Look, there was no way "Roseanne" was going to grow or even hold steady from last week's monster premiere — the question was how much would its "live" ratings decline?
We now have the answer: Comparing 8-8:30 p.m. week to week, the "Roseanne" decline was -20 percent in the key 18-49 demographic and -16 percent in overall viewers. If you were to include last week's 8:30-9 p.m. time slot as well, last night's "Roseanne" drop-off grows to -25 percent in the demo and -18 percent overall.
Still, ABC sitcom put up huge numbers again on Tuesday — a 3.9 rating and 15.1 million viewers — and the network finished No. 1 in primetime for the main demo. ABC ended up third among total viewers, however, as other shows dragged the "Roseanne" average down too much. Plus, ABC still aired a couple of shows called "NCIS" and "Bull," which are eyeball-eaters (and we mean that in a good way).
ABC was first in ratings with a 1.8 rating in the advertiser-coveted 18-49 demographic and in total viewers with an average of 6.6 million, according to preliminary numbers. After "Roseanne" aired, "The Middle" at 8:30 posted a 2.2 and 8.3 million viewers.
CBS and NBC tied for second in ratings, both with a 1.2. CBS was first in total viewers with 10.5 million, NBC was second with 6.7 million.
