The Nielsen overnights for Tuesday night had plenty of bad news to go around, with series lows the norm — and the only network to beat the trend was recent doormat NBC.

TVbytheNumbers.com reported series lows and season lows on CBS, ABC and Fox, with CBS’s entire lineup of Tuesday dramas all as season lows or series lows. But while Fox saw a series low for “Glee,” its comedies “The New Girl” and “Raising Hope” were up, helping the network tie NBC for the prime-time lead in the key 18-49 demo.

In the end it was close to a three-way dead heat for viewers 18-49: Fox and NBC both averaged 2.5 ratings, followed closely by CBS with a 2.4 and ABC in fourth place with a 1.9. The results were jumbled in total viewers, where CBS had a comfortable lead with an average of 13.2 million, followed by ABC (9.7 million), NBC (6.7 million) and Fox (5.6 million).

On Fox, “Glee” returned from a long hiatus to a 2.7 average rating in the 18-49 demo, down a troubling three-tenths of a ratings point from its previous original to a series low. But “New Girl” celebrated its “Glee” lead-in by rising 17% over last week to a 2.7, while “Raising Hope” surged three-tenths to a 1.9. (Fox just announced it is bringing back all three shows, as previously reported.)

The grim news for CBS: a season low for “NCIS” (down 11% from its previous original to a 3.1 in 18-49), and series lows for both “NCIS: LA” (down 23% to a 2.3) and “Unforgettable” down 14% to a 1.8).

ABC’s results were also gloomy: “Dancing with the Stars” had its lowest-rated results show ever (down 18% to a 2.3 in 18-49); “Last Man Standing” fell to a series low (down 11% from its previous original, three weeks ago, to a 1.7); “Cougar Town” fell 6% to a 1.5; and “Body of Proof,” airing its season finale, dipped 5% to a 1.9.

Most of the good news was at NBC, where “The Biggest Loser” was up 10% from the previous week to a 2.2 in 18-49; “The Voice” saw its results show rise 9% to a 3.5; and “Fashion Star” surged 20% to a 1.8.