Top-Rated TV Shows of the 2021-2022 Season: Here’s What to Watch

The final broadcast TV ratings from the 2021-2022 season came in earlier this week, further confirming that Americans are not watching live television as much as they used to. NBC and Fox’s NFL broadcasts were the most-watched shows of the season, with CBS’ NCIS holding strong as the most-watched scripted show of the year. Four of the five most-watched scripted shows of the season were on the eye network.

Although the overall numbers aren’t what they were even a few years ago, there was a reason for broadcasters to be hopeful. Several shows grew in both total audience and in the 18-49 rating compared to the previous season, notes The Hollywood Reporter. Law & Order: SVU saw its audience grow to 6.83 million total viewers, while Bob Hearts Abishola also grew to 6.66 million viewers.

Nielsen’s final seven-day ratings for the season covers Sept. 20, 2021, to May 25, 2022. Scroll on for a look at some of the most-watched scripted shows from the past season.

Drama

The most-watched drama for the season was NCIS (10.9 million total viewers, 0.9 18-49 rating), which is no surprise. FBI (10.29 million, 1.0), Chicago Fire (9.84 million, 1.3), Blue Bloods (9.78 million, 0.8), and The Equalizer (9.42 million, 0.9) round out the Top 5. Chicago Fire is the only show in the Top 5 airing on NBC. The other four air on CBS. ABC’s most-watched drama was The Good Doctor (7.05 million, 0.8). 9-1-1 (8.12 million, 1.3) was the most-watched drama for Fox.

Comedy

The Top 5 comedies are Young Sheldon (9.2 million total viewers. 1.0 18-49 rating), Ghosts (8.4 million, 1.0), The Neighborhood (6.8 million, 0.8), Bob Hearts Abishola (6.7 million), and United States of Al (5.9 million, 0.6). All five air on CBS, which canceled United States of Al after two seasons. The shows are available to stream on Paramount+, which is also hosting Ghosts for free all summer.

The most-watched comedy on ABC was The Conners (4.8 million, 0.8). NBC’s winner was American Auto (2.73 million, 0.5). Fox’s Call Me Kat (2.94 million, 0.6) was its most-watched sitcom.

Reality

Although NBC only aired one cycle of The Voice this season, it was still the most-watched reality show of the season. The Voice‘s Tuesday episodes had 8.3 million total viewers (1.0 18-49 rating). Survivor (CBS, 7.4 million), American Idol Mondays (ABC, 6.9 million, 1.0), Dancing With the Stars (ABC, 6.3 million, 1.1), and The Masked Singer (5.9 million, 1.2) rounded out the Top 5. Notably, Reality is the only category where all four networks are represented in the Top 5, which shows how reality shows have retained their live viewership in the days of streaming.

Sports

NBC’s Sunday Night Football was the most-watched show of the season, with 18 million total viewers. The peacock network also aired Super Bowl LVI, which averaged 112.3 million total viewers across multiple platforms. Fox’s Thursday Night Football came in second with 15.4 million viewers. Later in the football season, ABC aired Saturday Night Football games, which averaged 4.62 million viewers. Fox’s college football coverage on Saturdays averaged 2 million viewers.

Total Viewers by Network

CBS was once again the most-watched network of the season, averaging 6.2 million total viewers, pulling even with the previous season. NBC climbed 14% to 5.9 million, while Fox jumped 7% to 4.5 million. ABC has some work to do, as the Disney-owned network dripped 10% to 4.2 million.

More observations

The broadcast numbers do not include streaming data, which has helped kept plenty of broadcast shows alive. Nielsen also did not include cable, which is why Yellowstone wasn’t on the list. Yellowstone‘s latest season averaged 11.3 million viewers, even surpassing NCIS.

NBC’s This Is Us had a successful final season. It averaged 8.13 million viewers, finishing 17th in total viewers. However, it was the most-watched scripted drama in the 18-49 demographic, averaging a 1.6 rating. That was far ahead of NCIS, which had a 0.9 rating in the demographic. You can find the full Nielsen chart in The Hollywood Reporter.