TV Ratings: Last Man Standing Has Lowest-Rated Launch to Date
Paul Dailly
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Last Man Standing finally returned to the air Thursday night.
The long-delayed Last Man Standing Season 8 was banished to midseason after FOX's decision to air WWE Smackdown on Fridays.
With a move to Thursdays, the two-episode Season 8 debut averaged 5.2 million total viewers and a 0.9 rating.
This marks erosion of as much as 50% in the demo vs. Last Man Standing Season 7's launch (8.1 million/1.8 rating), but it is relatively steady with the final few episodes of that season.
But that's OK because even a low-rated Last Man Standing is enough to keep FOX on the map. Right now, it is the network's third highest-rated scripted series.
That's nothing to sneeze at, and given that the show has shown great longevity, it's likely it will continue to live long and prosper on the network for years to come.
Out of Last Man Standing, we had Deputy Season 1 Episode 1. The new drama series managed 4.6 million total viewers and an okay 0.7 rating in the demo.
The true test for this series will be in how it holds up in the weeks to come. Additionally, the post-airdate viewing will also come into it, so we should hold fire on a prognosis until other data is available.
Also of note: Deputy outperformed the Season 2 launch of The Orville in the slot last year.
And since it was just one new show airing after the holidays, it should have gone higher, but our readers seemed to like it.
StevenCrosio hoped that given the similar storylines that Deputy's Joseph wouldn't take the same route a All American's Spencer who managed to disappoint his dad when he quit football.
And Mrs. Alex O'Laughlin (how lucky is she?) noted that Bill and Paula seem to have a good marriage and they handle their fights in good way. and is looking forward to next Thursday already.
Of course, we also have a full review for you, so be sure to check it out here.
ABC went with a Jeopardy! special, and it resonated with viewers. It pulled in a healthy 7.8 million total viewers, and a 0.9 rating in the demo.
Finally, The Great American Baking Show had 3.6 million viewers and a 0.6 rating with its season finale, up from its most recent results.
What did you watch on the night, TV Fanatics?
Are you on board with Last Man Standing and Deputy, or would you prefer a different FOX line-up on the night?
Hit the comments.
Remember you can watch TV online right here via TV Fanatic.
Paul Dailly was an Associate Editor for TV Fanatic.Follow him on X.
