‘Madam Secretary’ surges with big NFL game

There’s nothing like a huge football game earlier in the afternoon to help lift a network’s lineup, and new drama “Madam Secretary” made the most of it.

The show, airing an hour after the highly rated New England Patriots-Denver Broncos game, posted best-since-premiere ratings in adults 25-54, CBS’s target demo, and 18-49.

“Secretary” averaged a 2.9 25-54 rating at 9 p.m., according to Nielsen overnights, up 21 percent from last week. The show started much later than usual because the NFL game went until 8 p.m., pushing CBS’s entire lineup back.

“Secretary” drew a 1.8 in 18-49s, up 20 percent from last week.

The game hit a season high for CBS’s NFL coverage, averaging an 18.6 metered-market household rating.

“60 Minutes,” which aired right after the game, posted a 3.3 in 18-49s, up a full point from last week and ranking as the No. 1 non-sports show of the night.

NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” was, of course, the night’s No. 1 show.

Fox’s lineup suffered without the NFL lead-in it enjoyed last week. New 9:30 comedy “Mulaney” fell to a series-low 0.7 at 9:30, down 0.3 from last week, though it did have a repeat of “Family Guy” as the lead-in instead of an original.

ABC’s three dramas were all up from last week, with “Once Upon a Time” growing a tenth, to a 2.5, “Resurrection” up 0.2, to a 1.4, and “Revenge” improving a tenth as well, to a 1.2.

NBC finished first for the night among 18-49s with a 4.9 average overnight rating and a 13 share. CBS was second at 3.5/9, ABC third at 1.6/4, Fox fourth at 1.3/3, Univision fifth at 0.9/3 and Telemundo sixth at 0.3/1.

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.

Also, ratings for NBC’s NFL coverage are approximate as fast nationals measure timeslot and not actual program data.

CBS was first at 7 p.m. with a 7.6 for NFL overrun, followed by NBC with a 1.9 for “Football Night in America.” Fox was third with a 1.3 for a repeat of “The Simpsons” (1.1) and a new “Bob’s Burgers” (1.5), ABC fourth with a 1.2 for “America’s Funniest Home Videos,” Univision fifth with a 0.8 for “Aqui y Ahora” and Telemundo sixth with a 0.3 for the end of the movie “Shark Night.”

NBC took the lead at 8 p.m. with a 5.4 for NFL pregame and the start of “SNF,” while CBS slipped to second with a 3.3 for “Minutes.” ABC was third with a  2.5 for “Time,” Fox fourth with a 1.8 for “The Simpsons” (2.0) and “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” (1.6), Univision fifth with a 1.0 for “Va Por Ti” and Telemundo sixth with a 0.2 for “Yo Soy el Artista.”

At 9 p.m. NBC extended its lead with a 6.3 for football, with CBS second with a 1.8 for “Secretary.” ABC was third with a 1.4 for “Resurrection,” Univision fourth with a 1.1 for more “Va Por Ti,” Fox fifth with a 1.2 for a repeat of “Family” (1.2) and a new “Mulaney” (0.7) and Telemundo sixth with a 0.3 for more “Artista.”

NBC was first again at 10 p.m. with a 5.9 for football, with CBS second with a 1.3 for “The Good Wife.” ABC was third with a 1.2 for “Revenge,” Univision fourth with a 0.9 for “Sal y Pimienta” and Telemundo fifth with a 0.2 for “Suelta la Sopa Extra.”

CBS led the night among households with a 10.1 average overnight rating and a 16 share. NBC was second at 8.3/13, ABC third at 3.4/5, Fox fourth at 1.7/3, Univision fifth at 1.2/2 and Telemundo sixth at 0.3/1.

Tags: cbs, madam secretary, mulaney, nfl, overnight ratings, overnights, sunday night football, sunday overnights