"Supergirl" just crushed the competition. The new CBS series is now the season's most-watched premiere.
It debuted Monday night to record numbers for the season: 12.9 million viewers and a huge 3.2 rating among the advertiser-coveted 18- to 49-year-old audience, according to a CBS news release.
That means "Supergirl" beat CBS comedy "Life in Pieces" (11.3 million viewers) for most viewers and NBC's "Blindspot" (3.1 rating) for bigger 18-49 rating.
"Supergirl" clearly benefited from its "Big Bang Theory" lead-in. The comedy is TV's most-watched show and currently averages 15.72 million viewers.
The DC Comics series moves to its regular time—Mondays at 8 p.m.—starting next week, so it remains to be seen how much of its audience it will retain after reaction to the pilot and without the "Big Bang" lead.
CBS has put a ton of marketing muscle into "Supergirl" for a couple reasons: First, this is the network's first foray into popular comic book-based shows. With ABC, Fox, and even little sister network The CW pulling off the genre for seasons now, CBS would rather not see its first attempt fail with viewers (like NBC with DC's "Constantine").
Secondly, and most importantly, "Supergirl" is part of CBS's plan to drive the age of its viewers down. Traditionally known as the network for old folks, it hopes to become more competitive in the 18-49 demographic with shows that attract younger audiences like "Supergirl,""Scorpion," and "Life in Pieces." It's too early to tell if that plan's worked, but the network is certainly trying.
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