‘blacklist’ edges ‘scorpion’ & ‘gotham’, ‘the originals’ slips in return – ratings

UPDATE PM: Another day, another across-the-board upward adjustment for ABC’s lineup, with both_ Dancing with the Stars_ (1.9, up a tenth from last Monday) and _Castle_ (2.0) going up a

tenth. Also adjusted up a tenth are NBC’s _The Voice_ (3.7) and CBS’_ The Big Bang Theory_ (4.5) while _The Blacklist_ (2.6) slipped a tenth. PREVIOUS: We’re kicking off Week 3 of the new

season, and the dust is starting to settle on the Big 4 networks, with the plucky newcomers slowing down and incumbents reestablishing themselves as ratings leaders. Last Monday, _Scorpion_

was the highest rated drama of the night with a 3.0 adults 18-49 rating in the fast nationals, while Fox’s _Gotham_ tied NBC’s_ The Blacklis_t for No.2 with a 2.8. Last night, sophomore_ The

Blacklist_ was back to No.1 with a minimal one-tenth week-to-week slip to a 2.7, while _Gotham_ was down 11% and_ Scorpion_ was down 19%, both to a 2.5. Another second-year drama, Fox’s

_Sleepy Hollow_ (1.7) also was on par with last week, flat in 18-49. In total viewers, _Scorpion_ again led the pack with 11.8 million viewers, followed by _The Blacklist_ (10.1 million) and

_Gotham_ (6.3 million). Fox is more aggressive in their projections, expecting _Gotham_ to rise to a 4.4 demo rating in Live+7, with NBC projecting a 4.5 for_ The Blacklist_ and CBS

extrapolating to a 3.8 for _Scorpion._ Despite the drops, both _Gotham_ and _Scorpion_ remain solid performers, making serious cases for Back 9 orders. However, another Monday newcomer, CBS

veteran _NCIS: LA,_ has struggled so far. In its second outing on its new night, the spinoff series drew a 1.6 in 18-49 at 10 PM, down 16% from last week, finishing last in the time slot

behind _The Blacklist_ and ABC’s_ Castle_ (1.9, down 14% but may be adjusted up in the final). After losing ground in the Monday 10 PM hour last season with newbies _Hostages_ and

_Intelligence_, CBS bet on a proven veteran which had done extremely well paired with_ NCIS_ for years. However, in its new slot, it has been wilting, closely following the ratings

trajectory of the now defunct_ Hostages_ for the first two weeks (1.9 vs. 1.8 in Week 1, 1.6 vs. 1.5 in Week 2). Elsewhere on the Big 4, CBS’ _The Big Bang Theory_ (4.4, 15.5 million) was

down 6% from its fast national last Monday but still the top program of the night in 18-49 and total viewers. NBC’s _The Voice_ (3.9) was down 8% from its fast national last week, while

ABC’s _Dancing With The Star_s (1.8) currently runs even with last week though ABC’s fast nationals have been regularly adjusted up because of a Nielsen glitch. NBC won the night in 18-49

(3.6) and for now is edging CBS (11.5 million vs. 11.4 million) in total viewers. WATCH ON DEADLINE The CW turned lights on Monday night with the second season premiere of_ The Originals_

which, after tasked with facing _Marvel’s Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D._ last fall is pit against freshman superhero drama, _Gotham_. In a more competitive slot that also includes _The Big Bang

Theory_ and _The Voice, The Originals_ (0.7 in 18-49) was down 22% from its Tuesday debut last fall. It was also down a tenth in 18-49 from its season finale, but even in 18-34 (0.7).