‘Young Sheldon’ Posts Dominant Ratings in Series Premiere

Young Sheldon may only have one episode under its belt but it’s already becoming a juggernaut in the ratings.

With a little help from its Big Bang Theory lead-in, Young Sheldon garnered 16.6 million viewers in its series premiere, posting a 3.7 rating in the 18-49 age range.

Yes, you heard that correctly. The first episode of a show about 9-year-old Sheldon Cooper saw almost 17 million tune in to watch. Those numbers make Young Sheldon the most-watched comedy premiere since 2 Broke Girls in 2011.

It’s not often a new show can keep most of its lead-in audience, but Young Sheldon was the exception. Exactly 17 million tuned in for Big Bang Theory, so only a few hundred thousand turned the TV off before the new series premiered.

Those numbers would be impressive on any given night, but the stacked lineup on Monday made things even more challenging.

Big Bang and Young Sheldon premiered alongside The Voice, as well as the first elimination episode of Dancing with the Stars. Despite the stiff competition, the scientific sitcoms still nabbed some great ratings.

Both shows will return next Monday, but will only stay there until the end of October. Once Thursday Night Football ends, the comedies will move from Monday to Thursday.