
Mr. Telephone Man!! BET’s three-part minsieries, The New Edition Story, about one of the first boybands from the ’80s, dominates the XFINITY On Demand Top 20 list. All three parts rank in our Top 5, with the premiere debuting at the lofty spot of #2, just behind NBC’s juggernaut This Is Us. The New Edition Story also drew record ratings for BET, with parts 1 and 3 of the miniseries becoming the network’s highest-rated and most-watched telecasts in 5 years (since 2012 – The Game). The New Edition Story also reeled in 29 million total viewers during premiere week (including premiere telecasts and encores, across BET and Centric). BET is looking to keep the musical momentum going with their recent pilot order of a series based on the rapper Nas’ life.
It was also a big week for returning favorites as many season premieres found their way onto our list, including ABC’s TGIT favorite Scandal (climbing in at #6), as well as the Season 2 premiere of Syfy’s The Magicians (#11), which also pulled in its highest ratings ever for the telecast.
Don’t Miss: 24 is back, but with a whole new look. 24: Legacy had an explosive premiere after the Super Bowl and then episode 2 aired Monday night. Corey Hawkins ably steps into the shoes left by Kiefer Sutherland and the pace is even more intense. Watch the first two episodes right here.
Catch Up: No crew. No contact. No help! History’s addictive wilderness adventure series Alone concludes its memorable third season this Thursday. Binge on all past episodes right here.
Hot Series: Jude Law stars as The Young Pope, a twisty, dark, and oftentimes hilarious fictitious look at the first American Pope on HBO. Its final two episodes air next week, so catch up right now and see what everyone’s talking about right here.
This Week’s Premieres: Imposters (Bravo – Tuesday), Detroiters (Comedy – Tuesday), Legion (FX – Wednesday), The Walking Dead (AMC – Sunday), The Missing (Starz – Sunday), Girls (HBO – Sunday)
Top 20 New TV Episodes: Jan. 23 – Jan. 29
Rank |
Movement |
Series |
Network |
1 |
0 |
This Is Us (ep 13) |
NBC |
2 |
– |
The New Edition Story (part 1) |
BET |
3 |
– |
The New Edition Story (part 2) |
BET |
4 |
+2 |
Teen Mom 2 (ep 17) |
MTV |
5 |
– |
The New Edition Story (part 3) |
BET |
6 |
– |
Scandal (premiere) |
ABC |
7 |
+3 |
Love & Hip Hop: New York (ep 11) |
VH1 |
8 |
– |
The Bachelor (ep 5) |
ABC |
9 |
+2 |
The Mick (ep 6) |
FOX |
10 |
-8 |
SIX (ep 2) |
History |
11 |
– |
The Magicians (premiere) |
Syfy |
12 |
+3 |
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills (ep 8) |
Bravo |
13 |
+6 |
Bull (ep 12) |
CBS |
14 |
-5 |
Vikings (ep 19) |
History |
15 |
+5 |
Chicago Fire (ep 11) |
NBC |
16 |
-11 |
Star (ep 5) |
FOX |
17 |
– |
Grey’s Anatomy (ep 10) |
ABC |
18 |
+5 |
Timeless (ep 12) |
NBC |
19 |
+8 |
NCIS (ep 13) |
CBS |
20 |
-13 |
The Young Pope (ep 10) |
HBO |
*Pre-Linear episode
Top 20 TV Series: Jan. 23 – Jan. 29
Rank |
Series |
Network |
1 |
This Is Us |
NBC |
2 |
The New Edition Story |
BET |
3 |
Homeland | Showtime |
4 |
Game of Thrones |
HBO |
5 |
Vikings |
History, Streampix |
6 |
The Mick |
FOX |
7 |
The Young Pope | HBO |
8 |
Shameless |
Showtime |
9 |
The Bachelor | ABC |
10 |
The Simpsons |
FXX, FOX |
11 |
Star |
FOX |
12 |
The Affair |
Showtime |
13 |
Teen Mom 2 |
MTV |
14 |
Black Sails | Starz |
15 |
The Big Bang Theory |
CBS |
16 |
Taboo | FX |
17 |
Lethal Weapon |
FOX |
18 |
Victoria on Masterpiece |
PBS |
19 |
Timeless |
NBC |
20 |
SIX |
History |
With more than 3.4 billion hours viewed each year on set top box and 4 billion cross-platform hours viewed, Xfinity On Demand is one of the most viewed platforms for time-shifting on TV. It includes over 100,000 choices, including a growing collection of current season TV shows and hit movies, many now available to own and access anytime.
Ranking for the top 20 TV episodes is based on the total Xfinity On Demand views on the TV within seven days of an in-season show’s original airing. Shows marked with an (*) indicate it premiered on Xfinity On Demand in advance of the live airing. Views of most broadcast and cable programming within the first three days are included in Nielsen L+3 ratings.
Ranking for the top 20 TV series is based on cumulative past or current episode views of any TV series on Xfinity On Demand. This includes programming that is no longer airing as well.