NBC topped Tuesday in TV ratings thanks to the return of “This Is Us” leading in to a strong “New Amsterdam” debut, but CBS earned the most overall viewers on average with the return of “NCIS” and series premiere of “FBI.”
Though “This Is Us” was primetime’s highest-rated show among adults 18-49, the Nielsen number was still off by almost 26 percent from its record-high (save a post-Super Bowl episode) Season 2 kickoff. “NCIS” drew the evening’s biggest audience, as it usually does. The season premiere of “NCIS: New Orleans” at 10 split the hour with NBC’s new medical drama.
Fox’s “The Gifted” and “Lethal Weapon” also returned last night for their new seasons. The latter introduced its new star, Seann William Scott.
NBC was first in ratings with a 2.3 rating/10 share in the advertiser-coveted 18-49 demographic and second in total viewers with an average of 9.5 million, according to preliminary numbers. “The Voice” at 8 p.m. had a 2.1/9 and 9.8 million viewers. At 9, “This Is Us” scored a 2.9/12 and 10.4 million viewers. “New Amsterdam” at 10 opened to a 1.9/8 and 8.4 million viewers.
CBS was second in ratings with a 1.2/5 and first in viewers with 10.5 million. The “NCIS” Season 16 premiere at 8 put up a 1.4/6 and 12.4 million viewers. The “FBI” debut at 9 landed a 1.3/5 and 10.1 million viewers. “NCIS: New Orleans” at 10 closed primetime to a 1.0/5 and 8.9 million viewers.
Fox was third in ratings with a 0.8/4 and fourth in viewers with 3 million. “The Gifted” season premiere at 8 had a 0.9/4 and 2.6 million viewers. At 9, “Lethal Weapon” got a 0.8/3 and 3.5 million viewers.
ABC was fourth in ratings with a 0.7/3 and third in viewers with 5.2 million. “Dancing With the Stars” from 8-10 averaged a 0.9/4 and 6.5 million viewers. A “20/20” special at 10 received a 0.5/2 and 2.6 million viewers.
Univision and Telemundo tied for fifth in ratings, both with a 0.5/2. Univision was fifth in total viewers with 1.42 million, Telemundo was sixth with 1.35 million.
The CW was seventh in ratings with a 0.2/1 and in viewers with 581,000. After a rerun, “The Outpost” at 9 managed a 0.2/1 and 582,000 viewers.