ABC’s “Scandal” fell to a season low Thursday night, while CBS’ “Elementary” hovered near its nadir. And earlier in the week, even NBC’s “Blacklist” — the strongest and most consistent rookie this fall — was down a couple of ticks.
Fans of these shows have to be scratching their heads over why the ratings for their faves are falling even though they remain among TV’s buzziest shows and their perceived quality has remained consistent.
Big sports competition (especially from the NFL) is partly to blame, as scripted series typically take a back seat to live action in our DVR world. But it’s also because these series air at 10 p.m., and shows scheduled for this time are seeing record DVR playback this fall — at percentages much larger than those airing earlier in the evening.
Source: Variety
