While CBS comedies often do well, there's always some mystery as to how well new shows will perform. The network has numerous hits over the years, but the world is always watching to see if they come up with another stinker like 2007's Pirate Master. Is it possible that CBS could have another show bomb that bad? It's definitely possible, but the Judd Hirsch-starring sitcom Superior Donuts' ratings are the exact opposite.
Superior Donuts netted around 10.7 million viewers running at 8 p.m. EST, with a 1.9 rating for adults 18-49. Those are numbers that will secure the series for a long time, if they can be held, and they're strong enough to make the premiere the second highest watched show of that evening. It also came in as the second most popular comedy of the evening out of 6 options throughout the night.
The showing is much better than its competitor Powerless, the DC comedy about humans living in a world of heroes, whose premiere netted a mere 3.08 million in comparison. TV By The Numbers also shows Powerless nearly a full point below Superior Donuts in its prime target rating with just a 1.1. Perhaps more impressive, Superior Donuts managed to outperform popular NBC comedy Superstore, which is currently in the latter half of its second season. Superstore fell just short of 4 million viewers in the 8 o'clock hour and in the tall shadow of CBS ratings giant and television comedy king The Big Bang Theory. There's no denying that the hit CBS series played a part in the opening success of Superior Donuts.
The real question will be how Superior Donuts will fare at its new time slot next Monday when The Big Bang Theory isn't along for the ride. Currently, the show will replace The Odd Couple and follow a new episode of two other freshman CBS series, Man With A Plan and Kevin Can Wait. Neither of those shows has been a top performer for CBS in their first seasons, but they're still beating out their respective competition in their time slots.
While Superior Donuts had a phenomenal viewing for its first episode, it's worth mentioning that Kevin Can Wait (which features TV veteran Kevin James) had the same success following The Big Bang Theory and has had a significant dip in viewership since moving to Monday nights. Superior Donuts' biggest advantage in its regular time slot is primarily a lack of competition. The Odd Couple, which has been running in the same time slot, was holding a steady lead on Fox show Lucifer, and Jane The Virgin isn't even in the conversation for top spot in that hour. Another big competitor for Monday night is ABC's The Bachelor, but even that can only net around 7.2 million viewers across its two-hour telecasts. I'm sure if Superior Donuts performs at least as good as that, if not better, CBS will be thrilled.
Superior Donuts centers around the activities of the store of the same name, its owner Arthur (Judd Hirsch), his young worker Franco (Jermaine Fowler), and the various patrons that frequent the store. The show will be facing an uphill battle on Mondays hoping to achieve something that hasn't been done in several months. Even at their best, no new CBS Monday night show this year has been successful enough to even top a repeat of The Big Bang Theory.
If you're looking for a new show for Monday nights, you could check out Superior Donuts at its new time Monday at 9 p.m. EST. In the meantime, check out the many other shows premiering this season!
