Broadcast TV’s New Fall Series Ranked by Premiere Viewers

We’re more than a month into the broadcast TV fall 2022

season and we’ve already got a few winners and losers

to discuss when it comes to new scripted series.

There are multiple ways to categorize a victory in the this ever-evolving TV landscape, where the adults 18-49 demographic is shrinking more and more each season, but for the purposes of this story looking at the debuts of NBC, CBS, ABC, Fox and The CW’s new shows, Variety has ranked the programs by the total viewers that each series premiere racked up, according to Nielsen’s Live + Same Day data.

With that methodology in mind, the bottom of the list is, as usual, made up of “Supernatural” and “Walker” prequel shows that aired on the younger-skewing CW network (which was recently acquired by Nexstar from former majority owners Paramount Global and Warner Bros. Discovery), while the higher end includes a trio of new CBS series: “Fire Country,” “East New York” and “So Help Me Todd.”

Additionally, Fox’s Susan Sarandon-led country music drama “Monarch” had a pretty nice opening audience — until you realize that it should have done much better with an NFL doubleheader as its lead-in on premiere night.

Elsewhere, a “Quantum Leap” reboot on NBC, new George Lopez sitcom “Lopez vs Lopez,” and “The Rookie” spinoff “The Rookie: Feds” on ABC put up less-than desirable launch audiences.

While it’s important to note that these Week 1 tune-ins don’t display how the show is doing to-date, and definitely don’t account for streaming viewers or delayed viewing, it does reveal what the appetite for this new content — and general awareness of its existence in the extra-peak peak TV era — was like from the start.

See the rankings below, with least-watched premiere first and most-watched premiere last. This list will be updated as other fall scripted series debut.

Related articles

Sheriff Country Is Coming! Fall 2025 Premiere Date Set — What to Expect

CBS is inviting you to visit Sheriff Country this fall. Nearly 11 months after the Morena Baccarin-led Fire Country spinoff was ordered to series, a first promo (that uses footage from Baccarin’s next Fire…

Heartbreak on Fire Country: Two Stars Leave After Season Finale Twist

Fire Country fans are in shock as two fan-favorite cast members say goodbye following the jaw-dropping season finale. Find out who’s leaving and what this means for the…

Drama Incoming: Christopher Gorham Joins Fire Country Spinoff as Sheriff’s Former Flame

As first reported by our sister site Deadline, Gorham will appear as Travis, a lawyer and the ex-husband of Morena Baccarin’s Sheriff Mickey Fox. Travis and Mickey share…

Jelly Roll Gets Candid: ‘Fire Country’ Role Helped Me Discover Who I Really Am

“Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links.” Jelly Roll has landed another acting gig! In September 2024, the 40-year-old country…

Binge Alert! Stream All ‘Fire Country’ Episodes Before Season 4 Ignites

When it comes to the most popular dramas airing on CBS, Fire Country is high on the list. Created by, produced by and starring Max Thieriot, the series follows an…

Stephanie Arcila’s Co-Stars Address Her Exit — and What It Means for Fire Country

Fire Country stars react to Stephanie Arcila’s unexpected departure, and how this will impact Gabriela’s impending exit. It has been confirmed that Arcila will unexpectedly not return for Fire…