Fox debuted an intense new show this month with Ryan Murphy's 9-1-1, which stars Angela Bassett, Peter Krause, and Connie Britton. The promos made it quite clear that viewers would get an action-packed series, and the cast guaranteed that the show would deliver some powerhouse performances, but it's never easy to guess what shows will be hits and what shows will be flops. Now, we can officially say that Fox considers 9-1-1 a hit. The network has already ordered a second season.
The move to renew 9-1-1 already is a bold one from Fox given how recently the show premiered. The very first episode aired on January 3, and only two full episodes have aired so far. Not many series are lucky enough to score network renewals after only a couple of episodes. The order for another season is a big sign that Fox has faith in what's in store.
Of course, such an early renewal isn't entirely shocking considering the numbers the first two episodes delivered for Fox. More than 15 million people watched the series premiere of 9-1-1, according to Live+7 day ratings that take multi-platform and encore viewing into account. That 15 million makes the 9-1-1 premiere Fox's largest debut (aside from shows that got boosts from the post-Super Bowl time slot) since Empire hit the airwaves in 2015. It also marks the highest-rated debut of any show since ABC's smash hit The Good Doctor back in the fall.
Throw in the fact that the first episode of 9-1-1 was also the highest-rated Wednesday series premiere in over a year, and it's easy to see why Fox was willing to jump on the renewal wagon so soon. After all, it's probably safe to say that going by the numbers, 9-1-1 is the first big hit of 2018. Admittedly, 2018 is still pretty new, but Fox is definitely off to a very good start.
Live+7 day numbers aren't yet available for the second episode of 9-1-1 for comparison to the premiere, but the Live+3 day numbers are quite impressive on their own. Three days after the episode aired for the first time, ratings and viewership calculations indicate that 11.6 people tuned in. The episode also scored an excellent 2.5 rating in the all-important 18-49 age demographic. That rating is a 67% boost from the Live+Same day numbers, which is a sign that 9-1-1 is a big hit with folks who watch via streaming or video-on-demand following the live broadcasts.
The next new episode of 9-1-1 will see Bobby and his team responding to a call at a kids' birthday party, and a number of lives will end up in very serious danger. One of their own is involved in a devastating accident while Athena is forced to come with a close-to-home tragedy. For her part, Abby must make a life-changing decision for her ailing mom.
You can catch the next episode of 9-1-1 on Wednesday, January 17 at 9 p.m. ET on Fox. For more viewing options now and in the coming weeks, take a look at our midseason TV premiere guide and our 2018 Netflix premiere schedule. Be sure to stay tuned to CinemaBlend for the latest in TV news. More renewals and cancellations are undoubtedly in store before the end of the 2017-2018 TV season.
