The CW’s latest superhero series got off to a good start Sunday, as Batwoman delivered the network’s most-watched series premiere in almost two years. ABC also got good returns from the Tiffany Haddish-led unscripted series Kids Say the Darndest Things.
Batwoman, the first superhero TV show to feature a lesbian lead character in Kate Kane (Ruby Rose), premiered to 1.8 million viewers and a 0.5 rating among adults 18-49. The show’s total audience was the most for a CW series debut since Black Lightning drew 2.3 million for its bow in January 2018, and the demo rating ties that of Charmed‘s premiere a year ago. Supergirl followed with a 1.3 million viewers and a 0.4 in adults 18-49, in line with its same-day averages from last season.
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On ABC, Kids Say the Darndest Things opened with a 0.9 in adults 18-49 and 5.4 million viewers, the network’s best hour of the night. Shark Tank (0.7 in adults 18-49, 3.9 million viewers) held steady week to week, while The Rookie (0.6, 3.76 million) came down slightly from its premiere a week ago.
NBC’s Sunday Night Football broadcast, per usual, led primetime by a wide margin, but it also came down a fair amount from last week’s season highs. In the fast nationals, which are subject to sizable adjustments, the Indianapolis Colts’ win over the Kansas City Chiefs averaged 16.18 million viewers, off about 23 percent week to week.
Fox’s animation lineup benefited from a late-afternoon NFL game running into primetime, as The Simpsons (2.6 in adults 18-49) nearly tripled it demo rating from a week ago. Bless The Harts rose 0.6 to 1.3, and Bob’s Burgers (1.1) and Family Guy (0.9) also improved.
CBS’ 60 Minutes (0.9, in adults 18-49, 8.38 million viewers) and God Friended Me (0.7, 6.49 million) came down some from its NFL-assisted premiere last week. NCIS: Los Angeles ticked down to 0.7 in the 18-49 demo but improved a little in total viewers, with 6.56 million. The final season of Madam Secretary premiered with a 0.4 in the demo and 4.91 million viewers.
NBC topped primetime in adults 18-49 with a 5.0 rating, pending updates for its live NFL broadcast. Fox finished second at 3.0, also pending updates. ABC and CBS tied for third at 0.7. The CW and Telemundo also tied at 0.4, and Univision drew a 0.3.
Bookmark THR.com/Ratings for more ratings news and numbers.
