Wednesday’s TV Ratings: ‘9-1-1’ Dials Up Strong Numbers

Fox’s new procedural drama 9-1-1 dialed up strong numbers in Wednesday night TV ratings.

The new drama, which follows the lives and careers of first responders, debuted on the network to 6.8 million viewers and a 1.8 rating, not only making it the top-rated show of the night, but also the highest-rated Wednesday premiere on the network in over a year.

Premiering on Fox before 9-1-1, The X-files opened season 11 down in both measures, grabbing 5.2 million viewers and a 1.4 compared to the opening episode of season 10, which premiered to 16.2 million viewers and a 6.2.

Meanwhile, ABC experiences a lackluster night, with The Goldbergs (5.8 mil/1.5) and Speechless (4.3 mil/1.1) dipping in measurements, while Modern Family (5.9 mil/1.7) and American Housewives (4.8 mil/1.3) held steady. The season 3 premiere of Match Game‘s (3.6 mil/0.9) was up a tenth in the demo from the fall finale of Designated Survivor.

CBS fared slightly better, with Season 30 of The Amazing Race kicking off to 7.3 million viewers and a 1.6 rating, marking the show’s best premiere numbers since Season 23 in 2013. S.E.A.L. Team (5.9 mil/0.9), facing stiff competition from Fox, tied series lows. Criminal Minds was steady with 5.3 million viewers and a 0.9 demo rating.

Over on NBC, The Blacklist (6 mil/1.0), SVU (6.3 mil/1.4), and Chicago P.D. (6.8 mil/1.3) each ticked up slightly.