September 24 marked the sixth season kick offs of hit ABC series ‘Black-ish’ and FOX’s former flagship, ‘Empire,’ respectively.
For the latter, which saw its cancellation announced earlier this year (as we reported here), the pressure was on to carry on after the PR nightmare caused by former star Jussie Smollett‘s alleged hate crime hoax. With its negative impact already seen and felt in the latter half of the Lee Daniels-helmed show’s season 5, hopes weren’t exactly high for the series’ season 6 premiere – despite being its last – to rebound to its former glory.
Similarly, ABC’s ‘Black-ish’ – albeit able to boast a scandal-free run (to date) – has seen a steady decline in its viewership since its 2014 debut as well (which pulled in a whopping 11.04 million viewers). Once the ratings leaders for their respective nights, ‘Empire,’ now airing on Tuesday nights, not only had to face off with ‘Black-ish’ but also against the likes of NBC’s juggernaut ‘This Is Us’ and CBS’ ‘FBI.’
Look inside to see who came out on top:
*Trailers may contain spoilers*
Viewership: 3.49 million
For seasons 1-3, ‘Black-ish’ aired on Wednesday nights. Like ‘Empire,’ the show saw a sizable decline in viewership once moved to Tuesday nights.
‘Black-ish’ Season Premieres
Season 1: 11.04 million (2014)
Season 2: 7.30 million (2015)
Season 3: 6.39 million (2016)
Season 4: 4.71 million (2017)
Season 5: 4.10 million (2018)
Season 6: 3.49 million (2019)
*****
Viewership: 3.31 million
‘Empire’ Season Premieres
Season 1: 9.90 million (2015)
Season 2: 16.18 million (2015)
Season 3: 10.87 million (2016)
Season 4: 7.05 million (2017)
Season 5: 6.09 million (2018)
Season 6: 3.31 million (2019)
Season 6, ‘Empire’s last, is its first season to air on Tuesday nights.
*****
Curious to see how ‘Empire’ and ‘Black-ish’ stacked up against the competition? See the full broadcast chart below: