Primetime Ratings: 'Dancing With the Stars' Premiere Drops 34%

ABC premiered Dancing
With the Stars
' 14th season with a two-hour episode on Monday night
to a 3.5 rating in the 18-49 demo, according to Nielsen overnight numbers. That
is down 34% from its March 2011 (season 12) premiere, and down 15% from the
season 13 finale in November 2011.

Castle grew 14%
from its last episode on Feb. 27 to a 2.4. ABC tied with CBS for second  with an overall
3.1 rating/8 share, but topped CBS in total viewers.

NBC won the night overall with a 3.8. Against the Dancing With the Stars premiere, The Voice dropped 13% to a 4.5, but
still led the night. At 10 p.m., Smash was
down just a tenth to a 2.3.

CBS had a night of ups and downs as it returned its comedy
lineup from their last episodes on Feb. 27. Both How I Met Your Mother, down 6%, and 2 Broke Girls, down 11%, fell to a 3.4 each. Two and a Half Men was up 6% to a 3.8 and Mike & Molly increased 10% to a 3.2. Hawaii Five-0 was steady at its season-low 2.5.

Fox trailed behind with an overall 1.8/5. House returned from its last new episode
on Feb. 20 down 17% to a 2.0. Alcatraz slipped
a tenth to a series-low 1.5.

The CW, in repeats, drew a 0.3/1.