Any doubt that “30 Rock” has its weekly ratings protected by its “The Office” lead-in came crashing down Thursday.
The three-time Emmy-winning NBC comedy dipped to its lowest demographic figure of the season, scoring just a 2.3 in the adults 18-49 demographic across the two episodes. Episode one drew a mere 5.12 million viewers, while episode two averaged just 4.98 million.
“30”‘s performance was weak enough to allow “Community” to emerge as the network’s top comedy. “Community,” the well-reviewed freshman series that has been dismissed as a ratings disappointment, averaged 5.42 million viewers with a 2.4 rating. “Parks and Recreation,” sandwiched between the two series, averaged just 4.63 million viewers with a 2.1. “The Jay Leno Show” averaged 4.41 million viewers with a 1.3.
Elsewhere, FOX’s “Bones” (10.75 million, 3.3) posted solid numbers, while “Fringe” (6.60 million, 2.6) continued to underwhelm in its tough timeslot.
Over on CBS, while “CSI” (15.33 million, 3.3) was the second-most-watched program of the night, its demographic figure was low for a show once considered a ratings powerhouse. “The Mentalist” aired after to a stronger 15.38 million viewers with a 3.4.
ABC’s “Haiti: Race to Save a Country” (5.36, 1.4) posted mild numbers as a lead-in to a soft “Grey’s Anatomy” (12.78 million, 4.8) but strong “Private Practice” (10.96 million, 4.2). Clearly, oknly the latter show seemed to benefit from the crossover.