ABC Not Afraid To Pull V Until March

Opening week of the reboot of the ’80s Earth-invaders series, V, was seen by 14.3 million viewers, according to the Nielsen Company. That was the second-best new series premier for the season behind the CBS spin-off NCIS: Los Angeles, and it was the most-watched scripted show of the week among the young demographic networks bend over backwards for.

The audience and the vaunted 18-49 demographic performance for V almost tripled from what the network usually averages with the reality show Shark Tank in that same time slot. The show, “about aliens who seem friendly when they come to Earth seeking water but actually have ulterior motives,” built its audience in the second half-hour, which is usually a great sign that interest in the show held throughout the episode, though it seems the interest in V ended when the credits on the show ran. There was not much of a trickle-down effect from V for the rest of ABC’s all-star lineup. Dancing With the Stars still averaged 14.5 million viewers and finished third in adults 18-49 with a 3.1 rating. The Forgotten drew 7.6 million viewers and tied NBC’s Jay Leno with a 2.0 in adults 18-49.