On Its Move to Wednesday, AMERICAN HOUSEWIFE Hits a Near 1-Year High

ABC ranked No. 2 on season premiere Wednesday in Adults 18-49 (1.5/6-tied w/CBS) to an "Empire"-driven Fox, beating NBC's premieres by 15% (1.3/5). ABC's "Modern Family" was Wednesday's No. 2 TV show, coming within 3-tenths of "Empire"'s premiere in Adults 18-49 (2.1/8 vs. 2.4/10). In addition, ABC's 8:00 p.m. Wednesday lead-off "The Goldbergs" (1.8/8) beat out all 6 of the CBS and NBC premieres/debuts on the night, outdelivering CBS' "Survivor" (1.7/7), "Seal Team" (1.5/6) and "Criminal Minds" (1.3/5), as well as NBC's "The Blacklist" (1.1/5), "Law & Order: SVU" (1.4/5) and "Chicago P.D." (1.3/5). Each of ABC's Wednesday comedies returned above their season finales in May.

At 8:00 p.m. opposite Fox's "Empire," ABC's "The Goldbergs" opener took 2nd in Adults 18-49 (1.8/8), beating CBS' "Survivor" in the half-hour by 6% (1.7/8). "The Goldbergs" was up from its May finale by 15% in Total Viewers and by 29% in Adults 18-49, delivering its best results since March by topping its final 8 original telecasts last season with young adults - since 3/29/17 and 3/1/17, respectively.

At 8:30 p.m. against the second half-hours of "Empire" and "Survivor," ABC's "Speechless" topped NBC's "The Blacklist" premiere in the half-hour by 27% in Adults 18-49 (1.4/6 vs. 1.1/4). "Speechless" grew over its May finale by 11% in Total Viewers and by 17% in Adults 18-49, delivering its largest audience since February - since 2/22/17.

At 9:00 p.m., ABC's "Modern Family" won its half-hour among Adults 18-49 (2.1/8), besting Fox's "Star" premiere by 11% (1.9/7), CBS' "Seal Team" debut by 40% (1.5/6) and NBC's "L&O: SVU" opener by 50% (1.4/5). "Modern Family" surged over its May finale by 11% in Total Viewers and by 24% in Adults 18-49, earning its top numbers since mid-February - since 2/15/17 and 2/8/17, respectively.

At 9:30 p.m., moving from Tuesday last season to Wednesday this season, ABC's "American Housewife" ran neck-and-neck for No. 1 in its slot with "Star" in Adults 18-49 (1.6/6 vs. 1.7/6), beating the second half-hours of CBS' "Seal Team" (1.5/5) and NBC's "L&O: SVU" (1.4/5). "American Housewife" shot up from its May finale on Tuesday by 27% in Total Viewers and by 33% in Adults 18-49, matching its highest rating in nearly 1-year and topping its last 13 originals in Adults 18-49 - since 10/18/16.

In the 10 o'clock hour, ABC's "Designated Survivor" sophomore season premiere is projected to win the hour once TV Playback is included. Setting TV playback records throughout its freshman season run, ABC's "Designated Survivor" closed out last season as TV's No. 1 10 o'clock series in Adults 18-49 (2.9/11 in Live + 7 Day). In fact, the ABC freshman drama was the 2016-17 season's top gainer in TV playback among Adults 18-49, shooting up by +142% in L+7 over its L+SD rating. "Designated Survivor" grew 8% from its Live + Same Day May finale in Total Viewers (5.5 million vs. 5.1 million) and held exactly even in Adults 18-49 (1.1/5), drawing its biggest audience since March - since 3/15/17.

Projections Rationale: Lifts vs. L+SD are based on 2016-17 season averages for originals (excluding the premiere).
Returning shows: Profile based on same show (either premiere or averages for originals).
New Series: Based on similar series.

Source: The Nielsen Company, Fast Affiliate Live + Same Day Ratings for 9/27/17.

Photo credit: ABC/ Michael Ansell

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