Update: Every CBS comedy but “Two and a Half Men” fell Thursday.
“The Big Bang Theory” was down but still dominant with its 4.9 adults 18-49 rating and 16.47 million viewers. New series “The Millers” followed with a 2.8 and 10.88 million, while fellow newcomer “The Crazy Ones” slipped to a low 2.3 with 8.77 million.
“Two and a Half Men” matched that number with an improved 2.3 and 8.42 million at 9:30PM, before leading into closer “Elementary” (1.8, 8.59 million).
Ratings never cease to matter, but with their full season orders confirmed, CBS’ new Thursday comedies “The Millers” and “The Crazy Ones” faced pressure of a less intense variety this week.
And good thing for that, because according to TV Media Insights, both shows dipped to series lows in the overnights Thursday.
Leading out of “The Big Bang Theory,” which fell by less than three percent to an 11.1 rating, “The Millers” sank by 12% to a 6.7 overnight number.
Fellow freshman “The Crazy Ones” then dipped by 13% to a 5.6 rating, while “Two and a Half Men” clocked in 6% below last week’s number at a 5.8.
One looking to blame the slide on competition is not without a compelling case: this week’s episodes aired against Game 2 of the World Series on FOX rather than an ALCS Championship series game. Working against that argument is the fact that the new comedies declined by a larger extent than the veteran series; if competition were the only cause, why did “The Crazy Ones” fall harder than “Two and a Half Men?”
Confirmation–or repudiation–of the competition excuse will come when the comedies next air against FOX’s normal slate of programming. If the series bounce back, then this week’s drop can be attributed to a baseball-driven anomaly.
