or


[04/19/19 - 08:12 AM]
Thursday's Broadcast Ratings: "The Big Bang Theory" Tops Charts for CBS
By The Futon Critic Staff (TFC)

Primetime Preliminary Fast National Nielsen Data
(includes all DVR playback through 3:00 am)

Here are the highlights of the 17 ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks last night (4/18/19):

CBS (6.651 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 1.1, #1) was the network to beat on Thursday with its mix of "The Big Bang Theory" (11.172 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 1.8, #1), the return of "Life in Pieces" (6.843 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 1.0, #T3), "Mom" (6.623 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 1.0, #T3), a second "Life in Pieces" (5.058 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 0.8, #T7) and "SWAT" (5.104 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.8, #T7).

ABC (4.611 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.8, #2) then captured the silver with fresh installments of "Grey's Anatomy" (6.099 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 1.2, #2), "Station 19" (4.960 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 0.9, #T5) and "For the People" (2.773 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T11).

Next up was FOX (2.375 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.6, #3) with the penultimate weeks of "Gotham" (2.068 million viewers, #12; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T9) and "The Orville" (2.683 million viewers, #10; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T9).

Meanwhile, NBC (2.247 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.5, #4) offered up new episodes of "Superstore" (3.036 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 0.9, #T5), "AP Bio" (1.835 million viewers, #13; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T11), "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" (1.790 million viewers, #14; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T11) and "Abby's" (1.535 million viewers, #15; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T15) plus a repeat "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (2.643 million viewers, #11; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T11).

And finally, new episodes of "Supernatural" (1.301 million viewers, #16; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T15) and "In the Dark" (0.670 million viewers, #17; adults 18-49: 0.2, #17) on The CW (0.986 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.3, #5) closed out the night.

Week-to-week changes (adults 18-49):
+14.29% - SWAT (vs. 4/4/19)
0.00% - Station 19
0.00% - Superstore
0.00% - The Orville
0.00% - Gotham (vs. 3/21/19)
0.00% - For the People
0.00% - AP Bio
0.00% - Abby's
0.00% - Supernatural
0.00% - In the Dark
-5.26% - The Big Bang Theory (vs. 4/4/19)
-9.09% - Mom (vs. 4/4/19)
-16.67% - Brooklyn Nine-Nine
-20.00% - Grey's Anatomy

Year-to-year changes (adults 18-49):
+25.00% - Brooklyn Nine-Nine (vs. Will & Grace (Repeat))
+12.50% - Superstore
0.00% - The Orville (vs. Showtime at the Apollo)
0.00% - Gotham
0.00% - Abby's (vs. Champions)
-11.11% - SWAT
-16.67% - AP Bio
-18.18% - Station 19
-20.00% - Life in Pieces
-25.00% - The Big Bang Theory
-25.00% - Grey's Anatomy
-28.57% - Mom
-33.33% - Supernatural
-47.37% - Life in Pieces (vs. Young Sheldon)
-50.00% - In the Dark (vs. Arrow)
-61.54% - For the People (vs. Scandal)

In late-night metered market ratings (via NBC's press release):

· In Nielsen's 56 metered markets, household results were: "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon," 1.5/4; "Late Show with Stephen Colbert," 2.8/7; and ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live," 1.6/4.

· In the 25 markets with Local People Meters, adult 18-49 results were: "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon," 0.3/2; "Late Show," 0.4/3; and "Jimmy Kimmel Live," 0.4/3.

· From 12:35-1:05 a.m. ET, ABC's "Nightline" averaged a 1.0/3 in metered-market households and a 0.3/2 in 18-49 in the Local People Meters.

· From 12:35-1:35 a.m. ET, ratings were: "Late Night with Seth Meyers," 1.0/4 in metered-market households; CBS's "Late Late Show," 1.0/4. In the 25 markets with Local People Meters, averages were: "Late Night," 0.2/2 in 18-49; "Late Late Show," 0.2/1.


Here are the highlights of the 17 ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks one year ago (4/19/18):

CBS (8.302 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 1.4, #1) edged out the competition on Thursday with its mix of "The Big Bang Theory" (12.601 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 2.4, #1), "Young Sheldon" (11.403 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 1.9, #2), "Mom" (8.809 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 1.4, #4), "Life in Pieces" (6.300 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 1.0, #T7) and "SWAT" (5.349 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 0.9, #9).

ABC (5.922 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 1.3, #2) then was a close second with new episodes from "Grey's Anatomy" (6.886 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 1.6, #3) and "Station 19" (5.449 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 1.1, #6) plus the series finale of "Scandal" (5.432 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 1.3, #5).

Next up was NBC (3.121 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.7, #3) and its combination of "Superstore" (2.846 million viewers, #10; adults 18-49: 0.8, #10), "AP Bio" (1.943 million viewers, #13; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T11), a repeat "Will & Grace" (1.800 million viewers, #15; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T15), "Champions" (1.657 million viewers, #16; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T15) and "Chicago Fire" (5.241 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 1.0, #T7).

Meanwhile, FOX (2.336 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.6, #4) offered up fresh installments of "Gotham" (2.190 million viewers, #12; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T11) and "Showtime at the Apollo" (2.481 million viewers, #11; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T11).

And finally, originals from "Supernatural" (1.807 million viewers, #14; adults 18-49: 0.6, #T11) and "Arrow" (1.332 million viewers, #17; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T15) on The CW (1.569 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.5, #5) rounded out the night.

Week-to-week changes (adults 18-49):
+44.44% - Scandal
+20.00% - Supernatural
+10.00% - Station 19
+4.35% - The Big Bang Theory
0.00% - Young Sheldon
0.00% - Grey's Anatomy
0.00% - Mom
0.00% - Chicago Fire
0.00% - SWAT
0.00% - Superstore
0.00% - AP Bio
0.00% - Champions
0.00% - Arrow
-9.09% - Life in Pieces
-14.29% - Showtime at the Apollo
-14.29% - Gotham

Year-to-year changes (adults 18-49):
+200.00% - Supernatural (vs. Supernatural (Repeat))
+166.67% - Grey's Anatomy (vs. Scandal (Repeat))
+116.67% - Scandal (vs. The Catch)
+100.00% - Arrow (vs. H1Z1: Fight for the Crown)
+90.00% - Young Sheldon (vs. The Great Indoors (Repeat))
+84.62% - The Big Bang Theory (vs. The Big Bang Theory (Repeat))
+55.56% - Mom (vs. The Amazing Race)
+25.00% - Chicago Fire (vs. The Blacklist)
+12.50% - SWAT (vs. The Amazing Race)
+11.11% - Life in Pieces (vs. The Amazing Race)
0.00% - AP Bio (vs. Powerless)
0.00% - Showtime at the Apollo (vs. Kicking & Screaming)
-11.11% - Superstore
-15.38% - Station 19 (vs. Scandal)
-40.00% - Gotham (vs. MasterChef Junior)
-55.56% - Champions (vs. The Blacklist)

Source: Nielsen Media Research





  [may 2026]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
     


· SHOWATCH
(series past and present)
· DEVWATCH
(series in development)
· MOVIEWATCH
(tv movies and mini-series)





most recent ratings | view all posts
[05/19/26 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10: Week of May 11 - "The Roast of Kevin Hart" Heats Up to No. 1 in This Week's Top 10
True crime audiences also streamed the second season of "Worst Ex Ever," which rose to the No. 2 spot on the English TV list with 8.1 million views.

[05/19/26 - 07:07 AM]
TNT Sports Posts Its Most-Watched NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs Second Round Ever
Thursday's Game 5 of the Montreal/Buffalo series averaged 1.9 million viewers, making it the most-watched, Second Round, Game 5 on cable ever featuring a Canadian team.

[05/18/26 - 04:03 PM]
"The Rookie" Season 8 Finale Surges to Over 9 Million Total Viewers
Setting new records with its exceptional momentum this season, "The Rookie" finale earned an all-time streaming high for the series based on views over seven days on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+.

[05/15/26 - 02:03 PM]
ABC News Is #1 in Total Viewers on Sunday Morning, in Late-Night and on Friday Night
"20/20" saw week-to-week increases in Adults 25-54 and Adults 18-49, hitting 4-week highs in both measures.

[05/14/26 - 10:07 AM]
"Rooster" Capped Off a Standout First Season, Becoming HBO's Most-Watched Comedy Debut in Over 15 Years
The series is averaging 6.5 million U.S. viewers per episode, with the finale reaching 2.2 million viewers in its first three days.

[05/14/26 - 10:01 AM]
Home Run! ESPN Scores Most-Consumed College Softball Regular Season on Record
The 2026 campaign featured four of ESPN's eight most-watched regular season games of all-time and delivered a record-high 10 games with more than 500,000 viewers.

[05/13/26 - 10:30 AM]
Viewership for 2026 NBA Draft Lottery Presentation on ABC Up 23 Percent Year Over Year
ESPN's presentation of the 2026 NBA Draft Lottery on Sunday, May 10, on ABC averaged 2.3 million viewers.

[05/13/26 - 07:56 AM]
ESPN Networks Delivered Second Most-Watched WNBA Regular-Season Game Ever with Dallas Wings vs Indiana Fever on May 9
ESPN today announced that the Dallas Wings vs. Indiana Fever matchup on May 9 at 1 p.m. ET on ABC averaged 2.5 million viewers, making it the second most-watched WNBA regular-season game across ESPN networks ever.

[05/12/26 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10: Week of May 4 - The Critters of "Swapped" Soar to No. 1 in This Week's Top 10
The pursuit of justice is action-packed in "Man on Fire," which set the English TV list ablaze at No. 1 with 12.6 million views.

[05/08/26 - 09:18 AM]
TNT Sports Delivers Its Most-Watched MLB Regular Season Start Since 2015
The Yankees/Mariners season opener on March 31 delivered 562,000 viewers and peaked at 735,000, making it the most watched opener on TBS since 2012.

[05/06/26 - 10:01 AM]
Strong Month of Sports Propels ESPN Studio Shows to Record Viewership for April
The entire lineup of ESPN studio shows was up 21% overall in viewership over April of 2025 and up 10% year-over-year (YOY) in the coveted Persons ages 18-49 demographic.

[05/05/26 - 03:52 PM]
ESPN Networks Aired Its Most Viewed First Round of the Current Rights Deal of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs
ESPN also delivered three of the top five matchups in the First Round including the Philadelphia Flyers-Pittsburgh Penguins Game 1 (2.1 million viewers).

[05/05/26 - 03:36 PM]
NBC and Peacock Deliver the Most-Watched First Round Game 7 in NBA History for Saturday Night's 76ers-Celtics
Saturday night's matchup between the Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics averaged a Total Audience Delivery (TAD) of 11.0 million viewers on NBC and Peacock.

[05/05/26 - 02:33 PM]
TNT Sports Delivers Its Most Watched NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs First Round Ever
Game 7 of the Montreal/Tampa Bay series on Sunday, May 3 averaged 2.3 million viewers, the most-watched First Round game on cable ever featuring a Canadian team.

[05/05/26 - 02:24 PM]
FOX Saturday Baseball Flexes Double-Digit Season-to-Date Viewership Increase
2,130,000 viewers tuned-in to FOX on Saturday, May 2, for a two-game slate highlighted by the Cardinals' 3-2 Victory over the Dodgers in most of the country.