30 rock

30 Rock’s Live Episode Gets a Ratings Boost

What’s the opposite of blerg? Going live provided a significant ratings boost for NBC’s 30 Rock, which delivered its biggest numbers of the young season Thursday. Per preliminary Nielsen numbers, the Tina Fey comedy averaged a 3.0 rating in the under-50 demo, up 43 percent from last week’s half-hour (and 15 percent above the 2.6 demo rating the show’s season debut earned last month in its new 8:30 p.m. time slot). More impressive, 30 Rock was also up versus its 2009–10 season average, when it aired in the much more plum 9:30 p.m. spot behind The Office. Early tune-in for 30 Rock also seemed to help Community, which upticked to a 2.2 rating in the younger demo, matching its season premiere and jumping 22 percent against last week. Still, the 30 Rock and Community hype wasn’t big enough to knock off CBS’s Big Bang Theory and $#*! My Dad Says, both of which won their time slots in both overall viewers and adults under 50. Fox’s Bones also trounced the Peacock half-hours in total audience (but lost the 8:30 half-hour to 30 Rock in the younger demo, despite an unadvertised cameo by Fox scheduling guru Preston Beckman, whom you’ve likely seen quoted in countless stories dissecting prime-time strategy).

30 Rock’s Live Episode Gets a Ratings Boost