Most Popular TV Shows of 2019-20: Winners and Losers
You’ll be excused if you didn’t even realize that the 2019-2020 TV season ended on Wednesday night; since the world has been on lockdown and the pandemic has dramatically changed the look and feel of primetime over the past few weeks, everything seems a bit off kilter. But the season did end with a good old fashioned huge ratings event: The Season 3 finale of “The Masked Singer,” a show that almost felt of another time by its end.
“The Masked Singer” kicked off its most recent season as Fox’s post-Super Bowl program on February 2; by the time it ended 18 weeks later, the world was a very different place. “The Masked Singer” remained a powerhouse, however: Even if the post-Super Bowl special isn’t included, the competition series is easily the year’s top-rated entertainment series among adults 18-49.
Meanwhile, on the total viewer side, with “The Big Bang Theory” retired, another CBS staple recaptures the most-watched entertainment series crown: “NCIS,” now in its 17th season, is tops, with 15.3 million viewers.
Of course, ultimately it’s NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” that once again dominated in all measures — both adults 18-49 (6.0 rating) and total viewers (20 million). Nothing else comes close. It’s why the NFL — and the networks — are so anxious to have sports back and running by fall.
As we’ve written before, ratings just aren’t as critical as they used to be, given the multiple ways people now consume content — and the long tail of that consumption. But they remain the most common way to compare the linear performance of shows both on broadcast and cable.
Here’s a final look at some of the hits and misses of 2019–2020, followed by our complete list of the 100 most-watched shows of the season, according to both adults 18-49 and total viewers, using the most recent live+7 ratings (which include seven days’ worth of DVR and video on-demand usage).
WINNERS
Fox: Not a bad first year for the now-independent Fox network. Yep, the Super Bowl helped tremendously, as did Thursday Night Football. But that was the point, right? Fox’s strategy, now that it has uncoupled from 20th Century Fox assets, has been to rethink what it is to be a broadcast network in an age where it’s tough to be a broadcast network. And thanks to sports, and “The Masked Singer” — which the network owns and produces — it’s been a solid season. This is Fox’s first 18-49 No. 1 finish in eight years, and it’s the only major English-language network to be up year-over-year in the demo and total viewers. (Univision is also up among the major Spanish nets.) According to the network, even its programming on Hulu is up 32% year-over-year. “The Masked Singer” was so hot that its spinoff, “The Masked Singer: After the Mask,” also ranked higher thank shows that probably cost ten times to produce.
“90 Day Fiancé”: Before people were talking about “Tiger King,” it was TLC’s “90 Day Fiancé” franchise that had taken the crown as TV’s most popular guilty pleasure. Three — yes, three! — different editions of “90 Day Fiancé” made the top 100 list this year, including “90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days,” “90 Day Fiancé: The Other Way,” and the original series. And if TLC doesn’t already have enough to celebrate, another one of its guilty pleasures, “Dr. Pimple Popper,” manages to sneak on to the total viewers chart.
Sports: The NFL, of course, dominates as usual, with Sunday Night Football, Thursday Night Football and Monday Night Football all leading the 18-49 ranker (and with the exception of “NCIS” sneaking in there, also the total viewer list). But look at what made a last minute jump to No. 5 on this year’s 18-49 list: ESPN’s Michael Jordan docuseries “The Last Dance.” That gave ESPN two series in the top five, easily making it cable’s dominant force on the chart. A consolation prize, perhaps, for ESPN right now, given how it’s struggling to figure out how to program a sports network in a country with no sports.
Dick Wolf: Everything’s coming up Dick Wolf. His “FBI: Most Wanted” is the season’s most-watched new series, and in total viewers, he clocks four out of the eight most-watched scripted series in primetime. His three “Chicago” shows for NBC and two “FBI” shows for CBS remain durable franchises.
LOSERS
Comedy: It’s tough out there for laffers. CBS’ “Young Sheldon” is the most-watched comedy in primetime, ranked No. 9 with 11.4 million viewers — down from 14.6 million last year. There are only five comedies total in the 2+ top 50 ranker. Among adults 18-49, the performance is also weak: The top-rated comedy, Modern Family, is just outside the top 10 — and that show has just left the airwaves for good. We also listed “comedy” as a loser last year, and the prognosis has only worsened.
“The Walking Dead”: Sorry, zombies. “The Walking Dead” continues to be the top-rated cable entertainment program. But remember when it used to be TV’s top-rated show, period? Now, sadly, the slide continues, and it’s just out of the top 10, with a 1.9 rating — compared to a 3.2 last year, 5.3 rating in 2017-2018, a 8.0 in 2016-2017, and yes, a 9.6 in 2015-2016.
“Tommy”: With several renewals and cancelations still pending, CBS’ “Tommy,” starring Edie Falco, earns the distinction of being the most-watched show (7.7 million) to be canceled so far from this past season.
THE 100 TOP-RATED SERIES OF 2019-2020 (ADULTS 18-49)
Rank | PROGRAM (NETWORK) | RATING /SHARE | 18-49 VIEWER (000) |
1. | NFL Sunday Night Football (NBC) | 6.0/26 | 7,819 |
2. | NFL Thursday Night Football (Fox/NFL) | 4.5/22 | 5,799 |
3. | NFL Monday Night Football (ESPN) | 4.1/21 | 5,370 |
4. | The Masked Singer (Fox) | 3.2/16 | 4,138 |
5. | The Last Dance (ESPN) | 2.9/15 | 3,811 |
This Is Us (NBC) | 2.9/13 | 3,713 | |
7. | The Bachelor (ABC) | 2.4/12 | 3,120 |
8. | Grey’s Anatomy (ABC) | 2.3/12 | 3,028 |
9-1-1 (Fox) | 2.3/11 | 2,983 | |
10. | Chicago PD (NBC) | 2.0/11 | 2,605 |
11. | The Walking Dead (AMC) | 1.9/8 | 2,499 |
Survivor (CBS) | 1.9/10 | 2,495 | |
Chicago Fire (NBC) | 1.9/9 | 2,480 | |
Modern Family (ABC) | 1.9/9 | 2,473 | |
Lego Masters (Fox) | 1.9/9 | 2,416 | |
16. | The Good Doctor (ABC) | 1.8/9 | 2,386 |
9-1-1: Lone Star (Fox) | 1.8/9 | 2,325 | |
The Voice (NBC) | 1.8/8 | 2,308 | |
19. | Chicago Med (NBC) | 1.7/8 | 2,240 |
NCIS (CBS) | 1.7/8 | 2,207 | |
American Idol-Monday (ABC) | 1.7/8 | 2,183 | |
New Amsterdam (NBC) | 1.7/9 | 2,147 | |
23. | Young Sheldon (CBS) | 1.6/9 | 2,100 |
American Horror Story (FX) | 1.6/8 | 2,090 | |
The Conners (ABC) | 1.6/8 | 2,086 | |
The Voice-Tuesday (NBC) | 1.6/8 | 2,082 | |
A Million Little Things (ABC) | 1.6/8 | 2,020 | |
28. | Station 19 (ABC) | 1.5/8 | 2,002 |
American Idol (ABC) | 1.5/7 | 1,974 | |
Manifest (NBC) | 1.5/8 | 1,938 | |
31. | The Masked Singer: After the Mask (Fox) | 1.4/7 | 1,870 |
Law & Order: SVU (NBC) | 1.4/7 | 1,866 | |
Criminal Minds (CBS) | 1.4/7 | 1,861 | |
America’s Got Talent Champions (NBC) | 1.4/7 | 1,839 | |
FBI (CBS) | 1.4/7 | 1,814 | |
Saturday Night Football (ABC) | 1.4/8 | 1,793 | |
Prodigal Son (Fox) | 1.4/6 | 1,790 | |
90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days (TLC) | 1.4/6 | 1,758 | |
39. | The Rookie (ABC) | 1.3/7 | 1,720 |
Mom (CBS) | 1.3/6 | 1,646 | |
The Resident (Fox) | 1.3/6 | 1,644 | |
The Goldbergs (ABC) | 1.3/6 | 1,636 | |
The Neighborhood (CBS) | 1.3/6 | 1,624 | |
44. | The Good Place (NBC) | 1.2/6 | 1,598 |
FBI: Most Wanted (CBS) | 1.2/7 | 1,576 | |
Seal Team (CBS) | 1.2/6 | 1,574 | |
Empire (Fox) | 1.2/6 | 1,548 | |
60 Minutes (CBS) | 1.2/6 | 1,544 | |
Last Man Standing (Fox) | 1.2/6 | 1,539 | |
S.W.A.T. (CBS) | 1.2/6 | 1,536 | |
Bull (CBS) | 1.2/6 | 1,533 | |
90 Day Fiancé: The Other Way (TLC) | 1.2/5 | 1,531 | |
Ellen’s Game of Games (NBC) | 1.2/6 | 1,515 | |
Family Guy (Fox) | 1.2/5 | 1,499 | |
Blue Bloods (CBS) | 1.2/6 | 1,497 | |
56. | Hawai’i Five-0 (CBS) | 1.1/6 | 1,469 |
The Simpsons (Fox) | 1.1/5 | 1,468 | |
90 Day Fiancé (TLC) | 1.1/5 | 1,456 | |
Superstore (NBC) | 1.1/6 | 1,434 | |
Real Housewives of Atlanta (Bravo) | 1.1/5 | 1,416 | |
Dancing with the Stars (ABC) | 1.1/5 | 1,413 | |
Evil (CBS) | 1.1/6 | 1,411 | |
Stumptown (ABC) | 1.1/6 | 1,410 | |
NCIS: New Orleans (CBS) | 1.1/6 | 1,410 | |
For Life (ABC) | 1.1/6 | 1,393 | |
How to Get Away with Murder (ABC) | 1.1/6 | 1,389 | |
The Blacklist (NBC) | 1.1/6 | 1,378 | |
Fox College Football: Big 12 Prime (Fox) | 1.1/6 | 1,378 | |
NCIS: Los Angeles (CBS) | 1.1/5 | 1,372 | |
Curse of Oak Island (History) | 1.1/5 | 1,372 | |
Jersey Shore: Family Vacation S3 (MTV) | 1.1/5 | 1,371 | |
Bob’s Burgers (Fox) | 1.1/5 | 1,365 | |
73. | Below Deck Mediterranean (Bravo) | 1.0/5 | 1,350 |
Magnum P.I. (CBS) | 1.0/6 | 1,344 | |
Mayans M.C. (FX) | 1.0/6 | 1,337 | |
Bob Hearts Abishola (CBS) | 1.0/5 | 1,333 | |
Deputy (Fox) | 1.0/5 | 1,331 | |
The Unicorn (CBS) | 1.0/5 | 1,307 | |
Shark Tank (ABC) | 1.0/5 | 1,304 | |
Single Parents (ABC) | 1.0/5 | 1,303 | |
Songland (NBC) | 1.0/5 | 1,288 | |
Below Deck (Bravo) | 1.0/4 | 1,285 | |
Jersey Shore: Family Vacation S3B (MTV) | 1.0/5 | 1,280 | |
American Housewife (ABC) | 1.0/6 | 1,277 | |
Real Housewives of Orange County (Bravo) | 1.0/5 | 1,268 | |
Emergence (ABC) | 1.0/5 | 1,256 | |
Man with a Plan (CBS) | 1.0/5 | 1,254 | |
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire – Thu. (ABC) | 1.0/6 | 1,250 | |
Love & Hip Hop Atlanta 9 (VH1) | 1.0/5 | 1,239 | |
The Challenge: Total Madness (MTV) | 1.0/5 | 1,238 | |
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (ABC) | 1.0/5 | 1,233 | |
Will & Grace (NBC) | 1.0/5 | 1,231 | |
MacGyver (CBS) | 1.0/5 | 1,231 | |
94. | Brooklyn Nine-Nine (NBC) | 0.9/5 | 1,228 |
Schooled (ABC) | 0.9/5 | 1,227 | |
Good Girls (NBC) | 0.9/5 | 1,222 | |
Broke (CBS) | 0.9/5 | 1,215 | |
Bless This Mess (ABC) | 0.9/5 | 1,212 | |
Real Housewives of Beverly Hills (Bravo) | 0.9/5 | 1,197 | |
America’s Funniest Home Videos (ABC) | 0.9/4 | 1,190 | |
Teen Mom II S9B (MTV) | 0.9/4 | 1,183 | |
Love & Hip Hop Hollywood 6 (VH1) | 0.9/4 | 1,172 | |
All Rise (CBS) | 0.9/4 | 1,169 | |
24 Hours to Hell and Back (Fox) | 0.9/4 | 1,156 | |
Mixed-ish (ABC) | 0.9/4 | 1,153 | |
The Challenge: War of Worlds (MTV) | 0.9/4 | 1,138 | |
Basketball Wives 8 (VH1) | 0.9/4 | 1,137 | |
Love & Hip Hop 10 (VH1) | 0.9/4 | 1,131 | |
Keeping Up with the Kardashians (E!) | 0.9/4 | 1,130 | |
WWE Friday Night Smackdown (Fox) | 0.9/5 | 1,128 | |
Vanderpump Rules (Bravo) | 0.9/4 | 1,107 | |
Bluff City Law (NBC) | 0.9/4 | 1,105 | |
Source: Nielsen, Preliminary Live+7 Days, Prime, Original telecasts only. Season through 5/10/2020. Programs with 2 or more telecasts. |
TOP 100 SHOWS OF 2019-2020, TOTAL VIEWERS
America’s most-watched series of the 2019-2020 season are …
Rank | Title (Network) | VIEWERS (000) |
1. | NFL Sunday Night Football (NBC) | 19,993 |
2. | NCIS (CBS) | 15,336 |
3. | NFL Thursday Night Football (Fox/NFL Network) | 15,048 |
4. | NFL Monday Night Football (ESPN) | 12,750 |
5. | FBI (CBS) | 12,552 |
6. | Blue Bloods (CBS) | 11,962 |
7. | Chicago Fire (NBC) | 11,699 |
8. | This Is Us (NBC) | 11,549 |
9. | Young Sheldon (CBS) | 11,449 |
10. | Chicago PD (NBC) | 11,228 |
11. | Chicago Med (NBC) | 11,220 |
12. | The Good Doctor (ABC) | 10,824 |
13. | The Masked Singer (Fox) | 10,783 |
14. | Bull (CBS) | 10,607 |
15. | 60 Minutes (CBS) | 10,459 |
16. | 9-1-1 (Fox) | 10,416 |
17. | The Voice (NBC) | 10,367 |
18. | FBI: Most Wanted (CBS) | 10,204 |
19. | The Voice-Tuesday (NBC) | 9,728 |
20. | New Amsterdam (NBC) | 9,700 |
21. | Hawai’i Five-0 (CBS) | 9,684 |
22. | NCIS: New Orleans (CBS) | 9,583 |
23. | Grey’s Anatomy (ABC) | 9,386 |
24. | Survivor (CBS) | 9,229 |
25. | 9-1-1: Lone Star (Fox) | 9,085 |
26. | America’s Got Talent Champions (NBC) | 8,922 |
27. | Magnum P.I. (CBS) | 8,914 |
28. | NCIS: Los Angeles (CBS) | 8,913 |
29. | Station 19 (ABC) | 8,550 |
30. | American Idol — Monday (CBS) | 8,536 |
31. | Mom (CBS) | 8,524 |
32. | American Idol (ABC) | 8,336 |
33. | The Rookie (ABC) | 8,185 |
34. | Seal Team (CBS) | 8,020 |
35. | Criminal Minds (CBS) | 8,006 |
36. | Dancing with the Stars (ABC) | 7,998 |
37. | The Bachelor (ABC) | 7,934 |
38. | The Conners (ABC) | 7,729 |
39. | Manifest (NBC) | 7,698 |
40. | The Neighborhood (CBS) | 7,694 |
41. | Tommy (CBS) | 7,685 |
42. | All Rise (CBS) | 7,643 |
43. | God Friended Me (CBS) | 7,616 |
44. | Bob Hearts Abishola (CBS) | 7,538 |
45. | MacGyver (CBS) | 7,500 |
46. | Man with a Plan (CBS) | 7,468 |
47. | A Million Little Things (ABC) | 7,262 |
48. | S.W.A.T. (CBS) | 7,255 |
49. | Modern Family (ABC) | 7,099 |
50. | The Unicorn (CBS) | 7,095 |
51. | Broke (CBS) | 6,916 |
52. | The Blacklist (NBC) | 6,913 |
53. | Who Wants to Be a Millionaire – Thu. (ABC) | 6,879 |
54. | Madam Secretary (CBS) | 6,737 |
55. | The Last Dance (ESPN) | 6,709 |
56. | The Resident (Fox) | 6,704 |
57. | Carol’s Second Act (CBS) | 6,594 |
58. | Law & Order: SVU (NBC) | 6,455 |
59. | Last Man Standing (Fox) | 6,403 |
60. | Deputy (Fox) | 6,340 |
61. | Evil (CBS) | 6,287 |
62. | Bluff City Law (NBC) | 6,239 |
63. | Stumptown (ABC) | 5,963 |
64. | Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (ABC) | 5,849 |
65. | Prodigal Son (Fox) | 5,830 |
66. | America’s Funniest Home Videos (ABC) | 5,702 |
67. | Emergence (ABC) | 5,669 |
68. | Lego Masters (Fox) | 5,598 |
69. | Lincoln Rhyme (NBC) | 5,574 |
70. | The Masked Singer: After the Mask (Fox) | 5,559 |
71. | The Walking Dead (AMC) | 5,373 |
72. | Ellen’s Game of Games (NBC) | 5,314 |
73. | The Goldbergs (ABC) | 5,311 |
74. | Saturday Night Football (ABC) | 5,191 |
75. | Shark Tank (ABC) | 4,928 |
76. | Songland (NBC) | 4,918 |
77. | Undercover Boss (CBS) | 4,915 |
78. | Dateline Friday (NBC) | 4,866 |
79. | Bless This Mess (ABC) | 4,722 |
80. | Curse of Oak Island (History) | 4,650 |
81. | American Housewife (ABC) | 4,500 |
82. | For Life (ABC) | 4,360 |
83. | 20/20 (ABC) | 4,350 |
84. | How to Get Away with Murder (ABC) | 4,225 |
85. | 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days (TLC) | 4,047 |
86. | Empire (Fox) | 4,043 |
87. | Fox College Football: Big 12 Prime (Fox) | 4,030 |
88. | 48 Hours (CBS) | 4,022 |
89. | Will & Grace (NBC) | 4,010 |
90. | Council of Dads (NBC) | 4,008 |
91. | Kids Say the Darndest Things (ABC) | 3,966 |
92. | Schooled (ABC) | 3,929 |
93. | The Baker and the Beauty (ABC) | 3,887 |
94. | Mixed-ish (ABC) | 3,820 |
95. | Superstore (NBC) | 3,816 |
96. | Black-ish (ABC) | 3,719 |
97. | Dateline Mystery (NBC) | 3,715 |
98. | Dr. Pimple Popper (TLC) | 3,658 |
99. | Single Parents (ABC) | 3,646 |
100. | The Good Place (NBC) | 3,563 |
Source: Nielsen, Preliminary Live+7 Days, Prime, Original telecasts only. Season through 5/10/2020. Programs with 2 or more telecasts. |
THE MOST-WATCHED BROADCAST NETWORKS OF 2019-2020 (BY TOTAL VIEWERS)
- CBS (7,676,000; down 14%)
- NBC (6,628,000; down 9%)
- Fox (6,391,000; up 17%)
- ABC (5,458,000; down 3%)
- Univision (1,461,000; up 6%)
- Ion (1,282,000; down 2%)
- Telemundo (1,107,000; down 8%)
- The CW (1,040,000; down 22%)
- Me TV (740,000; up 5%)
- Unimas (523,000; up 40%)
THE TOP-RATED BROADCAST NETWORKS OF 2019-2020 (BY ADULTS 18-49)
1. Fox (1.7; up 14%)
2. NBC (1.4; down 16%)
3. ABC (1.1; down 11%)
t. CBS (1.1; down 31%)
5. Univision (0.5; up 6%)
6. Telemundo (0.4; down 10%)
7. The CW (0.3; down 29%)
t. Ion (0.3; down 2%)
9.Unimas (0.2; up 46%)
10. Bounce TV (0.1; up 15%)
Source: Nielsen, NPM (09/23/2019-04/26/2020, Live+7 and 04/27/2020-05/10/2020, Live+SD) vs. (09/24/2018-04/28/2019, Live+7 and 04/29/2019-05/12/2019, Live+SD) Mon-Sat 8pm-11pm/Sun 7pm-11pm.