The Wonder Years is the number one new series debut this season

Network TV ratings haven’t really set the world on fire with the start of the new fall season but it looks like we have one ratings winner so far and that crown belongs to ABC’s reboot of The Wonder Years.

According to Nielsen, per “The Futon Critic“, The Wonder Years ranks as the No. 1 new series debut this season. The premiere episode registered a 0.9 in the 18-49 demo and 4.1 million total viewers. Not only is this the best debut for a new series so far this season, but it also marked the highest-rated series debut on any network since April’s launch of NBC’s Law & Order: Organized Crime.

The ratings for The Wonder Years are impressive for a few reasons. The series premiere retained 100% of The Goldbergs’ audience in the 18-49 demo and that makes it the only new series to do that this season. In total viewers, The Wonder Years retained 93% of The Goldbergs’ 4.4 million viewers, which is the best retention in that figure for a new series as well. Retention is important for networks as they watch closely at viewership based on how many people tune in and out after a particular lead-in airs. The amount of retention held by The Wonder Years shows that, at least for the premiere episode, viewers were very interested in tuning in.

The news becomes more positive for The Wonder Years when three days of viewing across linear and digital platforms are factored in. The series premiere jumped to a 1.55 in the 18-49 demo after three days of delayed viewing. That more than doubles its initial Live+Same Day rating with a +131% jump and with seven days of delayed viewing, the demo score rises to a 1.82 which represents a +172% increase from its live ratings performance. Across linear and streaming platforms, the premiere episode has reached 13 million total viewers.

The new version of The Wonder Years is inspired by the 1988 series of the same name. The series stars Elisha “EJ” Williams as Dean Williams, and it follows his life as he grows up in Montgomery, Alabama, in the late 1960s. Critical response for the series has been strong and it’s one of the best-reviewed new shows of the fall season with a 95% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The series also stars Dule Hill, Saycon Sengbloh, Laura Kariuki, Amari O’Neil, Julian Lerner, Milan Ray, Allen Maldonado, and Don Cheadle, who lends his voice as the narrator for the series as the adult counterpart of Dean.

Have YOU watched The Wonder Years?