Ratings Review: CBS Tuesdays - First 4 Weeks

CBS has only lacked one show to make their Tuesday night lineup completely solid. Even with down ratings, CBS may have its best lineup in nearly a decade.

The rock of the night starts off with NCIS. The only regular program that attracts more viewers, week-in and week-out, is SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL. It ability to deliver 18-20 million viewers each week is a huge platform for both advertisers and the network. And the A18-49 ratings make it a top 15 show. The only question really to ask is how long can it last?

NCIS: LA is a top 5 show in total viewership, but it has had the comfort of having the best lead in on TV for its entire run. It does not appear to have it own core audience, just NCIS fans watching a second hour of the franchise. Ratings are great and it holds a strong portion of its lead in.

For nearly a decade, CBS has struggled to program the 10 p.m. hour. Now with proven action drama PERSON OF INTEREST, CBS may have found a solution. Given the fact that ratings are down, over all, POI has filled in the slot nicely. True, retention numbers could a little better, they are solid for this day and age. It may take most of the season, but I would not be surprised to see PERSON OF INTEREST climb in both viewership totals and young demographic ratings.

LIVE+ SD Ratings

Series	Category	09/24	10/01	10/08	10/15	AVG
NCIS	Viewers*	20.02	19.98	18.33	18.83	19.29
	A18-49	3.6	3.5	2.8	3.1	3.3
NCIS: LA	Viewers*	16.35	15.09	14.84	14.65	15.23
	A18-49	3.0	2.7	2.6	2.6	2.7
Person Of Interest	Viewers*	12.44	12.35	11.65	12.69	12.28
	A18-49	2.3	2.1	2.0	2.2	2.2

* - in millions