If you thought Jeopardy! and Alex Trebek was only a national treasure in syndication, they came to prove you wrong because the primetime airing of Jeopardy: The Greatest of All Time proved to be huge for ABC.
On ABC, the opening round of Jeopardy: The Greatest of All Time drew big ratings, in fact they were bigger than any other primetime series telecast this season. The limited-run game show, featuring Jeopardy hall of famers Ken Jennings, Brad Rutter and James Holzhauer facing off, drew 14.37 million viewers, the second-largest audience for any entertainment program on the networks so far this season. It trails only Sunday’s Golden Globes on NBC, which averaged 18.32 million viewers. The show’s 2.4 rating among adults 18-49 is the fourth-best same-day mark for an entertainment show this season, trailing the Globes (4.7), ABC’s Little Mermaid Live (2.6) and the season premiere of The Masked Singer (2.5) on Fox. The huge lead-in benefitted Mixed-ish which drew season highs in both total viewers (4.78 million) and adults 18-49 (1.1 rating). Black-ish followed with above-average numbers as well, scoring a 0.8 demo rating and 3.18 million viewers. Even the struggling Emergence ticked up to a 0.5 demo rating and 2.27 million viewers.
On NBC, the series premiere of musical dramedy Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist put up so-so numbers with a 0.6 demo rating and 2.69 million viewers. The episode will be live on streaming for six weeks before the show’s on-air return February 16 so maybe that will allow the show to boost its numbers when it returns. The premiere of Ellen’s Game of Games drew 1.0 and 1.1 in the 18-49 demo for its two episodes and averaged 4.5 million viewers, behind last season’s averages of 1.4 and 6.2 million.
On CBS, FBI spinoff, FBI: Most Wanted posted solid series premiere numbers, scoring a 0.8 demo rating and 7.19 million viewers. The total viewers score is the biggest audience for a regular series premiere this season and the demo held on to most of its lead-in’s numbers (FBI, 0.9 demo rating, 9.3 million viewers). NCIS delivered 10.28 million viewers and a 1.0 in the 18-49 demographic.
On Fox, The Resident (0.7 in adults 18-49, 3.72 million) was in line with its season average on the network, and 24 Hours to Hell and Back premiered to a 0.7 demo rating and 2.54 million viewers.
The CW aired reruns for the night.
| Time | Show | Network | Adults 18-49 rating/share | Viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8:00 PM | Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time | ABC | 2.3/12 | 14.82 |
| 8:00 PM | Chicago Med | NBC | 1.1/6 | 7.41 |
| 8:00 PM | Undercover Boss | CBS | 0.7/3 | 4.23 |
| 8:00 PM | Flirty Dancing | FOX | 0.3/2 | 1.42 |
| 9:00 PM | Modern Family | ABC | 1.5/7 | 6.40 |
| 9:00PM | Chicago Fire | NBC | 1.1/6 | 7.91 |
| 9:00 PM | Criminal Minds (9-11 p.m.) | CBS | 0.7/4 | 4.66 |
| 9:00 PM | Almost Family | FOX | 0.3/2 | 1.01 |
| 9:30 PM | Single Parents | ABC | 0.9/5 | 3.40 |
| 10:00 PM | Chicago P.D. | NBC | 1.0/6 | 7.03 |
| 10:00 PM | Stumptown | ABC | 0.5/3 | 2.73 |
