Whoa: Fox’s ‘Empire’ grows in week two
New hit drama posts a 4.0 in 18-49s, up 5 percent from last week
January 15, 2015
“Empire” is looking like a hit.
The new Fox drama improved on last week’s impressive premiere last night, posting a 4.0 adults 18-49 rating at 9 p.m., according to Nielsen overnights, up 5 percent from a 3.8 for its debut.
It surpassed ABC’s “How to Get Away with Murder” to post the best rating for any new program this season. Previously “Murder” and “Empire” had been tied for the best rating for a new show with a 3.8 apiece in their debuts.
And “Empire” did it with a smaller lead-in. “American Idol” drew a 2.9 at 8 p.m., down 9 percent from a 3.2 for last week’s season premiere.
“Empire” was the No. 1 show on broadcast last night in the demo, a full point ahead of the No. 2 program, ABC’s “Modern Family,” which posted a 3.0.
“Empire” appears to be taking a toll on ABC’s new sitcom “black-ish,” which airs at 9:30. They’re the only two programs on broadcast to have largely African-American casts, and they air against each other.
Last night “black-ish” fell to a series-low 2.0, off a tenth from last week. It will be interesting to see if the show earns back any of those lost viewers through DVR playback.
Elsewhere last night, CBS’s “Criminal Minds” grew a tenth from its most recent original back in December despite the added competition from “Empire,” posting a 2.2.
And lead-out “Stalker” was up at 10 p.m., too, growing a tenth to a 1.5. It tied NBC’s “Chicago P.D.” (down a tenth from last week) for No. 1 in the hour.
Fox dominated the night among 18-49s with a 3.4 average overnight rating and a 10 share. ABC was second at 1.8/6, CBS third at 1.7/5, NBC fourth at 1.3/4, Univision fifth at 1.2/4, Telemundo sixth at 0.7/2 and CW seventh at 0.2/1.
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.
At 8 p.m. Fox was first with a 2.9 for “Idol,” followed by ABC with a 2.2 for “The Middle” (2.2) and “The Goldbergs” (2.3). CBS and Univision tied for third at 1.3, CBS for “The Mentalist” and Univision for “Mi Corazon es Tuyo,” with NBC fifth with a 1.1 for “The Mysteries of Laura,” Telemundo sixth with a 0.6 for “Los Miserables” and CW seventh with a 0.2 for a rerun of “Arrow.”
Fox increased its lead at 9 p.m. with a 4.0 for “Empire,” while ABC remained second with a 2.5 for “Modern Family” (3.0) and “black-ish” (2.0). CBS was third with a 2.2 for “Minds,” NBC fourth with a 1.4 for “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” Univision fifth with a 1.2 for “Hasta el Fin del Mundo,” Telemundo sixth with a 0.5 for “Tierra de Reyes” and CW seventh with a 0.2 for a repeat of “The Flash.”
At 10 p.m. CBS and NBC tied for first at 1.5, CBS for “Stalker” and NBC for “Chicago.” Univision was third with a 1.1 for “La Malquerida,” Telemundo fourth with a 0.9 for “Dueños del Paraiso” (down a tenth from Tuesday’s debut) and ABC fifth with a 0.7 for a repeat of “Forever.”
Fox was also first for the night among households with a 6.5 average overnight rating and a 10 share. CBS was second at 5.6/9, NBC third at 4.3/7, ABC fourth at 3.9/6, Univision fifth at 1.7/3, Univision sixth at 0.8/1 and CW seventh at 0.6/1.
Tags: american idol, black-ish, empire, empire ratings, modern family, overnight ratings, overnights, wednesday overnights
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