ABC is in need of a huge hit and Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. appears to be just that. Although more viewers may have tuned in for NBC’s The Blacklist on Monday, SHIELD scored the best rating for a drama debut since 2009. Elsewhere, Fox’s comedies took a plunge from last week’s decent numbers.
SHIELD may have done well, but CBS still averaged the most viewers on the night with 15.98 million, notes HitFix. But CBS fell behind NBC in the ratings with a 2.9 18-49 demo average. The network kicked things off with NCIS, which returned to a whopping 19.47 million viewers and a 3.4 18-49 rating. NCIS: LA drew 16.17 million viewers and a 3.0 key demo rating, while Person of Interest scored 12.29 million viewers and a 2.3 18-49 rating. It’s worth noting that Interest’s debut in this timeslot was a huge decrease from Vegas’ start last season, but Vegas no longer exists.
NBC was powered by The Voice, averaging 12.51 million viewers on the night and a night-best 4.0 18-49 rating. The two-hour episode drew 14.1 million viewers and a 4.6 18-49 rating, notes TheWrap. Chicago Fire’s second season premiere jumped 47 percent from last year, drawing 9.3 million viewers and a 2.8 18-49 rating.
Over at ABC, the network averaged 8.11 million viewers and a 2.9 18-49 rating, since the other premieres brought its numbers down. SHIELD kicked things off with a 4.6 18-49 rating and 11.9 million viewers. It is the highest-rated drama premiere since V in 2009. ABC also premiered the comedies Trophy Wife and The Goldbergs, followed by Lucky 7, which was dead on arrival. Lucky 7 attracted just 4.57 million viewers and a 1.3 key demo rating.
Fox’s night of comedies averaged 3.7 million viewers and a 1.7 18-49 rating. New comedies Dads and Brooklyn Nine-Nine fell significantly, although Brooklyn did draw 4 million viewers and a 1.8 key demo rating. New Girl and The Mindy Project were also down.
image: ABC