CBS had an eventful and successful Thursday, shutting the stage doors on "Two and a Half Men" and introducing the world to its new "Odd Couple" remake.
"Men" topped its timeslot in total viewers, but lost to ABC's "Scandal" in the advertiser-sought 18-49 demographic by one-tenth of a ratings point, 3.2 to 3.1. The two networks tied for first place overall in the key demo, with CBS claiming a victory in total viewers.
"The Odd Couple" had a strong premiere before Jon Cryer's and Ashton Kutcher's farewell episode, finishing as the second-highest rated comedy debut (to ABC's "Black-ish" this season, with a 3.1. The show boasted 13.6 million total viewers per the preliminary numbers. It had the benefit of being sandwiched between the highly anticipated "Men" finale and TV's biggest comedy, "The Big Bang Theory," which served as the Matthew Perry-Thomas Lennon vehicle's lead-in.
"Two and a Half Men's" 13.2 million total viewers represented a 41 percent increase from last week and the show's most since April 2013. Its 3.1 demo rating was up 48 percent from last week and is the sitcom's top mark since May 2013.
CBS and ABC tied for first in ratings, each with a 2.8 rating/9 share in the key demo. CBS was first in total viewers with an average of 12.2 million, ABC was second with 8.8 million.
Univision was third in ratings with a 1.8/6, but fifth and in viewers with 4.2 million.
