The Return of ABC’s ‘Roseanne’ Roars Out of the Gate

TUESDAY, MARCH 27, 2018

Household Rating/Share
CBS: 6.7/11, ABC: 6.4/11, NBC: 4.2/ 7, Fox: 1.4/ 2, CW: 0.9/ 1

-Percent Change from the Year-Ago Evening:
ABC: +237, NBC: – 5, CBS: – 8, Fox: -36, CW: -40

Ratings Breakdown:
The return of ABC sitcom “Roseanne,” as expected, got off to a significant start. The 8 p.m. 10th season premiere opened with a very dominant 11.7 rating/19 share in households, which was a whopping 185 percent above “The Middle” one week earlier (4.0/ 7 on March 19). A second episode at 8:30 p.m. rose to an 11.7/19, which was 368 percent above the season-finale of “Fresh Off the Boat” last Tuesday (2.5/ 4). Combined, the two episodes of “Roseanne” bested CBS’ competing “NCIS” (#2: 7.7/13) by 50 percent.

“Roseanne,” of course, will settle in at more typical overnight levels in subsequent weeks. But the Conners are back and the audience was there to greet them in droves! Next week, “Roseanne” leads into relocated “The Middle,” which is sure to get a boost in its final episodes.

Ignited by “Roseanne,” ABC’s “black-ish” scored a season-high 5.6/ 9 (#2) in the 9 p.m. half-hour, which was 87 percent above the 3.0/ 5 one week earlier. And “black-ish” led into the series premiere of sitcom “Splitting Up Together,” starring Jenna Fisher and Oliver Hudson, at a very respectable 4.6/ 7 (#2) in the 9:30 p.m. half-hour.

Hindered by recent legal drama entry “For the People” (#3: 2.6/ 4 at 10 p.m.), ABC finished second overall in the household overnights behind CBS for the night. But there is every reason to expect a solid victory in adults 18-49 (and all the key young adult demographics) thanks to you know who…Roseanne!

Leading out of “NCIS” on CBS were 9-11 p.m. dramas “Bull” (6.9/11) and “NCIS: New Orleans” (5.5/10), which both won their time periods in the overnight households.

On NBC, episode three of drama “Rise” dipped to a series low, with a distant third-place 2.9/ 4 in the 9 p.m. hour. Comparably, that was 50 percent below lead-in “The Voice” (#3: 5.8/ 9 at 8 p.m.) and it paled in comparison to recent time period occupant “This Is Us.” “Rise” led into a second-place 3.9/ 7 for “Chicago Med” at 10 p.m., which built from the 9:30 p.m. portion of “Rise” (2.7/ 4) by a hefty 44 percent.

Elsewhere, Fox featured an encore telecast of “Lethal Weapon” (#4: 1.3/ 2 at 8 p.m.) into 9-10 p.m. sitcoms “L.A. to Vegas” and “The Mick,” each with a 1.4/ 2 in the household overnights. And The CW opened with a repeat of “The Flash” (#5: 0.6/ 1 at 8 p.m.) into recently introduced and sure to be renewed “Black Lightning” (#5: 1.2/ 2 at 9 p.m.).

What follows are the household overnight ratings for Tuesday, March 27 broken out by half-hour:

8:00 p.m.
ABC – “Roseanne” (return): 11.4/19 (#1)
CBS – “NCIS”: 7.7/13 (#2)
NBC – “The Voice”: 5.6/ 9 (#3)
Fox – “Lethal Weapon” (R): 1.4/ 2 (#4)
CW – “The Flash” (R): 0.6/ 1 (#5)

8:30 p.m.
ABC – “Roseanne” (return): 11.7/19 (#1)
CBS – “NCIS”: 7.8/13 (#2)
NBC – “The Voice”: 6.0/10 (#3)
Fox – “Lethal Weapon” (R): 1.3/ 2 (#4)
CW – “The Flash” (R): 0.6/ 1 (#5)

9:00 p.m.
ABC – “black-ish”: 5.6/ 9 (#2)
CBS – “Bull”: 6.8/11 (#1)
NBC – “Rise”: 3.2/ 5 (#3)
Fox – “LA to Vegas”: 1.4/ 2 (#4)
CW – “Black Lightning”: 1.2/ 2 (#5)

9:30 p.m.
ABC – “Splitting Up Together” (series premiere): 4.6/ 7 (#2)
CBS – “Bull”: 7.0/11 (#1)
NBC – “Rise”: 2.7/ 4 (#3)
Fox – “The Mick”: 1.4/ 2 (#4)
CW – “Black Lightning”: 1.2/ 2 (#5)

10:00 p.m.
ABC – “For the People”: 2.8/ 5 (#3)
CBS – “NCIS: New Orleans”: 5.7/10 (#1)
NBC – “Chicago Med”: 3.9/ 7 (#2)

10:30 p.m.
ABC – “For the People”: 2.4/ 4 (#3)
CBS – “NCIS: New Orleans”: 5.4/10 (#1)
NBC – “Chicago Med”: 3.9/ 7 (#2)

Source: Nielsen Media Research