New episodes of ‘The Simpsons’ returned to US TV on Sunday night (February 12), and you couldn’t say it didn’t have a difficult time to remind viewers of that, as someone at FOX thought it would be a good idea to put new episodes of their Sunday shows against one of the biggest programmes on US television. And they suffered. Immensely.

2.399m tuned in to watch Homer take a trip down his gourmandising past on Sunday, with the episode scoring a 1.0/3 rating, down both on the last episode with a football lead-in (“The Great Phatsby“, down 1.8) and the last episode without (November’s “Dad Behavior“; down 0.3).

UPDATE: An unrounded 18-49 figure for this episode has been revealed, 1.02. This means that “Fatzcarraldo” is the least-watched episode in 18-49s, ever; “The Burns Cage” had 1.044 in unrounded figures.

This is the second time the show’s hit a 1.0 rating before, with the first being “The Burns Cage“, which was broadcast against the American Music Awards in May; however, it didn’t go as low as “Cage” in terms of overall viewership (2.31m). Currently, “The Burns Cage” has the show’s lowest ever viewership, and now ties Sunday’s “Fatzcarraldo” in the show’s lowest ever 18-49 rating (“To Courier with Love” holds the show’s lowest ever audience share at 2%, however.)

The equivalent episode last season was at 1.3/4 and 2.89 million viewers, and so Sunday’s episode declined in both 18-49 viewership and total viewership.

The last episode to air against the Grammys was “Walking Big & Tall” on February 8, 2015, and garnered a higher figure of 1.2/3 and 2.78 million.

Sunday’s episode was a season low both in viewership and in the 18-49s. It’s likely FOX will look at Sunday’s ratings and put on repeats whenever there’s a big event on another network; “The Simpsons” is at the back-end of the season, where it’s usually in the low 1s and 2 millions straight through until the finale – FOX won’t want to make the show shed any more viewers if possible, considering “The Simpsons” was the only show holding up the network on Sunday night.

Sunday’s episode was popular among younger viewers with a 60% 18-49 skew, but was outmuscled in that regard by “Bob’s Burgers” with 61% and “Family Guy” with 62%.

The season average is currently at 2.14/7, and 5.03 million viewers. By the equivalent episode last year, last season’s average was at 2.11/6 and 4.87 million. It seems this season’s average is slowly taking over last season’s after being below it for the autumn episodes.

FOX suffered elsewhere as well, with “The Simpsons” their only show over the 1.0 barrier. For the first time, “Family Guy” went fractional and under two million viewers, to 0.9/3 and 1.859m. “Son of Zorn”, which followed “Simpsons”, crashed to 0.6/2 and 1.4m. “Bob’s Burgers” dropped to a 0.8/3 and 1.67m.

CBS’ broadcast of a technically-plagued Grammys made other networks’ show’s shed some viewers, but with both ABC and NBC showing movies, there wasn’t much more added competition for Simpsons on broadcast TV. Including the Grammys, the viewership against The Simpsons’ broadcast comes to around 31-34 million.

There’s been a lot of catching-up on the latest episodes, and these figures will be detailed in a post compiling all Live+3 and Live+7 data soon.

See you next Tuesday!

Sources: TVBytheNumbers, SpottedRatings, ShowBuzzDaily

The hour-long Simpsons was probably always set to be the top scripted show last Sunday night (January 15), with its high football lead-in, although it’s football opposition and the effect it would have on the landmark episode wasn’t conceived until the airdate itself. Despite the circumstances being less than ideal, The Simpsons still performed above-average on Sunday.

6.901m saw the 14-minute delayed episode, and scored a 2.8/8 rating, the highest-rated show on the night excluding sports, but fell away from FOX’s football lead-in. Considering NBC’s widely-seen football build-up and game itself, Homer and the gang conjured up a competitive feat. The episode was the fourth most-watched broadcast show in 18-49s of the week (the most-watched on FOX), with 3.566 million of its viewers being in that demographic; the episode was ranked twenty-second in most-watched shows of the week in overall viewership.

TVByTheNumbers reports an enormous 13.9/41 and 44.97 million average for the FOX football between 7pm and 8:14pm, while ShowBuzzDaily posted a huge 9.9 rating, and a 28.86 million audience across the six minute telecast from 8:08pm, and 38.752 million and a 13.1 figure for a four minute overrun segment from 8:04pm, the most-watched show of the night in viewers and 18-49s.

NBC’s “Football Night in America” averaged a 2.1/7 rating and 7.07 million in a telecast from 7:30pm to 8:20pm; the period from 7:30pm to 8:11pm had an average of 1.0 and 3.559 million viewers, with a 7.1 and 23.077 million average from 8:11pm to 8:20pm – eating into The Simpsons viewers who may have switched to NBC as FOX’s football ran late. A 12.0/35 and 37.113 million average was attained for the football game itself from 8:20pm-11:19pm.

Even the writer of part two of the episode and showrunner Matt Selman, complained on Twitter about the NBC opposition, posting “The ratings for this show would’ve been so huge if not for the ice storm moving the KC-PITT game to 8:20 EST. (SIGH)” (tweet no longer available). Chris Ledesma, a member of the show’s music department, quoted the tweet and lamented on the “Months of prep and weeks of anticipation upset by the weather in the Midwest”.

In any case, The Simpsons lost quite a bit of its football lead-in. Considering NBC’s also huge football build-up and game itself, Homer and the gang conjured up a competitive feat, and its 2.8 figure is still good despite being down 0.7 from the previous episode.

Sunday’s episode was up from the equivalent episode last year, which had 1.8/5 and 3.95 million viewers – but, with that episode having had no football lead-in, it would be unfair to compare. Sunday’s episode also had a 52% 18-49 skew, down from last year’s 58%.

With Sunday’s rating, this brings the season average to 2.23/6.9 and 5.246 million viewers. By this point last season, the average was 2.34/6.4 and 5.03 million viewers. This season is up in viewers and share, but is still down in 18-49s; now beating last season in viewership is most likely due to Sunday’s episode adding a high figure into the equation, which the equivalent episode last year didn’t have.

As aforementioned, despite the football being high for FOX, the audience had fallen by shy of ten million from the 8:04pm programme average to the 8:08pm programme average, with The Simpsons averaging 22 million less than the 8:08pm show. Despite the large drop for The Simpsons, it is entirely possible it fell through its broadcast, due to many choosing and switching to the football, and the show may have been damaged due to its late start. The episode may reach a 3.0 rating in catch-up, although it isn’t known for The Simpsons to gain more than 0.3 after three days of catch-up viewing – FOX will be somewhat disappointed with the lower-than-expected numbers (due to the unforeseen football match moved into primetime) and be hoping those who abandoned the show for football due to the late start time will watch on catch-up, considering the effort in promotion put in for the episode resulted in a figure lower than the previous non-special episode.

Among the targeted 18-49 demographic, Fox held up best against the NBC-won night, with all shows above the 1.0 barrier, something other networks couldn’t say, with ABC below it all evening and CBS peaking at 1.0 with NCIS: LA. In viewers against NBC, CBS was strongest, with only one show below seven million viewers – all of ABC’s shows being far below that number.

The rest of FOX’s line-up performed OK, with a one-off The Mick doing well with a 1.7/5 and 4.088 million (although this didn’t do anything for the normal Tuesday episode, which declined slightly (from its previous Tuesday episode) to 1.1/4 and 2.727 million – both of these figures are prelimary as of writing), and Family Guy didn’t have much of a boost with a 1.4/5 but was higher than usual in viewership, with 3.549 million.

Overall, The Simpsons had, opposite it, around a 45 million audience on broadcast TV to compete with, the highest competition so far this season.

In catch-up news for the previous episode, “Pork and Burns“, it reached 3.7 after gaining 0.2 (6% of original audience) after three days of catch-up, to become the fourth most-watched show in 18-49s for the week. And unusually for The Simpsons, it made the top 25 in most-watched broadcast shows in overall viewership, coming in 24th with 8.570m, gaining 383,000 (5% of original viewership).

In UK ratings, the first two episodes of the season achieved 529,000 (including those watching on +1) and 655,000 (excluding +1) figures respectively, after seven days of catch-up.

It’s rerun central on Fox next Sunday night and “Miss Universe” is on the week after, so I’ll see you when I see you.

And apologies for the post being published a day later than usual; the final TV ratings were delayed until today due to Martin Luther King weekend.

Sources: TVbyTheNumbers, SpottedRatings, ShowBuzzDaily

A tale of one man and his pig brought The Simpsons above eight million viewers for the first time in a year, and FOX as a whole held up well against the mighty Golden Globes, but its might couldn’t top the night.

2017 got off to a good start for The Simpsons as, excluding sports and the Golden Globes, Sunday night’s episode, delayed by 10 minutes due to football overrun, was the highest rated show on the night, scoring 3.5/11, the third time this season the show’s had an 18-49 rating beginning with 3, but also the highest demo rating for the show since the 3.6 (3.595) “Teenage Mutant Milk-Caused Hurdles” had on January 10 last year – the equivalent episode last season. In viewership, “Pork and Burns” had 8.187 million tuned in – also the highest since “Hurdles” with 8.332 million. In share, however, it beat “Hurdles” – 11% to 10%. “Pork and Burns” added 1.2 from the last episode, and 2.591 million viewers.

Both Sunday’s episode and “Hurdles” had high-rated football overruns preceding it – the reason for the high ratings both episodes experienced, with the latter’s overrun at 38.85 million and the former’s around 30 million.

Sunday’s episode had a 55% skew in the 18-49 demographic, higher than usual; 4.438 million of the show’s audience were in that demographic, leading to the episode coming sixth for the most-watched show in the 18-49 demographic that week (second in scripted shows).

This brings the season average, so far, to 2.18*/6.9 and 5.096 million viewers. By this point last season, the average was 2.209/6.5 and 5.128 million viewers.

(*recurring)

We’re still neck-and-neck with last season, down in 18-49s and in viewers but up share (suggesting there’s fewer viewers around), however, so far this season, we’ve had three (and is likely to be only three going forward into lower spring ratings) episodes above a 3.0. Last season there was only one, the aforementioned “Hurdles”.

Elsewhere on FOX, Son of Zorn once again showed its magical retention-losing powers – despite being boosted to a season high of 1.8 (in its regular timeslot, excluding its 2.4/8, 6.13m out-of-slot preview) and achieving 4.263 million viewers, it still lost 47.93% of The Simpsons‘ viewers and almost halved in 18-49 ratings. Family Guy also had a 1.8 rating but lost viewers to 3.996 million, with it and “Zorn” having the same shares with 6%. Bob’s Burgers rounded off FOX’s late-running night with a 1.5/5 and 3.581 million.

The “Golden Globes” averaged 20.016 million across its timeslot, with a 5.6 rating in 18-49s and a 17% share of the total audience. Overall, “The Simpsons” had around 40 million viewers on the other three broadcast networks to compete with – much higher than usual, so a good turnout. Fox’s football overrun had the night’s highest audience, however, with an average of 28.416 million over a four minute period from 7:58pm, which had a massive 9.4 rating to go along with it (there is a higher figure for the 7pm-8:10pm slot available, but this isn’t adjusted from the prelims so am not quoting it).

Without the Golden Globes as competition, ergo NBC’s line-up rating lesser, there is a chance “The Simpsons” could’ve been one to two million higher and maybe in the 4s for its demo rating.

Onto catch-up news now, and December’s Krustmassy episode posted a 2.6 rating after three days of catch-up, gaining 0.3 (13%) from its original 2.3 rating. That made the episode sixth for broadcast shows in 18-49 ratings in the week ending December 11, 2016. A nice end to the year.

FOX will be hoping for a similar figure for next week’s hour-long episode – and they’re bound to get a good one anyway, with the always reliable football lead-in.

For any UK fans out there, Season 28 launched on Sunday at 6pm on Sky1 with a double-bill; its second episode, “Friends and Family“, was seen by 583,000 viewers, around double what Sky1 usually gets in that slot, and on par with previous Simpsons returns. The first episode had 384,000 viewers, still up on the timeslot.

See you next Tuesday for that!

Sources: TVBytheNumbers, ShowBuzzDaily, SpottedRatings

(P.S.: For anyone wondering what I was going to post on New Year’s Eve, it would’ve been a review of 2016, but then thought it would be odd comparing the different ends of two seasons – you’ll see a review of Season 28 come the week after it finishes.)

‘Simpsons’ brought some Christmas cheer to FOX on Sunday night, alongside the high football overrun (5.0) and analysis programme (3.9), as it was the top-rated scripted show of the night. Although, that Christmas cheer soon became diluted thanks to the new live-action/animated hybrid.

In the preliminaries, it was looking exciting to be having not just a show be even week-on-week, but also year-on-year. Unfortunately, it had to adjust down in the finals, didn’t it, but the stability is encouraging. Despite the fact all three episodes we’re talking about here were boosted by football and this audience gain will be wiped out by the time Simpsons returns in January without football backup.

Sunday, December 11’s Christmas-themed, daughter-reuniting episode scored a 2.3/8 rating while entertaining 5.596 million viewers, down from last week’s 2.4 and 5.772 million, and more so in viewers from last year‘s 2.4 and 5.970 million. In whole audience share, however, Sunday’s episode was up a percent from last week and last year. All three episodes fell from the viewer numbers in preliminary figures.

Sunday’s episode ranked seventh in the most-watched broadcast shows of the week ending December 11th in 18-49s, with 3.011 million viewers in that age bracket.

The slightly reduced audience may have been due to the lessened number watching the football overrun and therefore there being fewer sticking around for the post-analysis show The OT, both of which declined 0.3 week-on-week, with the former losing 21,000 viewers and the latter 286,000.

Currently the season average is 2.06/6.7 and 4.784 million viewers. By this point last year, it was 2.07/6.2 and 4.852 million.

Once again, the show is irritatingly just short of last year’s average by the Christmas break, but it is clear to see the number of Americans watching TV has decreased – the show has declined marginally in viewers yet has increased marginally in audience share.

At the moment, “The Simpsons”, is, on average, FOX’s second-highest scripted show, below “Empire”. That’s got to be something after nearly 27 years (anniversary this Saturday).

The only other show on FOX to stay above the now-notable 3m barrier was Family Guy, with 3.047m and a 1.4/4. Son of Zorn continued its low retention rate, taking a chunk out of the NFL boost FOX received and The Simpsons inherited, on Sunday night losing 47.83% of Simpsons‘ 18-49 share and 48.61% of its viewers to just 1.2/4 and 2.876 million.

Opposite ‘Simpsons’ was an increased audience of 26-29 million viewers from last week’s ~21 million, and despite competition from ‘Frozen’, the second highest non-sport show of the night in 18-49s, Simpsons still came on top in scripted shows (in 18-49s, of course), coming third in scripted shows in viewers.

The largest audience of the night on US TV was the 8.7/26 and 26.499 million who tuned in to watch Sunday Night Football on NBC.

Meanwhile, in Live+3 ratings for the week ending December 4th, “The Simpsons” gained 0.2 (8% of its 2.4 Live+Same Day audience), to reach a 2.6 rating and tie eighth in the most-watched broadcast shows by 18-49s that week. Barring one occasion this season, “The Simpsons” only makes it into the Live+3 Top 25 chart when football precedes it. It came third for Fox’s most-watched shows in 18-49s for the week, under “Empire” (4.0) and just under “College FB – Top Ten Championship” (2.7).

The next ratings analysis will come on what is looking like 10th January, scrutinising the numbers for the show’s first hour-long extravaganza on January 8th (excluding that Morgan Spurlock hour-long 20th anniversary thing, of course). To be confirmed. the first new episode of the year, which sees the return of Spider-Pig.

(Although keep an eye out New Year’s Eve for something. To also be confirmed!)

Sources (forgot last week!): TVByTheNumbers, SpottedRatings, ShowBuzzDaily

I think FOX were strategic in scheduling two weeks straight of ‘Simpsons’ after football, in the hopes of it catching more viewers for later in the season. We’ll just have to see after the LONG gap for Christmas that is sure to kill all those additional viewers off. Not literally; hopefully it’s not going to be THAT cold. At least that’ll leave any thoughts the show will dip into low 1s and below 3 million viewers again for the year (in original eps) out of mind.

Sunday, December 4’s affair-cusping episode saw just under 6 million stick around with 5.772 million watching (down from 5.849 million in the preliminaries) and posting the season’s fourth rating over a 2.0, with 2.4/7 (was 2.368/7 in prelims, likely to be above 2.35 to two decimal places). Although, despite the high figure, it was the season’s lowest football-boosted episode so far, likely due to the lower rating for lead-in programme The OT (4.2/14 and 12.18m compared to its previous 6.7/21 and 18.557m on November 13th). At expected, it was up from the season low of 1.3/4 and 2.876 two weeks ago. The Simpsons was the night’s top scripted show in 18-49s, the second being Family Guy, regaining its crown above FG after a blip last time both aired originals.

The episode tied ninth in the most-watched shows by 18-49s for the week, and reportedly had a 53% skew of that audience. The equivalent episode last year was also boosted by football, with 2.3/7 and 5.528 million, meaning this year’s episode is up on that.

Sunday’s rating helped the season average scoot back above a 2 to 2.03/6.5 (keeping the same share), and 4.697 million viewers, compared with the average by the equivalent episode last season (when eight had been broadcast), with 2.04/6.1 and 4.713 million viewers. Basically, “The Simpsons” is on par by this point last season.

The improved Simpsons didn’t do much for Son of Zorn posting a low, but albeit, up 1.3/4 and 3.159m. Family Guy saw a nice boost to 1.6/5, with 3.433m, and The Last Man on Earth gained slightly as well to 1.1/3 and 2.477m.

Opposite ‘Simpsons’ there was around 21 million watching on other networks, lower than usual and down significantly from last week. The highest rated show on American TV that might was, expectedly, football; Sunday Night Football on NBC to be specific, which, from 8:30-11:45pm, scored a 6.1/19 rating and 17.75 million viewers.

See you next Tuesday for analysis of the numbers from the last original episode before Christmas, and the last ratings analysis of 2016 (or penultimate, hint, hint. Actually, I don’t see how that’s a hint – it doesn’t give away much.).

Sunday night (November 20) wasn’t exactly a great one for The Simpsons, which fell below the 3m barrier for the first time this season, and for the first time ever in fall. Another compounding fact is it being beaten by Family Guy in the 18-49s, which doesn’t happen usually nowadays.

Sunday’s episode, which was third on the night in scripted shows, dropped by 0.1 (in unroundeds) versus the last episode to air without football as a lead-in, to 1.326; it also dropped in audience share to 4%. The episode was seen by 2.876 million viewers (adjusted down marginally, from 2.889m in the preliminaries), the lowest so far this season. Both ratings are the lowest ever for any original episode airing in fall.

Sunday’s episode reportedly had a 58% 18-49 skew.

The equivalent episode last year was boosted by football so no fair comparison can be made.

The current season average is 1.99/6.5 with 4.56m; excluding episodes with a football lead-in, it is 1.43/4.8 with 3.84m.

By Sunday’s equivalent episode last year, the season average was 2.0/6 with 4.6m; excluding football-boosted episodes it is 1.55/4.75 with 3.44m.

Judging by this, ‘Simpsons’ is on par with last season so far, with less younger viewers but more viewers overall for non-football-boosted episodes this season.

Family Guy had fewer viewers this week, at 2.735m, but beat The Simpsons, at 1.358, but had the same audience share of 4% and was also second in scripted shows among 18-49s to NCIS: Los Angeles (1.5/4) on a football-inflated CBS. FOX’s schedule elsewhere was buoyed by two Bob’s Burgers instead of one and the less retentive Son of Zorn, with a 1.063/3 and 2.345m and 1.150/4 and 2.462m respectively.

Opposite, the American Music Awards on ABC was The Simpsons‘ bane, however, it dropped by a substantial 1.1 year-on-year, to an average of 2.4/7 and 8.182m. Additionally, mainstay Sunday Night Football on NBC continued riding high (in respect to the other shows on US TV at the moment) with 6.2/19 and 18.729m. Elsewhere, 14.891m were tuned into football-boosted CBS for 60 Minutes which scored a 2.6/8. Overall, The Simpsons was opposite a sizeable 30 million over the other broadcast networks, a few million up on usual. It seems The Simpsons was the show that got squeezed out.

In catch-up news, last week’s Cuba-centred episode tacked on 0.2 (6% of its original 3.1) to a 3.3 rating after 3 days of catch-up, to become seventh overall in programmes of the week ending November 13 after three days of catch-up viewing, and was second on FOX, to Empire on FOX (which gained 1.2 in catch-up to 4.1).

I’ll be back the Tuesday after next to see if Homer’s litigation battle with Mr. Burns can park more bums on seats.

Sources: TVByTheNumbers, SpottedRatings, ShowBuzzDaily

UPDATED 29th December 2016 to include previously excluded unrounded final numbers.

As always with a football lead-in, any show after it gets boosted. Well, The Simpsons got boosted up on Sunday by 1.7 from the last episode to a 3.103 rating (share of the 18-49 audience) and a 9% share of the overall audience (up a miniscule 0.002 from 3.101 in the prelims). 7.101 million tuned in as well to see the Simpsons travel to Cuba. The episode tied 20th for the most-watched show on American TV for the week ending November 13th in 18-49s with 3.982 million of its viewers in that demographic. Sunday night’s lead-in was The OT with 6.7/21 and 18.557 million.

The last episode equalling or above a 3.0 rating was the also football-helped “Treehouse of Horror XXVII” 4 weeks ago, which scored a 3.0/10 and 7.442 million viewers. Sunday’s episode was up slightly in 18-49 ratings and down in total viewers and share of total audience. No original episode was broadcast on the equivalent night last year, so no comparison can be made.

Including episodes with a football lead-in, The Simpsons is currently averaging a 2.07/6.9 rating, with a 4.804 million viewer average, up on the same period last year (the season’s first SIX episodes) which had 1.95/5.8 and a 4.42 million viewer average.

Elsewhere on FOX, a 52.7% retention isn’t great for Son of Zorn, with its 1.635/5 looking solid but a non-sport boosted Simpsons last week saw it dip below the point of likely renewal with 0.9; who knows where it’ll be next week, except either high 0s or low 1s. Family Guy was slightly down from Zorn with 1.622/5, and also dropped just 57,000 viewers from it with 3.58m.

The highest rated show of the evening was a 4-minute NFL overrun on Fox, with 8.5/25 and 24.182 million, and second to that, Sunday Night Football on NBC averaging 7.675 and 22.513 million viewers from 8:32pm. Outside of sports, Simpsons was second behind a 60 Minutes containing a presidential interview with a 3.363/11 (the only other show of the night above a 3.0 rating outside of sports) and 20 million viewers on the dot.

Opposite ‘Simpsons’, there was around 25-30 million tuned into the other three main broadcast networks.

In catch-up news, The Simpsons snuck incongruously into the top 25 shows of the week ending November 6 concerning the most-watched shows after 3 days of catch-up. “There Will Be Buds” rose by 0.3 (21% of original audience) from 1.4 to 1.7, tying 24th. Family Guy came above it, as usual, but marginally, increasing 0.6 (50%) from 1.2 to a 1.8, tying 21st to be FOX’s most-watched non-sport show of the week; The Simpsons second – and it appears ‘Simpsons’ will also be FOX’s most-watched non-sport show of the week ending November 13th outside of catch-up, with it beating Wednesday night staple Empire by two tenths of a point (although, Empire‘ll rise by a point or nearly two after three days of catch-up)!

See you next Tuesday with analysis as FOX’s Sunday will go back to normal.

(PS: Oh, and if you didn’t get the chalkboard gag, here you go.)

Sources: TVByTheNumbers, SpottedRatings, ShowBuzzDaily

After a week off, The Simpsons returned slightly down, but definitely showed the least damage on FOX’s schedule.

“There Will Be Buds” scored a 1.4 rating/share (or 1.384 in the unroundeds) in 18-49s, tying with the season premiere. The episode hit a season low with 3.143 million viewers (down from 3.167m in the preliminaries), and was the only show on FOX over the 3m barrier. The episode tied for the top scripted show of the night (with NCIS: Los Angeles), and also had a 5% share of the audience. Furthermore, Simpsons was more popular among the 25-54s, with a 1.5% share in that audience.

Sunday’s lacrosse-themed episode recorded another decline, however, with it being marginally down from equivalent episode last year, “Friend with Benefit“, which garnered a 1.5 rating and 3.597 million, yet Sunday’s episode was higher than “Benefit”‘s 4% audience share.

Elsewhere on FOX, Son of Zorn paid a visit to fractional town it looks like it may not return from, recording a 0.911/3 rating, yet staying the right side of the 2m barrier, with 2.081m. Family Guy was second for FOX’s night, with a 1.246/4 rating and hitting 2.6m viewers on the dot. Bob’s Burgers hit the ground hard, dropping four tenths from its last outing (which may have had local football as a lead-in to help) to 1.033/3 and declined a fair bit in viewers too with 2.422m.

Top show on broadcast TV of the night was, inevitably, football, on NBC, which averaged 6.6/20 and 18.325 million from 8:30pm-11:45pm. Against Simpsons, there was in the region of 26-29 million tuned into the other three main networks.

Next week, a visit to Cuba sees football before it, so expect the show to zoom into the 2s and 5/6 million viewers again.

UPDATED 29th December 2016 to include previously excluded unrounded final numbers.

Without football, it was going to be obvious that The Simpsons wouldn’t be as high as last week’s 7.44 million and 3.0 rating (which rose four tenths after three days of catch-up), which also had the “Treehouse of Horror” aspect and the fact it was the 600th episode to work with it.

Sunday night (October 23) saw Harry Shearer’s first endeavour into writing for the show being seen by 3.362 million and garnering a 1.541/5 18-49 rating, FOX’s highest rated show of the night and broadcast TV’s top-rated scripted show in 18-49s outside of NCIS: Los Angeles on CBS with a 1.7/5 and 11.395 million, part of a football-boosted night for the network.

In terms of viewers, “Trust but Clarify” was up from the last non-NFL-boosted episode, which had 3.221 million, and was down infinitesimally from the 3.364 million the season premiere entertained. The equivalent episode last year was “Treehouse of Horror XXVI” which had 6.754 million viewers and scored a 2.8/8 rating off the back of a football lead-in.

So far this season, “The Simpsons” is averaging a 1.5/5 and 3.32 million viewers, excluding the episodes boosted by football, in which case it is 2.0/7 and 4.68 million viewers.

Outside of The Simpsons, Bob’s Burgers enjoyed being FOX’s second-highest rated show of the night, and a, most probably, brief jump over the 3 million viewer barrier, with a 1.409/5 and 3.014 million viewers. Son of Zorn remained the right side of the 1.0 barrier, with a 1.014/3 rating and 2.271 million viewers. At 9pm, broadcast TV cowered in a corner as The Walking Dead returned to a monstrous 8.36 rating and 17.029 million viewers on cable channel AMC, but FOX held up quite well (unlike ABC which saw two shows drop to 0.7), with Family Guy amusing 2.487 million, reversing the trend of losing viewers from Zorn, with a 1.232/4 rating (both figures the lowest so far this season), and The Last Man on Earth tickling 2.14 million with a 0.873/3 rating.

Both The Simpsons and Bob’s Burgers adjusted down from 1.6 ratings in the preliminaries which were inflated by local NFL overruns. Simpsons also adjusted down from 3.412 million viewers.

The top show of the night (on broadcast TV that is) was, of course, football, on NBC, which had a 6.0 average and 17.707 million from 8:31pm to midnight. Around 27 million viewers were watching the other three broadcast networks during The Simpsons‘ telecast.

The Simpsons is having a week off before it returns with Kirk’s desperation for a friend in “There Will Be Buds” on November 6th. See you November 8th, then!

Sources: ShowBuzzDaily, TVByTheNumbers