There was undoubtedly going to be a curiosity factor, and the lack of “American Idol” Thursday night certainly helped. Still, “Rob” got off to a solid start for CBS Thursday night.
The series bowed to a 4.1 adults 18-49 rating with 13.5 million viewers, absolutely crushing fellow timeslot comedy “Parks and Recreation” (1.9, 4.1 million).
Up in the demo from the series premiere of short-lived “How to be a Gentleman” and the season premiere of “Rules of Engagement,” the rating was, however, on par with “$#*! My Dad Says,” which cooled its way to cancellation last season.
Critical buzz for “Rob” was weak, and given all the aforementioned factors, holding at a 4.1 for subsequent airings seems unlikely. But if the show can hold in the mid-3s, it would probably have a good shot at renewal, especially if CBS moves ahead with a fourth comedy hour.
Of definite help to “Rob” was a monster rating for “The Big Bang Theory,” which scored a 5.2 adults 18-49 rating and 15.9 million viewers. In terms of fast nationals, that demo tops that of “Modern Family” for the crown of top non-sports show on television this week, and the viewership count eclipses that of the most recent “Two and a Half Men” original.
By all reasonable counts, CBS can call “The Big Bang Theory” the biggest comedy on television–at least for this week.