CBS rolled to an easy ratings win on Thanksgiving, with its rerun lineup leading all three hours of primetime in viewers and two of the three in adults 18-49. ABC's special "A Very Gaga Thanksgiving" put up decent numbers as a fair amount of people tuned in to see her sing, do crafts with third-graders and cook with chef Art Smith.
CBS averaged 8.4 million viewers and a 4.9 rating/9 share in households for the night, topping second-place ABC (5.4 million, 2.9/6) by 3 million viewers. FOX took third with 5.1 million viewers and a 2.4/5. NBC (3.7 million, 2.1/4) came in fourth, and The CW trailed with a little under 900,000 viewers and a 0.6/1.
In the adults 18-49 demographic, CBS' 2.1 rating led the pack. FOX's 1.7 edged out ABC's 1.6 for second. NBC drew a 1.1 and The CW a 0.3.
Thursday hour by hour:
8 p.m.
CBS: "The Big Bang Theory" rerun (11.2 million viewers, 6.0/12 households)/"Rules of Engagement" rerun (7.9 million, 4.4/9)
FOX: Specials - "Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas" (7.1 million, 3.2/7)/"Happiness Is a Warm Blanket, Charlie Brown" (5.3 million, 2.4/5)
ABC: Special - "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving" (5.8 million, 2.8/6)
NBC: Movie - "Horton Hears a Who" (3.4 million, 2.0/4)
The CW: "The Vampire Diaries" rerun (1 million, 0.6/1)
18-49 leader: "The Big Bang Theory" (3.6)
9 p.m.
CBS: "Person of Interest" rerun (8 million, 4.6/9)
ABC: "The Middle" rerun (4.25 million, 2.3/4)/Special - "A Very Gaga Thanksgiving" (5.75 million, 3.2/6)
FOX: "Happiness Is a Warm Blanket, Charlie Brown" (4.6 million, 2.1/4)/"The Simpsons" rerun (3.4 million, 1.8/3)
NBC: "Horton Hears a Who" (4 million, 2.2/4)
The CW: "The Secret Circle" rerun (776,000, 0.5/1)
18-49 leader: "Person of Interest" (1.7)
10 p.m.
CBS: "The Mentalist" rerun (7.8 million, 4.7/9)
ABC: "A Very Gaga Thanksgiving" (5.4 million, 3.2/6)
NBC: Special - "85th Anniversary of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade" (3.7 million, 2.1/4)
18-49 leader: "A Very Gaga Thanksgiving" (1.6)
Ratings information includes live and same-day DVR viewing. All numbers are preliminary and subject to change. Source: The Nielsen Company.
