Our complete season-long ratings ranker of the top 100 shows on broadcast and cable TV, from September 2017 to May 2018.

If there was a recurring theme during the recent broadcast network upfronts, it was this: Ratings must die. “We are in a new era of media and it’s time to retire the Nielsen television metric,” Turner president David Levy said. “While it undoubtedly served its purpose, it no longer fully captures how to successfully measure an audience in today’s landscape.”

Of course, complaining about Nielsen and traditional ratings is nothing new. And these days, virtually every outlet has embraced its own version of multi-platform program measurement — including TV, DVR, VOD and streaming viewership. Levy pointed to audience targeting and other methods as better ways of selling their wares. At the NBCUniversal upfront, ad sales chairman Linda Yaccarino pushed the company’s new “CFlight” metric.

“I still cannot believe I have to get up this stage and talk about legacy measurement,” Yaccarino said, dismissing the current “C3” standard (which measures three days worth of commercial viewing). When the C3 was introduced in 2007, she quipped, “Meghan Markle was on ‘Deal Or No Deal.’”

Nonetheless, getting everyone on the same page remains difficult. Rob Tuck, The CW’s executive vice president of national sales, notes that ad agencies are reluctant to completely get rid of tools that include Nielsen ratings.

“I have a hard time believing that the agency side and client side of this business is going to give up the currency and pricing that they’ve had for a very long time,” Tuck told reporters on an upfronts conference call. “That’s a challenge on both sides. But I don’t see that going away anytime soon.”

Tuck added: “We have been as vocal with Nielsen and the frustrations we have. We’ve been looking at the multiplatform and bringing it together for a long time… if business can figure out the ratings and currency in some form across a multi-platform distribution, you can layer on top of that all of the other stuff everyone’s been talking about.”

Ratings are also still the best way to compare the linear performance of shows both on broadcast and cable. And with another TV season drawing to a close, IndieWire looked at the Season-to-Date rankers for broadcast and cable, using the most recent Live+7 ratings (which include seven days’ worth of DVR and video on-demand usage).

Here’s a final look at some of the hits and misses of 2017–2018, followed by our complete list of the most-watched shows of the season, according to both adults 18-49 and total viewers.

HIGHS

“Roseanne”: The story of the year, “Roseanne” was tops among both adults 18-49 (knocking out “The Walking Dead”) and total viewers (ending the dominance of “Sunday Night Football”). The return of the Roseanne Barr sitcom after two decades was expected to attract some interest, but the show’s tremendous opening — averaging 27.3 million viewers after seven days of DVR and VOD usage — still surprised. The show has obviously dropped since then, but the impact was swift, as talk of a shift toward more multi-camera sitcoms dominated the lead-up to the upfronts, and “middle America” became a hot topic — leading Fox to dust off the cancelled “Last Man Standing” for next season. “I do feel like there is a lot of interest right now in the four-camera, multi-cam show,” ABC Entertainment president Channing Dungey said. “We at ABC have not had as much success with that traditionally than some of our competitors. I think ‘Roseanne’ changed the game for us in that respect.”

“The Good Doctor,” “Young Sheldon” and “9-1-1”: Who says broadcast TV is dead? A year after “This Is Us” gave NBC and the traditional networks a shot in the arm, ABC, CBS and Fox got their own freshman success stories. “The Good Doctor” was the year’s top-rated new drama and “Young Sheldon” the biggest new comedy, while “9-1-1” came on strong in midseason, giving Fox its new highest-rated show. As for “This Is Us,” the show actually grew year-to-year (5.4 rating vs. 4.8), thanks to a plum slot behind the Super Bowl. That made “This Is Us” the top-rated drama overall this season, leapfrogging over “The Walking Dead.”

“Jersey Shore Family Reunion”: Nostalgia was big business this year, and not just “Roseanne.” NBC’s “Will & Grace” revival ended the season in the top 15, and ABC’s “American Idol” won over skeptics by performing respectably. But who knew there was such a hunger to see more of Snooki, J-Woww and the Situation? Apparently MTV did, and it paid off: “Jersey Shore Reunion” ended the season at No. 39 among adults 18-49, behind only “The Walking Dead,” “American Horror Story” and football as the top-rated cable program of the season.

LOWS

“The Walking Dead,” “Empire,” “American Crime Story”: Phenoms can’t stay phenoms forever. The AMC zombie thriller still has bite, but it’s not as potent. “The Walking Dead” ended the season with a 5.3 rating among adults 18-49 — huge, but also a huge dip from last year’s 8.0 (and 9.6 the year before that). “Creatively, we are doing some different things in Season 9,” AMC programming president David Madden said. “Season 9 takes a big time jump. There are a lot of new situations that propel us into a very different tone. You look across the board at ratings, every show is dropping from where it used to be. But we’re still looking at big numbers, so we’re hoping for a long future with ‘The Walking Dead.'” As for FX’s “Empire,” the show continues to perform, but at a 2.8 rating, was down from last year’s 4.3, and the previous year’s 6.6. And the second installment of FX’s “American Crime Story,” “The Assassination of Gianni Versace,” couldn’t quite capture the tremendous audience of the first. While “The People v. O.J. Simpson” hit the top 20 in the 2015-2016 season with a 3.1 rating, the sequel averaged a 1.0.

“Designated Survivor,” “Kevin Can Wait,” “The Brave”: These shows get the dubious distinction of being the highest-rated shows among adults 18-49 that were ultimately canceled. All three shows (interestingly, one from each network: ABC, CBS, and NBC, respectively) averaged a 1.6 rating in the demo. (Fox hasn’t yet made a determination on “Ghosted,” which also averaged a 1.6 and could still join this list.) “The Brave” was cut after one season, while “Designated Survivor” and “Kevin Can Wait” were put out of their misery after hobbling through two seasons and many on-screen and behind-the-scene changes. “Designated Survivor,” which averaged a 2.9 rating last year, went through showrunner shuffles, while “Kevin Can Wait” (2.2 last year) killed a mother.

“The X-Files”: The truth is here. The return of Mulder and Scully was huge in 2016, making it one of that season’s top-rated shows (4.8 rating). This time around, the novelty had worn off: The second return of “The X-Files” averaged just a 1.4 rating. Star Gillian Anderson has said she is ready to move on and won’t return for any more, and Fox seemed to agree.

Marvel: The movie juggernaut still hasn’t been able to translate that success on TV — or at least to broadcast. (We still have no idea how the Netflix shows are doing.) “Marvel’s Inhumans” and “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” both tied at a 1.2 rating, barely making it into the top 100. “Inhumans,” which was canceled after one season, actually averaged more viewers last year than “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” That may be one reason “S.H.I.E.L.D.” won’t be back until summer 2019.

Here are the top series rankers according to adults 18-49 and total viewers, featuring seven days of time-shifted viewing. Most recent data is through May 14; these ratings will be updated as new numbers come in.

Ron Batzdorff/NBC

TOP 100 SHOWS OF 2017-2018, ADULTS 18-49

America’s most-watched series of the 2017-2018 season in the key advertising demographic (measured in ratings points) are …

1 Roseanne ABC 6.2 tie NFL Sunday Night Football NBC 6.2 3 This Is Us NBC 5.4 4 The Walking Dead AMC 5.3 5 NFL Thursday Night Football CBS/NFL Network 4.5 6 The Big Bang Theory CBS 4.4 7 NFL Thursday Night Football NBC/NFL Network 4.0 8 The Good Doctor ABC 3.6 tie Monday Night Football ESPN 3.6 10 Young Sheldon CBS 3.4 tie Grey’s Anatomy ABC 3.4 12 9-1-1 Fox 3.0 13 Modern Family ABC 2.9 14 Will & Grace NBC 2.8 tie Empire Fox 2.8 16 The Voice (Monday) NBC 2.6 tie American Horror Story FX 2.6 18 The Voice (Tuesday) NBC 2.4 tie Survivor CBS 2.4 tie The Bachelor ABC 2.4 21 Ellen’s Game of Games NBC 2.3 tie The Orville Fox 2.3 23 NCIS CBS 2.2 tie Chicago PD NBC 2.2 tie American Idol (Sunday) ABC 2.2 tie Law & Order: SVU NBC 2.2 27 Chicago Med NBC 2.1 tie Chicago Fire NBC 2.1 tie Scandal ABC 2.1 tie The Goldbergs ABC 2.1 31 Mom CBS 2.0 tie Criminal Minds CBS 2.0 tie American Idol (Monday) ABC 2.0 tie The Middle ABC 2.0 tie How to Get Away with Murder ABC 2.0 tie Splitting Up Together ABC 2.0 tie The Gifted NBC 2.0 38 Bull CBS 1.9 tie American Housewife ABC 1.9 tie The Good Place NBC 1.9 tie Star Fox 1.9 tie Jersey Show Family Vacation MTV 1.9 43 Dancing with the Stars ABC 1.8 tie Seal Team CBS 1.8 tie S.W.A.T. NBC 1.8 tie Station 19 ABC 1.8 tie The Amazing Race CBS 1.8 tie The Resident Fox 1.8 tie Black-ish ABC 1.8 tie Fear the Walking Dead AMC 1.8 tie The Simpsons Fox 1.8 tie Family Guy Fox 1.8 53 Life in Pieces CBS 1.7 tie Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Murders NBC 1.7 tie Saturday Night Football ABC 1.7 56 NCIS: New Orleans CBS 1.6 tie 60 Minutes CBS 1.6 tie Hawaii Five-0 CBS 1.6 tie The Blacklist NBC 1.6 tie Designated Survivor ABC 1.6 tie Kevin Can Wait CBS 1.6 tie The Brave NBC 1.6 tie Lethal Weapon Fox 1.6 tie Speechless ABC 1.6 tie Superstore NBC 1.6 tie Ghosted Fox 1.6 tie Talking Dead AMC 1.6 68 Blue Bloods CBS 1.5 tie NCIS:Los Angeles NBC 1.5 tie Scorpion NBC 1.5 tie Good Girls NBC 1.5 tie Shark Tank (9 p.m.) ABC 1.5 tie The Flash The CW 1.5 tie Love & Hip Hop Atlanta 7 VH1 1.5 75 The X-Files Fox 1.4 tie Shark Tank (10 p.m.) ABC 1.4 tie Fresh Off the Boat ABC 1.4 tie The Four Fox 1.4 tie Gotham Fox 1.4 tie Real Housewives of Atlanta Bravo 1.4 tie Bob’s Burgers Fox 1.4 tie Teen Mom MTV 1.4 83 Man with a Plan CBS 1.3 tie Me, Myself & I CBS 1.3 tie Lucifer Fox 1.3 tie Masterchef Junior Fox 1.3 tie Hell’s Kitchen Fox 1.3 tie Gold Rush Discovery 1.3 tie The Mick Fox 1.3 tie Brooklyn Nine-Nine Fox 1.3 tie Love & Hip-Hop 8 VH1 1.3 tie South Park Comedy Central 1.3 93 MacGyver CBS 1.2 tie Wisdom of the Crowd CBS 1.2 tie The Crossing ABC 1.2 tie 9JKL CBS 1.2 tie Better Late Than Never NBC 1.2 tie The Wall NBC 1.2 tie Deception ABC 1.2 tie Blindspot NBC 1.2 tie Timeless NBC 1.2 tie Curse of Oak Island History 1.2 tie Marvel’s Inhumans ABC 1.2 tie The Mayor NBC 1.2 tie Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. ABC 1.2 tie WWE Entertainment USA 1.2 tie L.A. to Vegas Fox 1.2 tie Real Housewives of Beverly Hills Bravo 1.2 tie The Last Man on Earth Fox 1.2 tie Westworld HBO 1.2 tie New Girl Fox 1.2 tie Love & Hip-Hop Miami VH1 1.2

Source: Preliminary Live+7 Day, Prime, Original telecasts only, excludes FOX and CBS daytime football. Cable programs that premiered on or after 8/28/17 included (through Top 200, A18-49), Excl: Repeats, Specials, Movies and Pre/Post Sports, Post-Season Sports (i.e. playoffs), shows with fewer than five telecasts.

CBS

TOP 100 SHOWS OF 2017-2018, TOTAL VIEWERS

America’s most-watched series of the 2017-2018 season are …

1 Roseanne ABC 21,169 2 The Big Bang Theory CBS 18,897 3 NFL Sunday Night Football NBC 18,285 4 This Is Us NBC 17,438 5 NCIS CBS 17,097 6 The Good Doctor ABC 16,722 7 Young Sheldon CBS 16,485 8 Bull CBS 14,533 9 NFL Thursday Night Football CBS/NFL Network 14,230 10 NFL Thursday Night Football NBC/NFL Network 13,583 11 Blue Bloods CBS 13,293 12 NCIS: New Orleans CBS 12,637 13 The Voice (Monday) NBC 12,035 14 The Walking Dead AMC 11,813 15 60 Minutes CBS 11,694 16 The Voice (Tuesday) NBC 11,630 17 Hawaii Five-0 CBS 11,311 18 Dancing with the Stars ABC 11,230 19 Grey’s Anatomy ABC 11,116 20 Mom CBS 11,086 21 NFL Monday Night Football ESPN 10,767 22 NCIS: Los Angeles CBS 10,765 23 9-1-1 Fox 10,746 24 Chicago Med NBC 10,543 25 Chicago PD NBC 10,495 26 Survivor CBS 10,471 27 Seal Team CBS 10,200 28 Instinct CBS 10,164 29 Chicago Fire NBC 9,997 30 American Idol (Sunday) ABC 9,677 31 Criminal Minds CBS 9,585 32 S.W.A.T. CBS 9,453 33 American Idol (Monday) ABC 9,447 34 Ellen’s Game of Games NBC 9,195 35 Madam Secretary CBS 9,116 36 Modern Family ABC 8,918 37 Law & Order: SVU NBC 8,858 38 Will & Grace NBC 8,855 39 The Blacklist NBC 8,687 40 MacGyver CBS 8,595 41 Wisdom of the Crowd CBS 8,508 42 Life in Pieces CBS 8,453 43 Scorpion CBS 8,376 44 Designated Survivor ABC 8,358 45 Code Black CBS 8,238 46 Empire Fox 8,073 47 The Bachelor ABC 7,927 48 Station 19 ABC 7,869 49 The Middle ABC 7,727 50 The Amazing Race CBS 7,702 tie Kevin Can Wait CBS 7,702 52 Brave NBC 7,683 53 The Resident Fox 7,441 54 Scandal ABC 7,406 55 The Orville Fox 7,307 56 The Goldbergs ABC 7,222 57 Little Big Shots NBC 7,189 58 Man With a Plan CBS 6,918 59 Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Murders NBC 6,728 60 Lethal Weapon Fox 6,666 61 The Crossing ABC 6,601 62 American Housewife ABC 6,517 63 How to Get Away with Murder ABC 6,424 64 Splitting Up Together ABC 6,376 65 9JKL CBS 6,253 66 Better Late Than Never NBC 6,201 67 Me, Myself & I CBS 6,130 68 Rise NBC 6,084 69 Good Girls NBC 6,070 70 Superior Donuts CBS 6,019 71 The Wall NBC 6,003 72 Black-ish ABC 5,942 73 The Gifted Fox 5,919 74 Deception ABC 5,912 75 America’s Funniest Home Videos (7 p.m.) ABC 5,910 76 The Good Place NBC 5,784 77 Shark Tank (9 p.m.) ABC 5,771 78 Saturday Night Football ABC 5,764 79 Dateline Friday NBC 5,751 80 Speechless ABC 5,510 81 Star Fox 5,504 82 America’s Funniest Home Videos (8 p.m.) ABC 5,419 83 Blindspot NBC 5,345 84 The X-Files Fox 5,337 85 Living Biblically CBS 5,072 86 Shark Tank (10 p.m.) ABC 5,047 87 Lucifer Fox 4,983 88 American Horror Story FX 4,970 89 Superstore NBC 4,876 90 Fresh Off the Boat ABC 4,774 91 For the People ABC 4,686 92 48 Hours CBS 4,679 93 Timeless NBC 4,619 94 Masterchef Junior Fox 4,578 95 Fear the Walking Dead AMC 4,551 96 Dateline Sunday NBC 4,394 97 Taken NBC 4,383 98 Fixer Upper HGTV 4,349 99 Child Support ABC 4,346 100 Hell’s Kitchen Fox 4,298

In millions. Source: Preliminary Live+7 Day, Prime, Original telecasts only, excludes FOX and CBS daytime football. Cable programs that premiered on or after 8/28/17 included (through Top 200, A18-49), Excl: Repeats, Specials, Movies and Pre/Post Sports, Post-Season Sports (i.e. playoffs), shows with fewer than five telecasts.

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