How Recently-Ended Broadcast Shows Have Aged in Popularity

 

Thursday TV Ratings 11/19/20: Supernatural Steady for Series Finale, Grey’s Anatomy and Station 19 Slip, A Million Little Things Premiere Ties Finale (UPDATED)

Preliminary Analysis: A 15-year run came to an end on the CW as the network aired the series finale of drama 'Supernatural' (0.3) at 9pm and a retrospective special at 8pm (0.3). 'Supernatural' held steady with its last episode for its final broadcast. Fox took the Thursday night crown once again, unable to be dethroned by the other networks as they aired the 'Cardinals v. Seahawks' NFL game (2.6). On ABC, week 2 of 'Station 19' (0.9) took a troubling three-tenth dip from last week's strong debut (1.2). 'Grey's Anatomy' (1.2) was a good bit steadier, only shedding one tenth from its week-ago start. The alphabet network capped things off with the return of 'A Million Little Things' (0.7). The series was down three-tenths from its 2019 premiere but held even with where it left off in March 2020. CBS's lineup saw some promising momentum as both 'B Positive' (0.6) and 'The Unicorn' (0.5) gained a tenth from their last episodes. Anchors 'Young Sheldon' (0.8) and 'Mom' (0.6) were flat at the top of the hour while 'Star Trek: Discovery' (0.2) inched down at 10pm. NBC had a stable 'Superstore' (0.5) but 'Law & Order: SVU' (0.5) and 'Dateline' (0.3) each shed a tenth. 'SVU' had little lead-in help from a rotten 'Superstore' encore (0.2) at 8:30. 

Finals Update: NFL: Cardinals v. Seahawks (+1.7), the repeat of Superstore (+0.1), Grey's Anatomy (+0.1) and Station 19 (+0.1) adjusted up.

Thursday TV Ratings 11/12/20: Grey’s Anatomy and SVU Return Down, Station 19 Rises from Finale, The Unicorn Premiere Hits Series Low (UPDATED)

 

Preliminary Analysis: Although Fox remained on top with the 'Colts v Titains' NFL game (2.2), ABC brought back its medical drama lineup in stellar fashion. The season premiere of 'Station 19' (1.1) was only a tenth behind where the series began in January 2020 (1.2). Lead-out 'Grey's Anatomy' (1.3) was two-tenths below last fall's start (1.5) but essentially on-par with its April 2020 finale (1.4). On CBS, 'Young Sheldon' (0.8) gained a tenth while episode two of new sitcom 'B Positive' (0.5) lost one. 'Positive' looks a good bit worse than last week but still remains in passable territory. 'Mom' (0.6) held even at 9pm but the season two premiere of 'The Unicorn' (0.4) went two-tenths below its previous series low. 'Star Trek: Discovery' (0.3) inched up at the end of the lineup. NBC's 'Superstore' (0.5) held steady while the 22nd premiere of 'Law & Order: SVU' (0.6) was a tenth below last year's (0.7) at 9pm. The CW was once more steady across the board with 'Supernatural' (0.3) and 'The Outpost' (0.1).

Finals Update: Station 19 (+0.1) and NFL: Colts v. Titans (+1.3) adjusted up.

Thursday TV Ratings 11/5/20: B Positive Holds Most of Declining Young Sheldon Lead-In, Superstore Drops for Milestone Episode, The Bachelorette Ties Season High, ABC Election Coverage Leads, NFL Rises (UPDATED)

Preliminary Analysis: It was a rough premiere night on CBS as the fourth season of comedy 'Young Sheldon' (0.7) came in four-tenths below its 2019 debut (1.1) and two-tenths behind its previous series low (0.9). An Anna Faris-less 'Mom' (0.6) held up a bit better for its season eight return at 9pm, the Emmy-winning sitcom was two-tenths below last year's premiere but similarly hit a new low. Sandwiched between the two veterans was the series debut of new comedy 'B Positive' (0.6). For what it's worth, the sitcom only lost a tenth from its 'Sheldon' lead-in and managed to match its 'Mom' lead-out. While currently in good shape, the coming weeks will paint a more accurate picture of this show's strength. CBS ended the night with a 9:30pm 'Young Sheldon' repeat (0.4) and more election coverage (0.3). 

NBC's 'Superstore' (0.5) shed a tenth from last week's premiere and dropped down to a new low. It led into a repeat of itself (0.3) since new sitcom 'Connecting...' was pulled off the air. The peacock network closed things out with a third night of election coverage (0.4), down 50% from yesterday's (0.8) and nearly 80% from election night (1.7). ABC had a Thursday edition of 'The Bachelorette' (1.4) that outperformed every other episode it has aired this season. That lead-in was wasted on another round of election coverage (0.5). Fox's 'Packers v. 49ers' NFL game (2.4) topped the night but was a full point below last week's 'Thursday Night Football' game. 'Supernatural' (0.3) rose a tenth on the CW while 'The Outpost' (0.1) held steady.

Finals Update: 'NFL: Packers v. 49ers' (+1.4), 'The Bachelorette' (+0.2), 'Your Voice/Your Vote' (+0.1), and 'Decision 2020: Election Special' (+0.1) adjusted up.

Thursday TV Ratings 10/29/20: Superstore Premieres Down, Celebrity Family Feud Steady for Finale, NFL Thursday Night Football Rises (UPDATED)

Preliminary Analysis: After a lengthy, six-month hiatus, NBC's 'Superstore' (0.6) was back for its sixth season in a relatively disappointing manner. The long-running sitcom could only match its series low and was two-tenths behind its 2019 debut (0.8). Comedy lead-out 'Connecting...' (0.2) wasn't able to benefit one bit from the more compatible lead-in, the struggling newbie merely tied the miserable number it garnered two weeks ago. A steady 'Dateline' (0.4) managed to double the failed sitcom at 10pm. ABC's 'Celebrity Family Feud' (0.7) and 'Match Game' (0.4) both held even while 'Press Your Luck' (0.6) rose a tenth in the middle for its finale. Fox's 'Falcons v Panthers' NFL game (2.2) was the top program of the night by far, pulling ahead of every other network. CBS had another dismal night that started with comedy repeats (0.4/0.4) and ended with a poorly-rated voting special (0.2) and a declining 'Star Trek: Discovery' (0.2). The CW's 'Supernatural' (0.2) lost a tenth while 'The Outpost' (0.1) was frozen at last week's rating.

Finals Update: NFL: Falcons v. Panthers (+0.6), Match Game (+0.1), the repeat of Young Sheldon (+0.1) and Connecting (+0.1) adjusted up.

Thursday TV Ratings 10/22/20: Final Trump vs. Biden Presidential Debate Drops from First Debate, NFL Heavily Down (UPDATED)

Preliminary Analysis: With less than two weeks until the 2020 presidential election, President Trump and former Vice President Biden took part in the second and final debate of this cycle. After beating NBC in the ratings during the September debate, ABC's broadcast (2.1) tied NBC's (2.1) head-on this time around. The alphabet network fell more than a full point from the last debate (3.2) while the peacock network was only down by six-tenths (2.7). CBS (1.1) completely trailed the other two with their debate telecast despite having the help of a sturdy 'Big Brother' (1.0) lead-in. Nonetheless, CBS was only three-tenths behind the 1.4 it garnered for debate 1. NBC and ABC had dueling debate specials preceding the main event (0.8/0.8) and managed to match each other for that broadcast as well. When it came to 10:30pm debate analysis, ABC (1.4) was a tenth above NBC (1.3) while CBS (0.8) came in a distant third. Fox opted not to air the debate and went with the 'Giants v. Eagles' NFL game (2.1). The game fell into a three-way-tie for top program of the night, alongside the debate broadcasts on ABC and NBC. The CW had steady showings of 'Supernatural' (0.3) and 'The Outpost' (0.1).

Finals Update: NFL: Giants v. Eagles (+1.1), 2020 Presidential Debate coverage on ABC (+0.5), NBC (+0.5) and CBS (+0.2), and Debate Analysis on ABC (+0.2), NBC (+0.3) and CBS (+0.1) adjusted up. Debate Preview Special (-0.1) adjusted down.

Thursday TV Ratings 10/15/20: Joe Biden Town Hall Far Outpaces Donald Trump Event (UPDATED)

It was a huge night for broadcast, with above-average telecasts on all of the big four networks and even a strong result for The CW.

However, it was ABC that saw a massive victory with their town hall with former Vice President and Democratic nominee for President, Joe Biden. The event was a huge ratings winner for ABC, and seeing as it was broadcast live coast-to-coast, it's very likely to adjust up in the finals. For now, though, its 2.6 is still one of the highest ratings of the 2020-21 season so far, and its 12.2 million viewers is also incredibly massive. The preliminary rating also included ratings for a half-hour of analysis post-town hall, meaning that the ratings for the actual town hall are even higher than the reported 2.6. Behind it, ABC aired a repeat of Emergency Call. Despite being a repeat, the massive lead-in helped the broadcast tie a series high.

NBC had a mixed night. They had an extremely solid result for their recently-announced (and controversial) town hall with President Donald Trump. The Savannah Guthrie-hosted event drew a 1.7, nearly a full ratings point behind Biden's town hall, and 10.4 million viewers, about two million below Biden's. However, this town hall aired on MSNBC as well, meaning its total ratings haul is likely much closer to Biden's 2.6 than the initial report states. After that, NBC fell off the rails with a 0.5/0.2 for Connecting, with the 9 PM episode seemingly only receiving views from people who couldn't turn off the TV fast enough. Those viewers somehow found their way back in the 10pm hour as a repeat of 'Dateline' (0.4) managed to improve from the meager sitcom. 

CBS's Big Brother' (0.9) lost a tenth from last week while 'Star Trek: Discovery' (0.3) gained one. Repeats of 'Young Sheldon' (0.3) and 'The Neighborhood' (0.3) separated the two. Fox had a solid-ish showing from game 4 of NLCS (0.7) and the CW lost a tenth with 'Supernatural' (0.3) but held even with 'The Outpost' (0.1). 

Finals Update: The Vice President and the People (+0.4), the repeat of Emergency Call (+0.1), Big Brother (+0.1), MLB: Dodgers v. Braves (+0.3) and the Trump Town Hall (+0.2) adjusted up. The repeat of Dateline (-0.1) adjusted down.

Thursday TV Ratings 10/8/20: Connecting... Starts Very Low, Supernatural Returns Strong, Thursday Night Football Drops from 2019 Fox Debut (UPDATED)

Preliminary Analysis: An incredibly rough year for new scripted programming didn't get any better last night as the series debut of new comedy 'Connecting...' (0.3) began in anemic territory. This goes a tenth below last year's 'Sunnyside' (0.4) and spring's 'Indebted' (0.4). This may be a sign that viewers are growing increasingly tired of Zoom-based and Covid-themed programming but NBC has also had very little luck in the comedy department in recent years. After the premiere came an even weaker 'Closer Look Thursday' (0.2) and a steady 'Dateline' (0.4). On ABC, 'Celebrity Family Feud' (0.7), 'Press Your Luck' (0.5), and 'Match Game' (0.3) all shed a tenth from last week. This marks a new low for the latter. 

Fox finally had some relief from low ratings as they swapped out repeats for 'Thursday Night Football' (3.0). The Buccaneers v Bears game trailed the preliminary 3.9 rating that football posted for its 2019 Thursday debut but was still in the same vicinity. At the very least, the decline was far from the levels that the NBA has fallen this year. CBS's 'Big Brother' (0.9) and 'Star Trek: Discovery' (0.2) were both on the decline when compared to last week. Sandwiched in-between were repeats of 'Young Sheldon' (0.3) and 'Mom' (0.2). The CW finally managed to garner a competitive number for once as they hosted the final season premiere of 'Supernatural' (0.4). It was on-par with its October 2019 premiere and led into a much weaker 'The Outpost' (0.1).

Monday TV Ratings 3/23/20: The Voice Down Narrowly, The Good Doctor Hits Season High (UPDATED)

Finals Update: 9-1-1 (+0.1) adjusted up. The Good Doctor (-0.1) and Manifest (-0.1) adjusted down.

Time	Show	18-49 Rating/Share	Viewers (mil)	Channel
8 PM	The Voice	1.7/8	9.57	NBC
	American Idol	1.4/6	7.02	ABC
	9-1-1	1.4/6	7.03	Fox
	The Neighborhood (R)	0.7/4	5.32	CBS
	Supernatural	0.3/1	1.06	The CW
8:30 PM	Bob Hearts Abishola (R)	0.6/3	4.65	CBS
9 PM	Prodigal Son	0.8/4	3.60	Fox
	All Rise (R)	0.4/2	3.60	CBS
	Roswell, New Mexico	0.2/1	0.85	The CW
10 PM	The Good Doctor	1.1/5	6.78	ABC
	Manifest	0.8/4	4.38	NBC
	Bull (R)	0.4/2	4.40	CBS

Monday TV Ratings 3/16/20: 9-1-1 Returns Steady, Roswell Premieres Down Behind Dropping Supernatural, The Voice Soars (UPDATED)

Finals Update: All shows held their preliminary ratings.

Time	Show	18-49 Rating/Share	Viewers (mil)	Channel
8 PM	The Voice	1.8/8	9.98	NBC
	9-1-1	1.4/6	6.97	Fox
	American Idol	1.2/5	6.30	ABC
	The Neighborhood	1.1/6	7.39	CBS
	Supernatural	0.2/1	0.98	The CW
8:30 PM	Bob Hearts Abishola	0.9/5	6.89	CBS
9 PM	All Rise	0.7/4	5.80	CBS
	Prodigal Son	0.7/4	3.28	Fox
	Roswell, New Mexico (P)	0.2/1	0.75	The CW
10 PM	20/20	1.1/6	6.23	ABC
	Manifest	0.8/4	4.29	CBS
	Bull	0.7/4	7.11	CBS

Thursday TV Ratings 1/16/20: Young Sheldon Holds Steady as Most Comedies Drop, Evil Is Only Stable Drama, Legacies Returns Down (UPDATED)

Finals Update: Evil (-0.1) adjusted down.

Time	Show	18-49 Rating/Share	Viewers (mil)	Channel
8 PM	Young Sheldon	1.0/6	8.80	CBS
	Last Man Standing	0.8/4	4.75	Fox
	Superstore	0.6/4	2.66	NBC
	Mixed-ish (R)	0.5/3	2.84	ABC
	Supernatural	0.3/2	1.15	The CW
8:30 PM	The Unicorn	0.6/3	5.70	CBS
	The Good Place	0.5/3	1.93	NBC
	Black-ish (R)	0.4/3	2.31	ABC
9 PM	Mom	0.7/4	6.27	CBS
	The Last Days of Richard Pryor	0.6/4	3.79	ABC
	Deputy	0.6/4	3.59	Fox
	Will & Grace	0.4/2	2.11	NBC
	Legacies	0.2/1	0.72	The CW
9:30 PM	Carol's Second Act	0.6/3	4.98	CBS
	Perfect Harmony	0.3/2	1.34	NBC
10 PM	Law & Order: SVU	0.6/4	3.59	NBC
	Evil	0.4/3	3.31	CBS

Thursday TV Ratings 12/5/19: A Charlie Brown Christmas and SNL Christmas Drop from 2018, Young Sheldon Rises (UPDATED)

Finals Update: Thursday Night Football (+1.3) adjusted up.

Time	Show	18-49 Rating/Share	Viewers (mil)	Channel
8 PM	Thursday Night Football	5.0/18	13.64	Fox
	Young Sheldon	1.1/6	8.39	CBS
	A Charlie Brown Christmas	1.0/5	4.95	ABC
	An SNL Christmas	0.6/3	3.13	NBC
	Supernatural	0.3/2	1.07	The CW
8:30 PM	The Unicorn	0.8/4	5.83	CBS
9 PM	Mom	0.8/4	5.98	CBS
	Same Time, Next Christmas	0.7/3	3.71	ABC
	Legacies	0.3/2	0.86	The CW
9:30 PM	Carol's Second Act	0.6/3	4.69	CBS
10 PM	Evil	0.5/3	3.35	CBS
	Making It	0.4/2	1.70	NBC

Thursday TV Ratings 10/24/19: Will & Grace Returns Lower for Final Season, Evil Slips After Renewal

Final numbers to come.

Time	Show	18-49 Rating/Share	Viewers (mil)	Channel
8 PM	Thursday Night Football	2.8/13	9.92	Fox
	Grey's Anatomy	1.3/6	6.05	ABC
	Young Sheldon	1.1/5	8.50	CBS
	Superstore	0.8/4	2.93	NBC
	Supernatural	0.3/2	1.25	The CW
8:30 PM	The Unicorn	0.8/4	5.88	CBS
	Perfect Harmony	0.4/2	2.07	NBC
9 PM	A Million Little Things	0.9/4	4.39	ABC
	Mom	0.8/4	6.35	CBS
	The Good Place	0.6/3	1.94	NBC
	Legacies	0.2/1	0.88	The CW
9:30 PM	Carol's Second Act	0.7/3	5.11	CBS
	Will & Grace (P)	0.5/3	2.28	NBC
10 PM	Law & Order: SVU	0.7/3	3.63	NBC
	Evil	0.5/3	3.59	CBS
	How To Get Away With Murder	0.5/3	2.42	ABC

Thursday TV Ratings 4/25/19: Gotham Slips for Series Finale, The Orville and Mom Rise While Most Shows Dip Against the NFL Draft

Final numbers to come.

Time	Show	18-49 Ratings	Viewers (mil)	Channel
8 PM	The Big Bang Theory	1.7/9	11.55	CBS
	NFL Draft	1.2/6	4.87	ABC
	Superstore	0.7/4	2.95	NBC
	Gotham (Series Finale)	0.5/3	2.21	Fox
	Supernatural (F)	0.3/2	1.31	The CW
8:30 PM	Young Sheldon	1.4/7	10.27	CBS
	AP Bio	0.4/2	1.68	NBC
9 PM	Mom	1.1/5	8.01	CBS
	The Orville (F)	0.7/3	2.92	Fox
	Brooklyn Nine-Nine	0.5/2	1.73	NBC
	In the Dark	0.2/1	0.77	The CW
9:30 PM	Life in Pieces	0.8/4	5.81	CBS
	Abby's	0.3/2	1.47	NBC
10 PM	Law & Order: SVU	0.7/3	3.59	NBC
	SWAT	0.7/4	5.14	CBS