This Is Us had the highest post-Super Bowl ratings in six years
This Is Us has been one of the highest rated dramas the past two years so it shouldn’t be surprising that NBC’s hit show would pull in a lot of viewers after the Super Bowl.
However, the series did even better than the network was expecting, drawing in an audience of roughly twenty-seven million people making it the most-watched show — in that coveted post-Super Bowl time slot — in six years.
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Fans who have stuck with the show from the beginning were rewarded on Sunday night because the episode finally answered how Jack died. Yet, This Is Us needed an episode that would also hook in new viewers who stuck around after the big game was over. In that sense, “Super Bowl Sunday” was an even bigger success because the episode was a payoff for loyal fans as well as an introduction to the Pearson family for newer ones.
While NBC won’t see how many people will return for more drama until the new ratings come in, but it looks like the network is going to be happy with their decision.
Like most television shows that air after the big game, “Super Bowl Sunday” marks the highest ratings This Is Us has received throughout its run. NBC hasn’t had a scripted series score higher since 1998 with 3rd Rock From the Sun, marking a changing tide for broadcast networks. While there have been rumblings that television is dying with the recent boom of streaming services taking over, This Is Us is proving that plenty of people will tune in for a good series.
Next: This Is Us finally reveals Jack’s death in “Super Bowl Sunday”
While the last episode finally revealed Jack’s death in a surprisingly nuanced way, This Is Us will return tonight with more glimpses of life without him. For new people tuning in, the show will air back in its original time slot on NBC at 9 p.m.