TV Ratings Report: An Original Failure?

Will The CW order The Originals to series?

It seemed like a no-brainer heading into last night’s backdoor pilot – and then really like a no-brainer based on the mostly positive reviews for “The Originals” – but the numbers now say otherwise.

The special episode delivered just 2.2 million viewers and a .9 rating among 18-49-year olds, down 10 percent from last Thursday’s installment and a whopping 31 percent from the The Vampire Diaries Season 4 average.

It’s too early to tell what this really means for the future of Klaus in New Orleans, but it’s clear at the moment that viewers were not excited about a Salvatore-free hour of TVD heading into the episode at least.

ELSEWHERE:

• Hannibal sank to a series low 2.4 million viewers.
• American Idol and Glee fell sharply, with Idol hitting a series low among young adults.
• Scandal went the opposite way, hitting a series high in that demographic and even out-rating Grey’s Anatomy where it counts.