Primetime Ratings: ‘Scandal’ Return Gooses ABC

ABC led the broadcast bunch Thursday with the return of Scandal, while The CW also drew some viewers with a strong start by Archie Comics drama Riverdale.

ABC did a 2.1 rating in adults 18-49, per Nielsen’s overnights, and a 7 share. The Shonda shows were robust. Grey’s Anatomy went up 19% to a 2.6, and Scandal returned to a 2.1, 17% better than its spring signoff. How to Get Away With Murder scored a 1.5, up 7% from its last new airing in November.

Fox was next at 1.0/4, with Hell’s Kitchen at 1.2 and My Kitchen Rules at 0.8, both down a tenth of a point from a week ago.

CBS did a 1.0/3, as repeats led into a Mary Tyler Moore special at 0.7, then Pure Genius down 13% at 0.7.

NBC was in repeats and did a 0.6/2.

Among Spanish-language broadcasters, both Telemundo and Univision were at 0.6/2 as well.  

The CW scored a 0.5/2. Supernatural posted a 0.6, level with its last airing. Greg Berlanti’s Riverdale—a dark retelling of the Archie-Betty-Veronica-Jughead saga—premiered to a 0.5, on par with the network's other recent series debuts.

Michael Malone

Michael Malone is content director at B+C and Multichannel News. He joined B+C in 2005 and has covered network programming, including entertainment, news and sports on broadcast, cable and streaming; and local broadcast television, including writing the "Local News Close-Up" market profiles. He also hosted the podcasts "Busted Pilot" and "Series Business." His journalism has also appeared in The New York Times, The L.A. Times, The Boston Globe and New York magazine.