Ratings: Roseanne Revival Opens Huge, Biggest Sitcom Telecast in 3-1/2 Years
The premiere numbers for ABC’s Roseanne revival were even bigger than the laughs it delivered.
The classic comedy returned on Tuesday to 18.2 million total viewers and a 5.2 demo rating (across its double-episode run, per finals), easily marking this TV season’s biggest launch — besting even Young Sheldon‘s premiere, which did 17.2 mil/3.8 leading out of Big Bang Theory.
Suffice to say, Will & Grace‘s own revival launch (10.2 mil/3.) trails far behind, as do the series premieres of The Good Doctor (11.2 mil/2.2) and an NFL-boosted The Orville (8.6 mil/2.7).
ABC notes that Roseanne returned to an audience larger than its final 12 telecasts of the original run’s 1996-97 season, while that 5.1 represents a 3-1/2 year high for any comedy on any network.
For the time slot, Roseanne gave ABC its best numbers since November 2006 and November 2009, respectively.
TVLine readers gave the Roseanne opener an average grade of “B,” while the second half-hour scored a “B+.”
Leading out of all that, black-ish (8.7 mil/2.6) scored its biggest audience since its series premiere and best demo number since November 2014, while Splitting Up Together debuted to 7.2 mil/2.1. For the People (3.6 mil/0.9) surged 33 and 50 percent.
Elsewhere….
NBC | The Voice (8.9 mil/1.7) fell 19 and 23 percent, to Tuesday lows for this cycle. Rise (4.5 mil/0.8) slipped 17 and 27 percent, while Chicago Med (5.8 mil/1.0) was down 16 and 17 percent to season lows.
CBS | NCIS (11.8 mil/1.3) slipped 11 percent and two tenths, Bull (10.7 mil/1.1) and New Orleans (8.6 mil/0.9) each dipped.
THE CW | Black Lightning (1.54 mil/0.5) was steady.
FOX | LA to Vegas (2 mil/0.6) dipped, The Mick (1.8 mil/0.7) was steady.
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Launch Gallery: <i>Roseanne</i> Revival: Everything to Know
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