TV ratings: ‘Big Brother,’ ‘Rising Star’ down; ‘Reckless’ opens low

Sunday’s premiere of CBS’ “Big Brother” and the second week of ABC’s “Rising Star” both delivered diminished ratings, according to early numbers from Nielsen. Meanwhile, CBS’ new legal drama, “Reckless,” premiered to little effect.

The early rankings don’t include cable, where the BET Awards are expected to prove a big draw. That was certainly the case last year, when the telecast boasted 7.6 million viewers.

But on the four major broadcast networks, “Big Brother” was the top show among young-adult viewers. It earned a rating of 1.8 among the key demographic of 18- to 49-year-olds while averaging 5.76 million viewers overall. That’s down from the 2.3 rating it notched on Thursday (In 18-49, a ratings point equates to about 1.3 million viewers.)

“Rising Star,” ABC’s new twist on the singing contest format, nabbed a 1.2 in 18-49, down about 20% from its premiere last week. Still, the two-hour, Josh Groban-hosted sing-off beat its original time period competition on NBC and CBS in the key demographic, while its total viewership came in at 4.7 million people.

After “Big Brother,” the Southern drama “Reckless” premiered with 4.1 million viewers and a paltry 0.7 rating in 18-49, followed by a steady launch for “Unforgettable’s” Season 2 that brought in 6.15 million people watching. Its 0.9 rating was in line with an original episode that aired in April — not a great number, but an improvement on its lead-in.

NBC put up a special episode of “Last Comic Standing” that was just a tenth of a point behind “Rising Star” among viewers ages 18 to 49.

Follow Ryan Faughnder on Twitter: @rfaughnder