Nielsen Reveals Top U.S. TV Programs of 2018

According to Nielsen, The Big Bang Theory and the now-canceled Roseanne rank highest among the top 10 regularly scheduled TV programs in the U.S. for 2018, while Better Call Saul and The Sinner received the biggest boosts from time-shifting.

In the list of the top TV programs of 2018 (regularly scheduled), Roseanne ranks first with some 19.96 million viewers, followed by NBC Sunday Night Football with 19.56 million. Coming in at number three is The Big Bang Theory with 18.33 million, and NCIS and This Is Us trail with 16.72 million and 16.59 million viewers, respectively. The rest of the top 10 features Young Sheldon (15.66 million), newcomer Manifest (14.62 million), The Good Doctor (14.51 million), America’s Got Talent (14.27 million) and Bull (13.51 million).

The top Spanish-Language programs of 2018 (regularly scheduled) feature Pequenos Gigantes ranking first with 2.22 million viewers, alongside the weekday broadcasts of El Señor de los Cielos VI and Rico y Lázaro.

In regard to time-shifted programming, Better Call Saul received a 429.2 percent lift in viewers from time-shifting, while The Sinner got a 352.1 percent boost. Shameless saw a 320.5 percent lift, followed by American Horror Story (312.9 percent) and Mayans M.C. (305.3 percent). Ranked by absolute difference in viewers, Roseanne leads with 10.73 million additional viewers from time-shifting, followed by This Is Us (8.65 million), Manifest (8.59 million), The Big Bang Theory (8.4 million) and The Good Doctor (8.17 million).