The 100 Most-Watched Telecasts of 2023: NFL, Oscars, Gordon Ramsay, ‘NCIS’ and a Single ‘Yellowstone’ Episode
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The dual Hollywood strikes wiped out much of the scripted programming this fall on the linear networks. And yet, according to Variety‘s annual list of the year’s 100 most-watched primetime telecasts, we actually watched more entertainment fare this year. CBS’ “NCIS” led the pack in 2023 with 12 episodes making the list, followed by the Eye’s “Blue Bloods,” with five.
Among regular episodic entertainment fare, the ranker included 35 entries — and it was represented by a wider range of shows. Part of that is because Paramount Network’s “Yellowstone” only aired one episode in 2023, freeing up more space for others.
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Besides “NCIS” and “Blue Bloods,” other regular series with multiple episodes on the ranker include CBS’ “FBI,” NBC’s “Chicago Fire” and CBS’ “Young Sheldon,” at four each. On the news front, CBS’ “60 Minutes” continues to be a dominant force (its NFL lead-in doesn’t hurt), landing seven slots this year.
Make no mistake, the NFL still rules primetime, and that halo effect is real. Our ranker of the most-watched primetime telecasts in 2023 found that 56 slots went to sports — broken down by 45 NFL games, six for the NBA Finals, three for NCAA Basketball March Madness, and one each for college football and Fox’s “The OT” NFL postgame show. (There were no Olympics this year, and a dud of a World Series kept baseball out of the ranker.)
We also watched more of TV’s signature live events this year. Of course, that was led by Super Bowl LVII in February, when an average of nearly 115 million viewers watched the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Philadelphia Eagles. There’s a continued trend upward from Super Bowl LVI in 2022 (100 million) and Super Bowl LV in 2021 (92.9 million).
Also on an upward climb is the Oscars, the year’s most-watched entertainment telecast. Back on March 12, 19.4 million people saw “Everything Everywhere All at Once” take the best picture prize — up from 17.6 million in 2022, and from a dismal 2021 when the ceremony didn’t even make the ranker.
But the Oscars isn’t the only big awards show making a nice recovery: CBS’ Grammys kudocast leapt up to No. 36 — vs. No. 97 last year — averaging 13.4 million viewers, compared to 10.2 million viewers in 2022.
RELATED: Most-Watched Television Networks: Ranking 2023’s Winners and Losers
Among all outlets, CBS extended its lead with the most programs on the ranker, with 39 (up from 29 last year). That’s all the more impressive because most of the Eye’s most-watched shows in primetime are series episodes, as its NFL package is during the day and not counted here.
Next is NBC with 24 (vs. 26 last year), then ABC (15), Prime Video (11), Fox (7), ESPN (2) and one each for TNT and Paramount. (As we mentioned last year, Amazon Prime Video is once again on the top telecasts chart this year thanks to NFL Thursday Night Football, which is measured by Nielsen — thanks to watermarks/tags included in the content and picked up by Nielsen encoders. It also includes viewing from the two local stations in the markets of the two teams playing each week.)
Here are some of the winners of 2023:
Freshman series: NBC’s “Night Court,” Fox’s “Accused” and CBS’ “Fire Country” were all newbies with episodes making the cut. Those “Accused” and “Fire Country” episodes were strategically positioned airings behind NFL football, while NBC discovered that yes, revivals and reboots are still a viable way to generate a sizable audience.
The Oscars and the Grammys: Who says awards shows are dead? Well, we all do. But yet, the Academy Awards viewership is on a steady comeback, and could see a bump again in 2024 thanks to the “Barbenheimer” phenomenon. After the 2021 disaster — in which it didn’t even make the list of the year’s 100 most-watched telecasts, with a paltry 10.7 million viewers — the 2022 slap edition averaged 17.6 million viewers. And with host Jimmy Kimmel returning to his rightful place as host in 2023, the telecast is now back flirting with 20 million viewers on linear. And as for the Grammys, there’s a similar climb back to relevance, with 13.4 million viewers in 2023 (vs 10.2 million viewers in 2022).
“Next Level Chef”: Wow, does Fox love this Gordon Ramsay series. Last year, the premiere aired behind the NFC championship — making it the biggest series telecast of the year with adults aged 18-49. This year, the Season 2 premiere aired behind the Super Bowl — once again making it the most-watched entertainment telecast of the year in the demo.
Comedy: The laughs are back! After sitcoms missed being on the top 100 ranker completely last year, CBS’ “Young Sheldon” saved the day with four episodes. And NBC’s “Night Court” premiere also made the grade.
NFL football: I know, it’s getting old to mention this. Besides nothing coming close to the Super Bowl, the NFL held 14 of the top 15 slots this year.
Below, our ratings roundup of the year’s most-watched telecasts (in Live+7 ratings), according to broadcast and cable measurements, in both total viewers and adults 18-49.
For historical record, here are previous year-end telecast rankers: 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015.
MOST-WATCHED PRIMETIME TELECASTS OF 2023 (TOTAL VIEWERS)
Rank | PROGRAM (NETWORK) | VIEWERS | DATE AIRED |
1. | Super Bowl LVII: Kansas City vs. Philadelphia (Fox) | 114,956,000 | 2/12/2023 |
2. | AFC Championship: Kansas City vs. Cincinnati (CBS) | 53,478,000 | 1/29/2023 |
3. | NFC Playoff: San Francisco vs. Dallas (Fox) | 45,864,000 | 1/22/2023 |
4. | NFC Playoff: Philadelphia vs. NY Giants (Fox) | 28,867,000 | 1/21/2023 |
5. | NFL Playoff: Cincinnati vs. Baltimore (NBC) | 27,083,000 | 1/15/2023 |
6. | NFL Thursday Night Special: Detroit vs. Kansas City (NBC) | 25,042,000 | 9/7/2023 |
7. | NFL Sunday Night Football: Kansas City vs. NY Jets (NBC) | 25,021,000 | 10/1/2023 |
8. | NFL Thursday Night Special: San Francisco vs. Seattle (NBC) | 25,006,000 | 11/23/2023 |
9. | NFL Sunday Night Football: San Francisco vs. Dallas (NBC) | 24,495,000 | 10/8/2023 |
10. | NFL Sunday Night Football: Green Bay vs. Kansas City (NBC) | 23,812,000 | 12/3/2023 |
11. | NFL Sunday Night Football: Detroit vs. Green Bay (NBC) | 22,412,000 | 1/8/2023 |
12. | NFL Playoff Game: LA Chargers vs. Jacksonville (NBC) | 20,817,000 | 1/14/2023 |
13. | NFL Sunday Night Football: Philadelphia vs. Miami (NBC) | 20,775,000 | 10/22/2023 |
14. | NFL Sunday Night Football: Dallas vs. NY Giants (NBC) | 20,308,000 | 9/10/2023 |
15. | The Oscars (ABC) | 19,412,000 | 3/12/2023 |
16. | NFL Sunday Night Football: Pittsburgh vs. Las Vegas (NBC) | 19,324,000 | 9/24/2023 |
17. | NFL Sunday Night Football: Denver vs. Minneapolis (NBC) | 18,565,000 | 11/19/2023 |
18. | NFL Sunday Night Football: Cincinnati vs. Buffalo (NBC) | 18,492,000 | 11/5/2023 |
19. | NFL Sunday Night Football: Miami vs. New England (NBC) | 17,984,000 | 9/17/2023 |
20. | NFL Wild Card Game: Dallas vs. Tampa Bay (ABC) | 17,870,000 | 1/16/2023 |
21. | NFL Sunday Night Football: LA Chargers vs. LA Rams (NBC) | 17,337,000 | 1/1/2023 |
22. | Next Level Chef: S2E1 “A Next Level Welcome” (Fox) | 16,893,000 | 2/12/2023 |
23. | NFL Sunday Night Football: Buffalo vs. NY Giants (NBC) | 16,794,000 | 10/15/2023 |
24. | NFL Sunday Night Football: Baltimore vs. LA Chargers (NBC) | 16,509,000 | 11/26/2023 |
25. | NFL Sunday Night Football: LA Chargers vs. Chicago (NBC) | 15,803,000 | 10/29/2023 |
26. | NFL Sunday Night Football: Las Vegas vs. NY Jets (NBC) | 15,735,000 | 11/12/2023 |
27. | NFL Monday Night Football on ABC: Philadelphia vs. Kansas City (ABC) | 15,714,000 | 11/20/2023 |
28. | NFL Monday Night Football on ABC: Pittsburgh vs. Cleveland (ABC) | 15,623,000 | 9/18/2023 |
29. | NFL Thursday Night Football: Philadelphia vs. Minnesota (Prime Video) | 15,375,000 | 9/14/2023 |
30. | NFL Thursday Night Football: Dallas vs. Seattle (Prime Video) | 15,355,000 | 11/30/2023 |
31. | NCAA Basketball Championship: UConn vs. San Diego State (CBS) | 14,794,000 | 4/3/2023 |
32. | NFL Thursday Night Football: Kansas City vs. Denver (Prime Video) | 14,077,000 | 10/12/2023 |
33. | NFL Thursday Night Football: San Francisco vs. NY Giants (Prime Video) | 14,034,000 | 9/21/2023 |
34. | NFL Thursday Night Football: Detroit vs. Green Bay (Prime Video) | 13,588,000 | 9/28/2023 |
35. | NBA Finals Game 5: Denver vs. Miami (ABC) | 13,392,000 | 6/12/2023 |
36. | Grammy Awards (CBS) | 13,376,000 | 2/5/2023 |
37. | NFL Thursday Night Football: Baltimore vs. Cincinnati (Prime Video) | 13,086,000 | 11/16/2023 |
38. | NCAA Basketball Final Four: UConn vs. Miami (CBS) | 12,969,000 | 4/1/2023 |
39. | NFL Monday Night Football on ABC: Jacksonville vs. Tennessee (ABC) | 12,694,000 | 1/7/2023 |
40. | 60 Minutes: S55,E17 “Prince Harry; Hans Zimmer” (CBS) | 12,464,000 | 1/8/2023 |
41. | 60 Minutes: S56,E1 “President Zelenskyy; Into the Streets; Prime Time in Colorado” (CBS) | 12,352,000 | 9/17/2023 |
42. | CBS NCAA Basketball Bridge (CBS) | 12,285,000 | 4/1/2023 |
43. | Fire Country: S1, E12 “Two Pink Lines” (CBS) | 12,225,000 | 1/29/2023 |
44. | NBA Eastern Conference Finals: Miami vs. Boston (TNT) | 12,033,000 | 5/29/2023 |
45. | NBA Finals Game 2: Denver vs. Miami (ABC) | 11,960,000 | 6/4/2023 |
46. | NFL Thursday Night Football: Chicago vs. Washington (Prime Video) | 11,777,000 | 10/5/2023 |
47. | NFL Wildcard: Dallas vs. Tampa Bay (ESPN) | 11,753,000 | 1/16/2023 |
48. | NFL Monday Night Football on ABC: NY Jets vs. Buffalo (ABC) | 11,749,000 | 9/11/2023 |
49. | NFL Monday Night Football: Philadelphia vs. Kansas City (ESPN) | 11,642,000 | 11/20/2023 |
50. | NFL Thursday Night Football: Pittsburgh vs. Tennessee (Prime Video) | 11,591,000 | 11/2/2023 |
51. | The OT (Fox) | 11,474,000 | 9/24/2023 |
t. | Yellowstone: S5E8 “A Knife and No Coin” (Paramount Network) | 11,474,000 | 1/1/2023 |
53. | NFL Thursday Night Football: Buffalo vs. Tampa Bay (Prime Video) | 11,287,000 | 10/26/2023 |
54. | NBA Finals Game 3: Denver vs. Miami (ABC) | 11,275,000 | 6/7/2023 |
55. | NCIS: S20E10 “Too Many Cooks” (CBS) | 11,254,000 | 1/9/2023 |
56. | NFL Monday Night Football on ABC: Cincinnati vs. Buffalo (ABC) | 11,168,000 | 1/2/2023 |
57. | NBA Finals Game 1: Denver vs. Miami (ABC) | 11,108,000 | 6/1/2023 |
58. | NFL Monday Night Football on ABC: Dallas vs. LA Chargers (ABC) | 10,865,000 | 10/16/2023 |
59. | Accused: S1E1 “Scott’s Story” (Fox) | 10,604,000 | 1/22/2023 |
60. | NCIS Hawai’i: S2E10 “Deep Fake” (CBS) | 10,546,000 | 1/9/2023 |
61. | NBA Finals Game 4: Denver vs. Miami (ABC) | 10,509,000 | 6/9/2023 |
t. | 60 Minutes: S56,E6 “The Five Eyes; A Prisoner of Iran; Pink; The Isle of Man” (CBS) | 10,509,000 | 10/22/2023 |
63. | NCIS: S20E12 “Big Rig” (CBS) | 10,495,000 | 1/23/2023 |
64. | FBI: S5E10 “Second Life”(CBS) | 10,397,000 | 1/3/2023 |
65. | NFL Monday Night Football on ABC: Dallas vs. LA Chargers (ABC) | 10,300,000 | 10/23/2023 |
66. | FBI: S5E12 “Breakdown”(CBS) | 10,275,000 | 1/24/2023 |
67. | 60 Minutes: S56,E7 “VP Harris; A Quiet Invasion; The Air We Breathe; The State of the Blues” (CBS) | 10,207,000 | 10/29/2023 |
68. | 60 Minutes: S56,E4 “The Godfather of AI; General Milley; Rich Paul; 3D Printing” (CBS) | 10,178,000 | 10/8/2023 |
69. | NCIS: S20E16 “Butterfly Effect” (CBS) | 10,167,000 | 3/13/2023 |
70. | NFL Monday Night Football on ABC: Chicago vs. Minnesota(ABC) | 10,157,000 | 11/27/2023 |
71. | Big Ten Football Championship Game: Michigan vs. Iowa (Fox) | 10,119,000 | 12/2/2023 |
72. | NCIS: S20E13 “Evil Eye” (CBS) | 10,106,000 | 2/6/2023 |
73. | NCIS: S20E15 “Unusual Suspects” (CBS) | 10,061,000 | 2/27/2023 |
74. | NCIS: S20E14 “Old Wounds” (CBS) | 9,993,000 | 2/13/2023 |
75. | FBI: S5E11 “Heroes”(CBS) | 9,990,000 | 1/10/2023 |
76. | 60 Minutes: S55,E16 “Radio Free Europe; The Vanishing Wild; Obesity” (CBS) | 9,980,000 | 1/1/2023 |
77. | 60 Minutes: S55,E27 “Feeling of Feeling; Silicon Valley Scandal; Charles Barkley” (CBS) | 9,974,000 | 3/26/2023 |
78. | NCIS: Los Angeles: S14E10 “A Long Time Coming” (CBS) | 9,962,000 | 1/9/2023 |
79. | Young Sheldon: S6E14 “A Launch Party and a Whole Human Being” (CBS) | 9,906,000 | 3/2/2023 |
80. | FBI: S5E13 “Protégé”(CBS) | 9,875,000 | 2/14/2023 |
81. | NFL Thursday Night Football: Jacksonville vs. New Orleans (Prime Video) | 9,839,000 | 10/19/2023 |
82. | NCIS: S20E18 “Head Games” (CBS) | 9,834,000 | 4/10/2023 |
83. | Young Sheldon: S6E15 “Teen Angst and a Smart-Boy Walk of Shame” (CBS) | 9,790,000 | 3/9/2023 |
84. | Blue Bloods: S13E14 “Collision Course“ (CBS) | 9,718,000 | 3/3/2023 |
85. | Blue Bloods: S13E11 “Lost Ones“ (CBS) | 9,701,000 | 1/20/2023 |
86. | Chicago Fire: S11E12 “How Does It End?” (NBC) | 9,686,000 | 1/18/2023 |
t. | Blue Bloods: S13E12 “The Big Leagues“ (CBS) | 9,686,000 | 2/3/2023 |
88. | NCIS: S20E21 “Kompromat” (CBS) | 9,683,000 | 5/15/2023 |
89. | Young Sheldon: S6E12 “A Baby Shower and a Testosterone-Rich Banter” (CBS) | 9,662,000 | 2/9/2023 |
90. | Chicago Fire: S11E11 “A Guy I Used to Know” (NBC) | 9,650,000 | 1/11/2023 |
91. | NFL Thursday Night Football: Chicago vs. Carolina (Prime Video) | 9,640,000 | 11/9/2023 |
t. | Young Sheldon: S6E9 “College Dropouts and the Medford Miracle” (CBS) | 9,640,000 | 1/5/2023 |
93. | NCIS: S20E17 “Stranger in a Strange Land” (CBS) | 9,630,000 | 3/20/2023 |
94. | Night Court: S1E1 “Pilot” (NBC) | 9,628,000 | 1/17/2023 |
95. | Blue Bloods: S13E9 “Nothing Sacred“ (CBS) | 9,627,000 | 1/6/2023 |
96. | NCIS: S20E22 “Black Sky” (CBS) | 9,615,000 | 5/22/2023 |
97. | NCIS: S20E19 “In the Spotlight” (CBS) | 9,614,000 | 5/1/2023 |
98. | Blue Bloods: S13E13 “Past History“ (CBS) | 9,610,000 | 2/10/2023 |
99. | Chicago Fire: S11E10 “Something for the Pain” (NBC) | 9,606,000 | 1/4/2023 |
100. | Chicago Fire: S11E14 “Run Like Hell” (NBC) | 9,567,000 | 2/22/2023 |
THE 50 TOP-RATED PRIMETIME TELECASTS OF 2023 (ADULTS 18-49)
Rank | PROGRAM (NETWORK) | VIEWERS (18-49) | DATE AIRED |
1. | Super Bowl LVII: Kansas City vs. Philadelphia (Fox) | 45,511,000 | 2/12/2023 |
2. | AFC Championship: Kansas City vs. Cincinnati (CBS) | 18,785,000 | 1/29/2023 |
3. | NFC Playoff: San Francisco vs. Dallas (Fox) | 16,738,000 | 1/22/2023 |
4. | NFC Playoff: Philadelphia vs. NY Giants (Fox) | 10,479,000 | 1/21/2023 |
5. | NFL Playoff: Cincinnati vs. Baltimore (NBC) | 9,615,000 | 1/15/2023 |
6. | NFL Thursday Night Special: Detroit vs. Kansas City (NBC) | 9,328,000 | 9/7/2023 |
7. | NFL Thursday Night Special: San Francisco vs. Seattle (NBC) | 9,322,000 | 11/23/2023 |
8. | NFL Sunday Night Football: Kansas City vs. NY Jets (NBC) | 8,827,000 | 10/11/2023 |
9. | NFL Sunday Night Football: San Francisco vs. Dallas (NBC) | 8,772,000 | 10/8/2023 |
10. | NFL Sunday Night Football: Dallas vs. NY Giants (NBC) | 8,301,000 | 9/10/2023 |
11. | NFL Thursday Night Football: Philadelphia vs. Minnesota (Prime Video) | 7,784,000 | 9/14/2023 |
12. | NFL Sunday Night Football: Philadelphia vs. Miami (NBC) | 7,751,000 | 10/22/2023 |
13. | NFL Sunday Night Football: Green Bay vs. Kansas City (NBC) | 7,565,000 | 12/3/2023 |
14. | NFL Sunday Night Football: Detroit vs. Green Bay (NBC) | 7,540,000 | 1/8/2023 |
15. | NFL Sunday Night Football: Miami vs. New England (NBC) | 7,361,000 | 9/17/2023 |
16. | NFL Sunday Night Football: Pittsburgh vs. Las Vegas (NBC) | 7,294,000 | 9/24/2023 |
17. | NFL Playoff Game: LA Chargers vs. Jacksonville (NBC) | 7,254,000 | 1/14/2023 |
18. | Next Level Chef: S2E1 “A Next Level Welcome” (Fox) | 6,925,000 | 2/12/2023 |
19. | NFL Thursday Night Football: Dallas vs. Seattle (Prime Video) | 6,874,000 | 11/30/2023 |
20. | NFL Thursday Night Football: San Francisco vs. NY Giants (Prime Video) | 6,852,000 | 9/21/2023 |
21. | NFL Thursday Night Football: Kansas City vs. Denver (Prime Video) | 6,515,000 | 10/12/2023 |
22. | NFL Thursday Night Football: Detroit vs. Green Bay (Prime Video) | 6,478,000 | 9/28/2023 |
23. | NFL Sunday Night Football: Cincinnati vs. Buffalo (NBC) | 6,471,000 | 11/5/2023 |
24. | NFL Sunday Night Football: Denver vs. Minneapolis (NBC) | 6,319,000 | 11/19/2023 |
25. | NFL Sunday Night Football: Buffalo vs. NY Giants (NBC) | 6,042,000 | 10/15/2023 |
26. | NFL Thursday Night Football: Baltimore vs. Cincinnati (Prime Video) | 6,039,000 | 11/16/2023 |
27. | NFL Sunday Night Football: Baltimore vs. LA Chargers (NBC) | 5,998,000 | 11/26/2023 |
28. | NFL Sunday Night Football: LA Chargers vs. Chicago (NBC) | 5,851,000 | 10/29/2023 |
29. | NFL Sunday Night Football: LA Chargers vs. LA Rams (NBC) | 5,683,000 | 1/1/2023 |
30. | NFL Thursday Night Football: Chicago vs. Washington (Prime Video) | 5,675,000 | 10/5/2023 |
31. | NFL Sunday Night Football: Las Vegas vs. NY Jets (NBC) | 5,552,000 | 11/12/2023 |
32. | NBA Eastern Conference Finals: Miami vs. Boston (TNT) | 5,537,000 | 5/29/2023 |
33. | NFL Monday Night Football on ABC: Pittsburgh vs. Cleveland (ABC) | 5,460,000 | 9/18/2023 |
34. | The Oscars (ABC) | 5,442,000 | 3/12/2023 |
35. | NFL Thursday Night Football: Pittsburgh vs. Tennessee (Prime Video) | 5,374,000 | 11/2/2023 |
36. | NBA Finals Game 5: Denver vs. Miami (ABC) | 5,372,000 | 6/12/2023 |
37. | NFL Monday Night Football: Philadelphia vs. Kansas City (ESPN) | 5,239,000 | 11/20/2023 |
38. | NFL Wild Card Game: Dallas vs. Tampa Bay (ESPN) | 5,167,000 | 1/16/2023 |
39. | NFL Thursday Night Football: Buffalo vs. Tampa Bay (Prime Video) | 5,142,000 | 10/26/2023 |
40. | NFL Wild Card Game: Dallas vs. Tampa Bay (ABC) | 4,978,000 | 1/16/2023 |
41. | NBA Finals Game 2: Denver vs. Miami (ABC) | 4,890,000 | 6/4/2023 |
42. | NCAA Basketball Championship: UConn vs. San Diego State (CBS) | 4,881,000 | 4/3/2023 |
43. | NFL Thursday Night Football: Jacksonville vs. New Orleans (Prime Video) | 4,786,000 | 10/19/2023 |
44. | NBA Finals Game 1: Denver vs. Miami (ABC) | 4,656,000 | 6/1/2023 |
45. | NFL Monday Night Football: NY Jets vs. Buffalo (ESPN) | 4,511,000 | 9/11/2023 |
46. | NBA Finals Game 3: Denver vs. Miami (ABC) | 4,482,000 | 6/7/2023 |
47. | NFL Thursday Night Football: Chicago vs. Carolina (Prime Video) | 4,355,000 | 11/9/2023 |
48. | NBA Finals Game 4: Denver vs. Miami (ABC) | 4,241,000 | 6/9/2023 |
49. | College Football: LSU vs. Mississippi State (ESPN) | 4,187,000 | 9/16/2023 |
50. | NBA Playoffs: LA Lakers vs. Golden State (ESPN) | 4,140,000 | 5/12/2023 |
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