Update: On the one hand, Thursday’s “Rush Hour” premiere did not post strong ratings. Per fast national data from Showbuzz, the new CBS drama opened with a 1.1 in adults 18-49 and 5.10 million total viewers.
On the other hand, it still fared well competitively. Speaking to the struggles facing series in the Thursday at 10PM timeslot, its adults 18-49 ratings tied for #1 among broadcast series at 10PM. It was #2 in total viewers.
NBC’s “Shades Of Blue” finale also drew a 1.1, while ABC’s “The Catch” settled for a 1.0.
The former, however, drew a narrowly stronger live+same-day audience of 5.36 million. “The Catch” reached 5.03 million total viewers.
The 1.1 adults 18-49 rating is on par with what CBS’ “Elementary” had been delivering in the 10PM slot throughout the season. The older-skewing “Elementary” was typically drawing more total viewers, however.
The difference, of course, is that “Elementary” is a fourth-season show with a built-in audience, solid DVR marks, and a more syndication-friendly episode count. Given that it was a series premiere benefiting from curiosity buzz (buzz that may vanish and result in reduced ratings moving forward), Thursday’s “Rush Hour” premiere likely should have been judged against a higher standard.
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Barring the possibility that it skewed extraordinarily well with adults 18-49 — an unlikely scenario given CBS’ typical audience — Thursday’s “Rush Hour” premiere did not perform well.
According to preliminary data from PI, Thursday’s episode drew a soft 3.1 overnight household rating. In terms of households, it was a clear third to timeslot rivals “The Catch” (4.0) and “Shades of Blue” (3.9).
Total viewership and adults 18-49 data will not be available until 11AM, but there is no reason to expect those figures to bring rosier news.
As a relevant point of comparison, the two most recent Thursday episodes of previous timeslot occupant posted 3.8 overnight household ratings. The 3.8 ratings preceded modest adults 18-49 figures of 1.1 and 1.0.
Soft, such figures are tolerable for a fourth-season series with an established fanbase and solid DVR viewership. A series premiere, on the other hand, would typically be expected to perform better — not worse.