TV Ratings: Miss America Drops 16%, NBC Wins Quiet Thursday

Will Thorne

Click here to read the full article.

After the madness of a Wednesday night crammed with finales and an impeachment vote, the Thursday night TV ratings were pretty tame in comparison.

This year’s “Miss America” contest tied for first on the night with a 0.6 rating among adults 18-49 and 3.6 million total viewers. That represents at 16% viewership drop-off from last year’s contest which scored a 0.7 rating and 4.3 million viewers, as well as an all-time low. This was the first year the pageant returned to its former Peacock home after a nine-year broadcast stint on ABC. “A Gwen Stefani Christmas” rerun followed it up with a 0.5 and 2.8 million viewers, meaning that NBC won the quiet night overall.

More from Variety

ABC came second on the night, with its back-to-back “Prep and Landing” episodes both coming in at a 0.6 rating and an average of around 2.8 million viewers. “The Great American Baking Show” came out of the oven with a 0.5 rating and 2.7 million viewers.

CBS and Fox tied for third place, as both networks aired only reruns.

On the Eye, “Young Sheldon” led the way with a 0.5 rating, followed by a trio of shows at a 0.4, namely “The Unicorn,” “Mom” and “Carol’s Second Act.” An “Evil” replay closed out the night with a 0.2.

Back-to-back “Last Man Standing” replays both scored a 0.5 for Fox, followed by a “Prodigal Son” episode which posted a 0.3.

Finally on the CW, the “iHeart Jingle Ball Tour,” which featured performances from Lizzo, Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, the Jonas Brothers, and Billie Eilish, scored a 0.3 rating and just under 1 million pairs of eyeballs. A “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” replay scored a 0.2

Best of Variety

Sign up for Variety’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.