Viewers of primetime television made some of the medium’s oldest shows must-see TV last month.
To determine the 10 most watched primetime TV shows for the week of May 23, 2022, 24/7 Tempo reviewed data on streaming activity from Nielsen, ranking shows by viewers. As an indication of how critics and audiences have viewed these shows, we’ve included audience scores from Rotten Tomatoes, an online movie and TV review aggregator, current as of mid-May, and aggregate scores from IMDb, an online movie and TV database owned by Amazon. Data on networks came from Nielsen and show air dates came from IMDb.
Six of the top 10 most-watched programs were on CBS, with the other four split evenly between ABC and NBC. Four of the top-10 shows have been on the air since 2003. (These are the longest-running prime time TV shows in history.)
Click here to see the most watched prime time TV shows last month
The top-10 show with the longest legs remains “60 Minutes,” the venerable news magazine on CBS, which has been on since 1968, when Lyndon Johnson was president. “Survivor,” television’s oldest reality show (since 2000), landed in the top 10, too. Its format of castaways vying for a $1 million prize by trying to outwit each other has proved to have staying power. The singing contest “American Idol,” which has been on the air for most of the years since 2002, continues to draw an audience as well.
Crime shows such as “NCIS” and “FBI” found favor in May, as did Chicago-themed programs focusing on first responders. (See if these are among the 100 best TV dramas of all time.)
10. Survivor
> Viewers, week of May 23, 2022: 5,704,000
> Network: CBS
> On air since: 2000
> IMDb rating: 7.4/10
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: N/A
This long-running reality series divides island castaways into three tribes who face mental physical challenges as they compete for prizes. The Emmy-award winning show’s hook is “outwit, outplay and outlast” to be crowned the only survivor. The show entered its 42nd season this year.
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9. FBI: International
> Viewers, week of May 23, 2022: 5,962,000
> Network: CBS
> On air since: 2021
> IMDb rating: 6.3/10
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 18%
We associate the FBI with domestic law enforcement, but “FBI: International,” the international division, sends agents all over the world to protect Americans in other countries. The series was co-created by D. Wolf, who’s responsible for such enduring series as the “Law & Order” franchise.
8. Chicago Med
> Viewers, week of May 23, 2022: 6,236,000
> Network: NBC
> On air since: 2015
> IMDb rating: 7.6/10
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 64%
Derek Haas, who co-created “FBI: International” with Wolf created this series about the professional and personal lives of medical workers in America’s third-largest city. Among the stars of the show is S. Epatha Merkerson, whom viewers will remember as a streetsmart police lieutenant on “Law & Order.”
7. 60 Minutes
> Viewers, week of May 23, 2022: 6,279,000
> Network: CBS
> On air since: 1968
> IMDb rating: 7.4/10
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: N/A
The king of television news magazines, with its trademark stopwatch ticking away to open the show, has been ensconced on Sunday nights since 1968 and is one of the longest-running programs of all time. Original hosts Mike Wallace and Harry Reasoner spent a combined 99 years on the program.
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6. American Idol
> Viewers, week of May 23, 2022: 6,491,000
> Network: ABC
> On air since: 2002
> IMDb rating: 4.2/10
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: N/A
“American Idol” took the country by storm with its format of singers vying for a chance at a record contract, and being evaluated by a panel of judges. The show has won nine Emmy Awards, made acerbic judge Simon Cowell one of the most detested people on television, and launched the careers of performers Kelly Clarkson, Jennifer Hudson, Katherine McPhee, and Carrie Underwood, among others.
5. NCIS
> Viewers, week of May 23, 2022: 6,513,000
> Network: CBS
> On air since: 2003
> IMDb rating: 7.8/10
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 83%
The enduring “NCIS” series – it’s been on CBS since 2003 – is an action drama following a fictional team of special agents from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. TV veteran Mark Harmon stars. The NCIS franchise now includes spinoffs “NCIS: Los Angeles,” “NCIS: New Orleans,” and “NCIS: HawaiÊ»i.”
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4. Chicago Fire
> Viewers, week of May 23, 2022: 6,791,000
> Network: NBC
> On air since: 2012
> IMDb rating: 8/10
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 89%
NBC plumbed the EMS genre that focuses on Chicago by adding “Chicago Fire” in 2012, following “Chicago Med.” The show looks at the pressures of the job brought to bear on the firefighting professionals.
3. NBA Playoffs
> Viewers, week of May 23, 2022: 6,805,000
> Network: ABC
> On air since: N/A
> IMDb rating: N/A
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: N/A
The “NBA Playoffs” this year proved to be riveting. The finals pit Western Conference Champion Golden State Warriors, the NBA’s most recent dominant dynasty, against the Easern Conference-winning Boston Celtics, who along with the Los Angeles Lakers, have won the most NBA titles.
2. Young Sheldon
> Viewers, week of May 23, 2022: 7,058,000
> Network: CBS
> On air since: 2017
> IMDb rating: 7.5/10
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 81%
“Young Sheldon,” the successful prequel to “The Big Bang Theory,” delves into the life events that caused super genius Sheldon Lee Cooper to develop his idiosyncratic behavior that has manifested itself in his adult life.
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1. FBI
> Viewers, week of May 23, 2022: 7,145,000
> Network: CBS
> On air since: 2018
> IMDb rating: 6.9/10
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 59%
Not quite a reboot of the series of the same name in the 1970s, “FBI” is another crime series co-created by the prolific D. Wolf (famed for the “Law & Order” franchise). The series features an ensemble cast.
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