TV Ratings Wednesday: ‘9-1-1,’ ‘Goldbergs,’ ‘SEAL Team’ and more rise

Two observations from last night. The third number for a new show is telling, and "9-1-1" jumped up three tenths in 18-49s after an acceptable falloff for episode 2. This show is a hit by today's standards. Second, "The Goldbergs" outdelivered "Modern Family" in total viewers. I assume that's the first time that happened. Keep an eye on "The Goldbergs."
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Here's more from the Masked Mailbox. BM wants to know, "Have any insight into 'The X-Files' and why it's tanking after big return in 2016?"
Back in 2016, the return of "The X-Files" was the top priority for FOX. It was heavily promoted and was placed behind the NFC Championship game, where it delivered a pretty solid rating. When moved over to Monday it started out well but then drifted off, and the consensus was that the episodes were sort of erratic.
I was never a big fan, but since I had recently retired from FOX, I decided to watch all the episodes. With one exception, I was underwhelmed.
With this second return, "The X-Files" was not the top priority for FOX, as they were trying to launch a singing competition in "The Four," the new Ryan Murphy show "9-1-1" and "LA to Vegas." FOX has also been pushing "The Resident," giving the medical drama the choice post-NFC Championship slot. "The X-Files" needed to rely on its pre-sold status to relaunch a second time.
Finally, whether intentional or not, the promotion for the return sort of implied that the last set of episodes may have been a disappointment to the fans, emphasizing that the show was "returning to its roots." Not a smart move, in my opinion.
I'm sure there's lots of delayed viewing for the show, and given all the other priorities for FBC, they are fine with the diminished ratings.
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SH had suggested a newsmagazine for ABC in the past and writes:
"Last night ABC won the Thursday 10 p.m. slot with 'Truth and Lies,' the Tonya Harding news special. Does what happened last night suggest that ABC should put a newsmagazine in the time slot? I know that they Tonya Harding interview is tied to the movie, but ABC is doing so poorly on Thursday nights at 10, so why not?"
When newsmagazines were red hot in the early '90s, they were driven by the sleazy tabloid stories that dominated the news: serial killer interviews, Amy Fisher, Michael Jackson. It was also the beginning of the clip-show craze, where whole segments could be built around a clip.
The Tonya Harding story is hot with the release of the movie "I, Tonya," but you can’t do that every week. Would a newsmagazine do better than most scripted shows ABC could put in that timeslot? On average, sure, but there are other variables at play, like what ABC can charge for a spot in news vs. scripted, as well as giving up the opportunity to build another scripted asset, which has far more of an afterlife than a newsmag.
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Questions get answered if you email me at masked.scheduler@gmail.com or tweet me @maskedscheduler.