ABC’s “The Catch” did not get off to a strong start Thursday; its adults 18-49 rating was particularly underwhelming.
It did, however, nearly match the viewership total posted by its “Scandal” lead-in (admittedly a “Scandal” that has fallen from ratings grace this season).
Per fast national data from Showbuzz, Thursday’s “The Catch” drew a 1.2 adults 18-49 rating and 5.80 million total viewers. It was its timeslot’s #2 broadcast show in both columns, besting NBC’s “Shades Of Blue” but trailing CBS’ coverage of the NCAA Men’s Basketball tournament.
The 1.2 adults 18-49 is off by 25% from the 1.6 posted by the “Scandal” lead-in. The viewership mark, however, only trails that of “Scandal” (6.20 million) by 6%.
The retention breakdown — disappointing in adults 18-49, solid in total viewership — reflects the series’ older skew.
— While the comparison to last year’s “American Crime” premiere (2.0, 8.37 million) is unflattering, the situation was not apples-to-apples. The “Crime” series opener aired out of a “Scandal” that drew a considerably stronger 3.0 rating and 9.57 million viewers.
The fall of “Scandal” clearly meant markedly weaker support for Thursday’s “The Catch” launch.
Another point of comparison may be to last week’s “How To Get Away With Murder” season finale. Airing out of a similarly rated “Scandal” (1.6, 6.31 million), that episode drew a 1.4 and 5.29 million viewers.
“HTGAWM,” however, generates mammoth buzz and DVR interest to supplement its modest live+same-day ratings. It is too early to tell if “The Catch” will be able to mirror those factors over the long-term, but the odds are against it.
— ABC opened its night with “Grey’s Anatomy” (2.0, 7.85 million).
