Uncompromising in its comedic voice and airing out of one of the biggest Super Bowl blowouts ever, Sunday’s edition of “New Girl” was not positioned to deliver monster ratings.
It did not. The FOX comedy did, however, exceed pessimistic performance expectations.
According to FOX’s Gaude Paez Morose, the post-game “New Girl” drew a solid 11.1 adults 18-49 rating with 25.8 million viewers.
“Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” which followed, posted a 6.7 rating with 14.8 million viewers.
Both numbers, which combine to form an 8.9 rating with 20.3 million viewers, represent series highs for the FOX comedies. They, as with all Super Bowl-related numbers, are also subject to significant revision in the final Nielsen report.
Airing after a far more competitive game (albeit one that lasted far longer due to the infamous blackout), last year’s post-Super Bowl “Elementary” drew a 7.8 rating with 20.8 million viewers for CBS.