2016-12-26

The 20 highest-rated shows of 2016: ‘The Walking Dead’ and ‘The Big Bang Theory’ win the year | Screener

The shows you think had the best year in 2016, at least in terms of ratings? Well, you were right. They did.

Much has been written about “The Walking Dead’s” decline in Season 7, and its dropoff after a huge season premiere was real and significant. But it was still far and away the No. 1 show among adults 18-49 in 2016, and among the Top 5 in total viewers.

Broadcast TV shows dominate both the 18-49 and viewer lists below. Cable and streaming shows are dominant in terms of awards and cultural cachet, but the shows watch the most are overwhelmingly on network TV. (Cable shows fare a little better in the 18-49 rankings, with three of the Top 10 spots; only “The Walking Dead” lands in the Top 20 in viewers.)

“The Big Bang Theory” was the most-watched series of the year at just under 20 million viewers. Other CBS shows (“NCIS,” “Bull” and “NCIS: New Orleans”) make up four of the Top 5.

Here are the 20 highest-rated and most-watched shows (excluding live sports) for the calendar year 2016 — which means parts of two TV seasons for most shows. All the averages below (with a couple of exceptions, noted with asterisks) include live viewing plus seven days of DVR and on-demand playback, and are for original telecasts only.

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