Ratings: The CW’s ‘Walker’ Premiere Struts to 2.4 Million Viewers

Step aside, Chuck Norris: This “Walker’s” got The CW line-dancing. The series premiere of “Supernatural” alum Jared Padalecki’s new CW show, a reboot of Norris’ old “Walker, Texas Ranger” program, drew the network’s largest overall audience (2.43 million) in the time slot since the Dec. 1, 2016 “DC’s Legends of Tomorrow” debut. It was The CW’s most-watched telecast of any kind since a “Flash” episode nearly three years ago (Jan. 30, 2018). As a result, The CW finished fifth in primetime viewer averages, besting both Spanish-language broadcast channels. The CW, Univision and Telemundo tied for fifth-place in ratings among adults 18-49. Like Fox, The CW has the advantage of only nationally programming two primetime hours per evening. CBS, NBC, ABC, Univision and Telemundo count the 10 o’clock hour in their primetime averages, and later usually means lower-rated. Still, those primetime rankings are good for The CW these days, though the network probably would have liked a better performance from its “Legacies” Season 3 premiere — especially following the “Walker” figures. All told, Thursday marked The CW’s most-watched Thursday primetime since March 29, 2018.

ABC was first in ratings with a 0.7 rating/4 share in the advertiser-coveted 18-49 demographic and in total viewers with an average of 4.4 million, according to preliminary numbers. At 8 p.m., “Celebrity Wheel of Fortune” declined from last week to a 0.8/5 and 6.1 million viewers. “The Chase” at 9 had a 0.7/4 and 4.3 million viewers. At 10, “The Hustler” got a 0.5/3 and 2.7 million viewers.

Fox was second in ratings with a 0.6/4 and fourth in viewers with 2.5 million. “Hell’s Kitchen” at 8 received a 0.7/4 and 2.5 million viewers. At 9, “Call Me Kat” got a 0.5/3 and 2.5 million viewers. “Last Man Standing” at 9:30 had a 0.4/3 and 2.5 million viewers.

CBS and NBC tied for third in ratings, both with a 0.5/3. CBS was second in total viewers with 4 million, NBC was third with 3.1 million.

For CBS, “Young Sheldon” at 8 drew a 0.8/5 and 7.1 million viewers. “B Positive” at 8:30 had a 0.6/4 and 5 million viewers. At 9, “Mom” got a 0.6/4 and 4.9 million viewers. “The Unicorn” at 9:30 received a 0.4/3 and 3.5 million viewers. At 10, an episode of CBS All Access original series “Star Trek: Discovery” aired on linear television to a 0.2/1 and 1.7 million viewers. For NBC, “Mr. Mayor” at 8 had a 0.5/3 and 3.1 million viewers. At 8:30, “Superstore” got a 0.4/3 and 2.2 million viewers. “Law & Order: SVU” at 9 received a 0.6/4 and 3.6 million viewers. At 10, “Dateline: NBC” closed out primetime with a 0.3/2 and 3 million viewers.

The CW, Univision and Telemundo tied for fifth in ratings , each with a 0.3/2. The CW was fifth in total viewers with 1.6 million, Univision was sixth with 1.3 million and Telemundo was seventh with 977,000.

For The CW, the “Walker” premiere at 8 posted a 0.4/2 in the demo. “Legacies” at 9 had a 0.2/1 and 717,000 viewers.