TV Ratings: 'Fear Factor' Stages a Welcome Return, CBS Still on Top

Michael Weaver/NBC

The brief revival of Fear Factor may have more life to it if it maintains its premiere's strong showing among adults 18-49. Though CBS still won the night in the key demo, NBC's competition pushed it to number two for the night, with its strongest Monday in recent memory.

Fear Factor pulled in a 3.2 rating among adults 18-49 at 8:00 p.m. and rose to a 3.5 in the second hour. The two-hour broadcast also averaged 8.6 million viewers, leading into Chelsea Clinton's Rock Center debut, which was up from the previous week for a 1.1 rating. NBC averaged 2.6 among adults 18-40 for the night.

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CBS won the night in viewers and the demo, though the network's slightly tweaked schedule saw it dip nearly 12 percent among adults 18-49. How I Met Your Mother, which enjoyed three-year time slot highs last week, was off the schedule, leaving a softer 2 Broke Girls (4.1 in 18-49-ers) at 8:00 p.m., followed by a repeat of the same (3.3), Two and a Half Men (4.6) and Mike & Molly (3.9). Hawaii Five-0 finished off the night with a 2.8.

Fox's final ratings will likely be adjusted up, as the St. Louis affiliate aired Monday's NFL game, but as it stands the network brought in an average 1.8 among adults 18-49 for the night. Terra Nova matched series lows for the penultimate episode of its freshman season. The drama pulled in a 2.1 rating among the key demo, with an audience of 6.99 million. An encore of House brought in a 1.4.

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You Deserve It, ABC's good-natured game show, continued to suffer. The series hit another low -- a 0.9 rating among adults 18-49 -- after the network's airing of I Want a Dog For Christmas (1.4). A Castle rerun (1.0) capped off the night, bringing its average to a 1.1 rating.

Hart of Dixie had two repeats on the CW, which netted a 0.5 rating with adults 18-49 for the night.

Monday, Dec. 12, Overnight Ratings:

8 p.m.
CBS: 2 Broke Girls (12.5 million viewers, 4.1 rating in adults 18-49)
NBC: Fear Factor (8.7 million, 3.2)
Fox: Terra Nova (6.99 million, 2.1)
ABC: I Want a Dog For Christmas (5.3 million, 1.4)
The CW: Hart of Dixie (R) (1.4 million, 0.4)

8:30 p.m.
CBS: 2 Broke Girls (R) (10.3 million, 3.3)

9 p.m.
CBS: Two and a Half Men (14.7 million, 4.6)
NBC: Fear Factor (8.5 million, 3.5)
Fox: House (R) (4.4 million, 1.4)
ABC: You Deserve It (3.4 million, 0.9)
The CW: Hart of Dixie (R) (1.3 million, 0.5)

9:30 p.m.
CBS: Mike & Molly (12.8 million, 3.9)

10 p.m.
CBS: Hawaii Five-0 (10.9 million, 2.8)
NBC: Rock Center With Brian Williams (4.0 million, 1.1)
ABC: Castle (R) (4.2 million, 1.0)