Primetime Ratings: Hot ‘American Idol’ Paces ABC

ABC won Sunday ratings race, as American Idol led the net to a 1.2 in viewers 18-49, per the Nielsen overnights, and a 5 share. That easily beat the 0.7/3 that NBC rated.

The broadcasters were up against a new episode of Game of Thrones on HBO.

America’s Funniest Home Videos went up 38% to 1.1 on ABC and two hours of American Idol grew 17% to 1.4, as the contestants performed Queen songs. Shark Tank got a level 0.8.

An Ellen’s Game of Games repeat led off prime on NBC, before two hours of World of Dance got a 0.8 and Good Girls scored a 0.6. Both went up a tenth of a point.

CBS and Fox both did a 0.6/3. CBS had a 60 Minutes repeat, then the premiere of The Red Line at 0.5. From Greg Berlanti and Ava DuVernay, The Red Line follows three Chicago families connected by a tragedy. Noah Wyle stars. NCIS: Los Angeles fell 14% to 0.6.

Fox had comedy reruns before The Simpsons rated a 0.7 and Bob’s Burgers a 0.8, both comedies flat, and Family Guy slid 11% to 0.8.

Univision rated a 0.4/2 and Telemundo a 0.3/1.

The CW did a 0.2/1, with Supergirl at 0.3 and Charmed at 0.2, both dramas flat. 

Michael Malone

Michael Malone, senior content producer at B+C/Multichannel News, covers network programming, including entertainment, news and sports on broadcast, cable and streaming; and local broadcast television. He hosts the podcasts Busted Pilot, about what’s new in television, and Series Business, a chat with the creator of a new program, and writes the column “The Watchman.” He joined B+C in 2005. His journalism has also appeared in The New York Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Playboy and New York magazine.