Strikes delayed major TV hits, but audiences returned

The six months of labor action in Hollywood last summer and fall led to a slew of network series having to shorten their seasons, premiering four to five months later than their usual fall schedules. The good news, however, is that viewers haven’t abandoned their favorites: Viewer totals for a lot of shows are on par or better than their 2022-23 averages. A couple of newcomers have had good performances and an unscripted stalwart is also growing. (All ratings figures are Nielsen Live +7 averages through March 4.)

Abbott Elementary (ABC)

3.78 million spectators | 4% DOWN from 2022-23.

The Emmy-winning comedy has fallen in linear ratings this season, although it’s a modest drop. Audiences have not gone away but shifted to platforms outside the reach of Nielsen’s linear ratings. According to ABC, the show frequently doubles its first-night viewership after three days of cross-platform viewing, with most of that coming from Hulu.

The Bachelor (ABC)

4.11 million spectators | UP TO 9%

After several seasons of decline, and possibly helped by the great success of The golden bachelor in the fall: ABC’s long-running romance show has picked up a bit this season. It’s ahead of the 2022-23 show average, and the season’s final episodes, which tend to be the most watched, are still to come. The series is also among ABC’s top performers in the key advertising demographic of adults 18-49.

Chicago Med (NBC)

8.45 million spectators | EVEN

In the starting position of NBC’s Wednesday Chicago show, the medical drama has held steady (OK, it’s down a tenth of 1 percent) despite a cast change: Three series regulars left last season . Medicine It is part of the most watched night of the week on the network. Complementary shows Chicago fire (9.04 million viewers) and Chicago Police (8.24 million) are also within 2 percent of last season’s averages.

Floor (Fox)

3.47 million spectators | First Station

The Rob Lowe-hosted game show quietly became one of Fox’s best-performing shows of the first quarter. Floor consistently (and substantially) added viewers since its introduction, Name that melodyand had the second-highest number of viewers of any network program in January and February, behind Next level chef.

Law & Order: SVU (NBC)

7.28 million spectators | UP TO 6%

The longest-running primetime drama in American television history shows few signs of slowing down: SVU is celebrating its 25th season with its biggest seven-day audience since 2018-19, helped in part by a rare multi-episode story about a kidnapping case. The show has led its Thursday night time slot every week since its premiere on January 18 and also has a sizable streaming audience on Hulu and Peacock.

NCIS (CBS)

10.32 million spectators | UP TO 5%

For the first time in living memory, no scripted network series surpassed 10 million viewers per episode in 2022-23. That may not be repeated this season. NCIS and CBS show companion Tracker (see below) are above 10 million so far, with the venerable crime drama drawing audiences that surpass both its 2022-23 first episodes and its full-season average.

Next level chef (Fox)

3.97 million spectators | UP TO 8%

That the third season of the Gordon Ramsay-led food competition improved on last year’s numbers is even more impressive because last season’s opener aired after the Super Bowl and attracted nearly 16 million viewers. If we remove the post-NFL premieres from both this season and last, the current streak is even further ahead, improving by 13 percent in viewers.

Tracker (CBS)

10.59M spectators | First Station

Tracker is on track to become the most-watched series (excluding live sports) on a broadcast network this season. The drama starring Justin Hartley was a big hit after the Super Bowl, but the viewer count above doesn’t even include that, since the premiere, which drew more than 20 million viewers over seven days, aired outside of primetime and, therefore, is not a part. of TrackerOfficial season average.

young sheldon (CBS)

9.48 million spectators | UP TO 2%

Like its predecessor, Big Bang Theorythe last season of young sheldon will likely become the most-watched comedy on television, as it has been in each of the last four seasons (and big Bang was during eight of its 12 seasons). He is slightly ahead of his 2022-23 total. It’s no surprise that CBS continues to expand the franchise with a new spin-off.

This story first appeared in the March 14 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here for subscribe.