ABC's 'Bachelorette' ratings rise

By Paul J. Gough

"The Bachelorette" rose week-to-week and carried ABC to a win in Monday's primetime.

The two-hour ABC series averaged 9.6 million viewers and a 3.1 rating/9 share in the adults 18-49 demographic, Nielsen Media Research said Tuesday. It's up 15% in adults 18-49 compared to last week.

Up against "The Bachelorette," Fox's scripted series "Lie to Me" (6.1 million, 1.9/6) came in a distant second place at 8 p.m. But "Lie to Me" increased 6% in adults 18-49 and showed rises in younger demos. Fox's 9 p.m. scripted series, "The Good Guys" (4.3 million, 1.2/3) did a less-than-fine job of retaining the "Lie to Me" audience. "The Good Guys" was flat compared to last week in adults 18-49, though up slightly (2%) in viewers.

ABC handily won the night in viewers and adults 18-49. At 10 p.m., "True Beauty" couldn't capitalize on "The Bachelorette" lead-in. ABC dropped nearly half of its viewership -- from 10.2 million to 5.3 million -- between 9:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. when "True Beauty" took over. It took a big hit, from a 3.3/9 in adults 18-49 at 9:30 p.m to a 1.9/5 in the 10 p.m. half hour.

Meanwhile over at NBC, things weren't as funny for its drama "Persons Unknown" and a two-hour "Last Comic Standing." "Persons Unknown" (2.9 million, 0.9/3) fell 10% in adults 18-49 from last week to its lowest level this summer. The two-hour "Last Comic Standing" (4.1 million, 1.6/5) did better than "Persons Unknown" but was still down 11% from a week ago. "Last Comic Standing" tied its lowest-rated telecast ever. NBC still won the 10 p.m. hour with a 1.8/5, just edging out ABC's "True Beauty."