This Season’s Top Shows Prove Viewers Still Love Weekly TV

Although streaming services are now the dominant force in television, traditional broadcast networks are still remarkably effective at drawing viewers in for new episodes each week. Recent Nielsen data from the 2025–26 TV season reveals that ABC, CBS, and NBC together accounted for 19 of the 25 most-watched shows across all platforms within the first seven days of release. This demonstrates that, despite facing significant challenges, broadcast television remains a strong competitor.

CBS remains the leader in quickly reaching large audiences, according to Nielsen’s MP+7 ratings. This is largely because its shows benefit from viewers who still watch live television. The network has ten of the top 25 most popular entertainment programs using this metric, with Marshals leading the way. While Marshals averages 7.6 million viewers watching on CBS Sunday nights, it gains another 2.3 million from DVR recordings and approximately 5.2 million from streaming, bringing its total weekly audience to 15.1 million. Only one show this season has a larger MP+7 number: the final season of Netflix’s Stranger Things, which averaged an impressive 22.4 million viewers with its three sets of episodes last winter.

Okay, let’s talk numbers. While Netflix definitely dominated this season with its biggest hit, digging a little deeper reveals a more interesting picture. Beyond that one standout show, only Bridgerton and the limited series His & Hers managed to break into the top 25 most-watched series. Disney’s ABC, however, really brought the heat, landing a solid five shows in that top 25, with High Potential and Dancing With the Stars even cracking the top ten! Comcast’s NBC didn’t have a top-ten contender, but they still snagged four spots, led by the popular Chicago Fire. Looking at other streamers, Paramount+, HBO Max, and Amazon’s Prime Video each had one show in the mix: Landman, The Pitt, and Fallout respectively. So, while Netflix had the biggest single show, the competition was definitely spread around!

Let’s be clear: the numbers we’re looking at – the MP+7 data – don’t tell the whole story. These shows actually reached a lot more people, sometimes significantly more, than those numbers suggest. Nielsen is constantly tracking viewership, and now, networks and streamers are using a wider timeframe – five weeks, or MP+35 – to get a better sense of how popular something really is. Plus, when it comes to selling ads or deciding if a show gets renewed, they’re looking at a ton of other data – things like who’s watching and their own internal numbers, which they rarely share. Basically, these MP+7 or MP+35 figures aren’t the final word on a show’s success or value. Things have changed a lot since the old days when a single Nielsen rating could make or break a program. It’s a much more complex picture now.

As a fan, I think the +7 numbers are still really important. They don’t just tell us how a show is doing right now, but often give us a good idea of its long-term potential. More than that, it shows how much people are actually prioritizing a show – how quickly they’re choosing to watch it when there’s so much other content out there. Ari Goldman at ABC explained it perfectly: they can really measure how eager people are to tune in, and that’s a key indicator for them. It’s not just about a show ‘breaking through,’ but about using that initial excitement to get people to try out newer shows too. When viewers are actively seeking something out, that positive energy seems to spread to other titles on the platform, which is great for everyone!

I’ve always noticed how TV networks cleverly keep you watching! For years, channels like ABC would launch new shows right after their popular ones. Now, streaming services like Netflix do the same thing, but in a different way. When you finish binge-watching a season of a show you love, they immediately offer something else to grab your attention. It’s so smart! Like, it wasn’t an accident that Apple TV+ released the first episodes of Cape Fear right when season two of Your Friends & Neighbors ended, or that Netflix’s His & Hers – which became a huge hit this season – arrived just a week after the Stranger Things finale. They really want to keep you hooked!

Some other interesting tidbits from the latest multi-platform ratings for the 2025–26 season:

When looking at traditional TV ratings, ABC led the way with key audiences. Among adults younger than 50 – a group advertisers highly value – ABC had the most popular drama (High Potential), comedy (Scrubs), and reality show (Dancing With the Stars). In fact, ABC shows filled half of the top 20 slots in this age group, including six of the top ten. CBS also performed well, despite generally appealing to an older audience, securing the remaining four shows in the top ten, such as Marshals and both seasons of Survivor. For viewers under 34, Dancing With the Stars was the most-watched show on traditional TV. While ratings for streaming-only shows aren’t available yet, last season Variety reported that streaming services dominated this demographic, with 14 of the top 15 shows among adults under 50, and High Potential being the highest-rated broadcast show.

Even though most teens don’t watch traditional broadcast TV anymore, one show consistently captures their attention: The Rookie. According to Nielsen data, this long-running ABC police drama was the top linear TV program among 12- to 17-year-olds this season, and the only one to achieve a rating above 1.0 in that demographic. ABC executive Goldman notes that the show continues to grow in popularity, with the pilot episode reaching record viewership last year despite being eight seasons in. He believes that, similar to the resurgence of vinyl records, the traditional weekly broadcast model – like that of Dancing With the Stars – is resonating with Gen Z and Alpha. Goldman suggests younger audiences are appreciating the sense of immediacy and shared experience that comes with watching something live and being part of a larger cultural conversation.

As we’ve seen, measuring ratings for a full five weeks instead of just seven days significantly boosts the total viewership numbers for many shows. This is especially helpful for shows that are only available on streaming services, as they don’t have traditional TV schedules or the promotional power of a major network. For example, the Netflix series His & Hers initially averaged 9.6 million viewers in its first week (measured within the first seven days). However, as more people heard about the show and had time to watch all six episodes, its audience grew dramatically. Viewership tripled to 25.6 million over five weeks, making it the second most-watched show overall when measured this way – surpassing many broadcast and cable programs.

Complete data for the full season won’t be available until next month, but current measurements through April 19th suggest Netflix is on track to have eight shows in the top 25 for viewers aged 35 and over, a significant increase from the three it had for viewers aged 7 and over. This includes popular titles like The Lincoln Lawyer and The Beast in Me. Paramount+ and HBO Max are also expected to improve, each likely securing two spots instead of just one. ABC is predicted to have four top-25 shows (down from five), while CBS could finish with seven, compared to ten previously. NBC, however, is currently projected to have only one show reach the top 25: Chicago Fire. This isn’t surprising, as NBC has been investing heavily in sports programming and shifting funds away from scripted shows. Additionally, Peacock, NBC’s streaming service, is the smallest of the major platforms, making it more difficult for network shows to find a large digital audience.

Nielsen has released its ranking of the 25 most popular shows on both traditional TV and streaming services this season. The list also includes information on how well certain shows performed with specific audiences.

Weekly Viewing: This Season’s Top Shows

Broadcast TV’s Biggest Hits: Adults 18-49

Broadcast TV’s Biggest Hits: Teens 12-17

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2026-06-12 00:58