Thursday evening’s TV ratings are in, and it’s season finales galore.  Here’s a brief look at the highlights:

• The emotional series finale of The Office scored a 3.0 rating in the 18-49 demo and 5.7 million viewers, which is up from last week’s 2.3 rating and marks the highest-rated episode of the show since January of 2012.
• The season finale of CBS’ The Big Bang Theory, however, topped the night with a 4.4 rating and 14.78 million viewers.  That’s down half a ratings point from last week’s 4.9 rating but even with last year’s finale rating of 4.4.  The episode was the most watched program of the night, besting even the season finale of American Idol.
• Another season finale on CBS, that of Elementary, was up a tenth from last week’s series low with a 2.0 rating and 8.93 million viewers for the two-hour episode.

Hit the jump for the full ratings report for Thursday, May 16th, including Hannibal, Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal, and more.

One of The CW’s most anticipated new series for the upcoming fall season is The Vampire Diaries’ spin-off The Originals.  The sexy drama, set in the city of New Orleans, will follow Original vampires Klaus (Joseph Morgan), Elijah (Daniel Gillies) and Rebekah (Claire Holt), who quickly find themselves in the middle of tensions between the town’s supernatural factions, which are nearing a breaking point as the city’s leader, Marcel (Charles Michael Davis), commands his devoted followers and rules with absolute power.  The show also stars Phoebe Tonkin, Daniella Pineda, Leah Pipes and Danielle Campbell.

During this recent exclusive phone interview with Collider, actor Daniel Gillies talked about how much fun he’s had on The Vampire Diaries, how he felt about Elijah’s relationship with Katherine (Nina Dobrev), the experience of shooting the backdoor pilot for The Originals in New Orleans, that the series itself will shoot primarily in Atlanta (where The Vampire Diaries is shot), and that he’s hoping for possible cross-over episodes between the two shows.  He also talked about the challenging experience of making his directorial debut, Broken Kingdom, which you can now view on Showtime, along with the documentary about his journey with the film, Kingdom Come.  Check out what he had to say after the jump, and be aware that there are some spoilers.

Now that anchor series Gossip Girl and 90210 are off the schedule, the CW is reshuffling almost everything to give a push to new series (like putting Reign – a drama about Mary, Queen of Scots as a young woman in France — after veteran hit The Vampire Diaries).  Beauty and Beast, which had occupied that coveted post-Vampire Diaries spot before, has been moved to Mondays, and will air after new episodes of Hart of Dixie.  The changes also pair shows tonally, like new sci-fi series The Tormorrow People, which will premiere after the well-received Arrow (still on Wednesdays), and Vampire Diaries spin-off The Originals, which will air on Tuesdays with the shifted Supernatural.

Though the CW’s numbers can’t compete with the Big Four, the network knows its audience well, and employs social media better than most to promote its series.  Still, it could use a watershed must-see hit to really put it on firm ground.  For details on the new schedule, hit the jump. 

Thursday evening’s TV ratings are in.  Here’s a brief look at the highlights:

• The season—and possible series—finale of NBC’s Community hit a 1.3 rating in the 18-49 demo and scored 3.14 million viewers, which is up a tenth from last week’s 1.2 rating.  Though the show is still very much on the bubble for renewal, the latest word is that NBC might actually pick the show up for another season after all.
• CBS’ Elementary fell to a new series low with a 1.8 rating and 9.15 million viewers, dropping two tenths from last week’s series low 2.0 rating.  Nevertheless, the better-than-it-has-to-be Sherlock Holmes show has already been renewed for a second season.
• Elsewhere at CBS, The Big Bang Theory dropped three tenths from last week’s 4.9 rating to a 4.6 rating and scored 15.7 million viewers.  Despite the drop, the comedy juggernaut still managed to stand way above anything else on television for the night.

Hit the jump for the full ratings report for Thursday, May 9th, including Hannibal, Glee, The Office, Grey’s Anatomy, and more.

Thursday evening’s TV ratings are in.  Here’s a brief look at the highlights:

• NBC’s Community saw a healthy rise from last week’s series low, as last night’s episode hit a 1.2 rating in the 18-49 demo and 2.8 million viewers. That’s up 20% over last week’s 1.0 rating.
• Also up was the season finale of Parks and Recreation, which hit a 1.5 rating and 2.89 million viewers for a 15% rise over last week’s season low 1.3 rating.  However, the rating was down 12% from last year’s season finale’s 1.7 rating.
• The swell new NBC drama series Hannibal continues to struggle a tad, as last night’s episode notched a 1.0 rating and 2.51 million viewers, matching last week’s series low.

Hit the jump for the full ratings report for Thursday, May 2nd, including The Big Bang Theory, Two and a Half Men, Elementary, The Vampire Diaries, and more.

Fresh off NBC’s drama renewals earlier today, the CW has announced a few pickups for its network.  The CW has officially greenlit the spinoff of The Vampire Diaries, titled The Originals, to series.  Last night’s episode of TVD acted as a backdoor pilot for The Originals, and the new show will premiere this fall seemingly under the tutelage of The Vampire Diaries executive producer Julie Plec.

Additionally, the network has renewed the drama series Hart of Dixie and Beauty and the Beast for a third and second season, respectively.  While not a ratings juggernaut, the CW has carved out a niche market with its original programming geared towards a younger audience.  The network has already renewed The Vampire Diaries, Arrow, and Supernatural for the fall.  Read the full press release after the jump.

Thursday evening’s TV ratings are in, and the networks faced a sharp drop in viewership against the NFL Draft.  Here’s a brief look at the highlights:

• NBC’s fantastic new drama series Hannibal sadly saw another drop in ratings, as last night’s episode hit a 1.0 rating in the 18-49 demo and 2.4 million viewers.  That’s down four tenths from last week’s 1.4 rating.
• Even though CBS stalwart The Big Bang Theory drew more total viewers than all of NBC’s programming combined (yes, really), the show hit a season low rating of 4.2 for a drop of a full ratings point from its last originals’ 5.2 rating.  Nevertheless, the comedy dominated the night with 14.38 million viewers.
• Back over at NBC, though, a Jim Rash-penned episode of Community notched a series low 1.0 rating and 2.4 million viewers.  A sad fate for what was by far the best episode of an uneven season.

Hit the jump for the full ratings report for Thursday, April 25th, including Parks and Recreation, Person of Interest, Scandal, Elementary, The Vampire Diaries, and more.

Thursday evening’s TV ratings are in.  Here’s a brief rundown:

• Two excellent episodes of Parks and Recreation (watch Patton Oswalt’s brilliantly nerdy 8-minute outtake right here) marked an uptick for the NBC comedy, hitting a 1.7 rating in the 18-49 demo and 3.34 million viewers and a 1.7 rating and 3.25 million viewers.  That’s a 13% rise from last week’s 1.5 rating.
• Also up was the Christmas episode of Community, which scored a 1.3 rating and 3.19 million viewers for a rise of 8% over last week’s 1.2 rating.
• Unfortunately, the fantastic new drama series Hannibal was down 18% from last week’s 1.7 rating, hitting a 1.4 rating and 3.5 million viewers.  Seriously, this show is great.  Give it a shot, folks!
• Over on Fox, Glee garnered a 2.2 rating and 6.39 million viewers, which is down 8% from last week’s 2.4 rating.
• Finally, on The CW, The Vampire Diaries hit a 0.9 rating and 2.14 ratings for a 25% drop from its last original episode’s 1.2 rating, and Beauty and the Beast was even with a 0.6 rating and 1.6 million viewers.

Thursday evening’s NCAA basketball-hindered TV ratings are in.  Here’s a brief rundown:

• ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy was the highest rated program of the night, scoring a 2.8 rating in the 18-49 demo and 8.33 million viewers.  That’s down two tenths from last week’s 3.0 rating.  Meanwhile, Scandal dropped a tenth from last week to a 2.6 rating and 8.05 million viewers.
• Two new episodes of NBC’s comedy series 1600 Penn scored a series-low 0.7 rating and 1.89 million viewers, which is a two-tenths drop from last week’s 0.9 rating.
• Two episodes of Fox’s Raising Hope notched a 1.4 rating and 4.57 million viewers and a 1.2 rating and 3.49 million viewers, respectively.  That’s down from the last original episode’s 1.5 rating.
• Over at The CW, The Vampire Diaries garnered a 1.2 rating and 2.43 million viewers, dropping a tenth from last week’s 1.3 rating.  Beauty and the Beast was even with last week’s 0.6 rating in the demo and scored 1.55 million viewers.

The TV ratings for Thursday’s limited programming are in.  There weren’t too many original episodes due to the start of NCAA’s March Madness.

• NBC’s Community was even with last week’s performance, tying its series low with a 1.1 rating and 3.02 million viewers, while 1600 Penn earned a 0.9 rating and 2.54 million viewers and a series-low 0.8 rating and 2.29 million viewers with its two new episodes.
• ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy rose 12% from last week’s series low 2.6 rating, hitting a 2.9 rating and 9.11 million viewers.  Scandal was even with its last original episode’s 2.7 rating and scored 8.57 million viewers.
• Over at The CW, The Vampire Diaries notched a 1.2 rating and 2.55 million viewers, which is up 9% from last week’s 1.1 rating.  Beauty and the Beast was also up, hitting a 0.7 rating and 1.77 million viewers for a rise of 40% over last week’s 0.5 rating.
• Finally, Fox’s Glee was even with last week’s 2.0 rating and garnered 5.89 million viewers.

Thursday evening’s TV ratings are in.  Here’s a brief look at the highlights:

• NBC’s Community hit another series low last night, scoring a 1.0 rating and 2.61 million viewers.  That’s down half a ratings point from last week’s 1.5 rating.
• On the other hand, another excellent episode of Parks and Recreation saw a rise in viewership with a 1.6 rating and 3.01 million viewers.  That’s up two tenths from the last original episode’s 1.4 rating.
• Over on Fox, Glee saw a pretty dramatic dip as it scored a 2.0 rating and 5.46 million viewers for a drop of four tenths from last week’s 2.4 rating.

Hit the jump for the full ratings report for Thursday, March 14th, including The Big Bang Theory, Grey’s Anatomy, 1600 Penn, The Vampire Diaries, and more.

The TV ratings for Thursday evening’s programs are in.  Here’s a brief look at the highlights:

• A fantastically funny and heartfelt wedding episode of NBC’s Parks and Recreation sadly scored a series low for the comedy, hitting a 1.3 rating and 3.03 million viewers and a 1.4 rating and 2.91 million viewers for two back-to-back episodes.  The first installment is a drop of 13% from last week’s 1.5 rating.
• Season four of Community continues to struggle, as last night’s Comic-Con-inspired episode notched a 1.1 rating and 3.08 million viewers.  That’s down 8% from last week’s episode and marks a series low for the show.
• On the flipside, The CW’s The Vampire Diaries bested all of NBC and ABC’s programming in its timeslot, earning a 1.3 rating and 2.89 million viewers for a rise of 30% from last week’s 1.0 rating in the demo.

Hit the jump for the full ratings report for Thursday, February 21st, including Elementary, Two and a Half Men, Grey’s Anatomy, Zero Hour, The Big Bang Theory, and more.

On the new CW drama series Cult, investigative journalist Jeff Sefton (Matthew Davis) has learned to live with his younger brother Nate’s obsessions, including his latest rant that a hit TV show intends to harm him.  However, when his brother mysteriously disappears, Jeff takes Nate’s paranoia seriously and beings to uncover the dark underworld of the TV show centered on the cat-and-mouse game between a charismatic cult leader (Robert Knepper) and the detective (Alona Tal) who was once a cult member, and its rabid fans.  The only person who seems willing to help Jeff with his investigation into this double world is Skye Yarrow (Jessica Lucas), a young research assistant for the show, who has also started to grow suspicious of the increasingly dark happenings surrounding it.

During this recent exclusive interview with Collider, show star Matthew Davis talked about transitioning from The Vampire Diaries, why Cult appealed to him, whether he’s ever bummed that he only gets to play one character on the show, the relationship between Jeff and his brother, whether Skye is really an ally for Jeff, how viewers should always be looking for hidden clues to the mysteries, how he loves being #1 on the call sheet now, and his own personal relationship with social media.  Check out what he had to say after the jump. 

Thursday night’s TV ratings are in.  Here’s a brief look at the highlights:

• It wouldn’t be Community without drama.  Following last week’s promising numbers for the show’s long-delayed season four premiere, the comedy fell hard last night with a 1.1 rating in the demo and 2.75 million viewers.  That’s down a whopping 42% from last week’s premiere, but it’s also important to note that TV viewing as a whole was down last night in lieu of the Valentine’s Day holiday.
• The series premiere of ABC’s Zero Hour (read Allison’s recap here) didn’t drum up much interest.  The Anthony Edwards-led mystery adventure drama scored a 1.3 rating and 6.29 million viewers, which is ABC’s lowest rated premiere in the 18-49 demo ever.  On the bright side, it scored the second most-watched series premiere this year behind The Following.
• ABC’s soap Scandal surpassed lead-in Grey’s Anatomy for the first time ever, scoring a 2.8 rating in the demo versus Grey’s’ 2.7 rating.  The show netted 8.04 million viewers.

Hit the jump for the full ratings report for Thursday, February 14th, including The Big Bang Theory, Glee, The Office, Parks and Recreation, and more.

Fans of The CW network have reason to celebrate.  The CW announced today that they’ve given early pickups to their three most popular series: Arrow, The Vampire Diaries, and Supernatural.  The comic book adaptation Arrow was a bit of a gamble this year, but it appears to have paid off as the freshman series will be returning with new episodes next fall for a second season.  The smash hit The Vampire Diaries is the network’s highest rated series in the coveted 18-34 demo and will be returning next year for a fifth season, while the long-running Supernatural kicks off its ninth season (ninth!) next fall.

The latter series has enjoyed an uptick in ratings since being paired with Arrow on Wednesday nights, and it looks like the two will continue to be programming buddies next year.  The CW has thus far only cancelled one new series, Emily Owens, M.D., but will be kicking off a new show called Cult on February 19th.  Hit the jump for the full press release.