COUGAR TOWN Premiere Earns Disappointing Ratings for ABC

Last night marked the long-awaited return of the ABC comedy series COUGAR TOWN. After a long absence from the programming schedule, the show drew disappointing ratings for the network, drawing 4.8 million total viewers on Tuesday night, while scoring a 1.8 demo rating with the coveted 18-49 crowd. That marks a drop of 4 and 10 percent from the comedy’s hour-long Season 2 finale. The numbers represent a series low for the sitcom. 

In other ratings news, here are the highlights of the 14 ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks last night:

CBS (15.49 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 3.1, #1) was the top draw on Tuesday thanks to fresh installments of "NCIS" (19.42 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 3.9, #1), "NCIS: Los Angeles" (16.06 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 3.2, #T2) and "Unforgettable" (10.97 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 2.3, #5).

FOX (6.26 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 2.7, #2) then snagged the silver with new episodes of "Glee" (6.88 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 2.8, #4), "New Girl" (6.58 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 3.2, #T2) and "Raising Hope" (4.69 million viewers, #11; adults 18-49: 2.1, #7).

Next up was NBC (5.36 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 1.9, #3) with its mix of "The Biggest Loser 13" (5.82 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 2.0, #8) and "Parenthood" (4.44 million viewers, #12; adults 18-49: 1.6, #11).

Meanwhile, ABC (5.79 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 1.6, #4) offered up a new "Last Man Standing" (7.59 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 2.2, #6), the return of "Cougar Town" (4.85 million viewers, #10; adults 18-49: 1.8, #9), week two of "The River" (4.99 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 1.7, #10) and a new "Body of Proof" (6.16 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 1.2, #12).

And finally, a repeat of "Hart of Dixie" (0.75 million viewers, #14; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T13) led into a new "Ringer" (1.07 million viewers, #13; adults 18-49: 0.3, #T13) on The CW (0.91 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.3, #5). In the netlet's target demo (women 18-34), "Dixie" delivered a 0.4 rating while "Ringer" posted a 0.5 rating.