Ratings: ‘Backstrom’ starts okay; key ‘Mom,’ ‘Elementary’ episodes rise

For its first episode of the series, “Backstrom” should feel good about its performance … though it should be very worried about its future.

The Rainn Wilson crime procedural, which comes from the mind of Hart Hanson, drew a 2.0 rating in the 18-49 demographic for its series premiere episode. This is nice retention from the “American Idol” episode before it (2.7), but not anywhere near the huge numbers that “Empire” is getting at the moment. If we were the producers of this show, we’d be worried about the next few weeks. “Scandal” will be coming back on the air January 29, and that is a huge competitor. The same goes for “The Blacklist” coming up the following week. These two shows could eat away at the audience, especially since early reviews of the premiere were not entirely favorable.

Meanwhile, CBS had what we would consider to be a pretty solid night. Despite not having a lead-in other than a “Big Bang Theory” repeat, “Mom” (2.5) had a great performance for what turned out to be an extremely powerful episode. We’re feeling more and more like this series may actually be that rare comedy hit, which we don’t have often these days.

Also worth noting? “Elementary” (1.5) reached its season high, which is a good setup since next week it will have to face off against the return of “How to Get Away with Murder” on ABC. During the fall, this show seemed to hurt it.

For those wondering, the penultimate “Parenthood” drew a 1.3 rating, and “The Vampire Diaries” (0.7) tied its series low.