The Big Bang Theory has been a dominant presence on broadcast network TV for the past few years, but another show has officially managed to edge out the CBS sitcom in the ratings. Freshman NBC drama This Is Us just beat the numbers for The Big Bang Theory for its very first time, and it's all thanks to the folks who caught up on the episode after the live broadcast.
This Is Us scored an impressive 4.99 rating in the valuable 18-49 demographic and attracted 15.8 million viewers to its February 7 episode in the Live+7 Day ratings. The episode's initial numbers were significantly lower, with only a 2.55 in the 18-49 demo and 9.56 million viewers in the Live+Same Day ratings. The demo rose by a whopping 96% over the seven days after episode aired live. The Big Bang Theory episode from the same week only scored a 4.47 in 18-49.
Of course, a 4.47 in the 18-49 demographic is impressive, but This Is Us deserves credit for edging The Big Bang Theory out with the 4.99 rating. This Is Us has come close to Big Bang Theory's numbers throughout the 2016-2017 season; this is the first time that the new drama actually defeated the veteran comedy in a week when both series were airing new episodes.
The February 7 episode of This Is Us was a win for NBC on fronts other than The Big Bang Theory. The Live+7 bump from 2.55 to 4.99 in the key demo was the biggest lift of all broadcast television during that week. The only show with a more significant post-airing bump was The Walking Dead on AMC. This Is Us was also the biggest broadcast winner when it comes to viewership in Live+7, rising by 6.23 million viewers. The Big Bang Theory came in second with a lift of 5.1 million.
This Is Us has done well with post-live viewership and ratings throughout its first season. The show closed out 2016 with a fall finale that set a major broadcast TV record in Live+3 Day numbers, and it has even broken its own records as the first season has progressed. We'll have to wait and see if the show can keep up its momentum through the last few episodes of Season 1.
All things considered, NBC had a pretty great week from February 6-12. Of the top 12 shows to gain in Live+7 numbers, NBC was the home of six. In addition to This Is Us, Law & Order: SVU, Chicago Fire, The Blacklist, Chicago P.D., and Timeless saw big bumps in the week after episodes aired live.
Tune in to NBC on Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET to catch new episodes of This Is Us, and don't forget to check out our midseason TV premiere schedule to see what else you can watch on primetime.
