Ratings: Black Lightning Starts Strong, Best CW Premiere in Two Years

Matt Webb Mitovich
Updated

The CW’s Black Lightning premiered on Tuesday night to 2.31 million total viewers and a 0.8 demo rating, delivering non-crossover highs this TV season for the time slot while marking the network’s best series launch in two years (since Legends of Tomorrow‘s 3.2 mil/1.2).

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The new superhero drama in fact gave the Tuesdays-at-9 time slot its largest audience (“Crisis on Earth-X” excepted) in three years (since Supernatural), and its best demo number in two years. TVLine readers gave the opener an average grade of “B+.”

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Opening The CW’s night, The Flash (2.47 mil/0.8) was up 13 percent in audience from its fall finale while steady in the demo.

Elsewhere….

ABC | The Middle (6.1 mil/1.4) ticked up, while Fresh Off the Boat (3.9 mil/1.0), black-ish (3.8 mil/1.0) and Kevin (Probably) (2.56 mil/0.6) were steady.

FOX | Lethal Weapon (5 mil/1.2) rose 16 percent and two tenths to hit and tie season highs. LA to Vegas (2.8 mil/0.9) and The Mick (2.3 mil/0.8) both ticked up.

NBC | Ellen’s Game of Games (8.7 mil/2.2) ticked up, while This Is Us (9.8 mil/2.5) slipped two tenths. Chicago Med (7.9 mil/1.5) hit a season high in audience while up a tenth in the demo.

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