RATINGS RAT RACE: ABC, CW And Fox Up, CBS Down, NBC Flat On Monday

After getting a ratings hit on Valentine’s Day, ABC’s female-friendly Monday lineup had a rebounded nicely last night. The Bachelor (3.3/9 in adults 18-49, 10.3 million viewers) was up 14% from last week in the demo for a season high. Castle (2.6/7, 9 million) was up 18%. With CBS’ flagship Monday series, Two and a Half Men, in repeat, ABC edged CBS for the top spot in adults 18-49 (3.1/8), scoring its best Monday numbers in the demo and total viewers (9.9 million) in 3 months.

CBS’ midseason comedy Mad Love (2.8/7, 8 million) slipped 7% from its so-so premiere last week. Its lead-in, How I Met Your Mother (3.6/10, 9.4 million) was down 3%. With its lead-in, Two and a Half Men (3.0/8, 11.5 million), a repeat after airing its last original completed before the current hiatus last week, Mike & Molly (3.2/8, 11.3 million) was down 16% from last week when it drew its largest audience ever. At 10 PM, Hawaii Five-0 (2.7/8, 10.2 million) was less impacted, down 4% from last week in the demo. The action drama won the 10 PM slot by a razor-thin margin in the demo and comfortably in total viewers. CBS (3.0/8, 10.1 million) finished first for the night in total viewers and close second in 18-49.

Fox’s dramas were up slightly after posting double-digit declines last week. House (3.5/9, 10.4 million) was up 3% in the demo, while new drama The Chicago Code (2.1/6, 8 million) was up 5%.

NBC’s low-rated Monday lineup was frozen in time, with all 3 series repeating their demo performances from last week: Chuck (1.7/4, 5.5 million), The Cape (1.2/3, 4.1 million) and Harry’s Law (1.7/5, 8.7 million), all tied as series lows. Chuck and The Cape also matched their viewer numbers from last week while Harry’s Law’s audience was up a fraction.

Like ABC, the CW’s female-centric Monday lineup rebounded after suffering major declines on Valentine’s Day.  Gossip Girl (1.6 million, 1.0/3 in adults 18-34) was up 16% in viewers and 20% in 18-34. 90210 (1.5 million, 0.9/3) was up 7% in viewers and 11% in 18-34.