NBC’s two-hour blast of Chicago Fire on Thursday night averaged 6.8 million total viewers and a 1.20 demo rating leading out of sitcoms, edging out ABC’s two-hour Station 19 launch (5.4 mil/1.15) in the demo while easily drawing the bigger crowd.

Looking at the hourlies, Chi Fi did 6.5 mil/1.2 and then 7.1 mil/1.2 — equaling its best-since-premiere rating — while Station 19 did 5.7 mil/1.2 and 5.1 mil/1.1, leading out of the night’s top scripted program aka Grey’s Anatomy.

Station 19‘s regularly scheduled first hour was on par with time slot predecessor Scandal‘s season-to-date average (5 mil/1.2), while its second episode easily improved on How to Get Away With Murder’s Season 4 run (3.7 mil/0.9). TVLine readers gave the Grey’s spinoff debut an average grade of “B-.”

Grey’s itself opened ABC’s night with 7.5 mil and a 1.9, ticking up on both counts from last week. Over on NBC, Superstore (3.9 mil/1.1) ticked up while A.P. Bio (2.9 mil/0.7) slipped two tenths.

Elsewhere….

FOX | Gotham (2.44 mil/0.7) flirted with its smallest audience ever while up a tenth in the demo. Showtime at the Apollo (2.4 mil/0.6) was steady.

CBS | NCAA hoops coverage led the night with 8.1 mil and a 2.4, up 14 and 20 percent year-over-year.

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