Sunday TV Ratings: ‘The Rookie’ Hits Series Lows With Season 4 Premiere
The first of Sunday night’s fall dramas returned on September 26, but did people tune in to see the resolution of last season’s cliffhanger? Or did The Tony Awards Presents: Broadway’s Back! and the football pull viewers away?
The Rookie kicked off its fourth season down from last season’s finale (3.77 million viewers, 0.51 rating), premiere (3.44 million, 0.49 rating), and average (3.73 million, 0.49 rating) with 2.80 million viewers and a 0.3 rating in the key demo. Both are series lows.
As for the rest of ABC’s night, Celebrity Wheel of Fortune was down with a 0.4 rating and 3.76 million viewers from last season’s finale (0.73, 5.71 million) and average (0.91, 6.52 million), as was Supermarket Sweep (0.4 rating, 2.51 million vs. the finale’s 0.52 and 2.85 million and average’s 0.7 and 3.19). (Note: Celebrity Wheel of Fortune aired on Thursdays in Season 1.)
As for The Tony Awards Presents: Broadway’s Back!, 2.65 million tuned in following Big Brother (0.9 rating, 4.15 million viewers).
The big winner on the night was, of course, NFL Football (Packers at 49ers) on NBC, with a 3.6 rating and 13.03 million viewers. For the non-sports programs in primetime, The Simpsons took home the win in the key demo (1.1 rating), and Big Brother was the most-watched (after 60 Minutes‘ 7.12 million at 7/6c).
Without a series premiere on September 26, the top four most-watched new shows are still: NCIS: Hawai’i (6.33 million on September 20 at 10/9c), FBI: International (6.24 million on September 21 at 10/9c), Ordinary Joe (3.81 million on September 20 at 10/9c), and The Wonder Years (3.07 million on September 22 at 8:30/7:30c).
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P
If you did not watch The Rookie you missed an excellent episode.
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R
I always watch & or record the Rookie, I watched it. Thought it was great. Sry to see the one actor get shot & leave the show always thought he was good actor. I really enjoy this show!!!
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G
the best the episode was so full of emotion and action it was hard to believe they could get all of that in one episode... anyone who missed it missed something really special... I have re-watched it several times already and it has been equally emotional, and overwhelming, painful with moments of love and caring... you have to watch... ratings worry me I would hate to see it gone... people start watching it and go and find the premiere some where you will be impressed
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IMO Football doesn't belong on broadcast TV. It takes 3 plus hours to play 20 minutes of actual action and it nearly always runs over that 3 hours. It pushes back or in some cases totally preempts shows people want to see. Keep sports on sports channels.
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O
I gave up on football. It, just like basketball, became way too political and too woke....
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G
Probably because it's become a little too "woke" for many people's taste.
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I agree about Sunday night programs, keep football off of regular channels. That's why I quit watching NCIS L.A. A stupid football game would go over into the night program pushing it to come on later. Now that all the FBI's show are not worth watching put it on Tuesday Nights. By the way all the NCIS is not worth watching anymore. Use that night.The rating will go back up ONLY IF ABC will play it smart.
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Once your program is added to the Sunday night lineup, its doomsday for you. I wish they could see how many homes taped this program to watch after the football games. I'll watch this on demand, as I did with all the other programs they put in that 10 PM spot.