NBC's 'Do No Harm' lowest rated drama premiere in history

NBC seemed to be on the road to a comeback this 2012-2013 television season. Strong debuts of several new series and returning favorites such as "The Voice" brought viewers in droves.

However, the downward trend for the peacock network resumed as the singing competition began its winter break in December, and appear to have hit a new low with the debut of its medical drama "Do No Harm" on Thursday.

The premiere of the midseason drama ranks as the lowest rated among scripted series on broadcast television in history. Additionally, it ranks as the least-watched in-season broadcast drama premiere ever among Fox, NBC, CBS, and ABC. "Do No Harm" brought in 3.1 million viewers and a 0.9 rating among adults aged 18-49, a 55 percent drop from the premiere of "Awake" in the same time slot last year. This, despite a bump in viewership for the series finale of "30 Rock" which served as a lead-in to the drama's premiere and drew 4.8 million viewers at a 1.9 rating.

The premiere seems to be the low point for the network as its viewership has gradually slid back to the levels it has seen for years now. Without "The Voice" as a lead-in, comedies "Go On" and "The New Normal" recently fell to season lows, while the drama "Deception" launched last month to similarly weak ratings.

The previous holder of the dubious low-rated premiere record was Parker Posey's series "The Return of Jezebel James" on Fox, which held the record since 2008 before it was tied last year by NBC's short-lived comedy "Bent". In other words, do not get attached to "Do No Harm".