TV ratings: 'America's Got Talent' tops Tuesday, in line with pre-Olympics numbers

Fast National ratings for Tuesday, Aug. 14, 2012

"America's Got Talent" returned from its Olympics hiatus to claim Tuesday's top spot in the Nielsen ratings, with no dropoff from its last pre-Olympics airing. That was enough to carry NBC to a win for the night.

Elsewhere, FOX's "Hotel Hell" improved on its adults 18-49 numbers from Monday's premiere. ABC's "NY Med" and The CW's "The L.A. Complex" bounced back a little after getting hammered by the Olympics the past two weeks.

NBC averaged 7.9 million viewers and a 4.7 rating/8 share in households in primetime, topping second-place CBS (6.5 million, 4.4/7) by a comfortable margin. FOX (5.4 million, 3.2/5) came in third. ABC finished fourth with 3 million viewers and a 2.1/3. The CW delivered about 650,000 viewers and a 0.4/1.

The adults 18-49 race was closer, but NBC still finished on top with a 2.3 rating. FOX was right behind with a 2.2. CBS, 1.1, came in third in the demographic, followed by ABC, 0.8, and The CW, 0.3.

Tuesday hour by hour:

8 p.m.

NBC: "America's Got Talent" (9.4 million viewers, 5.7/10 households)
CBS: "NCIS" rerun (7.2 million, 4.9/8)
FOX: "Hotel Hell" (5.1 million, 3.0/5)
ABC: "The Middle" rerun (3.2 million, 2.2/4)/"Last Man Standing" rerun (2.7 million, 1.8/3)
The CW: "Hart of Dixie" rerun (768,000, 0.5/1)

18-49 leader: "America's Got Talent" (2.5)

9 p.m.

NBC: "America's Got Talent" (10.2 million, 6.1/10)
CBS: "NCIS: Los Angeles" rerun (6.3 million, 4.4/7)
FOX: "Masterchef" (5.7 million, 3.4/5)
ABC: "Happy Endings" rerun (1.85 million, 1.3/2)/"Don't Trust the B---- in Apt. 23" rerun (1.7 million, 1.2/2)
The CW: "The L.A. Complex" (527,000, 0.4/1)

18-49 leader: "America's Got Talent" (2.9)

10 p.m.

CBS: "The Mentalist" rerun (5.9 million, 4.0/7)
ABC: "NY Med" (4.2 million, 2.9/5)
NBC: "Stars Earn Stripes" rerun (4 million, 2.4/4)

18-49 leader: "Stars Earn Stripes" (1.4)

Ratings information includes live and same-day DVR viewing. All numbers are preliminary and subject to change. Source: The Nielsen Company.

More ratings at Zap2it: Daily, weekly and cable