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Network TV Shows With the Richest and Poorest Viewers, From ‘Modern Family’ to ‘Empire’

ABC may not have the ratings, but it attracts the big bucks

Tony Maglio | November 3, 2016 @ 2:18 PM Last Updated: November 4, 2016 @ 12:00 PM
Empire

Fox's 'Empire'

Want to live a comfortable life? Don’t let a “Modern Family” fan be the one that got away.

The ABC sitcom (still) boasts the viewership with the highest median household income across the Big 4 broadcast networks. That’s unchanged since TheWrap last ran this study in 2013, hence our callback (or perhaps copycat) lede.

The median household income for “Modern Family” viewers thus far this season is $85,300. That’s $8,700 better than the No. 2 show, Fox’s “New Girl” ($76,600). Readers can subtract $200 more for third place finisher “Designated Survivor,” which is obviously tops among new series. The next best freshman show in terms of median income is “Speechless,” which clocked in at ninth overall with $70,400.

Also Read: The Richest and Poorest Shows on Network TV - From 'Modern Family' to 'Bob's Burgers'

Rounding out the Top 10, in order, are “Black-ish,” “The Goldbergs,” NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” pre-game show, “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” ABC’s “Saturday Night Football,” and a 10th-place tie between “Fresh Off the Boat” and “This Is Us.” OK, so, Top 11. Check out their fans’ respective median household incomes on the first chart below.

richest network tv shows

Before we get to the bottom 25 series, we have to single out some on the wrong end of this list — sorry, Fox.

“Empire” has the single lowest median household income among viewers, with $46,400. That’s a full $1,700 shy of the second-worst show, NBC’s “Dateline Mystery.” Fox’s “Rosewood” was one slot above that, with an even $50,000. The Nick Cannon-hosted NBC series “Caught on Camera,” CBS’ “48 Hours,” “The Exorcist,” “Lethal Weapon,” “MacGyver,” “America’s Funniest Home Videos” and “Family Guy” rounded out the brokest 10, in ascending order.

Also Read: Kelly Ripa's Guest Co-Hosts Ranked by TV Ratings: From Kimmel to Ciara (Photos)

Let’s end this on a happy note, shall we? Three years ago, “Bob’s Burgers” was our “poorest” show, with a median household income of $48,800. The cartoon’s fans appear to be doing a bit better now, which is nice to see.

In all likelihood, those loyal animation fans are probably just getting older along with the show, and have since picked up a raise or two. Or maybe they all just married “Big Bang Theory” fans — smart.

There’s one other important distinction between our 36-month-ago study and this one. Back then, we used a sample set from the key 18-49 demographic, this time we counted all viewers. Still, this is household income, so there shouldn’t be an overly dramatic difference anyway.

Also Read: 27 Lowest-Rated Broadcast TV Shows of 2015-2016 Season (Photos)

Check out the full rankings below. And if you’re enjoying “The Good Place” each week, print this story out, bring it to your boss, and sternly demand a raise. All rankings below count one-week’s worth of delayed viewership where available.

poorest network tv shows

What Millennials Are Watching: Top 20 Broadcast TV Shows Ranked by Ratings (Photos)

  • Find out what those 18-34 are digging us thus far this TV season. All ratings are from Nielsen's Live + Same Day metric, which include one week's worth of delayed viewing where available.

    Also Read: Kelly Ripa’s Guest Co-Hosts Ranked by TV Ratings: From Kimmel to Ciara (Photos)

    NBC/Fox Sports/Fox
  • Sunday Night Football

    Rank: 1
    Series: "Sunday Night Football"
    Network: NBC
    Millennial TV Rating: 5.1

    Also Read: 9 Reasons Why NFL TV Ratings Might Be Down This Year (Photos)

    NBC Sports
  • empire terrence howard jussie smollett

    Rank: 2
    Series: "Empire"
    Network: Fox
    Millennial TV Rating: 4.6

    Also Read: 7 New Fall TV Shows Already in Ratings Trouble (Photos)

    Fox
  • Thursday Night Football

    Rank: 3
    Series: "Thursday Night Football"
    Network: CBS
    Millennial TV Rating: 3.9

    Also Read: How Donald Trump Made ‘SNL’ Great Again

    CBS
  • Sunday Night Football

    Rank: 4 (tie)
    Series: "SNF" Pre-Kick Show
    Network: NBC
    Millennial TV Rating: 3.8

    Also Read: From ‘Superstore’ to ‘Rosewood': How 12 Sophomore Shows Have Held Up in Ratings

    Comcast/NBCU
  • Fox's The OT

    Rank: 4 (tie)
    Series: "The OT" (Fox NFL postgame show)
    Network: Fox
    Millennial TV Rating: 3.8

    Also Read: New Fall TV Shows Ranked by Premiere Ratings (Photos)

    Fox Sports
  • Rank: 6
    Series: "The Big Bang Theory"
    Network: CBS
    Millennial TV Rating: 2.9

    Also Read: VP Debate Ratings History: No. 1 Will Surprise You (Chart)

    CBS
  • Football Night in America

    Rank: 7 (tie)
    Series: "Football Night in America - Part 3"
    Network: NBC
    Millennial TV Rating: 2.8

    Also Read: 17 Daytime TV Hosts Ranked by Ratings, From Judge Judy to Wendy Williams (Photos)

    NBC Sports
  • This Is Us

    Rank: 7 (tie)
    Series: "This Is Us"
    Network: NBC
    Millennial TV Rating: 2.8

    Also Read: Fall TV Premiere Week Ratings: The Top 20 Shows With Delayed Viewing (Chart)

    NBC
  • Rank: 9
    Series: "Grey's Anatomy"
    Network: ABC
    Millennial TV Rating: 2.7

    Also Read: Trump-Clinton Debate’s 84 Million Total Viewers Breaks Carter-Reagan Ratings Record (Updated)

    ABC
  • Phil Dunphy Modern Family

    Rank: 10
    Series: "Modern Family"
    Network: ABC
    Millennial TV Rating: 2.4

    Also Read: Will ‘Rosewood’ Ratings Survive Move Off ‘Empire’ Night?

    ABC
  • voice adam levine NBC

    Rank: 11 (tie)
    Series: "The Voice" (Monday)
    Network: NBC
    Millennial TV Rating: 2.3

    Also Read: Here’s How Stephen Colbert’s ‘Late Show’ TV Ratings Stack Up After One Year

    NBC
  • The Voice

    Rank: 11 (tie)
    Series: "The Voice" (Tuesday)
    Network: NBC
    Millennial TV Rating: 2.3

    Also Read: ‘Walking Dead’ Season 7 Premiere Scores 17 Million Total Viewers

    NBC
  • Homer Simpson The Simpsons worst dads

    Rank: 13
    Series: "The Simpsons"
    Network: Fox
    Millennial TV Rating: 2.0

    Also Read: ‘Rocky Horror Picture Show’ Has Twitter Doing the ‘Time Warp Again’

    Fox
  • Big Brother

    Rank: 14 (tie)
    Series: "Big Brother" (Wednesday)
    Network: CBS
    Millennial TV Rating: 1.9

    Also Read: Final Presidential Debate Scores 71.5 Million Viewers, Up From Trump-Clinton 2 (Updated)

    CBS
  • Designated Survivor kiefer sutherland donald trump

    Rank: 14 (tie)
    Series: "Designated Survivor"
    Network: ABC
    Millennial TV Rating: 1.9

    Also Read: How MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow Made History Last Week in Ratings Race With Fox News’ Megyn Kelly

    ABC
  • Law & Order Special Victims Unit SVU

    Rank: 16 (tie)
    Series: "Law & Order: SVU"
    Network: NBC
    Millennial TV Rating: 1.8

    Also Read: Skip Bayless Jumpstarts Fox Sports 1 Viewership by 358 Percent in First Month

    NBC
  • family guy

    Rank: 16 (tie)
    Series: "Family Guy"
    Network: Fox
    Millennial TV Rating: 1.8

    Also Read: Fall TV: NBC Holds Off CBS to Win Fifth Straight Premiere Week in Key Demo

    Fox
  • Oregon Ducks

    Rank: 18 (tie)
    Series: "ABC Saturday Night College Football"
    Network: ABC
    Millennial TV Rating: 1.7

    rat

    Also Read: Here’s the Best- and Worst-Rated TV Show on Each Network After 1 Month (Photos)

    ESPN MediaZone
  • Lethal Weapon

    Rank: 18 (tie)
    Series: "Lethal Weapon"
    Network: Fox
    Millennial TV Rating: 1.7

    Also Read: 25 Highest Rated Broadcast TV Shows of 2015-2016 Season (Photos)

    Fox
  • Rank: 20
    Series: "How to Get Away With Murder"
    Network: ABC
    Millennial TV Rating: 1.6

    Also Read: 20 Highest-Rated Broadcast TV Shows of Summer 2016 (Photos)

    ABC
  • Chicago PD

    Sorry, "Chicago PD" -- you and a whole host of other shows tied for 21st (with a 1.5 rating) just missed this list.

    Also Read: 27 Lowest-Rated Broadcast TV Shows of 2015-2016 Season (Photos)

    NBC
1 of 22

TheWrap has ID’d the most popular broadcast series among those advertiser-prized adults aged 18-34

Find out what those 18-34 are digging us thus far this TV season. All ratings are from Nielsen's Live + Same Day metric, which include one week's worth of delayed viewing where available.

Also Read: Kelly Ripa’s Guest Co-Hosts Ranked by TV Ratings: From Kimmel to Ciara (Photos)

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