“Mike & Molly,” “Hawaii Five-0” Ratings Jump as “Skating with the Stars” Bombs

With the 9:30PM and 10PM slots again weakened on ABC, CBS’ “Mike & Molly” and “Hawaii Five-0” showed ratings improvement.

A Thanksgiving episode of “Mike & Molly” scored a series high 4.0 adults 18-49 rating with 12.99 million viewers. Though there were some glimpses of concern earlier in the season, it is becoming increasingly difficult to deny the show’s standing as a suitable complement for “Two and a Half Men” (4.5 rating, 14.31 million).

Earlier in the night, CBS’ “How I Met Your Mother” and “Rules of Engagement” scored a 3.5 with 8.98 million and a 2.9 with 8.13 million, respectively.

“Hawaii 5-0,” meanwhile, scored a solid 3.2 with 12.09 million viewers. Though not at the phenom levels some insiders expected ahead of the season, the ratings improvement certainly represents good news, especially since the show counters some of its ratings disappointment with impressive DVR numbers.

As for the weaker ABC lineup in the later hours, it is entirely the fault of failed series “Skating with the Stars.” The “Dancing” finale averaged a 4.7 with 23.28 million viewers in its first hour and likely improved going into its 9:13PM send-off, but by the 9:30PM-10PM portion of the “Skating” premiere, things were already looking bleak. The show averaged a 2.7 with 10.97 million at 9:30, a 2.1 with 7.83 million at 10PM and a mere 1.7 with 6.00 million at 10:30PM. Without the “Dancing” lead-in next week, things should only get worse.

FOX went with a weakened “House” (3.4 rating, 9.24 million) and “Lie to Me” (1.8 rating, 5.72 million). NBC’s struggling lineup included “Chuck” (1.7, 4.80 million), “The Event” (1.7, 5.14 million) and “Chase” (1.4, 5.33 million).