Fueled by a big turnout for “Live in Front of a Studio Audience: Norman Lear’s ‘All in the Family’ and ‘The Jeffersons,’” ABC won the final night of the 2018-2019 season by strong margins, beating runner-up NBC on Wednesday with season finales of its three “Chicago” dramas by 8% in Total Viewers (7.8 million vs. 7.2 million) and by 30% in Adults 18-49 (1.3/7 vs. 1.0/5). In fact, ABC scored its most-watched, season-closing Wednesday in 12 years – since 5/23/07.
- Airing from 8:00-9:30 p.m., ABC’s “Live in Front of a Studio Audience: Norman Lear’s ‘All in the Family’ and “The Jeffersons’” drew an average audience of 10.4 million viewers and earned a 1.7/9 in Adults 18-49 to rank as Wednesday’s definitive No. 1 TV program. The Sony-produced, star-studded re-staging by Jimmy Kimmel of the two Norman Lear comedies delivered 6-month highs for ABC in the 90-minute Wednesday time period – since the “CMA Awards” on 11/14/18. And excluding only award shows, the comedy special attracted the Net’s largest audience in the time slot since the first Wednesday of the 2012-2013 season – since 9/26/12. “Live in Front of a Studio Audience” stood as the No. 1 most-social prime-time program on Wednesday with 288,500 total interactions.
- In the 9:30 p.m. half-hour, ABC’s follow-up “Nightline” special “All About ‘All in the Family’ and ‘The Jeffersons’” won its time period and stood as the No. 2 TV show of the night in Total Viewers (7.9 million) and Adults 18-49 (1.4/7), generating 11-week highs in the time slot – since 3/06/19.
