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The 2019-20 TV season was good for football in primetime. Most everything else suffered losses.
Live-plus-7 ratings for the recently completed September-to-May season show that only 13 of 133 ongoing primetime shows on the broadcast networks increased their audience year over year. Three of those were football broadcasts: NBC’s and Fox’s weekly NFL showcases and Fox’s Saturday night college football games.
In the key ad-sales demographic of adults 18-49, only 11 shows managed to match or beat their numbers from the 2018-19 season; again, three of those were the aforementioned football telecasts. (ABC’s primetime college football slate was down slightly year to year.)
NBC’s Sunday Night Football was once again the top-rated show in both adults 18-49 with a 5.9 rating, even with last season, and total viewers, with 20.09 million (up about 6 percent year to year). SNF widened its total-viewer lead over last year, drawing some 4.75 million more viewers than the second-place show, CBS’ NCIS.
Fox’s The Masked Singer repeated as the top non-sports series among adults 18-49 with a 3.2 (down from 3.8 last season). It was the only entertainment program in primetime to top a 3.0 rating in the demo.
Seven-day ratings give a decent picture of where shows stand for 2019-20, albeit not the whole picture. Viewing on digital platforms, which Nielsen doesn’t include in its delayed-viewing numbers, can account for half or more of a show’s audience over the course of the season; shows like Fox’s animated comedies and NBC’s Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Good Girls get huge chunks of their audiences from nonlinear viewing.
The charts below are seven-day ratings for original episodes of all primetime shows on the English-language networks from Sept. 23, 2019, to May 20, 2020. They do not include short-run events like ABC’s Jeopardy: The Greatest of All Time — which would rank in the top five in both adults 18-49 and total viewers — or NBC’s Making It; episodes of shows that aired outside the regular season (such as Sunday Night Football games from early September); summer series that aired one or two episodes in the regular season; and sports pre- and post-game shows.
Adults 18-49
Vs. 2018-19 | ||||||
Rank | Show | Network | 18-49 rating | Gain/loss | % Gain/loss | |
1 | Sunday Night Football | NBC | 5.9 | even | ||
2 | Thursday Night Football | Fox | 4.5 | 0.1 | 2.3% | |
3 | The Masked Singer | Fox | 3.2 | -0.6 | -15.8% | |
4 | This Is Us | NBC | 2.9 | -0.9 | -23.7% | |
5 | The Bachelor | ABC | 2.4 | even | ||
6 | 911 | Fox | 2.3 | -0.1 | -4.2% | |
Grey’s Anatomy | ABC | 2.3 | -0.6 | -20.7% | ||
8 | Chicago PD | NBC | 2.0 | -0.1 | -4.8% | |
9 | Survivor | CBS | 1.9 | -0.3 | -13.6% | |
10 | Chicago Fire | NBC | 1.9 | -0.2 | -9.5% | |
11 | Lego Masters | Fox | 1.9 | n/a | ||
Modern Family | ABC | 1.9 | -0.5 | -20.8% | ||
13 | 911: Lone Star | Fox | 1.8 | n/a | ||
The Good Doctor | ABC | 1.8 | -0.7 | -28% | ||
15 | The Voice – Monday | NBC | 1.7 | -0.3 | -15% | |
American Idol – Monday | ABC | 1.7 | 0.2 | 13.3% | ||
Chicago Med | NBC | 1.7 | -0.2 | -10.5% | ||
NCIS | CBS | 1.7 | -0.2 | -10.5% | ||
New Amsterdam | NBC | 1.7 | -0.5 | -22.7% | ||
20 | The Conners | ABC | 1.6 | -0.7 | -30.4% | |
Young Sheldon | CBS | 1.6 | -1.0 | -38.5% | ||
A Million Little Things | ABC | 1.6 | -0.4 | -20% | ||
23 | American Idol – Sunday | ABC | 1.5 | -0.2 | -11.8% | |
The Voice – Tuesday | NBC | 1.5 | -0.3 | -16.7% | ||
Station 19 | ABC | 1.5 | -0.1 | -6.3% | ||
Manifest | NBC | 1.5 | -1.3 | -46.4% | ||
27 | The Masked Singer: After the Mask | Fox | 1.4 | n/a | ||
America’s Got Talent: Champions | NBC | 1.4 | -0.8 | -36.4% | ||
FBI | CBS | 1.4 | -0.2 | -12.5% | ||
Criminal Minds | CBS | 1.4 | -0.3 | -17.6% | ||
Prodigal Son | Fox | 1.4 | n/a | |||
Law & Order: SVU | NBC | 1.4 | -0.4 | -22.2% | ||
33 | Saturday Night College Football | ABC | 1.3 | -0.1 | -7.1% | |
The Goldbergs | ABC | 1.3 | -0.4 | -23.5% | ||
The Neighborhood | CBS | 1.3 | -0.2 | -13.3% | ||
Mom | CBS | 1.3 | -0.5 | -27.8% | ||
The Resident | Fox | 1.3 | -0.3 | -18.8% | ||
The Rookie | ABC | 1.3 | -0.2 | -13.3% | ||
39 | 60 Minutes | CBS | 1.2 | -0.1 | -7.7% | |
Ellen’s Game of Games | NBC | 1.2 | -0.5 | -29.4% | ||
FBI: Most Wanted | CBS | 1.2 | n/a | |||
SEAL Team | CBS | 1.2 | -0.2 | -14.3% | ||
Empire | Fox | 1.2 | -0.8 | -40% | ||
Last Man Standing | Fox | 1.2 | -0.5 | -29.4% | ||
Blue Bloods | CBS | 1.2 | -0.2 | -14.3% | ||
Bull | CBS | 1.2 | -0.3 | -20% | ||
SWAT | CBS | 1.2 | -0.3 | -20% | ||
The Good Place | NBC | 1.2 | -0.4 | -25% | ||
49 | The Simpsons | Fox | 1.1 | -0.3 | -21.4% | |
Dancing With the Stars | ABC | 1.1 | -0.1 | -8.3% | ||
Hawaii Five-0 | CBS | 1.1 | -0.2 | -15.4% | ||
NCIS: Los Angeles | CBS | 1.1 | -0.2 | -15.4% | ||
NCIS: New Orleans | CBS | 1.1 | -0.3 | -21.4% | ||
Family Guy | Fox | 1.1 | -0.4 | -26.7% | ||
Superstore | NBC | 1.1 | -0.3 | -21.4% | ||
For Life | ABC | 1.1 | n/a | |||
How to Get Away With Murder | ABC | 1.1 | -0.4 | -26.7% | ||
Stumptown | ABC | 1.1 | n/a | |||
Evil | CBS | 1.1 | n/a | |||
The Blacklist | NBC | 1.1 | -0.1 | -8.3% | ||
61 | Who Wants to Be a Millionaire | ABC | 1.0 | n/a | ||
Bob Hearts Abishola | CBS | 1.0 | n/a | |||
Shark Tank | ABC | 1.0 | -0.1 | -9.1% | ||
MacGyver | CBS | 1.0 | even | |||
Magnum P.I. | CBS | 1.0 | -0.3 | -23.1% | ||
Man With a Plan | CBS | 1.0 | -0.1 | -9.1% | ||
The Unicorn | CBS | 1.0 | n/a | |||
Bob’s Burgers | Fox | 1.0 | -0.4 | -28.6% | ||
Songland | NBC | 1.0 | even | |||
American Housewife | ABC | 1.0 | -0.4 | -28.6% | ||
Single Parents | ABC | 1.0 | -0.4 | -28.6% | ||
Deputy | Fox | 1.0 | n/a | |||
Emergence | ABC | 1.0 | n/a | |||
Will & Grace | NBC | 1.0 | -0.5 | -33.3% | ||
75 | Fox College Football | Fox | 0.9 | 0.3 | 50% | |
Bless the Harts | Fox | 0.9 | n/a | |||
America’s Funniest Home Videos | ABC | 0.9 | -0.1 | -10% | ||
Bless This Mess | ABC | 0.9 | -0.2 | -18.2% | ||
Schooled | ABC | 0.9 | -0.5 | -35.7% | ||
Broke | CBS | 0.9 | n/a | |||
WWE Smackdown | Fox | 0.9 | n/a; on USA in 2018-19 | |||
Black-ish | ABC | 0.9 | -0.3 | -25% | ||
Mixed-ish | ABC | 0.9 | n/a | |||
All Rise | CBS | 0.9 | n/a | |||
Carol’s Second Act | CBS | 0.9 | n/a | |||
24 Hours to Hell and Back | Fox | 0.9 | -0.5 | -35.7% | ||
Bluff City Law | NBC | 0.9 | n/a | |||
Brooklyn Nine-Nine | NBC | 0.9 | -0.3 | -25% | ||
Good Girls | NBC | 0.9 | -0.2 | -18.2% | ||
90 | Undercover Boss | CBS | 0.8 | n/a; last aired in 2016-17 | ||
20/20 | ABC | 0.8 | -0.1 | -11.1% | ||
The Bachelor: Listen to Your Heart | ABC | 0.8 | n/a | |||
God Friended Me | CBS | 0.8 | -0.4 | -33.3% | ||
Outmatched | Fox | 0.8 | n/a | |||
Dateline – Friday | NBC | 0.8 | -0.1 | -11.1% | ||
Lincoln Rhyme | NBC | 0.8 | n/a | |||
The Flash | CW | 0.8 | -0.4 | -33.3% | ||
98 | NBA Saturday Primetime | ABC | 0.7 | -0.4 | -36.4% | |
The Baker and the Beauty | ABC | 0.7 | n/a | |||
The Great American Baking Show | ABC | 0.7 | -0.2 | -22.2% | ||
Tommy | CBS | 0.7 | n/a | |||
Almost Family | Fox | 0.7 | n/a | |||
Fresh Off the Boat | ABC | 0.7 | -0.2 | -22.2% | ||
Madam Secretary | CBS | 0.7 | -0.2 | -22.2% | ||
Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist | NBC | 0.7 | n/a | |||
106 | Kids Say the Darndest Things | ABC | 0.6 | n/a | ||
Flirty Dancing | Fox | 0.6 | n/a | |||
The Wall | NBC | 0.6 | n/a; last aired in 2017-18 | |||
Council of Dads | NBC | 0.6 | n/a | |||
Perfect Harmony | NBC | 0.6 | n/a | |||
Arrow | CW | 0.6 | even | |||
Supernatural | CW | 0.6 | -0.1 | -14.3% | ||
113 | 48 Hours | CBS | 0.5 | -0.1 | -16.7% | |
Duncanville | Fox | 0.5 | n/a | |||
Dateline Saturday Mystery | NBC | 0.5 | even | |||
Indebted | NBC | 0.5 | n/a | |||
Sunnyside | NBC | 0.5 | n/a | |||
Batwoman | CW | 0.5 | n/a | |||
Legacies | CW | 0.5 | -0.1 | -16.7% | ||
Riverdale | CW | 0.5 | -0.2 | -28.6% | ||
Supergirl | CW | 0.5 | -0.1 | -16.7% | ||
122 | Little Big Shots | NBC | 0.4 | n/a; last aired summer 2018 | ||
PBC Fight Night | Fox | 0.4 | n/a | |||
All American | CW | 0.4 | even | |||
Black Lightning | CW | 0.4 | -0.2 | -33.3% | ||
Legends of Tomorrow | CW | 0.4 | -0.2 | -33.3% | ||
127 | Charmed | CW | 0.3 | -0.3 | -50% | |
Whose Line Is It Anyway | CW | 0.3 | even | |||
Nancy Drew | CW | 0.3 | n/a | |||
Roswell, New Mexico | CW | 0.3 | -0.2 | -40% | ||
131 | Dynasty | CW | 0.2 | even | ||
Katy Keene | CW | 0.2 | n/a | |||
133 | In the Dark | CW | 0.1 | -0.1 | -50% |
Total Viewers
Vs. 2018-19 | |||||
Rank | Show | Network | Viewers (millions) | Gain/loss | % Gain/loss |
1 | Sunday Night Football | NBC | 20.09 | 1.15 | 6.1% |
2 | NCIS | CBS | 15.34 | -0.55 | -3.5% |
3 | Thursday Night Football | Fox | 15.05 | 0.62 | 4.3% |
4 | FBI | CBS | 12.55 | -0.13 | -1% |
5 | Blue Bloods | CBS | 11.96 | -0.87 | -6.8% |
6 | Chicago Fire | NBC | 11.7 | 0.04 | 0.3% |
7 | This Is Us | NBC | 11.55 | -2.25 | -16.3% |
8 | Young Sheldon | CBS | 11.45 | -3.27 | -22.2% |
9 | Chicago PD | NBC | 11.23 | 0.09 | 0.8% |
10 | Chicago Med | NBC | 11.22 | -0.04 | -0.4% |
11 | The Good Doctor | ABC | 10.82 | -1.82 | -14.4% |
12 | The Masked Singer | Fox | 10.73 | -0.84 | -7.3% |
13 | Bull | CBS | 10.61 | -0.73 | -6.4% |
14 | 60 Minutes | CBS | 10.46 | -0.31 | -2.9% |
15 | 911 | Fox | 10.42 | 0.35 | 3.5% |
16 | The Voice – Monday | NBC | 10.23 | -0.52 | -4.8% |
17 | FBI: Most Wanted | CBS | 10.2 | n/a | |
18 | New Amsterdam | NBC | 9.7 | -1.35 | -12.2% |
19 | Hawaii Five-0 | CBS | 9.68 | -0.45 | -4.4% |
20 | NCIS: New Orleans | CBS | 9.58 | -1.25 | -11.5% |
21 | The Voice – Tuesday | NBC | 9.53 | -0.56 | -5.6% |
22 | Grey’s Anatomy | ABC | 9.39 | -0.73 | -7.2% |
23 | Survivor | CBS | 9.3 | -0.39 | -4% |
24 | 911: Lone Star | Fox | 9.09 | n/a | |
25 | America’s Got Talent: Champions | NBC | 8.92 | -3.47 | -28% |
26 | Magnum P.I. | CBS | 8.91 | 0.55 | 6.6% |
NCIS: Los Angeles | CBS | 8.91 | -0.94 | -9.5% | |
28 | American Idol – Monday | ABC | 8.54 | 0.54 | 6.7% |
29 | Mom | CBS | 8.52 | -1.8 | -17.4% |
Station 19 | ABC | 8.52 | 0.86 | 11.2% | |
31 | American Idol – Sunday | ABC | 8.34 | -0.76 | -8.4% |
32 | The Rookie | ABC | 8.19 | -0.12 | -1.4% |
33 | SEAL Team | CBS | 8.02 | -0.41 | -4.9% |
34 | Criminal Minds | CBS | 8.01 | -0.21 | -2.6% |
35 | The Bachelor | ABC | 7.93 | 0.01 | 0.1% |
36 | Dancing With the Stars | ABC | 7.84 | -0.84 | -9.7% |
37 | The Conners | ABC | 7.73 | -2.23 | -22.4% |
38 | Manifest | NBC | 7.7 | -4.91 | -38.9% |
39 | The Neighborhood | CBS | 7.69 | -0.3 | -3.8% |
Tommy | CBS | 7.69 | n/a | ||
41 | All Rise | CBS | 7.64 | n/a | |
42 | God Friended Me | CBS | 7.62 | -2.0 | -20.8% |
43 | Bob Hearts Abishola | CBS | 7.54 | n/a | |
44 | MacGyver | CBS | 7.5 | -0.2 | -2.6% |
45 | Man With a Plan | CBS | 7.37 | 0.95 | 14.8% |
46 | SWAT | CBS | 7.27 | -1.34 | -15.6% |
47 | A Million Little Things | ABC | 7.26 | -0.52 | -6.7% |
48 | Modern Family | ABC | 7.1 | -0.73 | -9.3% |
The Unicorn | CBS | 7.1 | n/a | ||
50 | The Blacklist | NBC | 6.88 | -0.3 | -4.2% |
51 | Broke | CBS | 6.76 | n/a | |
52 | Madam Secretary | CBS | 6.74 | -1.38 | -17% |
53 | The Resident | Fox | 6.7 | -1.04 | -13.4% |
54 | Carol’s Second Act | CBS | 6.59 | n/a | |
55 | Law & Order: SVU | NBC | 6.46 | -0.93 | -12.6% |
56 | Who Wants to Be a Millionaire | ABC | 6.41 | n/a | |
57 | Last Man Standing | Fox | 6.4 | -1.93 | -23.2% |
58 | Deputy | Fox | 6.34 | n/a | |
59 | Evil | CBS | 6.29 | n/a | |
60 | Bluff City Law | NBC | 6.24 | n/a | |
61 | Stumptown | ABC | 5.96 | n/a | |
62 | Prodigal Son | Fox | 5.83 | n/a | |
63 | Emergence | ABC | 5.67 | n/a | |
64 | America’s Funniest Home Videos | ABC | 5.65 | -0.23 | -3.9% |
65 | Lego Masters | Fox | 5.6 | n/a | |
66 | Lincoln Rhyme | NBC | 5.57 | n/a | |
67 | The Goldbergs | ABC | 5.31 | -1.07 | -16.8% |
68 | The Masked Singer: After the Mask | Fox | 5.29 | n/a | |
69 | Ellen’s Game of Games | NBC | 5.26 | -1.71 | -24.5% |
70 | Shark Tank | ABC | 4.95 | 0.1 | 2.1% |
71 | Saturday Night College Football | ABC | 4.94 | -0.28 | -5.4% |
72 | Undercover Boss | CBS | 4.92 | n/a; last aired in 2016-17 | |
73 | Dateline – Friday | NBC | 4.87 | 0.13 | 2.7% |
74 | Songland | NBC | 4.82 | -0.03 | -0.6% |
75 | Bless This Mess | ABC | 4.72 | -0.57 | -10.8% |
76 | American Housewife | ABC | 4.48 | -0.98 | -17.9% |
77 | For Life | ABC | 4.36 | n/a | |
20/20 | ABC | 4.36 | -0.4 | -8.4% | |
79 | How to Get Away With Murder | ABC | 4.27 | -0.88 | -17.1% |
80 | Empire | Fox | 4.04 | -2.33 | -36.6% |
48 Hours | CBS | 4.04 | -0.41 | -9.2% | |
82 | Will & Grace | NBC | 4.01 | -1.3 | -24.5% |
83 | Kids Say the Darndest Things | ABC | 3.97 | n/a | |
84 | Schooled | ABC | 3.93 | -1.12 | -22.2% |
85 | Council of Dads | NBC | 3.9 | n/a | |
86 | The Great American Baking Show | ABC | 3.88 | -0.4 | -9.3% |
87 | Mixed-ish | ABC | 3.82 | n/a | |
Superstore | NBC | 3.82 | -0.48 | -11.2% | |
89 | The Baker and the Beauty | ABC | 3.81 | n/a | |
90 | Black-ish | ABC | 3.72 | -0.8 | -17.7% |
91 | Single Parents | ABC | 3.63 | -1.04 | -22.3% |
92 | The Good Place | NBC | 3.56 | -1.01 | -22.1% |
93 | Good Girls | NBC | 3.42 | -0.61 | -15.1% |
The Bachelor: Listen to Your Heart | ABC | 3.42 | n/a | ||
95 | The Wall | NBC | 3.39 | n/a; last aired in 2017-18 | |
96 | Dateline Saturday Mystery | NBC | 3.32 | -0.23 | -6.5% |
97 | Outmatched | Fox | 3.25 | n/a | |
98 | Fox College Football | Fox | 3.21 | 1.04 | 47.9% |
99 | 24 Hours to Hell and Back | Fox | 3.14 | -1.36 | -30.2% |
100 | Fresh Off the Boat | ABC | 3.12 | -0.74 | -19.2% |
101 | Little Big Shots | NBC | 3.11 | n/a; last aired summer 2018 | |
102 | Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist | NBC | 3.06 | n/a | |
103 | The Simpsons | Fox | 3.02 | -0.65 | -17.7% |
104 | Perfect Harmony | NBC | 2.9 | n/a | |
105 | Brooklyn Nine-Nine | NBC | 2.69 | -0.52 | -16.2% |
106 | WWE Smackdown | Fox | 2.83 |
n/a; aired on USA in 2018-19
|
|
107 | Family Guy | Fox | 2.65 | -0.73 | -21.6% |
108 | Almost Family | Fox | 2.51 | n/a | |
109 | Bless the Harts | Fox | 2.44 | n/a | |
110 | Bob’s Burgers | Fox | 2.43 | -0.75 | -23.6% |
111 | NBA Saturday Primetime | ABC | 2.39 | -1.08 | -31.1% |
112 | Flirty Dancing | Fox | 2.31 | n/a | |
113 | The Flash | CW | 2.23 | -0.89 | -28.5% |
114 | Indebted | NBC | 2.09 | n/a | |
115 | Sunnyside | NBC | 1.93 | n/a | |
116 | Supernatural | CW | 1.86 | -0.45 | -19.5% |
117 | Batwoman | CW | 1.61 | n/a | |
118 | Supergirl | CW | 1.58 | -0.5 | -24% |
119 | PBC Fight Night | Fox | 1.54 | n/a | |
120 | Arrow | CW | 1.52 | -0.34 | -18.3% |
121 | Legacies | CW | 1.41 | -0.28 | -16.6% |
122 | Riverdale | CW | 1.35 | -0.61 | -31.1% |
Legends of Tomorrow | CW | 1.35 | -0.33 | -19.6% | |
124 | Duncanville | Fox | 1.3 | n/a | |
125 | Roswell, New Mexico | CW | 1.29 | -0.56 | -30.3% |
126 | Nancy Drew | CW | 1.25 | n/a | |
127 | All American | CW | 1.18 | 0.12 | 11.3% |
128 | Whose Line Is It Anyway | CW | 1.15 | 0.05 | 4.5% |
129 | Charmed | CW | 1.1 | -0.52 | -32.1% |
130 | Black Lightning | CW | 1.09 | -0.53 | -32.7% |
131 | In the Dark | CW | 0.64 | -0.32 | -33.3% |
Katy Keene | CW | 0.64 | n/a | ||
133 | Dynasty | CW | 0.59 | -0.21 | -26.3% |
Source: Nielsen.
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