What Were The TV Season's Most-Watched Shows? And Which Cancelled Drama Placed In The Top 10?
The final tallies are in for the 2024-25 broadcast-TV season.
NBC's Sunday Night Football ranked No. 1 for the season — but was down 4% year-over-year — with an average audience of 18.9 million total viewers (including Live+7 playback). CBS' Tracker (the most-watched entertainment and scripted program) placed a distant second with 11 million viewers, followed by ABC's share of Monday Night Football (10.3 million).
IN THE 18-49 DEMO, Sunday Night Football as usual dominated primetime fare (though down 7% from last year with a 4.8 rating), followed by Monday Night Football (2.0), ABC's Saturday Night Football (1.8), and a tie between ABC's Dancing With the Stars and CBS' Survivor (both with a 0.9).
Of the Top 20 non-sports entertainment programs, CBS boasted nine, ABC followed close with seven and NBC had four.
IN TOTAL VIEWERS, Tracker repeated as the most-watched drama, while CBS' Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage (7.9 million viewers) succeeded its sire, Young Sheldon, as TV's most-watched comedy.
All told, CBS delivered a whopping 14 (!) of the Top 20 most-watched non-sports entertainment programs (including the cancelled Blue Bloods, which ranked No. 5), followed by NBC and ABC (with three each).
Listed below are my hand-curated rankings for the broadcast networks' assorted primetime offerings; last season's can be found here. Hit Comments to share what elates or outrages you.
9. MOST-WATCHED RETURNING COMEDY
1. Ghosts, CBS (7.2 million total viewers)
2. The Neighborhood, CBS (4.9 million)
3. The Conners, ABC (4.1 million; cancelled)
4. Abbott Elementary, ABC (3.6 million)
5. Lopez vs. Lopez, NBC (2.3 million; cancelled)
TOP-RATED RETURNING COMEDY (18-49 DEMO):
Ghosts and Abbott Elementary (0.6 rating)
8. MOST-WATCHED NEW COMEDY
1. Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage, CBS (7.9 million total viewers)
2. Shifting Gears, ABC (5.6 million)
3. Happy's Place, NBC (4.5 million)
4. Poppa's House, CBS (4 million; cancelled)
5. St. Denis Medical, NBC (2.9 million)
TOP-RATED NEW COMEDY (18-49 DEMO):
Georgie & Mandy and Shifting Gears (0.6)
7. MOST-WATCHED RETURNING DRAMA
1. Tracker, CBS (11 million total viewers)
2. FBI, CBS (8 million)
3. Blue Bloods, CBS (7.9 million; cancelled/spinoff coming)
4. NCIS, CBS (7.88 million)
5. Chicago Fire, NBC (7.8 million)
TOP-RATED RETURNING DRAMA (18-49 demo):
Tracker (0.7)
6. MOST-WATCHED NEW DRAMA
1. Matlock, CBS (9.6 million total viewers)
2. High Potential, ABC (7.1 million)
3. Watson, CBS (6.7 million)
4. NCIS: Origins, CBS (6.1 million)
5. Brilliant Minds, NBC (4.9 million)
TOP-RATED NEW DRAMA (18-49 DEMO):
Matlock and High Potential (0.6)
5. MOST-WATCHED UNSCRIPTED SHOW
1. Survivor, CBS (6 million total viewers)
2. American Idol, ABC (5.87 million)
3. Dancing With the Stars, ABC (5.86 million)
4. The Voice (Monday), NBC (5.7 million)
5. The Voice (Tuesday), NBC (5.6 million)
TOP-RATED UNSCRIPTED SHOW (18-49 demo):
Survivor and DWTS (0.9)
4. MOST-WATCHED CANCELLED SHOWS
1. Blue Bloods, CBS (7.9 million total viewers; spinoff coming)
2. FBI: Most Wanted, CBS (6.44 million)
3. FBI: International, CBS (6.43 million)
4. The Equalizer, CBS (5.9 million)
5. S.W.A.T., CBS (4.8 million; spinoff coming... somewhere)
TOP-RATED CANCELLED SHOW (18-49 DEMO):
Blue Bloods (0.5)
3. LEAST-WATCHED RENEWED SHOWS (SCRIPTED, NON-CW)
1. Grimsburg, Fox (505,000 total viewers)
2. Krapopolis, Fox (566,000)
3. Family Guy, Fox (926,000)
4. Bob's Burgers, Fox (1.2 million)
5. The Simpsons, Fox (1.5 million)
6. Going Dutch, Fox (1.6 million)
7. Animal Control, Fox (1.8 million)
8. Universal Basic Guys, Fox (1.79 million)
9. St. Denis Medical, NBC (2.9 million)
10. Murder in a Small Town, Fox (3.2 million)
2. TOP 10 OVERALL BY TOTAL VIEWERS
1. Sunday Night Football, NBC (18.9 million viewers, -4% YOY)
2. Tracker, CBS (11 million, +2%)
3. Monday Night Football, ABC (10.3 million, -12%)
4. Matlock, CBS (9.6 million)
5. 60 Minutes, CBS (8.3 million, N/C)
6. FBI, CBS (8 million, -9%)
7. Blue Bloods, CBS (7.9 million, -6%; cancelled/spinoff coming)
8. NCIS, CBS (7.88 million, -19%)
9. Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage, CBS (7.86 million)
10. Chicago Fire, NBC (7.8 million, -9%)
DROPPED OUT OF LAST YEAR'S TOP 10
Young Sheldon (ended), Ghosts
1. TOP 10 OVERALL BY DEMO
1. Sunday Night Football, NBC (4.8 rating, -8% YOY)
2. Monday Night Football on ABC (2.0, -18%)
3. Saturday Night Football, ABC (1.8, +80%)
4. Dancing With the Stars, ABC (0.9, +29%)
4. Survivor, CBS (0.9, -15%)
5. Tracker, CBS (0.7, -12%)
5. 60 Minutes, CBS (0.7, -12%)
5. NBC B1G Saturday Night Football, NBC (0.7, N/A)
5. NBA Saturday Primetime, ABC (0.7, -36%)
6. Ghosts, CBS (0.6, -14%)
DROPPED OUT OF LAST YEAR'S TOP 10
Chicago P.D., Law & Order: SVU, 9-1-1, The Bachelor
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