Trae Patton/NBCRuh-roh, is The Voice in trouble?!
The NBC reality hit finally began its live rounds on Monday night, but unlike the World Series these playoffs didn't exactly dominate the TV ratings.
Adam Levine and Blake Shelton's playoff kickoff attracted 11.6 million viewers, down 12 percent from last week and the series' lowest-rated Monday night episode of the fall. The Voice was also down 16 percent in the all-important adults 18-49 demo, notching a 3.6. (Season four's first live playoff round attracted 12.1 million and a 4.1 demo rating.)
But The Voice's loss was How I Met Your Mother and Castle's gain as the two series saw considerable ratings boosts on Monday night.
HIMYM, which featured a milestone moment for Ted (Josh Radnor) on his quest for the Mother, saw its best number since the season nine premiere, rising to 8.7 million viewers. Alas, it wasn't all good news for CBS sitcoms as the season four premiere of Melissa McCarthy's Mike & Molly was down vs. its 2012 opener, attracting 9.1 million viewers and a 2.6 demo rating.
But back to the good news! Castle hit season-high numbers, rising to 11.9 million viewers. It looks like Castle (Nathan Fillion) and Beckett (Stana Katic) is good for business!
And another fan favorite couple managed to bring in decent numbers as Bones' big honeymoon episode returned with 7 million viewers after taking a brief break for a little sporting event known as the World Series. The network's breakout hit Sleepy Hollow came back to 6.9 million viewers, down just a touch.