Kitchen Nightmares (0.29, +0.04) gained momentum on Fox, and Beat Shazam (0.25, +0.01) was up slightly from last week's premiere. America's Got Talent (0.33, +0.01) also ticked up on NBC, but lead-out Password (0.24, -0.01) inched down. CBS aired repeats of NCIS (0.17), NCIS: Origins (0.16), and NCIS: Sydney (0.13), while ABC aired reruns of RJ Decker (0.17) and Will Trent (0.12/0.12). On the CW, WWE NXT (0.07, -0.03) declined. Key: (R) = repeat.
The US v. Bosnia & Herzegovina FIFA World Cup game posted an enormous 8.5 rating on Fox, a number rarely seen on broadcast television in 2026. On NBC, Brilliant Minds (0.20, +0.06) ended with a finale surge, but it was not enough to put it above a Celebrity Wheel of Fortune repeat (0.22) on ABC. On CBS, a showing of the film Top Gun: Maverick (0.19) was at a decent level. The CW (0.04/0.02) was entirely in repeat mode. Key: (R) = repeat.
NBC's NBA playoffs broadcast (2.07) was the top program on Tuesday night, giving the network an effortless win. ABC aired repeats of RJ Decker (0.16/0.11/0.08), while CBS went with encores of NCIS (0.24), NCIS: Origins (0.19), and NCIS: Sydney (0.13). Farmer Wants a Wife (0.13, -0.01) and Bear Grylls Is Running Wild (0.11, -0.01) inched down on Fox. The CW's WWE NXT (0.05, -0.03) also declined. Key: (R) = repeat.
NBA on NBC (0.40/0.48) was up from last week and topped the night, while WWE NXT (0.07, -0.01) ticked down on the CW. ABC aired repeats of Will Trent (0.21) and High Potential (0.14/0.15). CBS went with encores of NCIS (0.15/0.14/0.14). Fox aired reruns of dramas Murder in a Small Town (0.10) and Doc (0.09). Key: (R) = repeat.
NBC's Cowboys v. Eagles NFL broadcast (5.71) dropped from the first game of 2024, but it was still nearly five rating points above its closest competitor. That competitor was none other than CBS's Big Brother (0.73, +0.02), which was up a bit from last week. ABC went with repeats of Celebrity Family Feud (0.14/0.10/0.08), while Fox aired encores of MasterChef (0.09) and The 1% Club (0.09). The CW went with the usual: encores of Police 24/7 (0.01/0.02). Key: (R) = repeat.
Ratings Analysis: Sullivan's Crossing (0.04, +0.01) gained a hundredth on the CW, but a rerun of Trivial Pursuit (0.01) did no better than Children Ruin Everything. CBS aired encores of Hollywood Squares (0.23/0.20) and The Equalizer (0.14). NBC went with Chicago drama reruns (0.16/0.12/0.11). ABC aired repeats of Shifting Gears (0.22/0.16/0.14/0.12) and topical news special Verdict: The Diddy Trial (0.16). Repeats of MasterChef (0.14) and Secret Service (0.15) aired on Fox. Key: (R) = repeat.
Ratings Analysis: ABC's mini-marathon of High Potential reruns (0.20/0.27/0.19) impressed, with the 9 p.m. episode topping the night in the Adults 18-49 demographic. Destination X (0.18, -0.06) took a hit on NBC as its America's Got Talent lead-in (0.24) went into repeat mode. CBS aired encores of NCIS (0.23), NCIS: Origins (0.18), and NCIS: Sydney (0.17). Fox aired repeats of The Snake (0.11/0.09). The CW's WWE NXT (0.15, -0.01) ticked down. Key: (R) = repeat.
Ratings Analysis: American Ninja Warrior (0.23, -0.05) declined on NBC, but Yes, Chef! (0.13, 0.00) held steady for its finale. However, both shows lost to the 8 p.m. rerun of The $100,000 Pyramid (0.25) that aired on ABC. CBS went with repeats of The Neighborhood (0.20/0.19), FBI (0.22), and FBI: Most Wanted (0.22). Fox aired encores of LEGO Masters (0.14) and The Snake (0.07). The CW aired repeats of Penn & Teller (0.03) and Whose Line (0.03/0.03). Key: (R) = repeat. (F) = finale.
Ratings Analysis: On an otherwise quiet night, ABC's telecast of the Saints v. Packers NFL game (1.37) was the highest-rated offering among the major broadcast networks. On NBC, a repeat of A Saturday Night Live Christmas (0.33) matched Wednesday's original airing. CBS aired encores of The Neighborhood (0.24), Poppa's House (0.20), NCIS (0.16), and NCIS: Origins (0.15). Fox went with reruns of Kitchen Nightmares (0.18/0.17). The CW re-aired Bob Hearts Abishola (0.03/0.03) and The Conners (0.03/0.03). Key: (R) = repeat.
Ratings Analysis: The first and only vice presidential debate between JD Vance and Tim Walz occupied the airwaves on Tuesday night, but the ratings were generally lower than the Pence-Harris debate from 2020. Host network CBS (1.68) easily led the way in the Adults 18-49 demographic, while NBC (1.11) and ABC (1.00) placed second and third respectively. Fox (0.54) was last amongst the broadcast networks. The race was much closer in the 8 p.m. time slot as CBS's pre-debate broadcast (0.50) was only a few ticks above ABC's (0.48) and NBC's (0.44). On the CW, WWE NXT (0.26) got off to a strong start and bested Fox drama Murder in a Small Town (0.21, -0.01).
Ratings Analysis: Tuesday night's debate between former president Donald Trump and vice-president Kamala Harris proved to be a much bigger draw than the Biden-Trump debate from June. ABC hosted the debate and led the way with a massive 4.22 rating in the Adults 18-49 demographic, rising over 170% from the June debate (1.56). NBC (2.41) took second, while Fox (1.25) placed third. CBS (1.09) once more trailed the other networks in the key demo. After the debate, ABC (3.42) maintained its lead with debate analysis. NBC (1.53) remained in second, while CBS (0.77) was last again. In the 8 p.m. hour, ABC's "pre-game" show (1.39) topped its time slot. NBC (0.62) came in second, CBS (0.42) took third, and Fox (0.22) settled for a distant fourth. Counterprogramming was scarce, but the CW offered repeats of The Conners (0.04/0.05/0.05/0.05) for viewers uninterested in the debate. Key: (R) = repeat.
Ratings Analysis: Former president Donald Trump and current president Joe Biden were up against each other yet again for the first presidential debate of 2024, but the ratings were significantly lower than they were when the two faced off in 2020.
Since CNN hosted the debate, their coverage led the way in the Adults 18-49 demographic (2.35) and in total viewership (9.53 million). ABC took second (1.56 rating/9.21 million viewers) and beat out the other broadcast networks in both metrics. Fox News (1.04 rating/9.28 million viewers) took third, while Fox (0.95 rating/3.68 million) came in fourth. NBC (0.94 rating/5.39 million) was slightly behind Fox in the key demo but eclipsed them in total viewers. CBS (0.85 rating/5.01 million) settled for sixth place in terms of rating, while MSNBC (0.41/4.12 million) took seventh. NewsMax (0.10 rating/1.28 million) and NewsNation (0.05 rating/0.35 million viewers) were a clear step behind the other networks. CBS (-39%), Fox (-41%), ABC (-51%), and NBC (-65%) were all down dramatically from their coverage of the first 2020 debate in the Adults 18-49 demographic, with NBC taking the most alarming hit of the four.
In terms of debate analysis, CNN (1.72 rating/7.74 million viewers) led the way in Adults 18-49 ratings, but Fox News (1.00/8.71 million viewers) had more total viewers. ABC (1.33 rating/7.24 million) was once more the highest-rated of the broadcast networks. CBS (0.57 rating/3.65 million) and NBC (0.56 rating/3.73 million) were in a virtual dead heat, while MSNBC (0.43 rating/4.72 million) was last in the ratings.
Non-debate programming was scarce. NBC aired the US Olympic Trials (0.53) at 8. ABC aired ABC News: Race for the White House (0.50) as a debate "pre-game" show. Fox took 3rd in the 8 p.m. hour with Copa Tonight (0.43) and followed that with Fox News Democracy '24 (0.33). CBS aired reruns of Young Sheldon (0.27) and Ghosts (0.23). Masters of Illusion (0.05, +0.01) and World's Funniest Animals (0.05, +0.02) were up on the CW.
Below are the top 50 programs on cable on Thursday, 4/18/24. Items of note include NBA on TNT, Jersey Shore Family Vacation on MTV, and NHL on ESPN.
(Note: Click the names of the shows written in purple or blue to be taken to their pages in the TV Ratings Guide Cable Database.)
Below are the top 50 programs on cable on Thursday, 3/7/24. Items of note include the State of the Union on Fox News, CNN and MSNBC, Impractical Jokers on TBS and TruTV, and NBA on TNT.
(Note: Click the names of the shows written in purple or blue to be taken to their pages in the TV Ratings Guide Cable Database.)
Below are the top 50 programs on cable on Tuesday, 1/23/24. Items of note include coverage of the 2024 New Hampshire Primary on CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News, The Oval on BET, and Good Trouble on Freeform.
(Note: Click any show with its name in green or blue to be taken to its page in the TV Ratings Guide Cable Ratings Database.)
Below are the top 50 programs on cable on Sunday, 12/24/23. Items of note include NFL on NFL Network, The Curse on Showtime, and Premier League on USA.
(Note: Click any show with its name in orange to be taken to its page in the TV Ratings Guide Cable Ratings Database.)
Below are the top 50 programs on cable on Friday, 8/4/23. Items of note include On Patrol: Live on Reelz, The Five on Fox News, and Minx on Starz.
Note: Click the name of any show with its title in purple or blue to be taken to its page in the TV Ratings Guide Cable Ratings Database.)
Below are the top 25 programs on cable on Tuesday, 8/1/23. Items of note include Justified: City Primeval on FX, Shark Week on Discovery, and Gutfeld! on Fox News.
(Note: Click any show with its name in green or blue to be taken to its page in the TV Ratings Guide Cable Ratings Database.)
Below are the top 50 programs on cable on Saturday, 6/10/23. Items of note include Mary J. Blige's Real Love on Lifetime, the Stanley Cup on TNT and Love's Greek to Me on Hallmark.
(Note: Click the name of any show with its title in red to be taken to its page in the TV Ratings Guide Cable Ratings Database.)
