Bless the Harts Has Quiet Ratings Start, The Rookie Brings Eyeballs To Football-Dominated Premiere Sunday

Another day of the 2019-20 broadcast season, another new series opening to a 0.7 adults 18-49 Live+Same Day rating. This time it is Foxs animated comedy Bless the Harts.

At this point, because so many new shows are starting this year at a ratings level which series in the past had hit en route to swift cancellation, we try to look at other factors, like lead-in retention, overall viewership, etc. For instance, CBS new drama All Rise also opened to a 0.7 in 18-49 (L+SD), but ranks as the most watched new series this season (L+SD).

Foxs Sunday lineup got some bump on the East Coast from the afternoon football game, but the network is being hampered by the blackout of its O&O stations on Dish, which affects roughly 6 million total viewers, and 2 million adults 18-49. Still, Bless the Harts got a decent lead-in by current broadcast standards from the Season 31 premiere of The Simpsons (0.9 in 18-49, 2.3 million viewers) at 8 PM. The newbie lost a chunk of the lead-in to log a 0.7 in 18-49 and 1.8 million viewers. It was the least watched program on Fox last night. In the 9 PM hour, Bobs Burgers and Family Guy added a few eyeballs while staying at a 0.7 in 18-49.

Most of ABCs Sunday also posted a 0.7 L+SD demo rating, except for the season finale of Celebrity Family Feud (1.0). Drama The Rookie christened its new Sunday 10 PM slot with a 0.7 in 18-49 and 4.05 million viewers. That was ABCs most-watched fall premiere in the hour in four years, outpacing programs like Secrets & Lies Season 2, Ten Days In the Valley and The Alec Baldwin Show, and the highest-rated among adults 18-49 in three years. The Rookie also built a bit onto its Shark Tank lead-in among total viewers and was steady in 18-49.

CBS lineup was buoyed by a football lead-in, which also pushed the start of primetime, so ratings for the networks Sunday dramas are approximate. The Season 2 premiere of