This week's post is loaded with premieres, returns and finales along with a couple of shows sprinkled in to bring the list to 10.

1. Empire (7.954 million 2.8)- Winter has not been particularly kind to FOX. That makes these numbers a sight for sore eyes, even if the show is far from the astronomical heights seen in season 1.

2. The Flash (2.718 million 1.0)- I wasn’t expecting to see a real ratings increase for this. Shows that air after Daylight Savings Time occurs see a somewhat permanent ratings decline from their pre-DST levels. Also, I can’t imagine that too many fans of the show were patiently waiting for a musical crossover episode. If anything, The CW should be happy that the stunt didn’t cause viewers to completely skip the week.

3. RuPaul’s Drag Race (987,000 0.5)- These are series high numbers for the show. They are fantastic numbers considering that the show premiered a month later than usual, on a different night and on an entirely different network. I don’t know what caused the move Logo to VH1, but if it had anything to do with helping the show, initial signs indicate that the gamble paid off.

4. Scandal (5.397 million 1.3)- We all should acknowledge that ABC never wanted to start the season in late February. That alone makes the ratings look uglier than last season because it never got the benefit of having stronger numbers in the fall to depend on. I don’t expect the numbers to improve knowing that there are several more weeks to go, but because the show is already renewed and ABC is still underwater with their dramas, hopefully the story arc can set some groundwork to get fans pumped about not having a long wait until next season.

5. Teen Mom 2 (920,000 0.5)- MTV has aired so many random episodes and specials that I really wasn’t aware this was the end of the season. At least all the extra episodes are a good sign that MTV likes the numbers this show brings in and we should probably expect to see it back sometime before the end of the year.

6. Vanderpump Rules (1.566 million 0.7)- I’ve maintained that the ratings for this show have been pretty good all season long. Bravo is one of the few cable networks that is almost guaranteed to do an upfront presentation every year. If they do one in the next few weeks, I expect them to say that this show will get another season (there won’t be any fanfare to it, just a byline with a bunch of other shows saying that they will get new seasons).

7. The Challenge: Invasion of the Champions (812,000 0.5)- This show lives in its own insulated world. It’s mostly because many of the competitors choose to do multiple seasons of the show. For years, it had a dedicated fan base that caused the show to have middling ratings as other shows around it overshadowed it. The last couple of seasons have been forgettable, but this season seems to have found some much needed ratings acceptability for MTV.

8. Being Mary Jane (891,000 0.3)- BET is a highly strange network where it seems like the viewer base would be fertile ground for reality shows, but their only current successes are scripted shows. That makes the prediction game so much harder here. This show went through some off-season drama before this season. It appears to be resolved, but a resolution doesn’t guarantee the survival of the show going forward. We’re just going to have to wait to see if there is any additional fallout from that because the numbers alone say that the show does deserve to have at least one more season.

9. Elementary (5.159 million 0.8)- The big CBS renewal dump came last week and this show wasn’t on the list (2 Broke Girls wasn’t on it either). The move always exposes what the network believes are their bubble shows (usually what most people consider to be the bubble shows anyway). This show was never going to be in that sure renewal line. Saving it now will come down to how the money works for them (or to put it simply, current ad profit vs future syndication revenue). There isn’t a surefire way to predict renewal when that is the main factor.

10. Bad Girls Club (504,000 0.2)- The good news: The show hit a season high with this episode. Also, this is the fourth straight week of ratings increases. The bad news: The season average is still 182,000 viewers behind last season’s average (400k this season compared to 582k last season).

Broadcast Shows:

Dancing with the Stars- 11.116 million (1.7)

The Voice (Tuesday)-10.837 million (2.3)

The Voice (Monday)- 10.557 million (2.4)

Empire- 7.954 million (2.8)

Chicago Fire- 7.210 million (1.5)

Chicago Justice- 5.841 million (1.0)

Scandal- 5.397 million (1.3)

Elementary- 5.159 million (0.8)

Grimm- 4.140 million (0.8)

MasterChef Junior- 3.806 million (1.1)

Once Upon a Time- 2.847 million (0.9)

The Flash- 2.718 million (1.0)

Supergirl- 2.214 million (0.7)

DC’s Legends of Tomorrow- 1.718 million (0.6)

The Originals- 991,000 (0.4)

Cable Shows:

The Walking Dead- 10.543 million (4.9)

Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta- 3.083 million (1.6)

Real Housewives of Atlanta- 2.645 million (1.1)

Real Housewives of Beverly Hills- 1.922 million (0.7)

Hip Hop Squares (9:00)- 1.880 million (1.0)

Hip Hop Squares (9:30)- 1.675 million (0.9)

Vanderpump Rules (Finale)- 1.566 million (0.7)

Homeland- 1.427 million (0.5)

Keeping Up with the Kardashians- 1.417 million (0.7)

Black Ink Crew 5- 1.358 million (0.7)

Bates Motel- 1.299 million (0.5)

The Breaks- 1.136 million (0.5)

Duck Dynasty- 1.004 million (0.3)

RuPaul’s Drag Race (Premiere)- 987,000 (0.5)

Little Women: LA- 954,000 (0.3)

Teen Mom 2 (Reunion Part 2)- 920,000 (0.5)

Little Women: Atlanta- 910,000 (0.4)

Being Mary Jane (Finale)- 891,000 (0.3)

Braxton Family Values- 889,000 (0.3)

The Challenge: Invasion of the Champions- 812,000 (0.5)

Duck Dynasty (Best of Special)- 707,000 (0.3)

Teen Mom 2 (Unseen Moments)- 691,000 (0.4)

Catfish: The TV Show- 650,000 (0.4)

Bad Girls Club: East Meets West- 504,000 (0.2)

Switched at Birth- 502,000 (0.2)

Ridiculousness- 489,000 (0.2)