9-1-1, 9-1-1: Nashville and Grey's Anatomy Start New Seasons Strong on ABC
Three ABC dramas in the Thursday night lineup have opened their new seasons with bigger audiences than their previous seasons averaged, according to seven-day figures reported by Deadline.
The biggest share of the attention went to 9-1-1. Its Season 10 premiere drew 8.14 million viewers across ABC, Hulu, Hulu on Disney+ and digital platforms over seven days. That is 4% ahead of the show's last-season average of 7.82 million.
Viewers who watched live or on the same day, which is the count broadcasters use to show the first wave of viewing, numbered 4.33 million. The seven-day total is 88% higher than that. Among adults aged 18 to 49, the live and same-day audience was up 49% on last season's premiere. Nielsen, the company that measures US audiences, ranked the show the top drama of the night in its competitive multi-platform measurement.
The spinoff 9-1-1: Nashville had 6.76 million total viewers for its Season 2 premiere after seven days. That is 90% above the 3.55 million who watched live or the same day. It was also 9% higher than the Season 1 finale and 1% higher than last season's average.
Nashville also hit a series high among adults 18 to 49. Its rating was 0.33, up 16% on its series debut. A rating is the percentage of everyone in that age group who was tuned in, so the figure shows a larger slice of that audience than any earlier episode.
Grey's Anatomy returned for Season 23 with 5.58 million total viewers. That was a 129% increase on its live and same-day audience of 2.44 million.
All three shows opened ahead of their previous season averages. The seven-day window matters here because it counts people who watched on streaming and catch-up services as well as on the night. For ABC's Thursday dramas, that now includes Hulu, which is part of the same family of services. Measuring this way gives a fuller picture of how many people watch a show, not just how many saw it on the night it aired.
For the people who make these shows, a strong premiere is good news for the crews and writers' rooms behind them. Each season depends on the number of viewers and how they watch.
