The Super Bowl was watched by 111.3 million viewers, making it the fourth most-watched game in TV history. Any TV show that follows the Super Bowl is expected to receive a significant rating boost. However, according to reports, the New England Patriots versus the Atlanta Falcons game did little to help out 24: Legacy as much as Fox would have probably liked.
The debut of the 24 reboot without Jack Bauer was watched by 17.6 million people and earned a 6.1 rating among the key demographic, according to Fox. On face value, those are excellent ratings. But, looking back at other shows following the Super Bowl, it is the least-watched post-Super Bowl episode in 14 years, when ABC aired a season 2 episode of Alias. However, it is important to point out that episode was hurt by a post-game Bon Jovi concert televised by ABC.
That said, 24: Legacy was able to get an estimated 200,000 viewers to avoid becoming the least watched post-Super Bowl episode since 1975 when NBC aired NBC Nightly News.
Since the game went into overtime, 24: Legacy did not start until 11 p.m., and many people would have probably missed the game to get ready for school and work. Also, the numbers make 24: Legacy the highest-rated scripted TV series of the franchise and Fox is hoping that a fraction of that audience will stick around to watch the next episode.
In case you haven’t heard, the reboot of the iconic action series has cast Straight Outta Compton breakout Corey Hawkins in the leading role. Taking over for former series star Kiefer Sutherland, Hawkins will play an entirely new character named Eric Carter in 24: Legacy. “Strong and smart, Eric came from a very rough background and turned his life around in the Army Rangers,” reads the official description. “Now back home in Virginia with his wife Nicole, he’s pulled back into action as his past comes looking for him.”
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