Fans of Chuck and those looking forward to the new series Grimm were a little panicked earlier this week, when weather delays pitted both shows premieres against Game 7 of the World Series. Predictably, it was baseball that won the ratings night yesterday, bringing in 23.2 million total viewers, but Grimm actually managed to hold its own. According to THR, the new show brought in a surprising 6.5 million viewers, giving it a very healthy start even on the traditionally slow Friday night.
Chuck, heading into its final season, fared less well, with just 3.4 million viewers. As much as baseball offered these shows a lot of competition, it might get even more intense next week, when Fox brings back Fringe to its usual Friday night spot and competes for a lot of the same geeky genre fans who might watch Chuck and Grimm. Not to make any assumptions about who likes baseball and who likes shows about fairy tales, but I'm guessing the World Series and Grimm managed to carve out pretty separate audiences. But pit the show against veteran Fringe, and it might get a little trickier.
Regardless of what happens next week, this is a strong sign for Grimm and especially for NBC, which has already had to cancel drama The Playboy Club and comedy Free Agents. Friday nights aren't typically the most high-profile times for TV shows, but if that's the hit NBC can get, I'm sure they'll be glad to take it.
