TV Ratings: ‘Black Lightning’ Premiere Stands Strong on CW
The series premiere of “Black Lightning” on The CW put up strong numbers, according to Nielsen overnight data.
Airing at 9 p.m., “Black Lightning” drew a 0.8 rating in adults 18-49 and 2.3 million viewers. It retained all of its lead in in the key demo and more than 90 percent in total viewers from “The Flash” (0.8, 2.5 million), which aired at 8 p.m. Those numbers also put “Black Lightning” on par with the Season 2 premiere of “Riverdale” (0.8, 2.3 million) in October. It was The CW’s highest rated original series premiere in two years since the launch of “Legends of Tomorrow” (1.2, 3.2 million).
On NBC, “Ellen’s Game of Games” (2.2, 8.8 million) ticked up in total viewers. “This Is Us” (2.5, 9.8 million) was even and was the top-rated and most-watched show of the night. “Chicago Med” (1.5, 7.9 million) was up in total viewers.
For ABC, “The Middle” (1.4, 6.1 million) was up slightly in viewers, while “Fresh Off the Boat” (1.0, 3.9 million), “Black-ish” (1.0, 3.8 million), and “Kevin Probably Saves the World” (0.6, 2.6 million) were even.
On Fox, “Lethal Weapon” (1.2, 5 million), “LA to Vegas” (0.9, 2.8 million), and “The Mick” (0.8, 2.3 million) were all up in both measures.
CBS aired only repeats.
NBC won the night with a 2.1 and 8.8 million viewers. Fox was second in the demo with a 1.0 but third in total viewers with 3.8 million. ABC was third in the demo with a 0.9 but was fourth in total viewers with 3.6 million. CBS and The CW tied for fourth in the demo with a 0.8. CBS was second in total viewers with 8.1 million. The CW averaged 2.4 million viewers.
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