Ironside Rolls to a Dead Stop; Super Fun Night Lifts ABC

ABC’s decision to mothball the Super Fun Night pilot seems to have paid off, as the replacement episode performed well on Wednesday night. The series premiere of the Rebel Wilson vehicle delivered 8.23 million viewers and a 3.2 rating among adults 18-49, making it the night’s No. 2 show. Per Nielsen live-plus-same-day data, lead-in Modern Family won the night with a 4.2 in the dollar demo—flat versus last week’s season premiere. Through the first 10 days of the new season, Super Fun Night now stands as the second highest-rated new comedy premiere, trailing CBS’ The Crazy Ones (3.9) and edging ABC’s The Goldbergs (3.1). ABC pulled the critically derided pilot shortly after the summer TCA press tour. In its place, the network slotted Episode 102, which featured a plot that allowed Wilson to show off her Pitch Perfect pipes. As expected, Wilson’s showcase was a hit with the ladies, averaging a 4.1 among women 18-49, a 4.5 with women 25-54 and a 3.6 rating in the women 18-34 demo. Super Fun Night tied last year’s time slot occupant, The Neighbors, in the adults 18-49 demo. Whereas the aliens-among-us comedy squandered 42 percent of its Modern Family lead-in, Super Fun was a bit more stable, falling 24 percent from the previous half-hour. (Year-over-year comparisons are admittedly a bit dicey; after bowing in the 9:30 p.m. slot on Sept. 26, 2012, The Neighbors was shifted to 8:30.) Earlier in the night, ABC’s other Hump Day freshman comedy, Back in the Game, averaged 6.71 million viewers and a 1.9 in the demo, down 14 percent from the 2.2 it delivered in its debut. At 10 p.m., Nashville was stable, averaging 5.98 million viewers and a 1.9 in the demo, down just one-tenth of a point versus last week. While Super Fun got off to an encouraging start, Wednesday night’s other newcomer didn’t fare nearly as well. NBC’s remake of the old (1967-1975) Raymond Burr procedural Ironside scared up 6.81 million viewers and a 1.3 in the demo, making it the Peacock’s all-time lowest-rated fall drama premiere. Ironside underperformed former time slot occupant Chicago Fire, which bowed last October to a 1.9 rating. The wheelchair-cop drama put up its biggest numbers with the women 25-54 set, averaging a 2.3; by comparison, the rating for men 25-54 was a 1.5. NBC never really caught fire last night, as Revolution fell 11 percent to a series-low 1.6 rating and Law & Order: SVU dropped 26 percent to a 2.0. Without the luxury of having The Voice as a lead-in, Revolution has dropped 35 percent from its Season 1 average. CBS won the night with an average draw of 10.3 million viewers, while ABC took top honors in the demo (2.7). CBS’ lineup was the very picture of stability, as Survivor led off the night with a 2.7 rating, up 13 percent versus last week, while Criminal Minds dipped 4 percent and CSI improved by 5 percent. Meanwhile, Fox’s The X Factor seems to have found its level, drawing 7.80 million viewers and a 2.4 rating from 8-10 p.m. Down one-tenth of a point from a week ago, Wednesday night’s Factor is now the second highest-rated episode of its third season. If The X Factor is holding its ground, it’s still not living up to past seasons. A year ago, Simon Cowell’s musical competition series drew a 3.5 in the demo; the comparable Season 1 broadcast drew a 4.1.

Convergent TV

Ironside Rolls to a Dead Stop; Super Fun Night Lifts ABC

Cop show is NBC’s all-time lowest-rated fall drama debut

Anthony Crupi

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Anthony Crupi