“Supergirl” took flight in the ratings Monday night for CBS, riding fanboy/fangirl curiosity, a strong lead-in and mostly positive reviews to the fall’s top premiere score in the key young-adult demo as well as total viewers.
In Nielsen’s preliminary national estimates, “Supergirl” averaged a 3.2 rating/10 share in adults 18-49 and 12.9 million viewers overall from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m., retaining 76% of the young-adult audience for “The Big Bang Theory” in the 8 o’clock half-hour (five-week high 4.2/14 in 18-49, 15.9 million viewers overall). The DC Comics adaptation starring Melissa Benoist ranked No. 2 behind only “Big Bang” among Monday’s entertainment series.
“Supergirl” will have to do battle starting next week without a lead-in from TV’s No. 1 comedy, though CBS has to be pleased that the superhero show grew slightly in its second half-hour in 18-49 (3.2 vs. 3.1) while holding steady in both 25-54 (4.0) and 18-34 (1.8).
Monday’s opening for “Supergirl” is on par with what “Scorpion” bowed to last fall (3.2 in 18-49, 13.9 million total viewers) when it too was launched behind (a higher-rated) “The Big Bang Theory.”
Among the premieres this fall, “Supergirl” rates No. 1 in adults 18-49, edging out NBC’s “Blindspot” (3.1) — both from uber producer Greg Berlanti. And for all of 2015, it’s fourth — behind only, AMC’s “The Walking Dead” spinoff “Fear the Walking Dead” from August (4.9), Fox’s “Empire” in January (3.8) and AMC’s “Better Call Saul” in February (3.4, airing behind “The Walking Dead”).
“Supergirl” is also the fall’s top-rated new series in all key male demos. And in total viewers, “Supergirl” tops the bows of CBS comedy “Life in Pieces” (11.3 million) and NBC drama “Blindspot” (10.6 million) to rank No. 1 for fall by this measure as well.
Monday’s premiere exceeded most prognostications, though some thought it would have popped a bit more, given that comicbook geeks generally help series with superhero themes get off to outsized starts. ABC’s “Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD,” for example, opened in September 2013 with the highest adults 18-49 rating for any new broadcast drama in recent years (4.7) but is now doing about one-third of that in same-night numbers in its third season, and Fox’s “Gotham” opened with a strong 3.3 in September of 2014 and is currently doing less than half that for Fox early in its second season. Both shows are doing fine for their respective networks, but they’re not the juggernauts they appeared out of the gate.
