"Zero Hour" premiered with a ratings thud on Thursday night for ABC. Only 6.3 million viewers watched the debut of the Anthony Edwards occult adventure series, making it the lowest-rated premiere for a scripted series in ABC history. The episode scored a low 1.3 rating in the key 18-49 demographic.
As a point of reference, the now-cancelled ABC nuclear submarine drama "Last Resort" premiered to an audience of more than 9 million viewers with a 2.2 rating in the demo in the same Thursday at 8 p.m. EST timeslot during the fall season.
That timeslot did "Zero Hour" no favors. The freshman series was going up against ratings powerhouses "American Idol" and "The Big Bang Theory," which attracted 13.2 and 17.6 million viewers respectively.
The Hollywood Reporter notes that a Valentine's Day viewership vacum struck the entire TV landscape Thursday night, suppressing total viewership in the key demo by 7 percent in the 8 p.m. hour.
"Zero Hour" airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. EST on ABC.