“Big Bang Theory” Ratings Drop Without “Two and a Half Men”

Breakout CBS comedy “The Big Bang Theory” won the night in a special 9PM broadcast Monday, but its number proved that it still relies on “Two and a Half Men” to reach truly dominant territory.

With no “Two and a Half Men” lead-in, “Big Bang” dropped to a 4.6 rating with 11.63 million viewers. Enough to claim the nightly demo victory over ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars” (19.05 million, 4.0), the rating was nonetheless at a season low.

Building off a 4.7 and 13.71 million viewers for “Two and a Half Men,” the last original “Big Bang” airing posted a 5.1 with 13.39 million viewers. As if the difference were not already obvious, it should also be noted that both sitcoms went against a significantly more competitive “Dancing with the Stars” episode (it averaged a 5.2 for the 9PM hour). Prior to the current season of “Dancing,” the shows had both been posting demo ratings in the mid-to-high 5s.

“Big Bang”‘s performance Monday reveals that while it has become a bona fide hit, it is not yet entirely independent of “Two and a Half Men”–CBS still greatly benefits from kicking off its 9PM hour with the Charlie Sheen sitcom.

Elsewhere on CBS, “How I Met Your Mother” seems to have settled into its softer ratings territory–it was lukewarm with a 3.1 and 7.40 million viewers. “Rules of Engagement” averaged 7.21 million viewers and a 2.8.

Aging “CSI: Miami” closed the night with a mere 2.7 and 9.62 million, cementing this as the season in which the “CSI” franchise truly started to erode.

Ratings Sources: Media Week, Nielsen