Ratings shocker: ‘The Vampire Diaries,’ ‘Reign’ combined beat NBC’s programming block

How is this for a sign of a new-found ratings momentum? For the first time with lineups featuring all-new, regularly-scheduled programming, The CW has actually beaten NBC in the 18-49 demographic in the two hours that it was on the air. That is great news for a network that has been at times a laughingstock (yes we are talking about NBC), and it is extremely embarrassing for a network that should be doing much better, given that they have some of the biggest hits on TV including “The Voice,” “Sunday Night Football,” and “The Blacklist.”

The problem with NBC is that it just isn’t bringing anything new to the table anymore. While “Parks and Recreation” is a funny show and one of our personal favorites, there is nothing about it that necessitates it being something that you have to watch live in order to talk about it with your friends the next day. Meanwhile, nobody wants to talk about either “Sean Saves the World” or “The Michael J. Fox Show.” Betsy Brandy was seeing better numbers than her new comedy when she was on earlier seasons of “Breaking Bad,” back before it became cool to like it.

Over the course of the 8-10:00 p.m. Eastern block, the lineup on NBC, once the final ratings came in today, was a 0.95. Meanwhile, the lineup on The CW was a 1.0, thanks largely to “The Vampire Diaries” staying solid at a 1.3 and “Reign” holding on to a 0.7. It’s not like The CW has suddenly gained a ton of viewers here or anything; instead, the reason for its success as of late is simply that they have found a way to secure the audience that they do have, while other networks are slowly witnessing viewer erosion. If you are comparing year to year right now, The CW is performing better than any other network thanks to “Supernatural” gaining, “The Originals” arriving, and “The Vampire Diaries” staying solid. While it has some duds out there, they have for several years now. The CW is suddenly starting to feel competent, and not just like the twin of ABC Family.

NBC, meanwhile, is just a mess. “Parks and Recreation” is the only one of these three comedies with a hope of returning, and that would only be to satisfy longtime fans. “Community” suddenly finds itself in a unique position to actually be a near-lock for a sixth season, even if it comes out and just posts numbers in the 1.1-1.3 range (which it is capable of with Dan Harmon in charge).

What surprised you the most about this story? Be sure to share your thoughts below.

Photo: The CW