NEW YORK ( Associated Press) — With the broadcast television season finale and most scripted series about to go into hibernation for the summer, it’s instructive to see the power of network franchises.
Of the Nielsen Company’s 20 most popular scripted series last week, 12 were part of the franchise — three “Chicago” dramas on NBC, three “FBI” shows on CBS, for example. This is without counting the CBS comedy “Young Sheldon,” even though it began life as a spinoff of “The Big Bang Theory.”
At a time when viewers are flooded with choices, especially on streaming services, broadcast networks have embraced the power of these ideas, knowing that their audience will be attracted to familiar concepts and stories.
It’s primary to continue, as ABC announced Tuesday that they will be looking to forge a new franchise from their drama “The Rookie,” with a spinoff due in the fall.
CBS won the week in prime time television with an average of 4.2 million viewers. NBC had 3.2 million viewers, ABC had 2.8 million, Fox had 2 million, Univision had 1.4 million, Ion Television had 950,000 and Telemundo had 830,000.
Behind NBA playoff games, TNT led the cable network with an average of 3.36 million viewers. Fox News Channel had 2.2 million, ESPN had 2.06 million, MSNBC had 956,000 and HGTV had 927,000.
ABC’s “World News Tonight” won the race for the evening news ratings, with an average of 7.5 million viewers. NBC’s “Nightly News” averaged 6.2 million viewers and “CBS Evening News” had 4.5 million.
For the week of May 9-15, the top 20 prime-time shows, their networks, and viewership:
1. “60 Minutes,” CBS, 7.44 million.
2. “FBI,” CBS, 7.16 million.
3. “Young Sheldon,” CBS, 6.93 million.
4. “The Equalizer,” CBS, 6.84 million.
5. “Chicago Fire,” NBC, 6.61 million.
6. “Chicago Med,” NBC, 6.31 million.
7. NBA Playoffs: Dallas, Turner, 6.29 million at Phoenix (Sunday).
8. NBA Playoffs: Memphis, ESPN, 6.28 million at Golden State (Friday).
9. “FBI: International,” CBS, 5.82 million.
10. “American Idol,” ABC, 5.57 million.
11. “Chicago PD,” NBC, 5.534 million.
12. NBA Playoffs: Boston in Milwaukee (Friday), ESPN, 5.529 million.
13. “The Neighborhood,” CBS, 5.48 million.
14. “Survivor,” CBS, 5.35 million.
15. “NCIS: Los Angeles,” CBS, 5.33 million.
16. “911,” Fox, 5.3 million.
17. “FBI: Most Wanted,” CBS, 5.28 million.
18. NBA Playoffs: Memphis, Turner, 5.28 million at Golden State (Monday).
19. “Bob Hurts Abishola,” CBS, 5.14 million.
20. NBA Playoffs: Boston in Milwaukee (Monday), Turner, 5.03 million.
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