The numbers are in for the recently concluded 2021-22 TV season.
As we enter the summer programming lull, it’s a good time to take a look back at what viewers watched in primetime on network television during the period stretching from last September through mid-May.
With so many viewing options available on so many different platforms, the days of a network series generating blockbuster viewership appear to be long-gone — even with delayed viewership — but these dramas, comedies and reality shows managed to retain a good chunk of their loyal audiences in the age of digital TV and a fractured viewer landscape.
Here are the top five shows in each genre on the broadcast networks, measured by their average weekly total viewership (according to Nielsen).
DRAMAS:
“NCIS” (CBS): 11 million.
“FBI” (CBS): 10.4 million.
“Chicago Fire” (NBC): 9.9 million.
“Blue Bloods” (CBS): 9.8 million.
“The Equalizer” (CBS): 9.5 million.
HONORABLE MENTION:
Yeah, I know, it’s a cable series, but there’s no way to ignore the impact of this Kevin Costner drama, which not only topped its nearest broadcast competitor by 300,000 viewers, but has spawned one prequel already on the air — “1883” (starring Tim McGraw and Faith Hill) — and two in-the-works spinoffs from series creator Taylor Sheridan: “1932” and “6666.”
“Yellowstone” (Paramount Network): 11.3 million.
“Chicago PD” (NBC): 9.3 million.
“Chicago Med” (NBC): 9.2 million.
“FBI: Most Wanted” (CBS): 8.8 million.
“NCIS: Hawai’i” (CBS): 8.3 million
“FBI: International” (CBS): 8.3 million
COMEDIES:
“Young Sheldon” (CBS): 9.2 million.
“Ghosts” (CBS): 8.4 million.
“The Neighborhood” (CBS): 6.8 million.
“Bob Hearts Abishola” (CBS): 6.7 million.
“United States of Al” (CBS): 5.9 million. Cancelled after two seasons.
HONORABLE MENTION:
“B Positive” (CBS): 5.7 million. Cancelled after two seasons.
“The Conners” (ABC): 4.8 million.
“How We Roll” (CBS): 4.2 million. Late season (March 31) entry. Cancelled.
“The Goldbergs” (ABC): 3.9 million.
“Abbott Elementary” (ABC): 3.8 million.
REALITY:
“The Voice” (NBC, Tuesday edition): 8.3 million.
“Survivor” (CBS): 7.4 million.
“American Idol” (ABC, Monday edition): 6.9 million.
“Dancing With the Stars” (ABC): 6.3 million.
“The Masked Singer” (Fox): 5.9 million.
HONORABLE MENTION:
“The Amazing Race” (CBS): 5.5 million.
“America’s Funniest Home Videos” (ABC): 5.1 million.
“Shark Tank” (ABC): 4.5 million.
“The Bachelor” (ABC): 4.5 million.
“AGT Extreme” (NBC): 4 million.
TOTAL VIEWERS (COMPARED TO THE PREVIOUS YEAR):
CBS: 6.2 million. Even.
NBC: 5.9 million. Up 14 percent.
Fox: 4.5 million. Up 7 percent.
ABC: 4.2 million. Down 10 percent.