CBS' New Series 'BrainDead' Gets Roughed Up By Basketball Finals In Debut

The summer season has officially begun on TV, and Monday night saw two more entries into the fray. However, it may take a few weeks to really see if they can hold a crowd.

CBS Corporation (NYSE: CBS)'s high-profile "BrainDead," from the creators of "The Good Wife," kicked off the network's roster of summer originals with 4.5 million viewers and an 18–49 demo rating of 0.7.

Usually any show that bows below a 1.0 is in immediate danger of not lasting, but the summer has a different set of rules. Still, by comparison, last year's big CBS premiere "Zoo" bowed to 8 million viewers and a 1.2 in the demo.

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NBC (Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ: CMCSA)'s "Spartan: Ultimate Team Challenge," which also debuted in the same 10 p.m. slot fared much better with 4.8 million viewers but a 1.5 in the demo. The debut came following the time-slot debut of summer staple "American Ninja Warrior," which hit a season high of 6.8 million viewers and a 1.9 demo rating.

To be fair "BrainDead's" lead-in was a rerun of "Scorpion," and the rookie did build off its numbers. However, one big reason for the lower bow could also be it was up against the NBA Finals, which have been lighting the ratings on fire for ABC (Walt Disney Co (NYSE: DIS)).

Game Five on Monday night drew over 20 million viewers and a 7.6 demo rating, which is up from Friday's Game Four telecast, which saw 16 million viewers (and a 6.0 demo).