Ratings: ‘Empire’ season 2, ‘Rosewood’ fall; ‘Code Black,’ ‘Chicago PD’ have so-so premieres

Let’s start this particular daily ratings article with a key observation: Did anyone really think that we were going to see big ratings right away for “Code Black” on CBS? It’s hard to really imagine that. There are approximately a million medical dramas on TV right now, and while the goal for this one may be to have it get that “gritty” reputation that so many seek, that does not mean it will pull in the numbers.

As a matter of fact, the series premiere on Wednesday drew just a 1.6 rating in the 18-49 demographic. We should point out that this is not in any way more terrible than the numbers we’ve seen for other new series over the past year or two in this timeslot, but given that this is the first episode, you’re putting pressure on yourself to maintain this almost the entire season to have a chance to come back. If “Code Black” dips to a 1.2 or so within the next week or two, we could have a code red situation for the drama.

Elsewhere, “Empire” still reigned supreme on the night with a 5.4 rating, but with this showed really for the first time that this is not a series that is going to be continually building in the live+same day figures. It is a sizable drop from the premiere, and “Rosewood” also lost 0.5 from its premiere audience on Fox, falling to a 1.9.

The ABC block of comedies continues to stay steady and therefore boring, and over on NBC the only real notable is the 1.7 for the premiere of “Chicago PD,” a respectable figure but one that is still not exactly blowing anyone’s mind. “Criminal Minds” was solid in starting with a 2.0, while “Survivor” (2.3) continues to show that no matter what, it seems to perpetually be steady.

What did you watch on Wednesday? Share with a comment.