This Is Us earns highest post-Super Bowl ratings in 6 years: Why it matters

The Pearsons won the Super Bowl! This Is Us drew the largest post-game crowd in six years, and here’s why that figure is so significant.

Is there anything the Pearsons can’t do? Apart from being the most relatable family on television and uniting the masses through hyper intense and universal ups and downs, the Pearson five went ahead and checked off another incredible achievement. This Is Us earned the highest post-Super Bowl ratings in six years, and that’s a feat to stand up and celebrate.

Now, This Is Us has been all kinds of boundary breaking for network television, and it would seem that scoring impressive ratings after an annual ratings behemoth on a Big Four network wouldn’t be so boundary breaking. Cable shows aren’t handed these monumental timeslots, so why should it matter that the Pearsons broke big with post-Super Bowl ratings?

Well, This Is Us bringing in a 16.2 rating in the overnights marks a 59% percent increase from last year’s airing of 24: Legacy on Fox. What’s more, the increased ratings juxtapose the decreased viewership in the game itself, which drew a 47.4 rating — the smallest number for the Super Bowl in a shocking eight years.

More from This Is Us

Even without factoring in the total number of viewers in millions for both shows, it’s not difficult to note a pair of trends that are responsible for the incline and decline. First, the NFL hasn’t been without its fair share of controversy in the past year, which could account for the lackluster viewership of the biggest game of the year.

However, This Is Us netting an enormous audience (as it does weekly, no big deal) reaffirms the commercial craving for honest and realistic stories. The Pearsons are unbeatable, having just been awarded the Screen Actors Guild Award for their top-notch ensemble, and the series continues to reap the rewards of remaining true to itself and its loyal legion of fans.

Watch your favorite shows on fuboTV: Watch over 67 live sports and entertainment channels with a 7-day FREE trial!

Next: 5 times we cried during This Is Us season 2, episode 14

Superheroes might dominate the big screen, but on the small screen, This Is Us proves that you don’t need all of the bells and whistles to captivate an audience and inspire them to feel all of the feels — and, not to mention, all the fandemonium. Super Bowl ratings are often inflated due to the draw of the big game, but we know without a doubt that the Pearsons were the main incentive of this year’s event. And as the first family drama to lead-out the game in years, we’re calling this one a win for the home team.

What did you think of the Super Bowl episode? Let us know in the comments, and keep the conversation going over on Twitter at @thisisuscrying!

This Is Us airs Tuesdays at 9/8c on NBC.

Home/This Is Us

Why This Is Us earning the highest post-Super Bowl ratings in six years is significant

By Reed Gaudens | Feb 5, 2018

The Pearsons won the Super Bowl! This Is Us drew the largest post-game crowd in six years, and here’s why that figure is so significant.