Ratings: Broadcast Finals for October 18, 2012

THE BIG BANG THEORY and TWO AND A HALF MEN dominate the ratings Thursday night, while NBC's comedy combo of 30 ROCK and UP ALL NIGHT fall to fifth place.

THE BIG BANG THEORY posted id highest viewer totals of the season with 15.73 million viewers, plus a strong 4.8 rating in the A18-49 demo. That led into the best numbers of the season for TWO AND A HALF MEN. The 13.6 million viewers and 4.0 demo ratings is an increase of 20% in viewers and 14% in the demo, from the previous week.

On the flip side, 30 ROCK and UP ALL NIGHT posted another 5th place, in the demo ratings, for NBC this week. Between the two "comedies" they averaged 3 million viewers and under a 1.3 demo rating for the 8:00 p.m. hour. The saddest part about this is that we will have a full season of these ratings, each and every week.

ABC must feel good about the performance of LAST RESORT. It may not be breaking ratings records, but it is a solid second place, behind the CBS comedies. Thursday, it collected 7.1 million viewers and a 1.7 demo rating. That was up, slightly, from last week's numbers. If this trend continues, expect a back 9 order for LAST RESORT by the end of the November Sweeps.

Time	Net	Program	Viewers*	Demo	+/-
8:00	ABC	Last Resort	7.060	1.7
9:00	ABC	Grey's Anatomy	9.690	3.4	37.25%
10:00	ABC	Scandal	6.170	1.9	-36.33%
8:00	CBS	The Big Bang Theory	15.730	4.8
8:30	CBS	Two and a Half Men	13.600	4.0	-13.54%
9:00	CBS	Person of Interest	13.930	2.8	2.43%
10:00	CBS	Elementary	10.910	2.3	-21.68%
8:00	CW	The Vampire Diaries	2.910	1.3
9:00	CW	Beauty & The Beast	2.000	0.7	-31.27%
8:00	FOX	NLCS:  Game 4	6.040	1.6
8:00	NBC	30 Rock	3.040	1.2
8:30	NBC	Up All Night	2.990	1.3	-1.64%
9:00	NBC	The Office	4.280	2.1	43.14%
9:30	NBC	Parks & Rec	3.460	1.6	-19.16%
10:00	NBC	Rock Center	3.470	0.9	0.29%

* - in millions