A larger-than-usual audience was exposed to The Simpsons on Sunday. With thanks to an NFL playoff lead-in, Fox achieved an average of 13.9 million viewers for the 8pm half hour which included both the remainder of the NFL post-game and episode ‘The Wife Aquatic’. At 8.30, the remainder of The Simpsons and American Dad averaged 9.76 million viewers.
So while figures for the night are sketchy, 13.9 million is the highest viewer count the show has received since 2005 when ‘Homer & Ned’s Hail Mary Pass’ scored 23.1 million viewers off the back of the Super Bowl. Discounting that phenomenal record, the next highest figures date back to November 2003 when Season 15 premiere ‘Treehouse Of Horror XIV’ scored 16.2 million viewers.
The NFL helped Fox to win its first Sunday night in quite some time. ABC and CBS came in at second and third respectively. The next new episode of The Simpsons is titled “Revenge Is A Dish Best Served 3 Times” and will air on January 28.