Airing its first new episode since pulling a three-month, network-imposed benching, the Nielsen-challenged Community showed signs of life with nearly 5 million viewers and a 2.2 rating among adults 18- to 49-years-old, per the early numbers.
Its demo rating was up nearly 50 percent from its last outing in December.
While still a long, long way from hit-show status, Community was NBC's second-biggest draw of the night, finishing just behind The Office, and, for the Nielsen-challenged network, sorta was a hit. Consider than on Wednesday, the Peacock comedies Whitney and Are You There, Chelsea? didn't pull so much as 1.5 ratings in the 18-to-49 demographic.
Judd's Missing, meanwhile, was a mixed bag for ABC.
On one hand, the new thriller was a marked upgrade over Wipeout in the 8 p.m. hour.
Its 10 milion viewers represented broadcast TV's second-largest overall audience of the night; only American Idol scored more.
On the other hand, its 2.0 demo rating was weak. The number made the Judd series look like Harry's Law, a show capable of drawing eyeballs, just not the demographically desirable kind.