Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Live +3 Bump Is Better Than Last Year’s, Ties It With NCIS: New Orleans

According to TV By the Numbers, S.H.I.E.L.D. went up to 8.9 million viewers (+48% – up +2.9 mil from 6.0 mil L+SD) and a 3.2 in Adults 18-49 (+52% – up +1.1 from 2.1 L+SD).  S.H.I.E.L.D.’s L3 gains were much higher than last year’s debut in viewers (+48% vs. 31%) and young adults (+52% vs. 38%).

Obviously, that last bit is in part because last year the show performed so remarkably well in overnight ratings that there wasn’t quite as much room for upward movement; its initial numbers last year were 55% higher than this year’s overnight ratings.

The end result of the big jump up in the L3 ratings was that the series now matched the premiere of NCIS: New Orleans, a spinoff of the hit CBS series that consistently beat out S.H.I.E.L.D. in the ratings last year. That’s good news for S.H.I.E.L.D., since as they discovered this time last year, a new series can sometimes peak at the pilot and beating an established hit is a lot easier with the buzz of audience curiosity than it is once people know what you’re up to and are making a distinct choice. Last year, the show rarely beat NCIS — the procedural drama was such a juggernaut that NCIS re-runs beat a new episode of S.H.I.E.L.D. at least once — but did so handily during premiere week.