NBC won the Monday night ratings race on the strength of "The Voice," the night's top-rated show, despite its hitting a Monday low, according to preliminary numbers. CBS's "Two and a Half Men" and "2 Broke Girls," meanwhile, hit series lows.
Though NBC was the highest-rated network in the 18-49 demographic most important to advertisers, it was the third-most watched network in total viewers. It averaged a 3.3 rating/9 share in the demo and 8.9 million total viewers, while the most-watched network of the night, ABC, averaged a 2.4/6 and 13 million total viewers. ABC's "Dancing With the Stars" earns a large number of viewers outside the demo, and was the most-watched show in total viewers with 16.1 million.
"The Voice" from 8-10 p.m. had a 3.9/11 and 10.4 millon total viewers. Despite being the highest-rated show in the demo, it was down 5 percent from last Monday's episode and had the lowest Monday rating for the series, which aired its first Tuesday episode of the season last week. At 10, "Smash" was flat with last week in the demo, earning a 2.1/5 and 6 million total viewers.
CBS was the second-highest rated and second-most watched network, averaging a 3.1/8 and 9.5 millon total viewers, despite several lows. (It's a testament to the success of CBS's Monday lineup that its lowest-rated episodes do better than many comedies' highest-rated.) At 8, "How I Met Your Mother" tied a season-low 3.4/10, and had 8 million total viewers. At 8:30, "Two Broke Girls" tied a series-low 3.4/9 and had 8.7 million. At 9, "Men" had a 3.5/9, a series low, and 10.4 million. It was the second-highest-rated show of the night behind "The Voice" and third most-watched behind "Dancing" and "The Voice." ("The Voice" barely edged it out in total viewers.) At 9:30, "Mike & Molly" had a 3.2/8 and 9.5 million total viewers, and "Hawaii 5-0" at 10 had a 2.6/7 and 10.2 million.
ABC's "Dancing" from 8-10 had a 2.9/8 rating, making it the sixth highest-rated show in the demo despite its first-place finish in total viewers. A repeat of the new Shonda Rhimes political drama "Scandal" aired at 10.
Fox was fourth in ratings and total viewers with a 2.1/6 and 6.7 million. "Bones" at 8 had a 2.1/6 and 7.4 million, while "House" at 9 had a 2.0/5 and 6.1 million.
