TV ratings: ‘Hell’s Kitchen’ season premieres steady; CBS wins

The 12th season of Gordon Ramsay’s “Hell’s Kitchen” on Fox premiered with ratings that were generally in line with last year’s opener, according to early numbers from Nielsen.

The culinary boot camp reality series kicked off with an average of 5.3 million viewers, up slightly from last year, though it was down 5% among key 18- to 49-year-olds. In the advertiser-coveted demographic, the 8 p.m. telecast drew a rating of 1.9.

“American Idol” moved to 9 p.m. and held steady from last week’s low of 2.2 in the demo. In 18-49, a ratings point equals roughly 1.3 million viewers.

Fox came in second place in prime time Thursday, earning a 2.1, while a comedy-driven CBS notched a 2.5.

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There were no significant changes for CBS as “The Big Bang Theory” was again the top-rated show with 17.3 million viewers and a rating of 4.9.

“Idol’s” move to 9 p.m. may have taken some viewers from ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy,” which fell 12% from last week’s episode to a 2.3. Still, “Grey’s” beat “Idol” by a 10th of a point in the demo.

Elsewhere on ABC, “Once Upon a Time in Wonderland,” the fairy-tale spinoff, fell 11% from its last episode to a low 0.8. “Scandal” was down slightly to a 2.7.

NBC’s comedies saw no improvement in the key age group. “Community” was flat with a 1.0 and “Parks and Recreation” fell 15% to a 1.1, though “Community” managed to grow its audience a bit overall. “Parenthood” earned a 1.1, even with last week, and increased its total viewership by 2%.

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ryan.faughnder@latimes.com

Twitter: @rfaughnder