9-1-1 has made its ABC debut, and it proved to be a good move. According to TVLine, final Nielsen ratings show that the first responder drama had 4.93 million total viewers with a 0.6 demo rating. Not only does this improve Season 6’s average audience, it also was the show’s biggest audience since Season 6, Episode 10. In addition, 9-1-1 also improved in the 8 p.m. timeslot that once belonged to Station 19, with a 26 and 20 percent increase. It was the largest audience on ABC in that time slot in over two years.
Considering 9-1-1 was Fox’s No. 1 scripted series, it’s not so surprising that the drama is continuing to kill it even on a different network. Despite the new night and new network, that doesn’t seem to be stopping fans from tuning in. Not to mention the fact that it was the first part of a three-part cruise ship disaster opening that will continue to keep fans on the edge of their seats. 9-1-1 led the night with demo ratings, proving that the long wait for the 118 was worth it.
The cruise ship disaster didn’t happen until the very end of the episode, as per usual for 9-1-1‘s season openers. While Bobby and Athena were trying to enjoy their long-awaited honeymoon on a cruise, Athena found herself believing that a woman had been murdered. Instead, she had been taken while she and her husband were off on an excursion when the ship was docked. That then led to pirates storming the ship and taking it over. Add on to the fact that a major storm is coming.
Being paired with Grey’s Anatomy and the final season of Station 19, 9-1-1 is clearly a great lead-in for both shows, and it’s definitely an exciting night on ABC. Even though it will still take some time to get used to 9-1-1 on ABC on Thursdays rather than Fox on Mondays, it seems to be doing pretty well. This is only just the beginning, and there is no telling what these upcoming episodes will bring both storyline-wise and ratings.
9-1-1 seems to be settling in just fine at its new home, and to finally have the 118 back, regardless of network, is definitely a great feeling. New episodes of 9-1-1 air on Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC’s spring 2024 schedule and are streaming the next day on Hulu along with the previous six seasons.