‘Law & Order: SVU’ Season 25 Premiere Viewership Jumps 29% With 5.6 Million

The original “Law & Order,” “Organized Crime” and shows in the One Chicago universe also saw significant increases on NBC

law-order-svu-mariska-nbc-peter-kramer
Peter Scanavino as Dominick "Sonny" Carisi Jr., Kelli Giddish as Amanda Rollins, Viet Vo as Father Ralph, Mariska Hargitay as Captain Olivia Benson in "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit." — (Peter Kramer/NBC)

You are reading an exclusive WrapPRO article for free. Want to level up your entertainment career? Click here for more information.

“Law & Order: SVU” saw an impressive return during its Season 25 premiere Thursday night. A total of 5.6 million people tuned in to watch the Dick Wolf drama, according to fast affiliate ratings.

That viewership marks a 29% increase compared to the final four episodes of Season 24. “SVU” wasn’t the only NBC show to see an increase.

The flagship drama “Law & Order” saw 5.2 million people tune into its Season 23 premiere. That’s a 31% increase from last season’s final four episodes. Similarly, “Law & Order: Organized Crime” had a premiere of 3.8 million viewers, a 12% increase compared to last seasons’s final four episodes.

The “Law & Order” universe wasn’t the only batch of NBC shows to see notable numbers upon their return. “Chicago Med” saw the biggest jump Wednesday night when it came to live-plus-same-day figures. Its 6.9 million viewer premiere was a 24% jump compared to the last four episodes of Season 10 and a 5% jump compared to last season’s premiere.

Likewise, “Chicago P.D.,” which saw 5.8 million viewers in the official ratings, returned with a viewership that was 19% higher than the final four episodes of Season 8, and 6% higher than the previous season premiere. Finally, the return of “Chicago Fire,” which saw 7 million viewers, saw a viewership gain of 16% compared to the final four episodes of Season 11 and a gain of 4% compared to last season’s premiere.

The numbers of the “Chicago” shows are taken from official linear Nielsen ratings. All six NBC shows are expected to see increases in delayed live +3 and live +7 viewership, as well as from streaming on Peacock.

The return of Dick Wolf’s empire of NBC dramas is great news for broadcast television. Following the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, the “Law & Order” and “Chicago” shows were among the first to return to production. That these series have already aired new episodes with more to come is a sign that the television world is returning to normal post-strike.

Comments