The much-hyped series finale of Lost delivered two million viewers for CTV on Sunday, wrapping up on a high note after six years on the air.
It was the cult series’ most-watched finale ever with 30% more viewers than its season average, while it was the highest-rated ep in two years on U.S. caster ABC. The two-and-a-half hour episode peaked at 2.5 million viewers and bested the season ender of Global’s Celebrity Apprentice with 1.2 million. (All numbers 2+).
But the first week of finales up to May 23 is thus far ruled by CTV’s Grey’s Anatomy which pulled in 2.9 million viewers for the two-hour wrap on May 20 – in a buzzed-about episode that saw several main characters, including Patrick Dempsey’s Dr. Derek Shepherd, taken down by a gunman at Seattle Grace Hospital.
Close behind Grey’s is Global reality vet Survivor with 2.8 million viewers for the May 16 Heroes vs. Villains finale, in which Sandra Diaz-Twine was crowned the winner.
Reliable reality The Amazing Race on CTV and medical drama House on Global netted 2.5 million viewers each during their recent wrap-ups. For House, the number marks an increase from last spring when it reached 1.9 million viewers, though that was before the Portable People Meters came into play. Still, House was beaten by a new ep of CTV comedy The Big Bang Theory which nabbed 2.7 million viewers on Monday, May 17.
Meanwhile, homegrown cop drama The Bridge saw its first season come to a close on May 21 with 880,000 viewers, slightly below its season average of one million viewers. CTV will rebroadcast the series this summer in simulcast with CBS.
Coming up, the season finales of American Idol, Dancing with the Stars, the CSIs, NCIS and NCIS: LA, and 24, the numbers of which were not available at press time.