Winner: Will & Grace
With expectations higher than Karen's voice, the beloved series returned with big numbers, 10.2 million viewers and 3.0 demo rating, making it NBC's highest rated comedy telecast since The Office's series finale. Expect to see a lot more of the core four (season two {or is it 10?} is already happening).
Winner: The Good Doctor
The diagnosis is more than good for ABC's new medical drama, starring Freddie Highmore, as it is currently the No. 1 drama on TV, averaging 17.4 million viewers (per Nielsen). And the show is ABC's highest-rated new series in 13 years, a feat made even more impressive considering it airs in the 10 p.m. timeslot.
Loser: Kevin Can Wait
After making headlines over the summer when it was announced that the show would be killing off Kevin James' onscreen wife Donna (Erinn Hayes) and Leah Remini would be joining full-time, viewership is down for the CBS sitcom. The premiere, which sort-of-but-didn't-really address Donna's death, saw 10.2 million viewers tune in, but the most recent episode attracted 6.2 million viewers, down from the season one average. Seems like Donna's death really was no laughing matter.
Loser: Me, Myself and I
While not officially canceled, when CBS replaces you with Man With a Plan…it's not a good look.
Winner: Stranger Things 2
Binge-watchers really missed Hawkins and were clearly ready to rejoin the party, as the Netflix series set a Twitter record in its opening weekend, generating more than 3.7 million tweets.
Loser: New Superhero Shows
The Flash on The CW is still going strong, and there's old standby Gotham on Fox, but newcomers to the superhero TV show block like Marvel's Inhumans and The Gifted on Fox had a hard time breaking through the clutter and generating sizable audiences and buzz. Inhuman got torn apart by critics and its Friday timeslot didn't exactly shout confidence on ABC's part. A recent episode had 2.1 million viewers and a 0.5 rating in the coveted 18-49 demographic without DVR viewing factored in. The Gifted did better with critics and in the ratings—a recent episode had 3.4 million viewers and a 1.1 rating before DVR viewership—but still isn't inspiring much chatter.
Winner: Young Sheldon
The Big Bang Theory prequel was the first new show to receive a full-season pick-up, and it's easy to understand why when its premiere brought in 17.2 million viewers and a staggering 3.8 rating in the 18-49 demographic, making it the most-watched comedy premiere on any network since 2011.
Winner: This Is Us
Tuesday nights still belong to the Pearson family, as the beloved drama made a solid return in season two. The premiere saw a series high in both metrics (12.9 million total viewers and a 3.9 demo). So yeah, NBC is crying happy tears.
Loser: TRL
Sometimes it's best to leave the classics in the past. MTV announced it was reviving TRL over the summer, with the revival officially launching on Monday, Oct. 2...and no one really noticed? One episode in October saw a 0.05 demo rating, with only 118,000 viewers tuning in. Quick, someone call Carson Daly, as the show is in major need of those iconic, buzzy moments from the days of old.
Winner: Margaret Atwood
Who knew Margaret Atwood's work would be more relevant than ever in 2017? Hulu's adaptation of The Handmaid's Tale scored big at the 2017 Emmys, and her 1996 novel, Alias Grace, debuts this weekend on Netflix. Both stories couldn't come at a better time, given the current climate, both in politics (with women's rights) and in Hollywood, with Hollywood mega-producers Harvey Weinstein, Brett Ratner and other powerful men being accused of sexual assault.
Loser: Ten Days in the Valley
While we love Kyra Sedgwick, it seems like her new drama didn't connect with viewers, as ABC made the decision to pull it from the schedule for a few weeks before moving it to Saturdays (Eek!) beginning Dec. 16. (The last episode that aired notched a 0.4 demo rating.)
Winner: The Orville
Seth MacFarlane's space comedy earned the first season two pick-up of all the new fall shows, and it's easy to see why, given its strong debut and even stronger DVR-playback numbers (and that was after a move from Sundays to Thursdays). Critics might not have liked it, but viewers sure seem to.
Loser: The Walking Dead
The season eight premiere attracted 11.4 million viewers and 5.0 demo rating. While still big, those numbers are down 33 and 40 percent from last season's premiere. (And it's the lowest rated premiere since season three.) Are zombies finally over?
Winner: Riverdale
Maple lattes for everyone! The CW hit saw its highest numbers ever in the season two opener (though it's dropped since). The show doubled its season one average, attracting 2.33 million viewers. Plus, the network has ordered a spinoff, centering on Sabrina the Teenage Witch, called The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. Witchin'.
Losers: The CW's Dramas
Like last season, the network is having trouble launching dramas in the fall. The most recent episodes of Dynasty and Valor attracted less than a million viewers each, and both landed 0.2 demo ratings. Maybe we should expect to see Alexis Carrington appear on Dynasty even sooner than anticipated?
Winner: The Real Housewives of Dallas
If you told us a year ago that we'd be 100x more invested in Dallas than OC, we would've threatened to do things to you with our hands behind a closed door. If you don't understand that reference, well then you are missing out on the beauty that is LeAnne Locken, a woman so in love with being on TV she contracted a flesh-eating bacteria after going on a Housewives trips mere days post-breast augmentation.
Loser: The Real Housewives of Orange County
Let's be honest, this season has been a snooze-fest. We can't believe we are saying that but we think it may be time for a major cast overhaul, proving there might just be a shelf-life on Housewives. Sorry not sorry, Vicki Gunvalson (the OG of the OC), and Tamra Judge. To quote one Mr. Andy Cohen, TOUCH IT UP, LADIES.