Thursday was not a good night for the usually-reliable crop of adults 18-49 performers. Veterans like “Grey’s Anatomy” and “The Office” were both down against a solid, but not monstrous, performance from the MLB Playoffs.
ABC’s “Grey’s” was hit particularly hard; the show fell to a 3.9 adults 18-49 rating, its lowest mark for a regular fall telecast. Viewership came in at an underwhelming 10.79 million.
Lead-out “Private Practice” garnered a 2.8 with 7.82 million viewers.
NBC’s “The Office,” meanwhile, refunded last week’s gains with a drop to a 3.4 with 6.82 million viewers. While this is not too far below the usual level for the series, given the fact that the show’s long-term future requires the development of significant momentum this season, Steve Carell’s last, a performance this modest is troubling. Lead-out “Outsourced” fell to a 2.3 with 4.94 million viewers, while 10PM closer “The Apprentice” could only muster a 1.3 with 3.57 million.
At 8PM, NBC’s “Community” (4.55 million, 1.9) and “30 Rock” (5.26 million, 2.2) struggled.
