(Updated: This was a case of the overnight ratings poorly-predicting how the fast nationals would play out in the demo. “The Chicago Code” disappointed in the key adults 18-49 demo, scoring only a 2.4. The “House” lead-in was an impressive 4.3, adding to the disappointment of the “Code” debut.
Viewership, however, was still solid at 9.40 million.)
While the ratings will need to hold up over several weeks to earn a true label of success, the early verdict on FOX’s “The Chicago Code” is a positive one.
Despite airing in the very competitive 9PM Monday night slot, “Code” posted a 6.8 overnight metered market rating. Representing respectable retention out of 8PM staple “House,” which drew an 8.4, the performance was easily better than what the short-lived “Lonestar” and recent entry “Lie to Me” delivered in the slot.
Though that 6.8 does not have a surefire correlation to the all-important adults 18-49 demo, the expectation is that the young adults rating will be reasonably solid once the fast nationals are released.
— Elsewhere, NBC 10PM entry “Harry’s Law” saw a mild ratings drop for its first outing against originals from both “Castle” and “Hawaii 5-0.” The show was still competitive in the overnights (with a decent 6.3), but the demo likely slipped below a 2.0. Given the high-viewership and presumably-wealthy audience skew, the show should still be good for a renewal, but the demo performance could give the show’s detractors ammunition about its failure to resonate with the most valuable market segment.