Hollywood strikes set television back, but audiences came back even stronger despite the delays.
Many shows break even or have even increased ratings from the 2022-2023 season.
Here’s a look at some of the best of the season so far.
Winners of the 2024 Television Season
Several shows are doing well this season, even if viewership is down from last season.
Grey’s Anatomy‘s latest season debuted with 3.6 million viewers, up from 3.3 million last season. Though some believe that the series is worth letting go of, it’s clear that there’s still a fanbase excited to watch and stream the show.
Earlier this year, Grey’s Anatomy placed 4 out of 10 for the most streamed show on Nielsen, so there’s still a huge audience out there for the hospital drama.
Abbott Elementary is down 4% from last year but still pulling 3.78 million viewers. However, that number doesn’t include streaming numbers.
According to ABC, the show often doubles its first-night audience after three days of cross-platform viewing, with most of the traffic coming from Hulu.
The comedy series is a hit on streaming platforms, and although Season 3 isn’t finished airing, Abott Elementary has already been renewed for Season 4.
Another hit ABC show this year is The Bachelor, up 9% from last year, with 4.11 million viewers.
The series had previously been on a decline, but after the success of The Golden Bachelor spin-off, things are looking up for the reality series.
Plus, we haven’t even gotten to the final episodes of the season, which are generally watched more heavily than early episodes due to the dramatic coming together of everyone involved.
After all, there’s nothing like the arguments that come from a reality series about finding love, especially when some of the bachelors in question don’t always seem to have the best intentions.
Over on CBS, So Help Me Todd is bringing in a steady amount of viewers, with 4.2 million tuning in. The cheesy comedy may not be the most-watched show on CBS, but it’s one that keeps viewers coming back for more.
9-1-1 debuted on its new network, ABC, and brought in 4.93 million total viewers with a 0.6 demo rating.
This is the best the show has done in quite some time, though some expected it to do better given the amount of promotion it was given.
Only time will tell if the series can be saved by ABC or if it will ultimately be shut down.
CBS’s Ghosts brought in 5.5 million viewers, a steady amount needed as the show just got its Season 4 renewal. With new ghosts coming into Woodstone, it seems there are plenty of laughs to go around.
Breaking even for NBC is Chicago Med, pulling in 8.45 million viewers.
Despite the fact that three series regulars left last season, the numbers seem to be unimpacted by the departures.
Chicago Fire (9.04 million viewers) and Chicago P.D. (8.24 million viewers) are within 2% of last season’s averages, rounding out all-Chicago Wednesdays with some incredible ratings.
The One Chicago series were definitely impacted by the strikes last year, so it’s good to have them back up and running even if some of the cast members have left.
Law & Order: SVU has a claim to the gold on Thursday nights as well, with 7.28 million viewers, which is up 6% from last year.
The longest-running primetime drama in American television history shows no signs of slowing down, either, as the show celebrates Season 25 with the largest seven-day audience since 2018-19.
Not only has the show been leading its Thursday night hour every week since its premiere in January, but it also has a large streaming audience on Hulu and Peacock.
A comfort show for many, Law & Order: SVU will likely maintain its viewership through primetime and streaming. After all, we’re all waiting to see if Benson and Stabler ever end up together.
Up 2% from last season with 9.48 million viewers is Young Sheldon, the final season for this spin-off.
The final season of Young Sheldon is anticipated to go out as the most-watched comedy on television, following in the footsteps of the original series, The Big Bang Theory.
Given the large success of Young Sheldon and The Big Bang Theory, it’s no surprise that another spin-off has been ordered — hopefully, the latest spin-off can continue to win over comedy fans.
NCIS is among the top-rated shows this season, with 10.32 million viewers, up 5% from last year.
NCIS has changed a lot over the years from cast members leaving and cast members arriving, but it’s still a fan-favorite beloved by many.
Between the flagship series and its many spin-offs, we’re anticipating to see a lot of NCIS in the future.
Following in NCIS’s footsteps is CBS’s new series Tracker, at 10.59 million viewers for the first season. Tracker is set to be the most-watched series (excluding live sports) on a broadcast network this season.
These numbers don’t include the big showcase following the Super Bowl this year. The season premiere drew in over 20 million viewers over seven days, but since it aired outside of primetime, it isn’t part of Tracker’s official season average.
To say that Tracker is a hit is a vast understatement. It certainly is a hit, and it has the potential to be the number-one show in our hearts this year. We love a good crime drama, and Tracker is delivering and exceeding our expectations.
What do you think of this season’s television winners so far?
Let us know in the comments below.
In the meantime, stay tuned at TV Fanatic for the latest news in television.
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Devin Piel, an entertainment news writer from the Midwest with a passion for true crime and binge-streaming the latest Netflix series, is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. You can follow her on X.
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