While it is unclear how much of the ratings rebound was spurred by particular interest in the “Special Education” episode, which featured the Sectionals competition, “Glee” recovered from last week’s ratings low.
Tuesday’s episode won the 8PM hour with a 4.5 adults 18-49 rating, off half hours of a 4.3 and 4.8. Such growth from start-to-finish was encouraging, especially since the competition only grew stronger at 8:30PM. The show’s viewership average clocked in at a strong 11.61 million.
Though down from “The Substitute,” which featured Gwyneth Paltrow’s guest turn, the 4.5 rating basically puts the show right back in its normal range for non-specialty episodes. The viewership figure of 11.61 was slightly stronger than usual for an episode of the sort.
FOX’s lead-out “Raising Hope” benefitted slightly from weaker competition at 9PM; it scored a 2.7 and 6.88 million viewers. “Running Wilde” dropped dramatically to a 1.4 with 3.43 million at 9:30PM.
Although CBS did not air its usual lineup of “NCIS” and “Good Wife” originals, it did not have a particularly weak night. The annual airing of “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” again performed well with young adults, scoring a 3.8 with 12.03 million viewers. Following a re-run of “NCIS” that won the 9PM hour, CBS aired this year’s “Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show” to a strong 3.4 with 9.02 million viewers.