TV ratings: NBC wins with ‘Talent’; ‘Celebrity Wife Swap’ ends higher

NBC got an easy ratings victory Tuesday night with “America’s Got Talent,” and ABC’s “Celebrity Wife Swap” surged in its finale that featured former baseball star David Justice and musician Dweezil Zappa.

“Talent” averaged 11.2 million viewers overall, making it the night’s most-watched show, according to early numbers from Nielsen.

In the key 18-to-49-year-old demographic, the celebrity-judged competition scored a rating of 2.8, beating the combined rating of its time-slot rivals on ABC, CBS and Fox. “Talent’s” rating was down a slim 7% from last week’s premiere.

Bolstered by the variety contest, the new medical drama “The Night Shift” held up fine from its week-ago debut, dropping just 6% to a rating of 1.5 in 18-49.

ABC’s 10 p.m. “Celebrity Wife Swap” finale earned 4 million viewers total and a 1.4 in the key young adults category, where a ratings point equals about 1.3 million viewers. In 18-49, the show was up 17% from last week and rose 27% from its prior season finale last July, marking a respectable finish for the cycle after premiering sluggishly in April.

“Extreme Weight Loss,” the network’s other Tuesday offering, sank 15% from last week’s season opener to a 1.1 in 18-49.

Fox’s unscripted rookies continued to flounder, as the new improv series “Riot” and the not-so-royal dating game “I Wanna Marry ‘Harry’ ” each earned a 0.4 in the demo.

CBS just showed reruns of “NCIS,” “NCIS: LA” and “Person of Interest.”