Sunday TV Ratings: Oprah’s Conversation With Meghan & Harry Dominates the Night

Oprah with Meghan and Harry Prince CBS
Harpo Productions/Joe Pugliese.

Oprah Winfrey’s two-hour sit-down with Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, which aired on CBS at 8/7c, ruled over the night on March 8, drawing 17.15 million viewers and a 2.6 rating in the key demo among adults 18-49. (Nothing else came close.)

Following that conversation, CBS aired a rerun of one of its new series, The Equalizer, at 10/9c, and it won the time slot, with a 0.7 rating in the key demo and 5.7 million viewers. That’s even with the rating for the drama’s last new outing on February 28 in its regular 8/7c slot, but down in viewers.

American Idol (0.8 rating, 5.15 million viewers), airing opposite Oprah’s interview on ABC, dropped from last week (1.0 rating, 6.45 viewers).

Good Girls returned for its fourth season on NBC at 10/9c to a 0.4 rating in the key demo and 1.6 million viewers, which is pretty much steady with last season’s average and finale numbers.

Here’s the breakdown for Sunday, March 7, 2021 (numbers are fast-affiliate based):

Time Show Adults 18-49 Rating Total Viewers (millions)
8 p.m. American Idol (ABC) 0.8 5.2
Oprah With Meghan and Harry: A CBS Primetime Special (CBS) 2.5 17.0
The Voice (NBC) 0.3 2.0
The Simpsons (Fox) 0.4 1.3
26th Annual Critics Choice Awards (CW) 0.1 380,000
8:30 p.m. The Great North (Fox) 0.4 1.0
9:00 p.m. American Idol (ABC) 0.8 5.1
Oprah With Meghan and Harry: A CBS Primetime Special (CBS) 2.7 17.3
Ellen’s Game of Games (NBC) 0.3 1.4
Bob’s Burgers (Fox) 0.5 1.2
26th Annual Critics Choice Awards (CW) 0.1 294,000
9:30 p.m. Family Guy (Fox) 0.4 1.1
10 p.m. Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (ABC) 0.4 2.9
The Equalizer (CBS) 0.7 5.7
Good Girls (NBC) 0.4 1.6