There is no shame in “Shameless” when it comes to the TV ratings game.
Sunday’s “Shameless” Season 7 finale scored Showtime’s biggest audience of 2016. At 9 p.m., the series landed 1.72 million total viewers, per Nielsen’s Live + Same Day numbers. That’s up 5 percent from the Season 6 finale’s first run.
For another way to look at it, the total viewer tally clocked in 38 percent higher than the Season 7 premiere episode.
“The Affair” at 10 put up 913,000 total viewers — its best performance of the season. Sunday marked the third-straight week of growth for that particular pay-TV drama. With “The Affair” and an encore of the “Shameless” season finale, Showtime ended up with its top overall evening of 2016, too.
Showtime just re-upped “Shameless” star Emmy Rossum after a contract dispute. The actress had held out for the same money as male lead William H. Macy.
“Shameless” has since been renewed for Season 8.
21 Least-Watched Entertainment Cable Channels in 2016, From MTV Classic to Sprout (Photos)
Not every network can be USA or FX. Here are the least-watched basic cable nets of 2016, along with their percentage change compared with prime time viewing the previous year. (Source: Nielsen)
21. Sprout Total viewer average: 169,000 Change: 6 percent
20. MTV2 Total viewer average: 159,000 Change: -6 percent Program pictured: "Wild 'N Out"
19. Discovery Family Channel Total viewer average: 148,000 Change: -7 percent Program pictured: "Blossom"
18. Cooking Channel Total viewer average: 145,000 Change: 16 percent
17: Esquire Network Total viewer average: 140,000 Change: 18 percent Show pictured: "NCIS: Los Angeles"
16. RFD Total viewer average: 136,000 Change: 8 percent Show pictured: "The Joey Canyon Show"
15. FX Movie Channel Total viewer average: 133,000 Change: 15 percent Show pictured: "World War Z"
14. UP TV Total viewer average: 124,000 Change: -8 percent Show pictured: "Gilmore Girls"
13. Discovery en Espanol Total viewer average: 111,000 Change: -3 percent Show pictured: "Harley and the Davidsons"
12. Smithsonian Channel Total viewer average: 107,000 Change: 19 percent Show pictured: "Aerial America: Alabama"
11. Great American Country Total viewer average: 99,000 Change: 38 percent Show pictured: "Farm Kings"
10. Discovery Life Total viewer average: 89,000 Change: 7 percent
9. Ovation Total viewer average: 78,000 Change: 4 percent Show pictured: "Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries"
8. Logo Total viewer average: 73,000 Change: 12 percent Show pictured: "RuPaul's Drag Race"
7. Chiller Total viewer average: 64,000 Change: -28 percent Show pictured: "The Blair Witch Project"
5. Fuse (tie) Total viewer average: 59,000 Change: 13 percent Pictured: Chris Rock of "Everybody Hates Chris"
5. Centric (tie) Total viewer average: 59,000 Change: -13 percent Show pictured: Kevin Hart of "Let Me Explain"
3. Baby (tie) Total viewer average: 50,000 Change: -7 percent
3. Cloo (tie) Total viewer average: 50,000 Change: -25 percent Show pictured: "Burn Notice"
2. Discovery Family Total viewer average: 42,000 Change: -16 percent
Show pictured: "Cake Boss"
1. MTV Classic Total viewer average: 31,000 Change: -35 percent
Here are a few networks that had trouble gathering crowds this past year
Not every network can be USA or FX. Here are the least-watched basic cable nets of 2016, along with their percentage change compared with prime time viewing the previous year. (Source: Nielsen)
