“The Big Bang Theory” has set a new television record for the largest ever seven-day delayed viewer lift, adding 7.18 million total audience members thanks to one week of Sheldon-Amy sex catch-up.
The Dec. 17 original, which saw Jim Parsons‘ and Mayim Bialik‘s characters finally consummate their relationship, increased 42 percent from the episode’s live-plus-same-day average, eventually clocking in at a massive 24.43 million viewers. The new total makes it this season’s most-watched episode of any scripted program.
In terms of the delayed-viewing jump, “Big Bang” topped ABC’s “How to Get Away With Murder” from Sept. 25, 2014, which grew by a big 6.95 million total viewers in Nielsen’s live-plus-seven-day numbers. That was the previous record holder, and it kept the crown for more than a year. Not bad.
Aside from those two series, there is actually only one other broadcast show that even appears on the all-time Top 20 list of seven-day delayed lifts: NBC’s “The Blacklist,” which crowds the ranking an incredible 15 times. “Big Bang” is on that Top 20 with one other episode, and cable’s “The Walking Dead” claims a solo slot itself.
Here’s one more eye-popping stat to close on: The “Big Bang” episode’s 7.18 million total viewer lift alone was greater than the total live-plus-seven-day audience for 58 of the week’s 85 primetime broadcasts.
To steal a line from Sheldon Cooper and our own sub-headline: Bazinga.