Empire” and “Modern Family” were broadcast’s top offerings Wednesday on a night when many shows saw ratings decline from their season premieres a week earlier.
Fox drama “Empire” suffered the biggest drop-off, down half a ratings point from a week earlier with a 1.9 in the 18-49 demo, according to Nielsen live-plus-same day numbers — down 21%. ABC’s “Modern Family” also drew a 1.9, down two tenths of a point from a week ago. It was the first time original episodes of the two shows have tied to win the night, which “Empire” in its first three seasons routinely won.
No show on broadcast matched or exceeded its performance from last week. “Star” followed “Empire” with a 1.4, down 22%. “The Goldbergs” led off the night for ABC with a 1.6. “Speechless” followed with a 1.3. Elsewhere on the Alphabet, “American Housewife” drew a 1.4 and “Designated Survivor” fell to a series-low 0.9.
“Survivor” on CBS averaged a 1.6 followed by “SEAL Team” with a 1.2. Although the freshman military drama shed a quarter of its lead-in’s demo rating, it was the most watched program of the night with 8.4 million viewers. “Criminal Minds” drew a 1.1 in the demo.
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