Tuesday, January 26

X-Files ratings remain huge for second episode

Those big X-Files premiere ratings were no fluke (man). 

Monday’s second episode delivered startlingly large numbers too: 9.7 million viewers – and this is the really impressive part – a 3.2 rating among adults 18-49. That’s from airing 8 p.m. last night, so there was no lead-in (unlike Sunday’s debut which had a run-up with the big NFC championship game). In fact, in its new regular time slot X-Files crushed CBS’ Supergirl (1.8 rating) and ABC’s The Bachelor (2.3 rating) and was the highest-rated broadcast program of the night. 

X-Files also helped give a strong launch to Fox’s new supernatural drama Lucifier at 9 p.m. (7.1 million viewers, 2.4 rating). Lucifer ranked as the night’s second-highest rated show (despite getting pretty weak reviews). 

X-Files creator Chris Carter previously expressed confidence that Fox would order more episodes beyond this six-hour revival run if the ratings were strong. Fox likely wants to see how the remaining episodes perform, but this is a terrific start on a network that’s struggled all season to find a breakout fresh title. In fact, The X-Files’ second episode back just performed better than any of Fox’s new series debuts this season (for instance, it’s nearly double the premiere of the heavily buzzed Scream Queens). While Lucifer just tied the premiere of Rosewood, which was paired with Empire. 

And you know what the X-Files performance means, right? Especially given its ability to help launch a new show like Lucifer that had such low expectations? That’s right: More revivals and reboots! Sure everybody scoffs online when yet another revival title is announced but … overnight numbers like this are very hard to come by nowadays, and this performance will send executives diving back into their libraries wondering: What else might work? But before they get too excited, we have two words of caution for them: Minority Report.

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