‘The Big Bang Theory’ ties ‘American Idol’ in ratings again

Thursday night’s ratings and audience numbers looked similar to last Thursday’s, with The Big Bang Theory and American Idol both receiving the best rating in the key demographic and the audiences for NBC’s comedies continuing to shrink. Big Bang also repeated the same feat from last week, beating Idol in the 8-8:30 p.m. slot.

CBS drew the most viewers with an average of 14.1 million, but earned a 3.5 18-49 rating, just behind Fox, notes Zap2It. The network started off with Big Bang, which drew 16.4 million viewers and a 5.4 18-49 rating. Rob followed with 11.3 million viewers and a 3.9 18-49 rating. Person of Interest returned with a series-high 14.9 million viewers and a 3.3 18-49 rating. The Mentalist ended the night with 13.54 million viewers and a 2.8 18-49 rating.

Fox came in second with 12 million viewers, but had the best overall 18-49 rating with a 3.9, according to Hit Fix. For the 8 p.m. hour, Idol averaged 17.12 million viewers and a 5.4 18-49 rating. However, from 8-8:30 p.m., it drew 15.8 million viewers and a 5.0 18-49 rating, both lower than Big Bang. The Finder drew just 6.93 million viewers and a 2.4 18-49 rating, a 14 percent drop from last week’s 32 percent jump, notes Deadline.

ABC was third with 7.4 million viewers and a 2.5 18-49 rating. Wipeout started with just under 6 million viewers and a 1.8 18-49 rating. Despite a heavily promoted alternate reality episode, Grey’s Anatomy had pretty standard numbers, drawing 9.64 million viewers and a 3.5 18-49 rating. Private Practice managed 6.65 million viewers and a 2.3 18-49 rating.

NBC had a disastrous night in fourth place. The network drew just 3.64 million viewers and a 1.5 18-49 rating. Things started off with 30 Rock, which reached a new series low of 3.21 million viewers and a 1.3 18-49 rating. Parks and Recreation actually rose a bit from last week with 3.65 million viewers and a 1.8 key rating. The Office drew 5.3 million viewers and a season low 2.7 18-49 rating, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Up All Night fell a bit to 3.76 million viewers and a 1.8 18-49 rating. The Firm closed off the night with just 2.98 million viewers and a 0.8 18-49 rating, a 20 percent drop from last week.

The CW’s The Vampire Diaries raised to 2.72 million viewers and a 1.2 18-49 rating, while The Secret Circle stayed steady with 1.75 million viewers and a 0.8 18-49 rating.