On a Valentine's Day Tuesday that saw overall viewership down across the board, the season premiere of ABC's "Cougar Town" took a particularly hard hit, dropping 47 percent versus its last season premiere. CBS had the night's best ratings and most viewers overall thanks largely to the top-rated "NCIS," according to preliminary numbers.
CBS had an average 3.1 rating/9 share in the adults 18-49 demographic and 15.5 million total viewers. "NCIS" at 8 p.m. posted a 3.9/11 in the demo and was the night's most-watched program with 19.4 million total viewers. "NCIS: LA" the following hour posted a 3.2/8 in the demo and 16 million total viewers. The night ended at 10 with "Unforgettable," which received a 2.3/6 in the demo and 11 million total viewers.
Coming in second for the night with an average 2.7/7 in the demo and 6.3 million total viewers, Fox began the night with "Glee." Despite buzz for its coincidental inclusion of Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You," which was planned before her death, it was down 15 percent versus last week with a 2.8/8 and 6.9 million total viewers. "New Girl" the following hour posted a 3.2/8 in the demo with 6.6 million total viewers, while "Raising Hope" at 10 received a 2.1/5 in the demo and drew 4.7 million total viewers.
NBC was third in ratings and fourth with viewers, averaging 1.9/5 in the demo and 5.4 million. "The Biggest Loser" at 8 slipped 13 percent from last week with a season low of 2.0/6 and 5.8 million total viewers. "Parenthood" at 10 ran even with last week for a 1.6/4 and 4.4 million total viewers.
ABC was fourth in ratings and third in viewers with a 1.6/4 in the demo and 5.8 million. "Last Man Standing" at 8 had a slight downturn for a 2.2/7 in the demo and 7.6 million total viewers, while the season premiere of "Cougar Town" at 8:30 posted a 1.8/5 in the demo and 4.8 million total viewers. "The River" at 9 was also down from its already soft premiere last week, falling 29 percent to a 1.7/4 and 5 million total viewers. "Body of Proof" closed the night the following hour with a series low, dropping 25 percent from its last original episode four weeks ago to a 1.2/3 in the demo 6.2 million total viewers.
