ABC’s Tuesday night crime drama lineup is proving to be a major force in television viewing, with The Rookie recently hitting significant audience highs. The network’s strategy of combining established shows with newer hits appears to be paying off handsomely, especially when accounting for viewing across multiple platforms over time.
Here’s the Lowdown: The March 25 episode of The Rookie, titled “Speed,” delivered the show’s best performance in years. After just three days of viewing across ABC, Hulu, Hulu on Disney+, and other digital platforms, the episode reached 8.25 million total viewers and secured a 1.67 rating among adults 18-49. This marks the show’s largest total audience since January 2023 and its best demo rating since May 2020. On the night of its broadcast, it tied as the number one program among adults 18-49 on traditional television.
What This Means Now: This strong performance isn’t isolated. When looking at viewing over a longer 35-day period, the entire ABC Tuesday block demonstrates impressive reach. Data from February 11 shows Will Trent attracting 10.81 million viewers (1.54 rating), High Potential drawing a massive 16.43 million viewers (3.64 rating), and The Rookie pulling in 11.10 million viewers (2.75 rating). These numbers show substantial increases over initial live viewing figures.
The Bigger Picture: These figures underscore the importance of multiplatform and delayed viewing in today’s media environment. Shows like The Rookie, Will Trent, and High Potential build their audiences significantly beyond their initial broadcast night. The dramatic percentage increases seen after 35 days (like The Rookie jumping over 1,000% in the demo rating compared to live viewing) confirm that viewers are actively seeking out these dramas on streaming and digital platforms, making this ABC lineup a consistent winner across the board. Season-to-date averages further solidify this, with all three shows averaging well over 10 million viewers each.
