Viewers tuned in to watch Glee's tribute episode to Cory Monteith.
The Thursday hour, which featured original castmembers return, posted the Fox dramedy's best rating since Sept. 20, 2012 in total viewers and in the advertiser-coveted adults 18-49 demographic. In the younger 18-34 demo, Glee posted its best rating since Sept. 13, 2012, jumping a massive 81 percent, while also posting a 50-percent increase among teens.
Glee improved 68 percent in total viewers (7.4 million vs. 4.4 million) and 75 percent in 18-49 (2.8 rating vs. 1.6 rating) compared to last week. Notably, the episode tied Grey's Anatomy in 18-49 in head-to-head competition at 9 p.m.
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Leading in to Glee, The X Factor (6.3 million, 1.9) dropped slightly from last week.
ABC debuted Once Upon a Time in Wonderland (5.7 million, 1.7) in the 8 p.m. slot on a competitive night, with the Once Upon a Time spinoff premiering relatively weak in a time period that has proved troubling for the network in recent years. Compared to the launch of Last Resort last fall, Wonderland was down 23 percent in the demo, making it the lowest-rated Thursday fall premiere for ABC since 2010.
The 200th episode Grey's Anatomy (8.7 million, 2.8) and Scandal (9 million, 3.1) both slipped, with the latter tied (with CBS' The Millers, and behind The Big Bang Theory) as the second highest-rated scripted broadcast offering.
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The majority of NBC's Thursday lineup saw huge dips, at least 20 percent to be specific, with a steady Parks and Recreation (3.2 million, 1.2) the only bright spot. Here's how it all broke down: Welcome to the Family (2.5 million, 0.8) dropped 27 percent, Sean Saves the World (3.3 million, 1.0) slipped 29 percent, The Michael J. Fox Show (3.8 million, 1.2) slipped another 29 percent and Parenthood (3.7 million, 1.2) hitting a series low.
CBS' The Big Bang Theory (17.2 million, 4.9) continued as king of Thursday nights, easily winning the evening as the most-watched and top-rated scripted broadcast program. Rookie comedy The Millers (11.9 million, 3.1) slipped just 6 percent, while The Crazy Ones (9.9 million, 2.4) also saw a drop and Two and a Half Men (9 million, 2.3) hit a new low. In its 10 p.m. perch, Elementary (8.9 million, 1.9) slipped 5 percent.
Meanwhile, The CW's The Vampire Diaries (2.5 million, 1.1) saw a slight dip in the demo from its premiere last week, and was followed by an encore of The Originals (1.9 million, 0.8).
CBS topped the evening in viewership with a 11 million primetime average and also won the night in the 18-49 demo with a 2.8 rating. ABC placed second on the evening in both measures (7.8 million, 2.5), while Fox placed third (6.9 million, 2.4).
E-mail: Philiana.Ng@THR.com
Twitter: @insidethetube
