It remains to be seen how NBC will handle “The Firm,” which it reportedly acquired, cheaply, for a 22-episode-order, but the ratings were about as bad as could be expected for a promoted two-hour premiere.
Sunday’s opener garnered just a 1.4 adults 18-49 rating with 6.2 million viewers, which should not provide a hint of optimism that it will perform well in its regular Thursday at 10PM timeslot, one which has been something of a “death trap” for NBC recently.
Particularly-unencouraging was the tune-out over the course of the premiere; hour one scored a 1.5 rating with 6.8 million viewers, while hour two was good for a 1.3 with 5.8 million. Based on the overnights, odds are good that the forthcoming half-hour numbers will reveal a chunk of the tune-out actually came after the first-half hour.
Over on ABC, however, the news was more promising, at least for its freshman drama. After bottoming out last month and showing signs that its luster had worn off, “Once Upon a Time” surged back with a 3.7 rating and 10.3 million viewers. That led into “Desperate Housewives” (3.0, 12.7 million) and the essentially-dead “Pan Am” (1.3, 4.0 million).