How were NCIS ratings in first episode without Abby?

Did the NCIS ratings crash completely in the first episode without Pauley Perrette as Abby? Much of the response to that really depends heavily on how you choose to look at things.

If you look at things strictly in terms of this week’s performance versus last week’s big departure, it’s pretty clear that we are looking at a sizable drop. Tuesday’s new episode drew a 1.2 rating in the 18-49 demographic coupled with 12.5 million viewers. Meanwhile, Perrette’s final episode drew a 1.6 rating and over 15 million viewers. Clearly, there were a good 2.5 million people who wanted to see Abby’s farewell and weren’t as interested to watch the aftermath of what happened following her departure (at least not live).

Yet, when you look further back these ratings for Tuesday’s episode are pretty similar in both the demo rating and total viewers to what the show was getting prior to Pauley’s exit. Basically, it’s really too early to tell just how NCIS is going to fare without one of its most iconic and recognizable stars. There may still be a curiosity factor that plays out for the rest of the season and we may not realize for sure just how sizable her exit really is until we get around to the fall. That’s when the show will start to return a little bit to normal. With next week being the finale, we anticipate that this is going to be accompanied by at least some sort of ratings bump — though probably not one on the level of what the show got for the final episode featuring Perrette.

Overall, there is clearly not any concern in the long-term future of NCIS with the ratings still among the best out of any show on TV. We remain convinced that this is a series that will go on for however long the producers want it to, given that there is no clear movement on the part of CBS to end something that has been a consistent source of cash.

Related – Be sure to check out some additional news right now in regards to the finale.

What do you think about the NCIS ratings in the first episode without Abby in the cast? Be sure to share right now in the attached comments!

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