RATINGS RAT RACE: 'The Voice' Dips, 'Raising Hope' Rises

After stellar first two weeks, NBC’s new reality series The Voice (4.6/6) dropped 19%, but this is not an apples-to-apples comparison as the show aired a two-hour episode from 9-11 PM last week and an hourlong show last night at 10 PM, losing some of the younger potential audience. Still, The Voice topped the night in 18-49 by a wide margin and posted a rare 4-plus demo rating in the 10 PM hour. With The Voice abbreviated to an hour, NBC’s The Biggest Loser: Couples (2.6/7) expanded to its regular two-hour length from 8-10 PM but was down 4% from last week’s 8-9 PM episode. NBC (3.3/9 in 18-49, 8 million) topped the night in 18-49 for a third straight week.

The big beneficiary from The Voice‘s retreat from the 9 PM hour was Fox, whose comedies Raising Hope (2.2/6) and newly canceled Traffic Light (1.4/4) shot up by 22% and 27%, respectively, to post two-month highs. Glee (3.6/11) was down a tenth but is expected to end up even with last week when the finals are released this afternoon. Also getting a bounce from not facing The Voice was ABC’s Dancing With the Stars result show (3.2/8), up 7%. Freshman Body of Proof (2.1/6) was up 5%, finishing second in the 10 PM hour behind the NBC singing competition series.

CBS’ NCIS (3.5/11) was down 5% and NCIS: LA (2.8/8) down 3%, both hitting season lows. After a 20% jump last week, The Good Wife (2.0/5) gave up most of the ground, dropping 17%. CBS (2.8/8, 14.5 million) still won the night in total viewers. CW’s dramas One Tree Hill and Hellcats were status quo.