The last several TV seasons have seen networks take gambles with medical-oriented dramas. After all, Grey’s Anatomy is getting older and now is a prime time for some other network to swoop in and take over the crown when it comes to medical dramas. While you may not remember Monday Mornings or Do No Harm, newcomer Chicago Med has actually managed to make a mark. In its second week on air, the Chicago Fire spinoff has continued to dominate in the ratings.
Alright, so the show does get a little help from The Voice, but numbers from the network this morning indicate that Tuesday’s episode of Chicago Med did a solid 1.8 rating and 7.6 million total viewers overall during the 9 p.m. slot. Obviously, that’s not even counting viewers who will tune in over the next week to catch the second episode. It’s also particularly good news, because it means that Chicago Med held on to a good chunk of the audience who tuned in for the premiere, only shedding about a million total viewers. That’s a small chunk of viewership loss in comparison to some of this fall’s other new shows.
So, it is important to note here that Chicago Med’s numbers aren’t enough to dethrone anything Shonda Rhimes has put on the air at this juncture. Despite the fact that Grey’s Anatomy is a total dinosaur, fans have been invested this season, thanks to the introduction of a new hunky doctor and the young woman who totally botched McDreamy’s hospital care, leading to his death. Because of this, the most recent episode managed a 2.5 rating and 8 million viewers, besting newbie Chicago Med (although they air on different nights). Grey’s Anatomy is on its 12th season, however, and has already lost a good chunk of its original cast. The numbers aren’t going to last forever, and right now should be a great time for a new medical drama to find its niche.
While Chicago Med is sitting pretty at this point, the other big medical premiere this fall is not looking so great, although CBS may have you thinking otherwise. Code Black premiered on the Eye Network this fall, and earned an order for seven more episodes just a few days ago. Sounds great, right? Not so much. The show has aired in the same timeslot Stalker occupied last season and is pulling in a much worse rating than Stalker ever did. This is important to note, because it is doing worse than Stalker, which actually got cancelled at the end of its first-season run. It’s not looking good for Code Black.
However, so far the future is looking bright for Chicago Med. Now, we’ll just have to wait and see if the Dick Wolf-produced show will do well without its Voice lead-in. Tune in for new episodes on Tuesday nights at 9 p.m. ET, only on NBC. In addition, here’s what else is coming up on TV in the coming months.
