Football fuels Fox to strong Sunday

All the networks had something to brag about Sunday night, though Fox had the biggest triumphs of all thanks to huge viewership for the NFL playoff game between the Washington Redskins and Seattle Seahawks, which spilled into primetime.

Fox had the night’s top three shows, including football runover at 7 p.m. that drew a 9.8 adults 18-49 rating, according to Nielsen overnights.

That boosted “The Simpsons” to a 4.4 at 8 p.m., becoming the night’s No. 2 show overall and the top scripted series. The 9 p.m. comedy “Family Guy” drew a 3.5, finishing first in its timeslot.

At 8:30, “Bob’s Burgers” drew its best rating since its premiere two years ago, averaging a 3.1.

The other networks had some highlights as well. ABC’s “Once Upon a Time” averaged a 3.1, matching its most recent original episode on Dec. 2. It was the night’s highest-rated drama.

ABC wasn’t without problems. The network’s experimental airings of “Happy Endings” and “Don’t Trust the B—- in Apartment 23” went bust at 10 p.m., where the shows drew a 1.0 and 0.9, respectively, worse than their averages in their regular Tuesday timeslots.

The comedies will be airing in double doses the next few weeks, on both Sunday and Tuesday.

On NBC, the newly relocated “The Biggest Loser” saw improvement, averaging a 2.9 for its two-hour debut at 9 p.m., up 21 percent from last season. The show sat out the fall and moved from Tuesdays to Sunday and Monday; part two of the premiere airs tonight.

And CBS’s “The Mentalist” hit a season high at 10 p.m. with a 2.1, up 31 percent from its most recent original in December. Lead-in “The Good Wife” drew a 1.9, matching its second-highest rating of the season.

Fox led the night among 18-49s with a 5.6 average overnight rating and a 14 share. NBC was second at 2.2/6, ABC third at 1.8/5, CBS fourth at 1.7/4, Univision fifth at 0.7/2 and Telemundo sixth at 0.6/1.

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.

At 7 p.m. Fox was first with a 9.8 for football overrun, followed by CBS with a 1.4 for “60 Minutes.” NBC was third with a 1.1 for “Dateline,” and ABC fourth with a 0.9 for a repeat of “Time.” Univision and Telemundo tied for fifth at 0.6, Univision for “Aqui y Ahora” and Telemundo for a Mexican league soccer match.

Fox was first again at 8 p.m. with a 3.8 for “Simpsons” (4.4) and “Burgers” (3.1), while ABC jumped to second with a 3.1 for a new “Time.” NBC was third with a 1.8 for more “Dateline,” and CBS fourth with a 1.3 for a “Person of Interest” rerun. Univision and Telemundo again tied for fifth at 0.6, Univision for “Rosa de Guadalupe” and Telemundo for the movie “Transformers.”

At 9 p.m. Fox led with a 3.1 for “Family” (3.5) and “American Dad” (2.8), with NBC second with a 2.9 for “Loser.” ABC was third with a 2.3 for “Revenge,” CBS fourth with a 1.8 for “Wife,” Univision fifth with a 0.8 for more “Guadalupe” and Telemundo sixth with a 0.7 for its movie.

NBC took the lead at 10 p.m. with a 3.0 for more “Loser,” followed by CBS with a 2.1 for “Mentalist.” ABC was third with a 0.9 for “Endings” (1.0) and “Trust” (0.9), Univision fourth with a 0.8 for “Sal y Pimienta” and Telemundo fifth with a 0.4 for the end of “Transformers.”

Fox was also first for the night among households with a 7.8 average overnight rating and a 12 share. CBS was second at 6.2/9, NBC third at 4.0/6, ABC fourth at 3.3/5, Univision fifth at 1.1/2 and Telemundo sixth at 0.5/1.

Tags: abc, biggest loser, Bob Burgers, bob's burgers, cbs, dvr, family guy, fox, nbc, nfl, nfl playoffs, once upon a time, overnight ratings, overnights, premiere, sunday overnights, the mentalist, the simpsons, univision, Washington Redskins