NBC comes up with a Wednesday night formula that works: air against no competition.
NBC: With reruns on three other networks and a weak reality show on the fourth, NBC went to town on Wednesday night, with season highs galore. WHITNEY (which has been adjusted creatively a great deal from last season, but to little avail) was up 0.4 from its last airing in December to 1.8, GUYS WITH KIDS (which remains pleasantly mediocre) was also at 1.8, a 0.3 increase in its case. But here’s the sad thing: even a rerun on ABC tied Whitney for the 8PM lead, and another rerun on CBS was just 0.1 behind Guys. Similarly, at 9PM SVU was up half a ratings point to 2.1, but that could only tie the rerun on ABC. CHICAGO FIRE was also up half a point to a series-high 2.4, following its pattern of strong increases whenever it doesn’t face a new CSI.
FOX: No one was interested in the return of MOBBED, which plummeted to 1.0/1/1 in its 2 hours, a long way from the days when when it was getting 3s following episodes of American Idol.
CBS: As noted, the MIKE & MOLLY reruns did very creditably at 1.3/1.6. A CRIMINAL MINDS rerun also had a 1.6, and CSI‘s rerun was at 1.3.
ABC: The sitcom block operated the way it usually does, except with lower rerun-level numbers: a solid 1.8 for THE MIDDLE, down to 1.3 for THE NEIGHBORS, way up to 2.1 for MODERN FAMILY and back down to 1.3 for SUBURGATORY. A NASHVILLE clip; show did no business with a 1.1 at 10PM.
CW: Reruns of ARROW and SUPERNATURAL at 0.5/0.4.
Tonight NBC returns to reruns, and it’s CBS that should zoom as the only network with new programming, aside from 2 more hours of Mobbed on FOX.
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