TV Ratings: The Final Numbers for 2024-25’s Top Network Shows From Hollywood Reporter
So how did the 2024 to 2025 season do in terms of TV ratings? What shows were on top? What about ones with lower ratings? Will they be canceled? You probably have your faves and have likely heard of most of the shows that are canceled (hopefully not the shows you like), but let’s look at a more comprehensive list.
TV Ratings – Which Shows Scored Higher?
There are a few surprises here. First, let’s check out the shows that always garner a high viewership. Unsurprisingly, Squid Game was one of the top-rated shows. Also, newbies like Matlock and High Potential scored high with viewers. The Justin Hartley-led procedural Tracker did quite well with viewers, and as in the past, White Lotus did, too.
TV Ratings – Which Shows Got Cut?
Four of the network shows that were cancelled were Found, Alert: Missing Persons Unit, The Irrational, and The Equalizer. Interestingly, both the Marvel franchise and the Star Wars universe seem to be in a slump. It could be that there are so many multiverses, spinoffs, and iterations of both Star Wars and Marvel that the current market is oversaturated.
Stalwart Shows
Constant performers in TV ratings have been Dick Wolf’s Law & Order franchise, his Chicago franchise, and the NCIS shows. Fans are looking forward to the Tony and Ziva spinoff, premiering this autumn. Will Trent is the most “improved” in the way of ratings, with a powerful third season. The show now has more twists and deepened character development.
Let’s not forget our animated programs, like The Family Guy, The Simpsons, and Bob’s Burgers – they all perform quite reliably. Another constant has been The Rookie. Comedy with Tim Allen and Kat Dennings, Shifting Gears, and Elsbeth, starring Carrie Preston, have done well.
TV Ratings – Initial Airing vs. Streaming
Per The Hollywood Reporter, the 2024-2025 television season had linear viewing of shows within the first week of the show being initially aired. This means that 90 percent of viewers would be streaming this between day one and day seven. THR made a top twenty list of network series for which viewers tuned in. The highest ranking was Tracker, High Potential, Matlock, George & Mandy’s First Marriage, and Ghosts.
Something else intriguing is that the TV ratings reflected that several freshman shows performed well this past season. Besides High Potential, shows like The Studio, The Pitt, Landmark, Doc, and Adolescence did extraordinarily well. Reba McIntyre’s new sitcom, Happy’s Place, fared nicely in attaining steady viewership.
To Sum Up
It looks as though police and/or investigative procedural shows still have stable viewership. Irreverent comedies and dramas have good TV ratings. In the past several years. sporting events, sports documentaries, and true crime docuseries have attracted large numbers of viewers. As streaming platforms increase in popularity, we’ll probably see a wider variety of content, including more sci-fi and fantasy.
