Solid Sampling for ‘Young Sheldon’ on CBS and ‘The Good Doctor’ on ABC

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2017
Night One of 2017-18

Household Rating/Share
CBS: 6.8/11, ABC: 6.6/11, NBC: 5.9/10, Fox: 1.6/ 2, CW: 0.6/ 1

-Percent Change from the Night 1 of 2016-17 (9/19/16):
ABC: + 8, CBS: + 1, CW: -14, NBC: -17, Fox: -45

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Ratings Breakdown:
On your mark, get set, go! CBS topped this first night of the 2017-18 TV season in the household overnights, besting ABC and NBC by 3 and 15 percent, respectively. But NBC could be in the position to challenge CBS for leadership in adults 18-49 (and the other key demos) thanks to the return of “The Voice.”

In new series results, there were two standouts: “Young Sheldon” on CBS and “The Good Doctor” on ABC. “Young Sheldon,” the prequel to “The Big Bang Theory,” opened with a dominant 10.7 rating/17 share at 8:30 p.m., which held 94 percent of the “Big Bang” lead-in (season premiere: #1 for the night – 11.4/18 at 8 p.m.). Needless to say, the flow is seamless. Episode two of “Young Sheldon” opens in the Thursday 8:30 p.m. half-hour (out of “Big Bang”) on Nov. 2. Be patient!

ABC medical drama “The Good Doctor,” starring “Bates Motel’s” Freddie Highmore, launched with a dominant 7.5/12 in the household overnights in the 10 p.m. hour, which built from the 9:30 p.m. portion of “Dancing with the Stars” (6.1/10) by 23 percent. There was also no loss in household rating at 10:30 p.m., and “The Good Doctor” outdelivered the series-premiere of NBC drama “The Brave” (4.0/ 7) and the season premiere of CBS’ “Scorpion” (3.9/ 7) by 87 and 92 percent, respectively.

Comparably, “The Brave” slipped by 44 percent from the 9:30 p.m. portion of “The Voice” (7.2/11), which “Scorpion” dropped from the series-premiere of CBS sitcom “Me, Myself & I” (#3: 4.7/ 7 at 9:30 p.m.) by 17 percent.

Also on CBS was the sophomore season premiere of ‘Kevin Can Wait” at a 6.4/10 (#2) in the 9 p.m. half-hour, which only made two small references to the passing of Erinn Hayes as Donna (and benefited by the lead-in support from “Young Sheldon”).

In the battle of the reality/competitions, a 6.8/11 for the season-premiere of NBC’s “The Voice” from 8-10 p.m. was 11 percent above the 6.1/10 for ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars.” Last season, “The Voice” opened with an 8.0/12, while “Dancing with the Stars” was at a 7.6/12.

Since most new series drop 10 to 20 percent in week two, consider the launch of NBC’s “The Brave” a disappointment. But “Young Sheldon,” as expected, is poised for solid success this season, while ample sampling for “The Good Doctor” is a nice surprise. Let’s see what happens next week, and beyond, with “Me, Myself & I.”

What follows is the half-hour breakdown for Monday, September 25, 2017.

8:00 p.m.
ABC – “Dancing with the Stars”: 6.1/10 (#3)
CBS – “The Big Bang Theory” (season premiere): 11.4/18 (#1)
NBC – “The Voice” (season premiere): 6.4/10 (#2)
Fox – “So You Think You Can Dance” (season finale): 1.8/ 3 (#4)
CW – “Supergirl” (R): 0.6/ 1 (#5)

8:30 p.m.
ABC – “Dancing with the Stars”: 6.1/ 9 (#3)
CBS – “Young Sheldon” (series premiere): 10.7.17 (#1)
NBC – “The Voice” (season premiere): 6.6/10 (#2)
Fox – “So You Think You Can Dance” (season finale): 1.5/ 2 (#4)
CW – “Supergirl” (R): 0.6/ 1 (#5)

9:00 p.m.
ABC – “Dancing with the Stars”: 6.2/10 (#3)
CBS – “Kevin Can Wait” (season premiere): 6.4/10 (#2)
NBC – “The Voice” (season premiere): 7.2/11 (#1)
Fox – “So You Think You Can Dance” (season finale): 1.5/ 2 (#4)
CW – “Penn & Teller: Fool Us”: 0.6/ 1 (#5)

9:30 p.m.
ABC – “Dancing with the Stars”: 6.2/10 (#2)
CBS – “Me, Myself & I” (series premiere): 4.7/ 7 (#3)
NBC – “The Voice” (season premiere): 7.2/11 (#1)
Fox – “So You Think You Can Dance” (season finale): 1.5/ 2 (#4)
CW – “Penn & Teller: Fool Us”: 0.7/ 1 (#5)

10:00 p.m.
ABC – “The Good Doctor” (series premiere): 7.5/12 (#1)
CBS – “Scorpion” (season premiere): 4.2/ 7 (#3)
NBC – “The Brave” (series premiere): 4.3/ 7 (#2)

10:30 p.m.
ABC – “The Good Doctor” (series premiere): 7.5/13 (#1)
CBS – “Scorpion” (season premiere): 3.7/ 7 (#2)
NBC – “The Brave” (series premiere): 3.6/ 7 (#3)

Source: Nielsen Media Research