or


[05/23/20 - 09:20 AM]
Friday's Broadcast Ratings: FOX, "WWE SmackDown" Top Demos
By The Futon Critic Staff (TFC)

Primetime Preliminary Fast National Nielsen Data
(includes all DVR playback through 3:00 am)

Here are the highlights of the 12 ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks last night (5/22/20):

FOX (2.039 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.6, #1) was the demo champ on Friday with its weekly presentation of "WWE SmackDown" (2.039 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 0.6, #1).

The most-watched network was CBS (4.356 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T2) with its repeat lineup of "MacGyver" (4.329 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T3), "Magnum P.I." (4.198 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T3) and "Blue Bloods" (4.542 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T3).

Next up was NBC (2.893 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T2) with encores of "World of Dance" (2.551 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T3) and "Celebrity Escape Room" (3.064 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.5, #2).

Meanwhile, ABC (2.710 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T2) likewise served up rebroadcasts of "The Disney Family Singalong: Volume II" (2.698 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T3) and "20/20" (2.715 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T3).

And finally, The CW (0.767 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.1, #5) closed out the night with a new "Masters of Illusion" (0.857 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 0.1, #T10) alongside repeats of "Masters of Illusion" (0.751 million viewers, #11; adults 18-49: 0.1, #T10), "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" (0.699 million viewers, #12; adults 18-49: 0.1, #T10) and another "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" (0.764 million viewers, #10; adults 18-49: 0.2, #9).

Week-to-week changes (adults 18-49):
+20.00% - WWE SmackDown
0.00% - Masters of Illusion

Year-to-year changes (adults 18-49):
+20.00% - WWE SmackDown (vs. Various)
0.00% - Masters of Illusion (vs. Dynasty)


Here are the highlights of the 12 ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the broadcast networks one year ago (5/24/19):

CBS (4.461 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T1) was the top draw on Friday with the return of "Whistleblower" (4.009 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T2) followed by repeats of "Hawaii Five-0" (4.330 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T2) and "Blue Bloods" (5.045 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T2).

NBC (3.492 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T1) then shared in the demo honors with originals from "Blindspot" (3.012 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T8) and "Dateline NBC" (3.732 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.6, #1).

Next up was ABC (2.630 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T1) with fresh installments of "Marvel's Agents of SHIELD" (2.369 million viewers, #7; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T2) and "20/20" (2.761 million viewers, #6; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T2).

Meanwhile, FOX (1.707 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T1) served up encores of "Beat Shazam" (1.872 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T2) and "MasterChef Celebrity Family Showdown, Part Two" (1.541 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 0.4, #T8).

And finally, the season finale of "Dynasty" (0.612 million viewers, #10; adults 18-49: 0.1, #12) plus repeats of "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" (0.609 million viewers, #11; adults 18-49: 0.2, #T10) and another "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" (0.608 million viewers, #12; adults 18-49: 0.2, #T10) on The CW (0.610 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 0.1, #5) rounded out the night.

Week-to-week changes (adults 18-49):
+25.00% - 20/20
+25.00% - Marvel's Agents of SHIELD
0.00% - Dateline NBC
0.00% - Blindspot (vs. 4/19/19)
-50.00% - Dynasty

Year-to-year changes (adults 18-49):
+25.00% - Marvel's Agents of SHIELD (vs. Quantico)
+14.29% - Blindspot (vs. Champions)
0.00% - 20/20 (vs. Shark Tank (Repeat)/20/20)
0.00% - Dateline NBC
0.00% - Whistleblower (vs. Undercover Boss)
-50.00% - Dynasty (vs. My Last Days)

In late-night metered market ratings (via NBC's press release):

TBA

Source: Nielsen Media Research





  [january 2026]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
    


· SHOWATCH
(series past and present)
· DEVWATCH
(series in development)
· MOVIEWATCH
(tv movies and mini-series)





most recent ratings | view all posts
[12/31/25 - 10:08 AM]
ESPN Delivered Largest Average NBA Christmas Audience Since 2018
The San Antonio Spurs vs. Oklahoma City Thunder game in the 2:30 p.m. window became ESPN's most-watched NBA Christmas game in the timeslot since 2017, averaging 6.7 million viewers.

[12/30/25 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10: Week of December 22 - "Stranger Things 5" Runs Up That Hill to No. 1 in This Week's Top 10
At No. 2 on the list was "Emily in Paris" Season 5 with 13.3 million views.

[12/30/25 - 08:00 AM]
Aced It! ESPN Scored Most-Watched 2025 NCAA Women's College Volleyball Season on Record
The entirety of the NCAA Women's Volleyball Tournament finished up 13% year over year, averaging 666,000 viewers across the 15 matches and featured the most-watched Regionals on record.

[12/24/25 - 10:01 AM]
Dec. 20 Holiday Episode Ranks as #1 "Saturday Night Live" Telecast of the Season
Hosted by Ariana Grande with musical guest Cher, the episode drew 5.4 million viewers.

[12/23/25 - 03:11 PM]
College Football Playoff First Round Presented by Allstate Averages 9.9 Million Viewers Across Four Games on ESPN/ABC and TNT Sports
Alabama vs. Oklahoma delivered 14.9 million viewers on Friday.

[12/23/25 - 03:03 PM]
FOX NFL Exclusive Week 16 Doubleheader Delivers 21.3 Million for Packers-Bears and 15.4 Million for Eagles-Commanders
Plus: 15,460,000 viewers watched FOX Sports' exclusive Week 16 Saturday presentation of the Eagles victory over the Commanders and divisional clinch of the NFC East.

[12/23/25 - 12:16 PM]
"Stranger Things" by the Numbers: How the Global Phenomenon Shaped Culture
In just four weeks, Season 5 Vol. 1 has already reached 102.6M views globally and all five seasons still remain in the Top 10 this week.

[12/23/25 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10: Week of December 15 - "The Great Flood" Rises to No. 1; "Wake Up Dead Man" Stays on Top for a Second Week
Plus: "Emily in Paris" returned with its fifth season, taking the No. 2 spot on the list with 13.5 million views.

[12/23/25 - 10:01 AM]
33 Million Global Viewers on Netflix Watched Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua's Epic Six-Round Battle
The event reached Netflix's Top 10 in 91 countries and ranked #1 in 45 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, Australia, Mexico, and Argentina.

[12/19/25 - 02:33 PM]
ABC Celebrates Record-Breaking 2025 with Top Six Shows Among Adults 18-49 and TV's No. 1 Show, "High Potential"
"High Potential" stands as the No. 1 series for the year in both Total Viewers and Adults 18-49, with the network also owning the Top Six shows in the key Adult demo.

[12/17/25 - 01:30 PM]
ABC News' "Nightline" Ranks #1 in Total Viewers
"Nightline" also posted week-to-week increases in Total Viewers and Adults 25-54.

[12/17/25 - 06:42 AM]
Cricket Celebration Bowl Delivered Double-Digit Increases on ABC
Coverage averaged 2.3 million viewers with a peak of 3.0 million.

[12/16/25 - 02:15 PM]
FOX NFL Week 15 Scores 19.4 Million Viewers for "America's Game of the Week"
Season-to-date, the NFL on FOX is averaging 20,055,000 viewers; up +8% over last year's average (18,630,000) and its best since 2015.

[12/16/25 - 02:15 PM]
"CBS News Presents: A Town Hall with Erika Kirk" Boosts CBS' Time Period Performance in Viewers, Adults 25-54 and Adults 18-49
The special delivered 1.9 million viewers with 265,000 in the adults 25-54 demographic on Saturday, December 13.

[12/16/25 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10: Week of December 8 - "Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery" Cracks the Case at No. 1 in the Top 10
New comedy series "Man vs. Baby" took No. 1 on the English TV list with 19.1 million views, with the Rowan Atkinson vehicle eliciting laughs over the bumbling Trevor Bingley trying to earn money house-sitting for millionaires while a lost baby keeps him on his toes.