As Fox aims for record viewership with Super Bowl LIX, it hopes its popular game show, The Floor, hosted by Rob Lowe, will engage new fans, encouraging viewers to stick around after the Super Bowl.
Initially, Fox planned to air Rescue: Hi-Surf, which debuted in the fall, after the Super Bowl LIX. However, the network pivoted in November and decided to feature The Floor in the post-Super Bowl slot during the 10 p.m. ET hour.
In 2018, I analyzed the post-Super Bowl viewership up to that time, noting that NBC used This is Us to air after Super Bowl LII. No show has surpassed the viewership record set by Friends after Super Bowl XXX, which attracted 52.9 million viewers. However, that was a different era without streaming options, and since then, no show has come close.
Today’s television landscape has evolved, with network and cable viewership significantly declining over the past seven years, resulting in fewer viewers for post-Super Bowl programs. Nevertheless, NFL media partners continue to leverage the Super Bowl as a major lead-in for shows. Here’s a recap of the post-Super Bowl shows since LII in 2018.
Super Bowl LII — This Is Us
NBC aired the emotional juggernaut This Is Us right after the Philadelphia Eagles’ thrilling 41-33 win against the New England Patriots. The network averaged 103.47 million viewers, leading to This Is Us attracting a solid audience of 26.98 million when it premiered at 10:45 p.m. ET. The episode, titled “Super Bowl Sunday,” explored a fire on Super Bowl Sunday 1998 and its impact on the Pearson family, marking it as the show’s most viewed episode and the highest audience for a scripted program since Fox’s House aired after a Super Bowl in 2008.
Super Bowl LIII — The World’s Best
Do you remember The World’s Best? Hosted by James Corden, this talent competition featured three American judges—RuPaul, Faith Hill, and Drew Barrymore—along with a “Wall of the World” made up of international entertainment experts. Premiering right after Super Bowl LIII, it attracted 22.21 million viewers but failed to gain traction for a second season, resulting in only six episodes and zero content on its YouTube channel.
Super Bowl LIV — The Masked Singer
Fox chose to air the season three premiere of its popular celebrity singing competition, The Masked Singer, following Kansas City’s Super Bowl victory. This safe choice resulted in impressive viewership of 27.33 million—the highest for the post-Super Bowl slot since 2012.
Here’s the cold open for the post-Super Bowl episode:
Super Bowl LV — The Equalizer
Following Tom Brady’s last Super Bowl victory in Tampa, CBS aired a new show featuring Queen Latifah, a reboot of the original series. The pilot episode premiered at 10:39 p.m. ET, averaging 20.4 million viewers—quite a feat in today’s ratings landscape.
Super Bowl LVI — 2022 Winter Olympics
In a historic first, a network followed the Super Bowl with a global sporting event. NBC had Mike Tirico host both the Super Bowl and, after presenting the Vince Lombardi Trophy to the Los Angeles Rams, the Winter Olympics. This strategy will be replicated next year for the Milan-Cortina Olympics. The 2022 broadcast averaged 24 million viewers, marking the highest audience for post-Super Bowl programming since the aforementioned The Masked Singer premiere two years prior.
Super Bowl LVII — Next Level Chef
Fox enjoyed a thrilling Super Bowl as Kansas City narrowly defeated Philadelphia by a field goal, drawing a record 115.1 million viewers for the game. Following this success, the network aired the second season premiere of Gordon Ramsay’s cooking competition, Next Level Chef, at 10:37 p.m. ET. However, unlike previous shows, this one did not resonate with viewers, averaging only 15.66 million—making it the most-watched installment of the season.
Super Bowl LVIII — Tracker
CBS’s Super Bowl LVIII garnered an average of 123.4 million viewers, setting an all-time high for American television. This impressive viewership set the stage for Tracker, which focuses on Colter Shaw, a character who searches for or “tracks” missing individuals. However, the game went to overtime, causing the show to start late at 11:14 p.m. ET, resulting in fewer than 20 million viewers, ultimately averaging 18.44 million.
With Fox having aired the Super Bowl two times in the last three years, it aspires for The Floor to break or reach a new ratings ceiling.
