the Top 20 broadcast programs in Adults 18-49, the most for any network, including 3 of the Top 5 dramas ("Scandal," "Grey's" and "Murder"): "Modern Family" - No. 9, "Scandal" - No. 10, "Saturday Night Football" - No. 13, "The Goldbergs" - No. 14, "Grey's Anatomy" and "How to Get Away with Murder" tied at No. 16 and "The Middle" - No. 19.
Monday
"Dancing with the Stars" (8:00-10:01 p.m. - 11.0 million and 1.6/5 in AD18-49):
For the 2nd week in a row from 8:00-10:01 p.m., ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" dominated Fox's dramas ("Gotham"/"Minority Report") in the 2-hour time period in Total Viewers (+206% - 11.0 million vs. 3.6 million) and Adults 18-49 (+23% - 1.6/5 vs. 1.3/4).
"Castle" (10:01-11:00 p.m. - 6.7 million and 1.2/4 in AD18-49):
At 10:00 p.m. against "The Voice"-led debut of "The Blindspot," ABC's "Castle" outperformed CBS' "NCIS: LA" in Women 18-49 (+14% - 1.6/5 vs. 1.4/4) and Women 25-54 (+16% - 2.2/6 vs/ 1.9/5).
Tuesday
"The Muppets" (8:00-8:30 p.m. - 5.8 million and 2.0/7 in AD18-49):
Self-starting at 8:00 p.m., ABC's "The Muppets" once again ranked as Tuesday's No. 1 new TV show in Adults 18-49 (2.0/7), leading Fox's comedy debuts of "Grandfathered" (+33% - 1.5/5) and "The Grinder" (+33% - 1.5/5) and week 2 of Fox's "Scream Queens" (+43% - 1.4/5) and CBS' "Limitless" (+5% - 1.9/6). In the half-hour, "The Muppets" beat Fox's "Grandfathered" debut across all key Adult demos (AD18-34/AD18-49/AD25-54), leading by a strong 33% in Adults 18-49 (2.0/7 vs. 1.5/5).
"Fresh Off the Boat" (8:30-9:00 p.m. - 4.7 million and 1.7/6 in AD18-49):
At 8:30 p.m., ABC's "Fresh Off the Boat" retained nearly all of its week-ago season premiere in Adults 18-49 (89%) and beat Fox's highly promoted debut of "The Grinder" by 13% (1.7/6 vs. 1.5/5). It also led the FOX comedy in Adults 18-34, Men 18-34 and Women 18-34. "Fresh Off the Boat" held 100% of its week-ago premiere in Adults 18-34 while growing in Men 18-34 (+22%) and Men 18-49 (+6%). In both Men demos, the ABC sophomore comedy hit Tuesday highs.
"Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." (9:00-10:00 p.m. - 4.9 million and 1.7/5 in AD18-49):
At 9:00 p.m., the season premiere of ABC's "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." tied CBS' "NCIS: New Orleans" in Adults 18-49 (1.7/5) and will move ahead once playback is included. In addition, "S.H.I.E.L.D." beat Fox's "Scream Queens" head-to-head by 21% among Adults 18-49 (1.4/5). "S.H.I.E.L.D." topped "NCIS: New Orleans" and "Scream Queens" as the No. 1 scripted program in the hour with Men 18-34 and Men 18-49.
"Quantico-R" (10:00-11:00 p.m. - 4.2 million and 1.0/3 in AD18-49):
In the 10 o'clock hour, a repeat of the "Quantico" debut episode from Sunday garnered extra sampling on Tuesday, drawing an additional 4.2 million Total Viewers. The new ABC drama held steady from its first half-hour to its second among young adults while its CBS (-5%) and NBC (-24%) competition declined on the half-hour.
Wednesday
Opposite competition from the big return for Fox's "Empire," CBS' season premiere of "Survivor" and After Fox's "Empire," ABC delivered 3 of the Top 4 next-highest-rated TV shows on Wednesday with "Modern Family" (3.0/9), "The Goldbergs" (2.4/8 - tied with "Survivor") and "The Middle" (2.2/8). "Modern Family" significantly narrowed the Adult 18-49 gap with "Empire," cutting it by a whole rating point week to week (-2.5 points vs -3.5 points). From 8:00-10:00 p.m., ABC's Wednesday comedy block took 2nd in Adults 18-49 (2.3/8) to Fox's lineup ("Rosewood"/"Empire"), beating CBS (2.2/7) and NBC (1.5/5).
"The Middle" (8:00-8:30 p.m. - 7.9 million and 2.2/8 in AD18-49):
Defying ratings gravity at 8:00 p.m., "The Middle" was up from its strong week-ago premiere in Adults 18-49 (+5% - 2.2/8 vs. 2.1/8) to match its best rating since the beginning of January - since 1/7/15. In fact, "The Middle" became the season's first scripted series (returning or new) to build on its premiere in L+SD Adults 18-49. The ABC comedy was up from its year-ago telecast in viewers (+11%) and young adults (+16%).
"The Goldbergs" (8:30-9:00 p.m. - 7.4 million and 2.4/8 in AD18-49):
Building on its Adult 18-49 lead-in (+9%) at 8:30 p.m., ABC's "The Goldbergs" held 100% of its week-ago premiere rating (2.4/8) to tie its best number since March - since 3/4/15. In addition, the show retained 100% in Adults 18-34 and grew 13% on its opener with Women 18-34 to match 1-year highs - since 9/24/14. Like its lead-in, "The Goldbergs" topped its year-ago telecast in Total Viewers (+10%) and Adults 18-49 (+9%).
"Modern Family" (9:00-9:31 p.m. - 8.7 million and 3.0/9 in AD18-49):
Surging from its lead-in against the first half-hour of Fox's "Empire" at 9:00 p.m. in Adults 18-49 (+25%), ABC's "Modern Family" ran a strong No. 2 in its half-hour across all key demographics. The show held 94% of its week-ago Adult 18-49 delivery and gained on its premiere in Women 18-34 (+4%) to earn its highest rating since March - since 3/4/15.
"black-ish" (9:31-10:00 p.m. - 5.9 million and 1.8/6 in AD18-49):
In the 9:30 p.m. half-hour, ABC's "black-ish" beat the second half-hour of CBS' "Criminal Minds" premiere in Men 18-34 (+13% - 0.9/4 vs. 0.8/3) and the second half-hour of NBC's "Law & Order: SVU" in Adults 25-54 (+14% - 2.4/6 vs. 2.1/5).
"Nashville" (10:00-11:00 p.m. - 4.7 million and 1.1/4 in AD18-49):
Despite facing debut/premiere competition at 10:00 p.m. on CBS ("Code Black") and NBC ("Chicago P.D."), ABC's "Nashville" held steady its week-earlier opener in Adults 18-49 (1.1/4 vs. 1.2/4) and Adults 25-54 (1.5/4). Against the CBS and NBC drama premieres, ABC's younger skewing "Nashville" ranked No. 2 in the hour with Women 18-34 (tie) and No. 1 with Teens 12-17.
Thursday
Opposite an even stronger Thursday Night Football game on CBS (Baltimore-Pittsburgh), ABC (8.4 million and 2.5/8) was Thursday's definitive No. 1 non-sports net for the 2nd week in a row, beating runner-up NBC with "The Blacklist" opener (5.8 million and 1.5/5) by 45% in Total Viewers and by 67% in Adults 18-49, while more than doubling Fox's season premiere line-up of "Bones" and "Sleepy Hollow" (4.8 million and 1.2/4) in Adults 18-49 (+108%). ABC ranked No. 1 on Thursday in Women 18-34, tying CBS' NFL coverage, and will significantly narrow the Adult 18-49 gap with CBS on the night in Live + 7 Day ratings.
"Grey's Anatomy" (8:00-9:00 p.m. - 8.6 million and 2.3/8 in AD18-49):
At 8:00 p.m., ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" continued to dominate NBC's "Heroes Reborn" in Total Viewers (+72% - 8.6 million vs. 5.0 million) and Adults 18-49 (+44% - 2.3/8 vs. 1.6/6) while also crushing Fox's "Bones" premiere in the hour (6.2 million and 1.4/5) in Total Viewers (+39%) and Adults 18-49 (+64%).
"Scandal" (9:00-10:00 p.m. - 9.1 million and 2.8/9 in AD18-49):
Building on its lead-in at 9:00 p.m., ABC's "Scandal" beat the Thursday opener of "The Blacklist" by an even larger margin of 56% this season in Adults 18-49 (2.8/9 vs. 1.8/6), up from a 33% advantage during their first head-to-head matchup in February. "Scandal" also outdrew "The Blacklist" premiere by 1.3 million viewers (9.1 million vs. 7.8 million), after trailing last February's premiere. Also in the hour, the ABC drama held strong triple-digit advantages over Fox's "Sleepy Hollow" premiere (3.5 million and 1.0/3) in Total Viewers (+160%) and Adults 18-49 (+180%). "Scandal" gained audience on the half-hour while both "The Blacklist" and "Sleepy Hollow" declined.
"How to Get Away with Murder" (10:00-11:00 p.m. - 7.5 million and 2.3/8 in AD18-49):
At 10:00 p.m., ABC's "How to Get Away with Murder" more than doubled its NBC drama competition, beating week 2 of "The Player" by an increasing margin of 130% in Adults 18-49 (2.3/8 vs. 1.0/3), versus a 117% advantage in their week-ago premieres. "Murder" also beat "The Player" by 63% in Total Viewers (7.5 million vs. 4.6 million).
Friday
ABC won its 2nd-straight Friday in Adults 18-49, outdelivering runner-up CBS by 17% (1.4/5 vs. 1.2/5). ABC's "Shark Tank" (1.7/6) and the series debut of "Dr. Ken" (1.5/6) ranked as Friday's Top 2 TV shows in the key young adult sales demo. ABC was up 8% week to week in Adults 18-49.
"Last Man Standing" (8:00-8:31 p.m. - 6.5 million and 1.2/5 in AD18-49):
At 8:00 p.m., "Last Man Standing" was the most watched TV show overall for the 2nd-consecutive week in its slot (6.5 million). "Last Man Standing" was up from its week-ago premiere by 3% in Total Viewers (6.5 million vs. 6.3 million) and 9% in Adults 18-49 (1.2/5 vs. 1.1/5). In doing so, "LMS" became just the 2nd scripted TV show this season (returning or new) to build on its season premiere in Adults 18-49, joining only ABC's "The Middle," which was up on Wednesday at 8:00 p.m. from its week-earlier opener.
"Dr. Ken" (8:31-9:00 p.m. - 6.7 million and 1.5/6 in AD18-49):
Spiking 25% over its lead-in at 8:30 p.m., "Dr. Ken" debuted at No. 1 in its half-hour in Adults 18-49 (1.5/6) and as Friday's No. 1 scripted TV show. "Dr. Ken" delivered the biggest-ever build on an original "Last Man Standing" in the 3 years it has aired on Friday night. In addition, "Dr. Ken" was up 15% from the Net's year-ago comedy debut in the slot ("Cristela" on 10/10/14 = 1.3/5) and equaled ABC's highest Adult 18-49 number with scripted programming in the half-hour in nearly 3 years - since 11/9/12.
"Shark Tank" (9:00-10:01 p.m. - 6.8 million and 1.7/6 in AD18-49):
At 9:00 p.m., ABC's "Shark Tank" built on its lead-in (+13%) and towered over its nearest competition by 55% in Adults 18-49 (1.7/6 vs.1.1/4 for CBS' "Hawaii Five-0").
"20/20" (10:01-11pm - 4.4 million and 1.1/4 in AD18-49):
ABC's "20/20" tied NBC's 2-hour "Dateline" to rank as the night's No. 1 newsmagazine, holding the top position for the 2nd week in a row with Adults 18-49 (1.1/4).
Saturday
With COLLEGE FOOTBALL coverage (Notre Dame at Clemson), ABC dominated Saturday night in Total Viewers (7.6 million) and Adults 18-49 (2.5/9), beating the other major networks combined (CBS, NBC, and FOX = 1.9/6) by 32% among young adults. ABC towered over FOX with its college-football coverage (2.1 million and 0.6/2) by 5.5 million viewers and by 317% among young adults.
Sunday
Against a high-rated SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL game on NBC and an NFL-overrun boosted Fox, ABC out-delivered CBS on Sunday with its drama season premieres in Adults 18-49 (+8% - 1.4/4 vs. 1.3/4 - including a regional overrun). The Net was steady with its week-earlier season premiere delivery on the night.
"Once Upon a Time" (8:00-9:00 p.m. - 5.4 million and 1.8/5 in AD18-49):
Jumping 125% from its Adult 18-49 lead-in at 8:00 p.m. (repeat of Tuesday's "The Muppets") opposite the beginning of SNF and Fox's NFL-fueled comedies, ABC's "Once Upon a Time" beat CBS' season premiere of "Madam Secretary" in the hour by 29% (1.8/6 vs. 1.4/4).
"Blood & Oil" (9:00-10:00 p.m. - 5.3 million and 1.3/3 in AD18-49):
At 9:00 p.m., ABC's "Blood & Oil" beat CBS' season opener of "The Good Wife" in Adults 18-49 (+8% - 1.3/3 vs. 1.2/3) and Adults 18-34 (+14%). "Blood & Oil" retained a solid 93% of its week-ago debut rating with Adults 18-49 and held 100% among Adults 18-34.
"Quantico" (10:00-11:00 p.m. - 7.0 million and 1.9/6 in AD18-49):
At 10:00 p.m., ABC's "Quantico" jumped 46% over its lead-in and beat CBS' "CSI: Cyber" premiere by 90% in Adults 18-49 (1.9/6 vs. 1.0/3). "Quantico" remained steady with last week's debut to equal ABC's best young-adult number with a series in the hour since September 2012 - since 9/30/12. The new ABC drama actually built on its week-ago debut in Adults 18-34 (+15%) and Women 18-34 (+35%).
WEEK NO. 02: ADULTS 18-49 TOTAL VIEWERS
No.1 NBC 2.7 No.1 CBS 10,330,000
No.2 CBS 2.1 No.2 NBC 9,300,000
No.3 ABC 1.8 No.3 ABC 6,780,000
No.3 FOX 1.8 No.4 FOX 5,340,000
Source: The Nielsen Company, National, Live+ Same Day Program Ratings for week of 09/28/15.
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