The heartbreak on "The Vampire Diaries" is certainly helping the ratings!
The CW drama came in at No. 3 Thursday night with a 1.3 rating in the key 18-49 demographic. CBS' "The Big Bang Theory" took the top spot yet again with a 5.4 rating in the key demo and 17.4 million viewers total, while Fox's" American Idol" followed with a 3.9 rating and 13.5 million viewers.
"The Vampire Diaries" beat out ABC and NBC in the 8 p.m. hour. ABC's "Zero Hour" -- which earned the unfortunate honor last week of being ABC's lowest-rated scripted series premiere ever -- fell to 5.3 million viewers with a 1.1 rating. Over on NBC, "Community" and "Parks and Recreation" couldn't compete with "The Vampire Diaries." "Community" brought in a 1.1 rating and 3 million viewers (a slight increase from last week's numbers), while Leslie and Ben's wedding on "Parks and Rec" only garnered 3 million viewers and a 1.3 rating.
"The Vampire Diaries" caught audiences' attention after the Feb. 14 episode saw a shocking death in the final moments. This week's episode dealt with the very emotional aftermath, leading to a 30 percent growth in the key 18-49 demo and a 25 percent increase in total viewers (2.9 million). Last week's shocking episode also helped "The Vampire Diaries" earn the title of the No. 1 social series on broadcast TV for the week of Feb. 11-17.
"The Vampire Diaries" airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. EST on The CW.
