ABC premiered The Bachelor last night and a steady audience tuned in to see if Colton Underwood would maintain his much-publicized virginity during the premiere while America’s Got Talent: Champions proved to be a solid winner for NBC.
On ABC, The Bachelor opened its 23rd season to a 1.5 in the 18-49 demo, even with last year. Its 5.1 million viewers were down a little from the 5.48 million for last season’s two-hour premiere. It also led the night among adults under 35 and was up over last season’s debut in that demo, along with women 18-34 and women 18-49. ABC also stretched the premiere out to three hours because…you know…it was necessary.
On NBC, the all-star edition of AGT, featuring acts from other countries as well as the United States, led the night in both adults 18-49 (1.8 rating) and total viewers (9.93 million). Champions wasn’t as big as the summer edition of America’s Got Talent (2.1 in the demo and 11.4 million viewers for Tuesday episodes), but it provided a big upgrade over last season’s winter placeholders for The Voice: The Wall and Better Late Than Never averaged a 1.1 in adults 18-49 in January and early February 2018. Manifest returned with a 1.1 among adults 18-49 and 5.88 million viewers, even with its fall finale in November. Many were worried Manifest would return down but thanks to the AGT lead-in, the freshman series was able to return steady.
On CBS, Happy Together was their lone series to not air a re-run and it scored a 0.8 demo rating and 4.24 million viewers. The series was up slightly from its last episode. CBS otherwise aired reruns, as did Fox and The CW.
| 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 |
