‘Charlie Brown Christmas’ vs. ‘Rudolph’: Here’s Who Won This Year’s Battle of the Classic Christmas Specials — Ratings Watch
Good grief! Christmas specials are in full swing, and the networks dusted off some of their biggest classics last week: ABC’s “A Charlie Brown Christmas” and CBS’ “Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer.” In their inaugural 2017 runs, “Rudolph” (2.1 among adults 18-49) edged out “Charlie Brown” (1.8), giving a ratings edge to the reindeer with a very shiny nose.
“Rudolph,” which premiered in 1964, and “Charlie Brown,” which first bowed in 1965, are considered the key staples in a sea of primetime holiday specials, some of which have come and gone over the years. But both specials were overshadowed this year by a newcomer: “DreamWorks Trolls Holiday,” which averaged a 2.4 rating when it aired on Nov. 24, during the Thanksgiving weekend.
But there are plenty of caveats to all of this, since none of the specials actually faced off in the same time slot. “A Charlie Brown Christmas” performed respectably considering it aired in a tough Thursday 8 p.m. time slot on Thursday, Nov. 30, opposite original episodes of CBS’ “The Big Bang Theory” and “Young Sheldon,” Fox’s “Gotham” and The CW’s “Supernatural,” in addition to NBC’s NFL Thursday Night Football. In comparison, “Rudolph” had it a bit easier on Tuesday, Nov. 28, against comedy repeats on ABC. (It still faced off against NBC’s “The Voice,” The CW’s “The Flash” and Fox’s “Lethal Weapon,” so it wasn’t a fruitcakewalk.)
CBS will air “Rudolph” again on Saturday, Dec. 9, while ABC has another run of “Charlie Brown Christmas” on Thursday, Dec. 21.
The season of specials also meant strong showings for CBS’ “Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show” and NBC’s “Christmas in Rockefeller Center.” For nostalgia buffs, CBS’ “Carol Burnett Show 50th Anniversary” was huge in total viewers, averaging 16.8 million. (It was an older audience, as the special’s adults 18-49 rating, 1.6, means it just missed the top 25.)
Meanwhile, the tenth week of the season (Nov. 26-Dec. 3) saw “Vikings” leap to No. 3 on to Xfinity’s video on demand list.
Here are this week’s rankers:
Adults 18-49 ranker, week ending Dec. 3, 2017:
|
RANK |
SHOW & NETWORK |
LIVE+3 RATING |
WATCHED RATING |
|
1 |
NFL Sunday Night Football: Seahawks vs. Eagles NBC |
6.5 |
6.4 |
|
2 |
The Walking Dead AMC |
4.8 |
3.3 |
|
tie |
NFL Thursday Night Football: Cowboys vs. Redskins NBC/NFL Network |
4.8 |
4.7 |
|
4 |
This Is Us NBC |
4.3 |
2.8 |
|
5 |
The Big Bang Theory CBS |
3.8 |
2.5 |
|
6 |
Big Ten Football Championship: Ohio State vs. Wisconsin Fox |
3.7 |
3.6 |
|
7 |
The Good Doctor ABC |
3.0 |
1.7 |
|
8 |
Young Sheldon CBS |
2.9 |
2.1 |
|
9 |
NFL Monday Night Football: Ravens vs. Texans ESPN |
2.7 |
2.7 |
|
10 |
Modern Family ABC |
2.6 |
1.6 |
|
11 |
Empire Fox |
2.5 |
1.7 |
|
12 |
Survivor CBS |
2.4 |
1.8 |
|
13 |
Law & Order: SVU NBC |
2.2 |
1.5 |
|
tie |
The Voice (Monday) NBC |
2.2 |
1.9 |
|
15 |
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer CBS |
2.1 |
1.9 |
|
tie |
The Voice (Tuesday) NBC |
2.1 |
1.8 |
|
17 |
Chicago PD NBC |
2.0 |
1.3 |
|
tie |
Chicago Med NBC |
2.0 |
1.3 |
|
19 |
The Simpsons Fox |
1.9 |
1.7 |
|
tie |
The Goldbergs ABC |
1.9 |
1.7 |
|
21 |
A Charlie Brown Christmas ABC |
1.8 |
1.6 |
|
tie |
Mom CBS |
1.8 |
1.4 |
|
23 |
The Orville Fox |
1.7 |
0.9 |
|
tie |
Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show CBS |
1.7 |
1.5 |
|
tie |
Christmas in Rockefeller Center NBC |
1.7 |
1.7 |
| Adults 18-49; ratings points. Source: Nielsen Media Research |
Total viewers ranker, week ending Dec. 3, 2017:
|
RANK |
SHOW & NETWORK |
LIVE+3 |
WATCHED |
|
1 |
NFL Sunday Night Football: Seahawks vs. Eagles NBC |
19.79 |
19.70 |
|
2 |
The Big Bang Theory CBS |
17.58 |
13.84 |
|
3 |
Carol Burnett 50th Anniversary Special CBS |
16.76 |
15.37 |
|
4 |
NFL Thursday Night Football: Cowboys vs. Redskins NBC/NFL Network |
15.70 |
15.60 |
|
5 |
This Is Us NBC |
15.22 |
10.94 |
|
6 |
Young Sheldon CBS |
14.97 |
12.11 |
|
7 |
The Good Doctor ABC |
14.36 |
9.25 |
|
8 |
Big Ten Football Championship: Ohio State vs. Wisconsin Fox |
13.00 |
12.93 |
|
9 |
Blue Bloods CBS |
12.78 |
8.87 |
|
10 |
60 Minutes CBS |
11.99 |
11.46 |
|
11 |
The Voice (Tuesday) NBC |
11.63 |
10.60 |
|
12 |
Hawaii Five-0 CBS |
11.20 |
8.59 |
|
13 |
Chicago Med NBC |
10.93 |
7.56 |
| 14 |
The Voice (Monday) NBC |
10.91 |
9.60 |
|
15 |
The Walking Dead AMC |
10.74 |
7.48 |
|
16 |
Chicago PD NBC |
10.26 |
6.95 |
|
17 |
Mom CBS |
10.24 |
8.56 |
|
18 |
Survivor CBS |
10.11 |
8.28 |
|
19 |
Law & Order: SVU NBC |
9.55 |
7.07 |
|
20 |
Christmas in Rockefeller Center NBC |
9.42 |
9.03 |
|
21 |
S.W.A.T. CBS |
9.28 |
6.72 |
|
22 |
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer CBS |
8.98 |
8.07 |
|
23 |
Modern Family ABC |
8.74 |
6.15 |
|
24 |
CMA Country Christmas ABC |
8.50 |
7.95 |
|
25 |
NFL Monday Night Football: Ravens vs. Texans ESPN |
8.36 |
8.32 |
| Total viewers; in millions. Source: Nielsen Media Research |
Here is this week’s Xfinity On Demand ranker:
Top 20 TV Series, Nov. 27- Dec. 3, 2017:
|
RANK |
SHOW |
NETWORK |
|
1 |
This Is Us |
NBC |
|
2 |
The Good Doctor |
ABC |
|
3 |
Vikings |
History |
|
4 |
Shameless |
Showtime |
|
5 |
Game of Thrones |
HBO |
|
6 |
Curb Your Enthusiasm |
HBO |
|
7 |
The Walking Dead |
AMC |
|
8 |
Outlander |
Starz |
|
9 |
The Simpsons |
Fox/FXX |
|
10 |
The Big Bang Theory |
CBS |
|
11 |
Young Sheldon |
CBS |
|
12 |
Empire |
Fox |
|
13 |
Chrisley Knows Best |
USA |
|
14 |
S.W.A.T. |
CBS |
|
15 |
Will & Grace |
NBC |
|
16 |
The Voice |
NBC |
|
17 |
The Girlfriend Experience |
Starz |
|
18 |
Family Guy |
Fox/Adult Swim |
|
19 |
Riverdale |
The CW |
|
20 |
Madam Secretary |
CBS |
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