TV ratings: ‘Following’ down without football as most shows rise

As expected, ratings for the second episode of the season for Fox’s “The Following� were significantly lower in its move to its regular time slot, while most broadcast shows rose week-to-week and CBS’ lineup surged to win Monday night.

The second-season premiere of the Kevin Bacon crime drama last Sunday benefited from a huge lead-in: the NFC championship game. The NFL-boosted premiere scored a 4.4 rating in the advertiser-coveted age group. Monday’s telecast at 9 p.m., after a “Following� rerun, drew 6 million viewers and a rating of 2.0 in the key 18-49 demographic.

Still, the network is expecting a substantial lift from viewers catching up via digital video recorders, video-on-demand and online streaming.

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CBS had a strong night, with double-digit percentage gains across its lineup. The 200th episode of “How I Met Your Mother� was the highest-rated show of the night in the key demo, earning a 3.8 (up 23% from last week), and reaching its largest audience (10.7 million) since December 2011. “2 Broke Girls� rose 11% to a 3.0, leading into “Mike & Molly,� which rose 24% to a 2.6. “Mom� surged to a 2.4. Closing out prime time, “Intelligence,� which has posted lackluster numbers since its premiere, drew a 1.5 in 18-49, up 36% from last week.

On NBC, the FBI drama “The Blacklist� grew 9% from last week to a 2.5 in 18-49 and drew 9.96 million viewers overall. Back-to-back episodes of “Hollywood Game Night� drew 5.6 million viewers at 8 p.m. and 4.5 million at 9 p.m.

ABC’s two-hour “The Bachelor� rose 9% week-to-week to a 2.5 and averaged 8.6 million viewers overall, its best numbers since the season premiere this month.

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