"Elementary" was a post-Super Bowl ratings flop for CBS, my dear Watson. The new-school "Sherlock Holmes" procedural only attracted 20.8 million viewers, a poor showing by post-Super Bowl ratings standards. Last year, NBC's broadcast of "The Voice" garnered 37.6 million viewers.
The low number can be partially explained by the 34-minute mid-game blackout that pushed back the start of "Elementary" into the 11 p.m. ET hour.
Nevertheless, the ratings make "Elementary" the lowest post-Super Bowl lead-out show since "Alias" attracted 17.3 million viewers for ABC in 2003. NBC's 1996 broadcast of "Friends" holds the record for the most-watched post-Super Bowl show with 52.9 million viewers.
"Elementary," which stars Jonny Lee Miller and Lucy Liu, has been one of the highest-rated new shows of the 2012-2013 TV season, averaging close to 10 million viewers per episode.
Super Bowl XLVII itself averaged 108.4 million viewers, which came in slightly behind the last two NFL championship games. Last year's Giants vs. Patriots matchup holds the record for total average viewership with 111.3 million viewers.
Check out the slideshow below to see how other post-Super Bowl shows fared in the ratings.
