“NCIS” and “Blue Bloods” are two beloved pro- law enforcement shows that have each been around for years, with the former premiering in 2003 and the latter debuting in 2010. Unlike many other shows on television, “NCIS” and “Blue Bloods” are shows that the whole family can enjoy together, which is why it’s come as such good news to learn that they’re both still dominating the ratings!
The CBS shows “NCIS” and “Blue Bloods” each made it into the top four in terms of the number of viewers for television programs for the 18-49 demographic in the seven-day ratings for October 3-9, according to The Hollywood Reporter. While the most number of viewers, 16 million, tuned into “Sunday Night Football” (no surprise there), the second highest number of viewers watched that week’s episode of “NCIS,” with 9.95 million tuning in.
“Blue Bloods” narrowly missed coming in third in total viewers, with 9.83 million watching the show, coming up just short of the 9.89 million who watched “Chicago Fire” on NBC. It should also be noted that “Blue Bloods” managed to add the most viewers in the week after it aired, as it 3.43 million more people watched it.
Here are the full stats of that week:
Total Viewers
Show Network Live +7 viewers
(000s) Change from
live + SD % change from
live + SD
Sunday Night Football NBC 16,003 124 1%
NCIS CBS 9,946 3,023 44%
Chicago Fire NBC 9,894 2,541 35%
Blue Bloods CBS 9,827 3,430 54%
FBI CBS 9,353 2,386 34%
Young Sheldon CBS 9,114 2,153 31%
Ghosts CBS 8,980 2,765 44%
Chicago PD NBC 8,961 3,012 51%
The Equalizer CBS 8,938 1,959 28%
Chicago Med NBC 8,772 2,025 30%
‘NCIS’ Still Popular After Departure Of Mark Harmon
“NCIS” has managed to remain popular with viewers even in the wake of Mark Harmon leaving the show last year after nineteen seasons starring on it as Leroy Jethro Gibbs.
“What has always drawn me here is the character I play and to keep it fresh and to keep it challenging,” Harmon told Entertainment Tonight earlier this year of his exit from the show. “Plot-wise, this character has taken the path that it did. I thought it was honest and OK with.”
However, Harmon made sure to let fans know that a return to “NCIS” in the future isn’t out of the question for him.
“I’m not retired,” he said. “The character is living in Alaska as far as I know.”
“As an executive producer and dear friend, Mark continues to be an integral part of the fabric of the show,” he told Entertainment Weekly. “Our north star has always been staying true to our characters, and that truth has always guided the stories we tell and where those characters go. So regarding the future of Gibbs, as long-time fans of the show may have noticed over the years… never count Leroy Jethro Gibbs out.”
Meanwhile, Tom Selleck is showing no signs of slowing down on “Blue Bloods” after starring on the show for twelve years as NYPD Commissioner Frank Reagan. Ahead of the season premiere back in September, Selleck told TV Insider that he’s “game” to make many more seasons of the show in the years to come.
Selleck also opened up about why he feels “Blue Bloods” has remained so popular with audiences over the years.
“If you write an episode for episodic television, an hour episodic television, it’s been hanging around for about four months … And we deal with some real issues, but we’re not trying to mimic the headlines,” the former “Magnum P.I.” star explained to CBS News last month. “And when that comes up, it’s been remarkable the coincidence that the issue just happens to be in the press even though we were thinking of it four months ago.”