Likely aided by the leak of a major character’s death prior to airing, ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy drew its biggest numbers since its September premiere, jumping 33% from last week to a 2.8 rating with adults 18-49, according to Nielsen overnight numbers.
The character’s death had been leaked earlier Thursday in an Entertainment Weekly report, so many viewers knew what was coming in Thursday’s episode. Among total viewers, Grey’s rose 24% to 9.4 million. Scandal was down 4% to a 2.3 and American Crime sank 18% to a 0.9. ABC tied with CBS for the demo lead with an overall 2.0 rating/7 share.
CBS, which led among total viewers, saw its lineup dip across the board. Big Bang Theory was down 10% to a 3.5, Odd Couple slipped 5% to a 2.0, while Mom declined 14% to a season low 1.9. Elementary was also down 7% to a 1.3.
Fox and NBC both finished with a 0.9/3. Bones and Backstrom were both even with last week’s 1.0 and 0.8 ratings, respectively.
NBC’s Blacklist hit a new series low, falling 13% to a 1.4, while Dateline: The Real Blacklist was down 18% to a 0.9.
The CW rounded out the evening with a 0.5/2. Vampire Diariesand Reign remained at last week’s series-lows of 0.6 and 0.3, respectively.
