TV ratings: The CW speeds to No. 3 with debut of ‘The Flash’

The CW had its best series premiere in five years with the debut of superhero spinoff “The Flash.”

According to Nielsen ratings, the show was the fifth-most watched in the key 18-to-49-year-old demographic Tuesday night with a rating of 1.8.

The show, which tells the origin story of speedster Barry Allen (played by Grant Gustin), attracted about 4.5-million viewers.

The CW was originally planning on putting “The Flash” on Monday nights at 8 p.m. to start the programming week, but switched to Tuesdays to avoid competition with Fox’s “Gotham.”

Warner Bros. Television produces both “Flash” and “Gotham” and didn’t want the comic franchises to cannibalize each other’s audience. Warner Bros. owns 50% of the CW network, with CBS Corp. owning the other half.

The Season 10 premiere of “Supernatural,” which followed “The Flash,” drew about 2.8-million viewers. It was even with last fall’s premiere with a rating of 1.2 in the key demo.

The network, known for hit shows such as “The Vampire Diaries” and “Arrow,” experienced its most-watched and highest-rated (in the key demo) night in more than four years.

With a rating of 1.5 in the key demo, the CW beat ABC and Fox in viewership in the desired category. The network averaged 3.6-million viewers total.

Meanwhile, CBS’ “NCIS,” “NCIS: New Orleans” and “Person of Interest” were the three most-watched programs of the night.

The “NCIS” broadcast topped the night with 17-million viewers and a rating of 2.6 in the key demo.

“NCIS: New Orleans” came in a close second with 15.3-million viewers. It stayed even with last week with a rating of 2.3 in the key demo.

“Person of Interest” was third with 9.8-million viewers. Down 11% from last week, the show tied its series low with a rating of 1.6.

The network was the most watched overall with about 14-million viewers. It was second in the key demo with a rating of 2.2.

NBC’s “The Voice,” which averaged about 9-million viewers, was second to “NCIS” in the key demo. The “Best of Auditions” episode was down 41% from last week with a rating of 2.4 in the key demo.

Also on the network, “Chicago Fire” earned a rating of 2.1 in the key demo, down 9% from last week. It averaged 8.4-million viewers.

The network was No. 1 most watched in the key demo with a rating of 2.3. It took second overall, averaging 8.8-million viewers.

Though ABC was third-most-watched network overall with about 4.4-million viewers, its Tuesday lineup didn’t fare as well as last week.

“Selfie,” which earned a rating of 1.1. in the key demo, was down 31% from last week. It averaged 3.9-million viewers.

“Manhattan Love Story” was down 40% from last week with a rating of 0.9 in the key demo. It averaged 3.2-million viewers.

Also on the network, “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” tied its series low with a rating of 1.6 in the key demo. The show averaged 4.4-million viewers.

“Forever” was down 7% with a rating of 1.3 in the key demo. It drew in the most viewers for the network, averaging 5.1-million viewers in its 10 p.m. timeslot.

On Fox, “New Girl” stayed even with last week with a rating of 1.3 in the key demo. It was up 8% in total viewers, averaging 2.6 million. “The Mindy Project,” which drew in 2.2-million viewers, was down one-tenth from last week in the key demo with a rating of 1.0.

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