ABC wins second Thursday of sweeps

‘How to Get Away with Murder’ is one of three Shonda Rhimes shows on ABC Thursday night.

ABC followed up last week’s Thursday night win with another as the November sweeps period moved into its second week.

ABC’s all-drama lineup averaged a 2.7 adults 18-49 rating and 8 share, according to Nielsen overnights, up 8 percent from last week’s opening night of sweeps victory.

The network was up 29 percent from the same night last year, when it did not have first-year hit “How to Get Away with Murder,” which posted a 2.8 last night.

CBS finished second to ABC with a 2.4/7, though it did have the night’s top program, “The Big Bang Theory.” The 8 p.m. comedy was up a tenth from last week, to a 4.2.

That helped lead-out “Mom” to a series-high 2.6 at 8:30. At 9:30, new sitcom “The McCarthy’s” held 100 percent of last week’s 1.7 debut rating, even though lead-in “Two and a Half Men” dropped a tenth to a 2.3.

NBC’s entire lineup jumped double-digit percentages from last week. “The Biggest Loser” grew 18 percent, to a 1.3. “Bad Judge” rose to a 1.1, and “A to Z” soared to a 1.0.

The 10 p.m. drama “Parenthood” posted the network’s best rating on the night, a 1.4, up 27 percent from last week and tying a season high.

Fox’s lineup continued to post low numbers, with “Bones” drawing a 1.3 and “Gracepoint” a 0.7.

With ABC and CBS out way ahead of the competition, NBC and Univision tied for third at 1.3/4. Fox was fifth at 1.0/3, CW sixth at 0.6/2 and Telemundo seventh at 0.5/2.

As a reminder, all ratings are based on live-plus-same-day DVR playback, which includes shows replayed before 3 a.m. the night before. Seven-day DVR data won’t be available for several weeks. Forty-nine percent of Nielsen households have DVRs.

CBS began the night in the lead with a 3.4 at 8 p.m. for “Bang” (4.2) and “Mom” (2.6), followed by ABC with a 2.4 for “Grey’s Anatomy.” Univision was third with a 1.5 for “Mi Corazon es Tuyo.” NBC and Fox tied for fourth at 1.3, NBC for “The Biggest Loser” and Fox for “Bones.” CW was sixth with a 0.7 for “The Vampire Diaries” and Telemundo seventh with a 0.4 for “Reina de Corazones.”

ABC took the lead at 9 p.m. with a 2.9 for “Scandal,” with CBS second with a 2.0 for “Men” (2.3) and “McCarthys” (1.7). Univision was third with a 1.5 for “Hasta el Fin del Mundo,” NBC fourth with a 1.0 for “Judge” (1.1) and “A to Z” (1.0), Fox fifth with a 0.7 for “Gracepoint,” and CW and Telemundo tied for sixth at 0.4, CW for “Reign” and Telemundo for “Los Miserables.”

At 10 p.m. ABC led again with a 2.8 for “Murder,” with CBS and NBC tied for second at 1.4, CBS for “Elementary” and NBC for “Parenthood.” Univision was fourth with a 0.9 for “La Malquerida” and Telemundo fifth with a 0.8 for “Señora Acero.”

ABC and CBS tied for first for the night among households, each with a 6.2 average overnight rating and a 10 share. NBC was third at 2.7/4, Fox fourth at 2.6/4, Univision fifth at 1.3/4, CW sixth at 1.0/2 and Telemundo seventh at 0.7/1.

Tags: abc, abc thursday, overnight ratings, overnights, sweeps, the big bang theory, thursday overnights