour. in addition to “Stars’” season best.

“Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas” drew a 2.4 at 8 p.m. and lead-out “Shrek the Halls” averaged a 2.5. Both were down 4 percent from last year.

Elsewhere on the night, NBC and Fox both saw their comedy lineups surge, mirroring ratings gains seen across broadcast on Monday night as well.

Every Fox comedy was up at least 13 percent, with “Ben and Kate” improving the most, 27 percent, to a still-low 1.4 at 8:30.

“New Girl” improved from last week’s series low by 15 percent, drawing a 2.3. But it still finished behind NBC’s 9 p.m. timeslot competitor, “Go On,” for the second straight week, as the latter surged to its best rating since Oct. 9, a 2.5.

“Go” continues to benefit from its strong lead-in from “The Voice,” the night’s top program with a 3.8 at 8 p.m.

CBS’s “NCIS” was also up double-digit percentages over last week, drawing a 3.5, 17 percent better than last week.

But CBS’s 10 p.m. drama “Vegas” struggled, tying its lowest rating yet with a 1.6 opposite the increased competition from the similarly older-skewing “Stars.”

ABC was first for the night among 18-49s with a 2.8 average overnight rating and a 7 share. CBS was second at 2.7/7, NBC third at 2.5/7, Univision fourth at 1.8/5, Fox fifth at 1.7/5, Telemundo sixth at 0.5/1 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-six percent of Nielsen households have DVRs.
 
NBC started the night in the lead with a 3.8 at 8 p.m. for "The Voice," followed by CBS with a 3.5 for "NCIS." ABC was third with a 2.4 for "Grinch" (2.4) and "Shrek" (2.5), Univision fourth with a 1.9 for "Por Ella Soy Eva," and Fox fifth with a 1.6 for "Raising Hope" (1.7) and "Ben" (1.4). Telemundo and CW tied for sixth at 0.5, Telemundo for "Rosa Diamante" and CW for "Hart of Dixie."
 
At 9 p.m. ABC and CBS tied for first at 2.9, ABC for "Stars" and CBS for "NCIS: Los Angeles." NBC was third with a 2.1 for "Go" (2.5) and "The New Normal" (1.7), Univision fourth with a 2.0 for "Amores Verdaderos," Fox fifth with a 1.9 for "Girl" (2.3) and "The Mindy Project" (1.5), Telemundo sixth with a 0.6 for "Corazon Valiente" and CW seventh with a 0.3 for "Emily Owens, M.D."
 
ABC was first at 10 p.m. with a 3.0 for more "Stars," with NBC second with a 1.8 for "Parenthood." CBS and Univision tied for third at 1.6, CBS for "Vegas" and Univision for "Amor Bravio," and Telemundo was fifth with a 0.5 for "Pablo Escobar: El Patron del Mal" (0.7) and "El Rostro de la Venganza" (0.4).
 
Among households, CBS led the night with a 9.0 average overnight rating and a 14 share. ABC was second at 8.7/13, NBC third at 4.4/7, Fox fourth at 2.2/3, Univision fifth at 2.1/3, CW sixth at 0.8/1 and Telemundo seventh at 0.7/1.
 

Tags: abc, cbs, Corazon Valiente, cw, dancing with the stars, dancing with the stars ratings, dvr, Every Fox, go on, grinch, Grinch Stole Christmas, nbc, ncis, new girl, overnight ratings, overnights, ratings, shrek the halls, tuesday overnights, viewers