Thursday TV Ratings 5/20/21: Last Man Standing Rises for Series Finale, Law & Order: SVU and Organized Crime Stable, Grey’s Anatomy Hits Series Low (UPDATED)

Preliminary Analysis: Amassing a total of 194 episodes and 9 seasons overall, Tim Allen sitcom 'Last Man Standing' (0.4) rose a tenth for its series finale. While serving as an improvement over the last three outings, this rating fell short of season-high territory and was lower than episodes from just a few months earlier. Although it'd have been foolish to expect 'Last Man' to soar into the 1.0 range for its last hurrah, it is disappointing that a program that aired for nearly a full decade would go out with such a whimper. Earlier in the night, Fox's puppet show 'Let's Be Real' (0.2) had a finale of its own, remaining steady at that pathetic number behind a 'Family Guy' encore. On ABC, 'Station 19' (0.7) lost a tenth while 'Grey's Anatomy' (0.8) shed a tenth-and-a-half. Canceled drama 'Rebel' (0.4) ticked up after having a repeat lead-in last week. Serving as the lone original on an island of reruns, CBS's 'United States of AI' (0.4) dropped by two-tenths and hit a new low. NBC was stable across the board with struggling 'Manifest' (0.4) and solid helpings of 'Law & Order: SVU' (0.7) and 'Organized Crime' (0.7). 'Walker' (0.2) gained a tenth on the CW as 'Legacies' (0.1) held even.

Finals Update: 'Station 19' (0.8, +0.1) and 'United States of Al '(0.5, +0.1) adjusted up. 

Thursday TV Ratings 5/13/21: Mom Rises for Series Finale, Manifest and Rebel Eye Series Lows, Law & Order: Organized Crime Rises for SVU Crossover (UPDATED)

Preliminary Analysis: CBS's long-running sitcom 'Mom' (0.7) ended its 8-season stint in respectable fashion. The Allison Janney comedy rose a tenth from last week and found itself smack-dab in season high territory. The 'Young Sheldon' season finale (0.7) and 'United States of AI (0.6) each ticked up, but the 'B Positive' finale (0.5) and 'Clarice' (0.3) failed to make any gains. On NBC, 'Manifest (0.4) fell to its lowest rating yet, losing a tenth on a week-to-week basis. 'Law & Order: SVU' (0.7) lost a tenth as 'Law & Order: Organized Crime' (0.7) managed to gain one at 10. ABC's 'Rebel' (0.3) crashed to a series low, the Katey Sagal drama had much less lead-in support than usual since 'Grey's Anatomy' (0.4/0.4) went into repeat-mode. 'Last Man Standing' (0.3) and 'Let's Be Real' (0.2) were unchanged on Fox, with 'Last Man' airing its last episode before next week's series finale. 'Walker' (0.1) and 'Legacies' (0.1) also matched their previous showings on the CW. 

Finals Update: 'Law & Order: SVU' (0.8, +0.1), the 'B Positive' finale (0.6, +0.1), a repeat of 'Grey's Anatomy' (0.5, +0.1), 'Last Man Standing' (0.4, +0.1), and 'Rebel' (0.4, +0.1) adjusted up. 

Thursday TV Ratings 5/6/21: Grey’s Anatomy Rises from Previous Preliminary Rating, Mom and B Positive Beat Young Sheldon and United States of Al, Rebel Ticks Up (UPDATED)

Preliminary Analysis: ABC remained in relatively strong shape as both 'Station 19' (0.7) and 'Grey's Anatomy' (0.9) held even. Struggling newbie 'Rebel' (0.5) even gained a tenth in the 10pm slot. CBS had a rough night in comparison, with 'Young Sheldon' (0.5) losing two-tenths and 'United States of AI' (0.4) shedding a tenth. Prospects brightened at 9 as 'Mom' (0.6) rose a tenth for its penultimate episode and 'B Positive' (0.5) inched up as well. 'Clarice' was frozen at a 0.3 rating at 10. NBC's double-pump of 'Manifest' (0.5/0.5) matched last week and led into another 'SVU' encore (0.4). Fox's feeble comedy duo of 'Last Man Standing' (0.3) and 'Let's Be Real' (0.2) held onto their poor week-ago ratings. They were preceded by a rerun of 'Name That Tune' (0.3). 'Walker' (0.1) inched down on the CW but 'Legacies' (0.1) tied its previous installment. 

Finals Update: Station 19 (+0.1), Grey's Anatomy (+0.1), Young Sheldon (+0.1) and United States of Al (+0.1) adjusted up.

Thursday TV Ratings 4/29/21: Let’s Be Real Bombs Behind Dropping Last Man Standing, Weaker NFL Draft Dominates, Manifest, Mom & B Positive Also Slip (UPDATED)

Preliminary Analysis: ABC traded out its drama trio for the '2021 NFL Draft' (1.0) and got slightly stronger ratings than usual. Despite that, the draft was four-tenths below the previous edition from 2020 (1.4). On CBS, 'Young Sheldon' (0.7) held even but 'United States of AI' (0.5), 'Mom' (0.5), and 'B Positive' (0.4) all lost a tenth. A repeat of 'Clarice' (0.2) clogged the 10pm slot once more. NBC's 'Manifest' (0.4/0.4) dropped to a new season low for a two-hour episode, leading into an encore of 'Law & Order: SVU' (0.3). Fox had an absolutely horrific night with 'Hell's Kitchen' out of the picture. Following a repeat of 'Name That Tune' (0.2), 'Last Man Standing' (0.3) fell to a brutal series low. At 9:30, the return of puppet comedy 'Let's Be Real' (0.2) bombed out the gate, 50% below the last time it aired (0.4) and even behind last week's installment of 'The Moodys' (0.34). The CW aired two royal-themed specials, 'William & Kate's Royal Anniversary' (0.1) and 'Harry & Meghan's American Dream' (0.1). Few tuned in to watch but those low ratings should definitely excite Piers Morgan.

Finals Update: 'NFL Draft' (+0.1) and both episodes of 'Manifest' (+0.1 each) adjusted up.

Thursday TV Ratings 3/25/21: Superstore Rises for Series Finale, Call Me Kat Slips for Finale, Greys Anatomy and Station 19 Tick Down (UPDATED)

Preliminary Analysis: Cloud 9 permanently shut down last night, with the series finale of NBC sitcom 'Superstore' (0.5/0.5) tying its week-ago rating for an hour-long farewell. Compared to recent NBC series finales, 'The Good Place (0.7) had a minor uptick while 'Will & Grace' (0.5) actually lost a tenth. Although 'Superstore' limped to the finish line this past season, the series deservers major praise for consistently garnering strong numbers for the five years prior. A repeat of 'SVU' (0.4) and a steady 'Dateline' (0.4) closed out a quiet evening for the peacock network. On ABC, 'Station 19' (0.7) and 'Grey's Anatomy' (0.9) shed a tenth apiece, but 'A Million Little Things' clung to last week's 0.5 rating in the 10pm slot. Fox's 'Hell's Kitchen' (0.8) remained in season high territory, but the 'Call Me Kat' finale (0.5) and 'Last Man Standing' (0.4) lost a tick. While a decline on finale night doesn't bode well for 'Kat', it did manage to avoid matching its low or creating a new one. CBS had encores of 'Young Sheldon' (0.4), 'B Positive' (0.4), 'Mom' (0.4), 'Bob Hearts Abishola' (0.3), and 'Clarice' (0.2). The CW had a 'Harry & Meghan' special (0.1) that couldn't hold a candle to their Oprah interview from early March. The royal dud was followed by a stable 'Legacies' (0.1).

Finals Update: Superstore at 8 PM (+0.1), Last Man Standing (+0.1) and Station 19 (+0.1) adjusted up. The repeat of Mom (-0.1) adjusted down.