Ratings The show premiered to a 1.0 adult 18–49 rating and 4.14 million viewers. This was less (in an 18–49 rating) than the 1.2 rating from the show it replaced,
The Playboy Club.
Rock Center was the third-ranked show in the timeslot behind new episodes of
ABC's
Castle, and
CBS's
Hawaii Five-0. Linda Stasi of
New York Post gave the series a 3.5/4. Stasi wrote "so smart, so unexpected, so entertaining and yet so informative that you might think you just stepped back in time 20 years". Matt Roush of
TV Guide gave it a moderate review, stating "Substantive without being stuffy, workmanlike but something less than a wow. Nothing cheesy or sleazy, But nothing really electrifying happened, either.".
James Poniewozik of
Time also gave a moderate, general review, paying particular attention to a closing segment with
Jon Stewart of
The Daily Show. "Rock Center may not be a ratings smash, and not all its experiments may work. But the good news is, Williams and Stewart can both keep their day jobs.".
Hank Stuever of
Washington Post gave a positive review, saying "The result was assured, quick-paced and enjoyably flavored with a few spicy dashes of Brian Williams' dry rub."
Alessandra Stanley of
The New York Times gave it a general, neutral review. Stanley said "Rock Center is still a work in progress, so it’s hard to judge how it will fare. But it’s already clear that Mr. Williams wasn’t chosen to host it because of his stature as a news anchor. Mostly, he is there to draw viewers who think of him as a funny TV personality who sometimes moonlights delivering the news.". ==References==