NBC continued to have misfortunes on nights that don’t feature football Wednesday, as it’s highest rated show for the night–“Law and Order: SVU” achieved just a 2.2 rating and 8 million viewers. Things were much worse for “Undercovers,” which is all but cancelled–pulling just a 1.4 rating and 6 million viewers. New show “Law and Order: LA” wasn’t much better, sinking to a 1.9 rating and 7.1 million viewers.
“Modern Family” was the highest rated show of the night, drawing a 4.7 rating and 11.3 million viewers. The 4.7 rating ties the highest scripted show so far this week, and the show was in a 3-way tie for that title last week as well. “Cougar Town” was up at 9:30, posting a 3.2 rating and 7.3 million viewers. At 8, “The Middle” was in the middle of the pack, with a 2.4 rating and 8 million viewers, while “Better with You” was lower at 2.1 with 6.4 million viewers. At 10, ABC replaced the heavily struggling (read: soon-to-be-cancelled) “The Whole Truth” with “20/20,” which posted a 1.8 rating and 6 million viewers–an increase over “The Whole Truth’s” last outing. Stick a fork in it–it’s done.
CBS was strong for the night with “Survivor: Nicaragua” winning the 8 p.m. hour with a 3.7 rating and 12 million viewers. “Criminal Minds” posted 13.8 million viewers and a 3.5 rating at 9, and “The Defenders,” though mediocre, won the 10 p.m. hour with a 2.4 rating and 10 million viewers.
Fox ran “Hell’s Kitchen” from 8-10, which posted a strong 3.1 rating over the period.
The big question for Wednesday ratings this fall is what will be cancelled first: “Undercovers” or “The Whole Truth?”