Ratings: 'Desperate Housewives' Up in Finale; ABC Tops a Slow Night
On a Sunday night that saw television usage down more than 8 percent compared to the previous week for most of the night, ABC took a ratings win, with "Once Upon a Time" sharing the top slot with the series finale of "Desperate Housewives," according to preliminary numbers.
ABC took first place in ratings and total viewership with an average 2.8 rating/8 share in the advertiser-cherished 18-49 demographic and 9.5 million total viewers. "America's Funniest Home Videos" at 7 was down 20 percent in the demo with a 1.6/6 and drew 6.3 million total viewers.
The "Once Upon a Time" season finale at 8 shared the top ratings spot with a 3.2/10 in the demo and taking 9.5 million total viewers. The two-hour "Desperate Housewives" series finale at 9 posted a 3.2/8, a 19 percent surge over the previous week, with 11.1 million total viewers (which also made it the most-watched show of the evening).
CBS drew second place in ratings and total viewers with an average 2.3/7 and 9.4 million. "60 Minutes" at 7 hit a season low, dropping 25 percent to a 1.2/5 and drawing 9.2 million total viewers. The "Survivor" finale at 8 also took a big hit, dropping 30 percent from last spring's finale for a 2.8/8, its lowest rating for a finale to date. "Survivor" took in 8.9 million total viewers. The "Survivor" reunion show at 10 was down 29 percent from last year's reunion show, posting a 2.4/6 with 8 million total viewers.
Fox came in third in ratings and fourth in total viewers with an average 1.7/5 and 3.6 million. Following a "Simpsons" repeat at 7, "The Cleveland Show" drew a 1.3/5 in the demo with 2.8 million total viewers. "The Simpsons" at 8 was down 14 percent with a 1.9/6 and drew 4 million total viewers. "Bob's Burgers" at 8:30 ran even in the demo with a 1.8/5 and drew 3.6 million total viewers, while "Family Guy" at 9 was down 15 percent with a 2.3/6, grabbing 4.9 million total viewers. "American Dad" at 9:30 was down 13 percent with a 2.0/5, and drew 4.1 million total viewers.
NBC came in fourth in ratings and third in total viewers with an average 1.3/4 and 5.5 million. "Dateline" at 7 grew 14 percent for a 0.8/3 and took 3.6 million total viewers, while the recently canceled "Harry's Law" the following hour grew 25 percent from last week for a 1.0/3 and grabbed 7.6 million total viewers. "Celebrity Apprentice" at 9 slipped modestly from last week for a 1.8/5 and took in 5.4 million total viewers.