“Roseanne.”ABCSeveral of the most popular TV series this year have been established favorites like “The Big Bang Theory,” “The Voice,” and “NCIS.”
But the surprise hit of the year is ABC’s reboot of “Roseanne,” a program that drew many millions of viewers each week along with controversy from its firebrand, Trump-supporting lead, Roseanne Barr. That controversy ultimately led to the show’s cancellation.
The “Roseanne” spin-off, “The Conners,” premiered this week to 10.5 million viewers. That’s a far cry from the “Roseanne” premiere in March, which attracted 18 million viewers, but it’s still a hit for ABC.
To find out which shows were the most popular this year so far, Nielsen estimated the average number of US viewers tuning in to regularly scheduled programming.
ABC’s massive success with “Roseanne,” along with CBS’ high ratings across numerous shows on this list, demonstrates how broadcast networks remain the heavyweights in overall viewership — even in the age of streaming.
Here are the 10 most popular TV shows of 2018 so far, according to Nielsen’s ratings:
