The heavily-hyped “Glee”-themed episode of “The Office” did not send the NBC comedy to a ratings high, but it did move the needle slightly in the positive direction.
“The Office” rose a tenth among adults 18-49 to register a 3.8 rating. Viewership was also up slightly to 7.70 million viewers.
The rest of NBC’s lineup was also improved Thursday. “Community” rose to a 2.1 with 4.89 million viewers, while lead-out “30 Rock” was good for a 2.6 and 5.66 million. “Office” timeslot partner “Outsourced” posted a 2.8 with 6.05 million, while “The Apprentice” rose to a 1.6 and 4.58 million.
(Update: Correspondents have indicated that the Baltimore Ravens-Atlanta Falcons game aired on Baltimore’s NBC affiliate. While not a massive market, that pre-emption could be enough to explain away some of the uptick on NBC’s front)
NBC’s comedy uptick was not matched by CBS, which saw its ratings decline.
Last week’s “Big Bang Theory” spike can either be labeled a fluke or a result of Eliza Dushku’s appearance because this week’s episode, which again featured Kaley Cuoco’s Penny (and also popular “Big Bang” guest star Wil Wheaton), posted a 4.2 with 13.06 million. Though that was the night’s best rating and certainly a tremendous mark for the comedy, it also erased much of last week’s double-digit percentage gain in the demo.
“$#*! My Dad Says” followed with a disappointing 2.8 rating and 9.71 million viewers. Dramas “CSI” and “The Mentalist” brought weak 2.8 ratings and viewership of 12.92 million and 13.78 million, respectively.
Over on ABC, “Grey’s Anatomy” dropped back down to a 4.0 with 11.07 million viewers. Its spin-off lead-out “Private Practice,” meanwhile, lost all of last week’s storyline-fueled ratings spike with a crash back down to a 2.8 and 8.26 million.
FOX aired “Bones” (2.5, 9.15 million) and “Fringe” (1.8, 4.83 million), while The CW broadcast its top series “Vampire Diaries” (1.6, 3.51 million) and the disappointing “Nikita” (0.9, 2.33 million).