Ratings: ‘Chicago PD,’ ‘SVU’ Rise With Crossover; ‘Modern Family’ Tops in Demo
ABC’s “Modern Family” was on the low end of its range as it returned with its first original in four weeks, but it stood as Wednesday’s top-rated program in key demos and helped the network earn a share of first-place honors on a hotly contested night that also saw NBC dramas “Law & Order: SVU” and “Chicago PD” on the rise.
The Alphabet opened with “The Middle” (1.8/7 in 18-49, 6.8 million viewers overall) and “The Goldbergs” (2.0/7 in 18-49, 6.2 million viewers overall), which were back in originals after two weeks and remained at their season lows; they will probably be happy to see CBS’ competing comedy hour vacating the time period, as “Survivor” returns next week.
“Modern Family” was again the tentpole of the night for ABC (2.6/9 in 18-49, 7.7 million viewers overall), down a tenth from its prior original on Jan. 13 but strong enough to rule as Wednesday’s No. 1 show in 18-49 as well as 18-34 (1.7/7) and 25-54 (3.3/9). It was followed by “Black-ish” (1.9/6 in 18-49, 6.0 million viewers overall), which was up 0.2 from its prior original (which followed a “Modern Family” repeat) and tied for the 9:30 p.m. timeslot lead in 18-49. And “American Crime” (0.9/3 in 18-49, 3.3 million viewers overall) stopped its string of 0.1 declines by rising week-to-week by the same amount but remaining third among the 10 p.m. broadcast dramas.
NBC had a good night with its dramas, tying for the lead among adults 18-49 and winning outright in total viewers. (The network’s numbers could be adjusted slightly in the finals due to a pre-emption for an NBA game in Portland.)
“The Mysteries of Laura” (1.2/4 in 18-49, 7.1 million viewers overall) was up a tenth to match its season high in the demo and improve upon its performance of a year ago by 0.2. It was followed by “Law & Order: SVU” (1.9/6 in 18-49, 7.7 million viewers overall), which grew for a second straight week and placed second for the 9 o’clock hour in 18-49, and “Chicago PD” (2.0/7 in 18-49, 8.3 million viewers overall), which shot up 17% (0.3) from last week and dominated its timeslot. “Chicago PD” (pictured) matched its highest 18-49 rating since November 2014 and swept its time period.
CBS, which finished a tenth behind ABC, Fox and NBC for the Wednesday lead in 18-49, had average deliveries leading off the night with the final Wednesday airings for the season of half-hours “2 Broke Girls” (1.6/6 in 18-49, 6.4 million viewers overall) and “Mike & Molly” (1.6/5 in 18-49, 6.6 million viewers overall). “2 Broke Girls” is moving to Thursdays starting next week, and “Mike & Molly” is expected to finish its final season on Mondays in the spring.
“Criminal Minds” (1.8/6 in 18-49, 8.9 million viewers overall) was a bit below its prior original, but held up well opposite the return of “Modern Family” and the higher-than-usual “SVU” and was Wednesday’s most-watched scripted program. Closing the night, “Code Black” (1.3/4 in 18-49, 7.1 million viewers overall) ticked up from last week as it once again had a first-run lead-in.
At Fox, “American Idol” (2.1/7 in 18-49, 9.1 million viewers overall) and “Hell’s Kitchen” (1.3/4 in 18-49, 4.5 million viewers overall) were both down 0.2 week to week. “Idol,” which appears likely to round up in the finals (currently at 2.14), won its 8 o’clock hour in nearly every demo while also ruling as Wednesday’s most-watched program overall.
And CW’s “Arrow” (0.9/3 in 18-49, 2.4 million viewers overall) was in line with prior results, while “Supernatural” (0.8/2 in 18-49, 1.9 million viewers overall) was a bit above average.
Related stories
Wednesday Ratings: 'Madoff' Movie Opens Modestly for ABC
Ratings: Fox's 'Second Chance' Opens Low; 'Chicago PD,' Other Crime Dramas Shine
Ratings: Rising 'Survivor,' 'Criminal Minds' Put CBS on Top Wednesday
Get more from Variety and Variety411: Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Newsletter
