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‘The Great Indoors’ Off To Decent Ratings Start, ‘Pure Genius’ Low – Update

Snapshot updated with finals: New series premieres: CBSThe Great Indoors (1.9 in 18-49, adjusted down -0.1), Pure Genius (1.0, adjusted down -0.2); Returning series premiere: CBS’ Mom (1.5, adjusted down -0.1), Life In Pieces (1.4, adjusted down -0.1).

UPDATE 2 PM: As expected, all CBS series except for The Big Bang Theory were adjusted down from the slightly inflated fast nationals due to NFL pre-emptions. The slide was biggest for new drama Pure Genius, which went down from a 1.2 to a 1.0. That is below the low start in the same Thursday 10 PM slot of the short-lived Rush Hour last spring (1.1). It is believed to be the lowest Live+same day premiere rating for an in-season CBS drama.

The Great Indoors (1.9), the lowest-rated CBS comedy premiere behind The Big Bang Theory, now ties the L+SD Thursday time slot debut of Life In Pieces in the 8:30 PM half-hour last fall. LIP (1.4) hit a series low in its new 9:30 PM slot, airing without a Big Bang lead-in for the first time, -0.2 from its Season 1 finale. Mom (1.5) was even with its L+SD season premiere last fall.

On the upside, NBC’s Chicago Med (1.5) ticked up a tenth in the final to set a new season high, up +25% from last week; The Good Place also inched up a tenth, up +20% week-to-week.

PREVIOUS 10 AM: After strong early launches for comedy Kevin Can Wait and dramas Bull and MacGyver — all already picked up for full seasons — it’s been a so-so start for the second wave of CBS’ new fall series this week. Following the OK not great debut for the Matt LeBlanc starrer Man with a Plan on Monday, fellow freshman comedy The Great Indoors last night got off to a decent start, while it was a slow going for new medical drama Pure Genius, which may have suffered from a somewhat confusing title.

In the fast nationals, The Great Indoors drew a 2.0 in adults 18-49 at 8:30 PM, while Pure Genius posted a 1.2. CBS had two NFL pre-emptions in smaller markets, so downward adjustments of -0.1 for both shows are possible. With that in mind, here is where they stand in the early going.

The Great Indoors followed The Big Bang Theory (3.4) which matched the fast national for its last Monday outing. This would mark the lowest-rated CBS comedy premiere behind Big Bang. The rating for the sitcom starring Joel McHale would put it on par with the time slot debut in the half-hour last fall of Life In Pieces (1.9) which had launched behind Big Bang on Monday. (The Great Indoors also showed a decent retention for a post-Big Bang comedy, 59%).

Speaking of Life In Pieces, the family comedy returned for its second season with a 1.5 in 18-49 in its new 9:30 PM time slot. It posted its lowest Live+same day rating in its first original airing without a Big Bang lead-in. It is currently running off by a -0.1 from its Season 1 finale, which marked its previous low, and down -42% from its potent series debut last fall. Still, Life In Pieces held onto its new lead-in, Mom (1.6), which was actually up a tenth from its season opener last fall, so even with a downward adjustment it will end up on par year-to-year.

However, a possible downward adjustment for Pure Genius (currently at 1.2), would put it on par with the unimpressive debut in the time slot last spring of Rush Hour, which had a very short run. Pure Genius was even or a tick higher than the season opener of Elementary in the hour last fall (1.1) but that is an older show with proven time-shifting strength that also is owned by CBS and is printing money for the company with off-network and international deals. (Pure Genius comes from Universal TV, which is a lead studio, co-producing with CBS Studios).

Pure Genius still finished on top, tied (for now) in the 10 PM hour with NBC’s The Blacklist and ABC’s How To Get Away with Murder, both also at 1.2 in 18-49.

Facing regular competition on CBS vs. Thursday Night Football last week, the entire NBC lineup inched up. Superstore (1.3) was up +30%, The Good Place (1.1) was up +10%, Chicago Med (1.4) was up +17% to tie a season high, and The Blacklist (1.2) was up +9%.

Also getting an uptick was ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy (2.2). New drama Notorious (0.8), whose order was just cut down from 13 to 10, slipped a tenth, while HTGAWM (1.2) was steady. Also steady week-to-week were Fox dramas Rosewood (0.8) and Pitch (0.8). The CW’s genre dramas Legends of Tomorrow (0.6) and Supernatural (0.6) were off by a tenth and even, respectively.

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