'The Big Bang Theory' is the most-watched television series in the 2017/18 TV season
While 'The Big Bang Theory' may have fallen out of favor with the netizens during the last few seasons, executives seem to have nothing to be worried about. The CBS comedy is set to finish the 2017-18 season as America's most-watched series with an average of 18.634 million viewers.
The show is also the fifth-highest rated for the 18-49 demographic, earning a 4.4 rating and ranking behind only the likes of NBC's NFL Sunday Night Football (6.2), NBC's 'This is Us' (5.4), ABC's 'Roseanne' (5.0), and CBS' NFL Thursday Night Football (4.5).
The surprising entry on that list is, of course, 'Roseanne.' The sitcom originally aired for nine seasons between 1988 to 1997 on ABC before making its big comeback this past March. The premiere of the first episode of the much-awaited 10th season garnered 18.44 million viewers, with that figure ticking up to 27.26 million after the addition of delayed views and setting the all-time record for the highest such increase.
'Roseanne' was viewed by an average of 17.815 million people per episode and earned a rating of 5,9, putting it third in terms of the total number of viewers, as well as in broadcast season rankings. It was technically the most successful of the 'new' series launches, though the more pedantic will insist that the honor should go to CBS' 'Young Sheldon,' which was watched by 16.296 million every week.
Deadline reported that NBC's 'The Brave' (1.58) was the highest-rated new series to not get renewed for a second season while CBS' 'Wisdom of the Crowd' gets to claim the unfortunate honor of becoming the most-watched (8.508 million) new series not picked up for continuation.
On the other end of the spectrum, ABC's 'Child Support' (0.86) is the lowest-rated new series to earn a second season with NBC's 'A.P Bio' starring Glenn Howerton the least watched freshman series - 3.538 million viewers every week - to get renewed.
