With its Dick Wolf “Chicago” dramas and “The Blacklist” taking the week off, NBC went off script to dominate the primetime ratings race last week, as “The Voice” and impressive newcomer “Little Big Shots” accounted for four of the frame’s top five broadcasts.

“Little Big Shots,” from executive producers Ellen DeGeneres and Steve Harvey, dominated its special Tuesday preview behind “The Voice” (2.9 rating/10 share in adults 18-49, 12.81 million viewers overall) and then really impressed with its regular-timeslot debut on Sunday (2.8/9 in 18-49, 15.00 million viewers overall) when it basically self-started. Sunday’s telecast stood as the week’s most-watched program overall and became the network’s most-watched Sunday entertainment series telecast since 2005.

Post-football Sundays have been difficult for NBC over the years, but “Little Big Shots” was big enough to put the network on top in 18-49 among the Big Four, something it hasn’t done with all series programming since 2004. Overall among the broadcast networks, NBC won five of seven nights without any sports help for the first time in 12 years.

For the week, NBC’s 1.6 rating in 18-49 easily topped runners-up ABC and CBS (both 1.2), with Fox fourth (1.0). The Peacock also won in adults 25-54 (2.2/7) and 18-34 (0.9/4, tied with ABC), while finishing on top in total viewers (7.3 million to 6.5 million for CBS) for the first time since mid-December.

With a little over 10 weeks remaining in the season race, NBC closed the gap slightly with CBS in adults 18-49 but the Eye still held more than a tenth of a lead (2.46 to 2.33).

On the scripted side for NBC last week, “Blindspot” (1.7/6 in 18-49, 6.59 million viewers overall) was down a tick in its second week back, but stood as the night’s top-rated drama in 18-49. Thursday’s “Shades of Blue” (1.0/4 in 18-49, 4.77 million viewers overall) held steady and again was within shouting distance (0.4) of ABC’s “How to Get Away With Murder” (1.4). And on Sunday, “The Carmichael Show” hit a series high in its second-season premiere (1.4/4 in 18-49, 6.49 million viewers overall), even if it did hold just 50% of its “Little Big Shots” lead-in.

Elsewhere, CBS had the week’s No. 1 broadcast in 18-49 with “The Big Bang Theory” (3.5/13 in 18-49, 14.68 million viewers overall), while lead-out “Life in Pieces” continued to hang in there (2.0/7 in 18-49, 8.55 million viewers overall) as it nears the end of its rookie season. “Survivor” perked up in week three of its current edition (2.1/8 in 18-49, 9.26 million viewers overall), but the net was all wet with the “Victoria’s Secret Swim Special” (0.7/2 in 18-49, 2.91 million viewers overall).

At ABC, it was slow going for new dramas “Of Kings and Prophets” on Tuesday (0.8/3 in 18-49, 3.33 million viewers overall) and “The Family” on Sunday (0.8/2 in 18-49, 3.52 million viewers overall). Faring a bit better was new Tuesday comedy “The Real O’Neals” (1.1/4 in 18-49, 3.99 million viewers overall), airing behind “Fresh Off the Boat” (1.4/5 in 18-49, 4.94 million viewers overall).

Fox had a quiet week, with “Rosewood” (0.9/3 in 18-49, 3.72 million viewers overall) again drooping without “Empire” behind it. The net’s top program was again “American Idol” (1.8/6 in 18-49, 8.06 million viewers overall), even if it did hit a season low.

In cable, AMC’s “The Walking Dead” (6.0 rating in 18-49, 12.53 million viewers overall) was down a bit to its season low, but it towered over everything else on television last week in the 18-49 demo. “Talking Dead” also continued to do very well (2.3/x in 18-49, x.x million viewers overall), ranking seventh among all series in 18-49.

FX’s “The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story” (1.25 rating in 18-49, 3.00 million viewers overall) saw its first week-over-week ratings gains just four days after the Trial of the Century depicted in the series was back in the headlines.

CNN, boosted by a pair of debates, was the most-watched cable network in primetime while also leading among adults 25-54. It marked the eighth consecutive week that either CNN or Fox News Channel had set the pace among cablers.

And outside of primetime, Fox Business Network’s 9 a.m.-noon ET program “Varney & Company” scored a milestone by beating CNBC (combo of “Squawk on the Street” and “Squawk Alley”) for the first time in the 25-54 demo (33,000 vs. 32,000).

WEEK’S TOP PRIMETIME NETWORKS

(March 7-13, 2016; live plus same-day)



Adults 18-49 rating (rating/share)

NBC ………….. 1.61 .. (1.6/6)

ABC ………….. 1.23 .. (1.2/4)

CBS ………….. 1.15 .. (1.2/4)

Fox …………… 0.99 .. (1.0/4)

UNI ………….. 0.69

CNN …………. 0.65

TBS ………….. 0.59

USA ………….. 0.54

ESPN ………… 0.46

TEL ………….. 0.42

Total Viewers in millions

NBC ………….. 7.30

CBS …………… 6.52

ABC …………… 4.72

Fox ……………. 3.35

CNN ………….. 3.06

FNC …………… 2.44

UNI …………… 1.84

HGTV ……….. 1.75

AMC …………. 1.69

USA ………….. 1.66

WEEK’S TOP PRIMETIME PROGRAMS

(March 7-13, 2016; live plus same-day)

Adults 18-49 rating/share

1. The Walking Dead (AMC), 6.0/18

2. The Big Bang Theory (CBS), 3.5/13

3. The Voice-Monday (NBC), 3.2/10

4. The Voice-Tuesday (NBC), 3.1/10

5. Little Big Shots-Tuesday (NBC), 2.9/10

6. Little Big Shots-Sunday (NBC), 2.8/9

7. GOP Florida Debate (CNN), 2.4/7

8. Talking Dead (AMC), 2.3/7

9. The Bachelor (ABC), 2.2/7

10. Survivor (CBS), 2.1/8

10. Grey’s Anatomy (ABC), 2.1/7

12. The Voice-Wednesday (NBC), 2.0/7

12. Life in Pieces (CBS), 2.0/7

14. American Idol (Fox), 1.8/6

15. Mom (CBS), 1.7/6

15. The Big Bang Theory (CBS), 1.7/5

15. Blindspot (NBC), 1.7/6

15. Scandal (ABC), 1.7/6

19. 2 Broke Girls (CBS), 1.6/5

19. The Big Bang Theory, Monday-8 p.m. (CBS), 1.5/5

19. Gotham (Fox), 1.5/5

Total Viewers (in millions)

1. Little Big Shots-Sunday (NBC), 15.00

2. The Big Bang Theory (CBS), 14.68

3. The Voice-Tuesday (NBC), 13.54

4. The Voice-Monday (NBC), 13.45

5. Little Big Shots-Tuesday (NBC), 12.81

6. The Walking Dead (AMC), 12.53

7. GOP Florida Debate (CNN), 11.81

8. Blue Bloods (CBS), 9.83

9. Survivor (CBS), 9.26

10. The Voice-Wednesday (NBC), 9.18

11. 60 Minutes (CBS), 8.74

12. Life in Pieces (CBS), 8.55

13. NCIS: New Orleans-r (CBS), 8.48

14. NCIS-r (CBS), 8.16

15. American Idol-Thursday (Fox), 8.06

16. Hawaii Five-0 (CBS), 7.97

17. Mom (CBS), 7.88

18. Little Big Shots, Sunday 7 p.m.-r (NBC), 7.59

19. Grey’s Anatomy (ABC), 7.52

20. The Bachelor (ABC), 7.48



Source: Nielsen