NBC and CBS premiered new dramas yesterday and the results were similar to the launch of their new shows on Monday night with NBC coming out on top but CBS also registering decent results.
On NBC, medical drama New Amsterdam launched with a 1.9 demo rating in the 18-49 and 8.4 million viewers. That’s a solid start for a show airing at 10 PM on a Tuesday and gives the network another first week hit in the 10 PM timeslot after the solid debut of Manifest on Monday night. The premiere represents a 19 percent improvement over the premiere of Law & Order True Crime (1.6) in the same spot a year ago.
NBC’s night began with The Voice hitting a 2.1 demo score and 9.80 million viewers. It was an improvement from Monday’s 2.0 score but was down 22 percent vs. a 2.7 for its first Tuesday episode last year. This Is Us ended the night at the top show of the evening with a 2.9 demo rating and 10.40 million viewers. The premiere was down a full point (26 percent) from the season two debut but in line with its 2017-18 average.
On CBS, FBI delivered a 1.3 demo rating and 10.08 million viewers. It was even with Bull’s 2017 premiere in the same spot & it held nearly all the 18-49 audience from its lead-in, NCIS (1.4, 12.39 million viewers, -12.5 percent) and topped 10 million viewers, third-best on the night behind NCIS (12.39 million) and This Is Us (10.4 million). NCIS: New Orleans matched last year’s premiere 1.0 in the demo & 8.93 million viewers.
After having a healthy Monday for its premieres, FOX came crashing down to earth a bit with the launch of its returning and, in one case, revamped Tuesday shows. The Gifted (0.9, 2.63 million viewers) fell 40 percent from its series premiere last year, and Lethal Weapon (0.8, 3.45 million viewers), with new co-lead Seann William Scott, dropped by a third year to year. Both shows came in behind their 2017-18 averages (1.0 for both).
