The 100 Most-Watched Telecasts of 2023: NFL, Oscars, Gordon Ramsay, ‘NCIS’ and a Single ‘Yellowstone’ Episode
by by The dual Hollywood strikes wiped out much of the scripted programming this fall on the linear networks. And yet, according to Variety‘s annual list of the year’s 100 most-watched primetime telecasts, we actually watched more entertainment fare this year. CBS’ “NCIS” led the pack in 2023 with 12 episodes making the list, followed by the Eye’s “Blue Bloods,” with five.
Among regular episodic entertainment fare, the ranker included 35 entries — and it was represented by a wider range of shows. Part of that is because Paramount Network’s “Yellowstone” only aired one episode in 2023, freeing up more space for others.
Besides “NCIS” and “Blue Bloods,” other regular series with multiple episodes on the ranker include CBS’ “FBI,” NBC’s “Chicago Fire” and CBS’ “Young Sheldon,” at four each. On the news front, CBS’ “60 Minutes” continues to be a dominant force (its NFL lead-in doesn’t hurt), landing seven slots this year.
Make no mistake, the NFL still rules primetime, and that halo effect is real. Our ranker of the most-watched primetime telecasts in 2023 found that 56 slots went to sports — broken down by 45 NFL games, six for the NBA Finals, three for NCAA Basketball March Madness, and one each for college football and Fox’s “The OT” NFL postgame show. (There were no Olympics this year, and a dud of a World Series kept baseball out of the ranker.)
We also watched more of TV’s signature live events this year. Of course, that was led by Super Bowl LVII in February, when an average of nearly 115 million viewers watched the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Philadelphia Eagles. There’s a continued trend upward from Super Bowl LVI in 2022 (100 million) and Super Bowl LV in 2021 (92.9 million).
Also on an upward climb is the Oscars, the year’s most-watched entertainment telecast. Back on March 12, 19.4 million people saw “Everything Everywhere All at Once” take the best picture prize — up from 17.6 million in 2022, and from a dismal 2021 when the ceremony didn’t even make the ranker.
But the Oscars isn’t the only big awards show making a nice recovery: CBS’ Grammys kudocast leapt up to No. 36 — vs. No. 97 last year — averaging 13.4 million viewers, compared to 10.2 million viewers in 2022.
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Among all outlets, CBS extended its lead with the most programs on the ranker, with 39 (up from 29 last year). That’s all the more impressive because most of the Eye’s most-watched shows in primetime are series episodes, as its NFL package is during the day and not counted here.
Next is NBC with 24 (vs. 26 last year), then ABC (15), Prime Video (11), Fox (7), ESPN (2) and one each for TNT and Paramount. (As we mentioned last year, Amazon Prime Video is once again on the top telecasts chart this year thanks to NFL Thursday Night Football, which is measured by Nielsen — thanks to watermarks/tags included in the content and picked up by Nielsen encoders. It also includes viewing from the two local stations in the markets of the two teams playing each week.)
Here are some of the winners of 2023:
Freshman series: NBC’s “Night Court,” Fox’s “Accused” and CBS’ “Fire Country” were all newbies with episodes making the cut. Those “Accused” and “Fire Country” episodes were strategically positioned airings behind NFL football, while NBC discovered that yes, revivals and reboots are still a viable way to generate a sizable audience.
The Oscars and the Grammys: Who says awards shows are dead? Well, we all do. But yet, the Academy Awards viewership is on a steady comeback, and could see a bump again in 2024 thanks to the “Barbenheimer” phenomenon. After the 2021 disaster — in which it didn’t even make the list of the year’s 100 most-watched telecasts, with a paltry 10.7 million viewers — the 2022 slap edition averaged 17.6 million viewers. And with host Jimmy Kimmel returning to his rightful place as host in 2023, the telecast is now back flirting with 20 million viewers on linear. And as for the Grammys, there’s a similar climb back to relevance, with 13.4 million viewers in 2023 (vs 10.2 million viewers in 2022).
“Next Level Chef”: Wow, does Fox love this Gordon Ramsay series. Last year, the premiere aired behind the NFC championship — making it the biggest series telecast of the year with adults aged 18-49. This year, the Season 2 premiere aired behind the Super Bowl — once again making it the most-watched entertainment telecast of the year in the demo.
Comedy: The laughs are back! After sitcoms missed being on the top 100 ranker completely last year, CBS’ “Young Sheldon” saved the day with four episodes. And NBC’s “Night Court” premiere also made the grade.
NFL football: I know, it’s getting old to mention this. Besides nothing coming close to the Super Bowl, the NFL held 14 of the top 15 slots this year.
Below, our ratings roundup of the year’s most-watched telecasts (in Live+7 ratings), according to broadcast and cable measurements, in both total viewers and adults 18-49.
For historical record, here are previous year-end telecast rankers: 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015.
