Congrats to Miss USA, and to “Miss USA.” For the first time since the pageant was initially cancelled in 2015, “Miss USA” did not set a new record low in ratings and viewers. That doesn’t mean it was a particularly good night for Fox, which finished third — it just wasn’t as bad as it could have been.
CBS topped Thursday’s primetime with “The Big Bang Theory,” ABC was runner-up with its “Grey’s Anatomy”-“Station 19” crossover. Way down the Nielsen ratings sheet, The CW’s “iZombie” premiered its fifth season to just a 0.2 rating/1 share and 752,000 viewers.
Miss USA was scrapped four years ago after former owner Donald Trump launched his presidential campaign and make widely condemned comments about Mexican immigrants. WME-IMG now owns the pageant.
CBS was first in ratings with a 1.1 rating/5 in the advertiser-coveted 18-49 demographic and in total viewers with an average of 7.7 million, according to preliminary numbers. “The Big Bang Theory” at 8 p.m. posted a 1.8/10 and 12.2 million viewers. At 8:30, “Young Sheldon” landed a 1.4/7 and 10.5 million viewers. “Mom” at 9 had a 1.1/5 and 8 million viewers. At 9:30, “Life in Pieces” got a 0.8/4 and 5.6 million viewers. “S.W.A.T.” at 10 received a 0.7/4 and 5.1 million viewers.
ABC was second in ratings with a 1.0/5 and in viewers with 5.3 million. Part 1 of the “Grey’s”-“19” crossover at 8 put up a 1.4/7 and 6.9 million viewers. At 9, Part 2 got a 1.2/6 and 6.4 million viewers. “For the People” at 10 had a 0.5/3 and 2.7 million viewers.
Fox was third in ratings with a 0.7/3 and in viewers with 3 million. Those were the “Miss USA” averaged from 8 to 10.
NBC was fourth in ratings with a 0.6/3 and in viewers with 2.7 million. “Superstore” at 8 had a 0.9/5 and 3 million viewers. At 8:30, “A.P. Bio” got a 0.5/3 and 1.9 million viewers. “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” at 9 received a 0.5/3 and 1.7 million viewers. At 9:30, “Abby’s” settled for a 0.4/2 and 1.5 million viewers. “Law & Order: SVU” at 10 finished primetime off with a 0.8/4 and 3.9 million viewers.
Telemundo was fifth in ratings with a 0.5/3 and in viewers with 1.4 million.
Univision was sixth in ratings with a 0.4/2 and in viewers with 1.3 million.
The CW was seventh in ratings with a 0.2/1 and in viewers with 632,000. After “iZombie,” “In the Dark” at 9 struggled to a 0.1/1 and 513,000 viewers.