Ratings
With its first season, The Simpsons became the Fox network's first series to rank among the top 30 highest-rated shows of a television season. Due to this success, Fox decided to switch The Simpsons' timeslot in hopes that it would result in higher ratings for the shows that would air after it. The series moved from 8:00 p.m. on Sunday nights to the same time on Thursdays where it competed with The Cosby Show, the number one show at the time. Many of the producers were against the move, as The Simpsons had been in the top 10 while airing on Sunday and they felt the move would destroy its ratings. Ratings wise, new episodes of The Cosby Show beat The Simpsons every time during the second season and The Simpsons eventually fell out of the top 10. At the end of the season Cosby averaged as the fifth highest-rated show on television while The Simpsons was 38th. The show continued in its Thursday timeslot until the sixth season, when it reverted back to its original Sunday slot. It has remained there ever since.
- Key
The ratings for The Simpsons are split into two tables:
- Season 1–11 are ranked by households (in millions) watching the series.
- Season 12–23 are ranked by actual viewers (in millions) watching the series.
The difference between the rank from season 11 to 12 is not a reflection of a huge audience gain, but rather that the show did better in terms of actual viewers in comparison with other shows.
| Season | Years | Households | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1989/90 | 13.4m | 30th |
| 2 | 1990/91 | 12.2m | 38th |
| 3 | 1991/92 | 12.0m | 33rd |
| 4 | 1992/93 | 12.1m | 30th |
| 5 | 1993/94 | 10.5m | 53rd |
| 6 | 1994/95 | 9.0m | 67th |
| 7 | 1995/96 | 8.0m | 75th |
| 8 | 1996/97 | 8.6m | 53rd |
| 9 | 1997/98 | 9.1m | 32nd |
| 10 | 1998/99 | 7.9m | 46th |
| 11 | 1999/2000 | 8.2m | 44th |
| Season | Years | Viewers | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | 2000/01 | 14.7m | 21st |
| 13 | 2001/02 | 12.4m | 30th |
| 14 | 2002/03 | 13.4m | 25th |
| 15 | 2003/04 | 10.6m | 42nd |
| 16 | 2004/05 | 9.6m | 52nd |
| 17 | 2005/06 | 9.1m | 62nd |
| 18 | 2006/07 | 8.6m | 60th |
| 19 | 2007/08 | 8.0m | 87th |
| 20 | 2008/09 | 6.9m | 77th |
| 21 | 2009/10 | 7.2m | 61st |
| 22 | 2010/11 | 7.3m | 65th |
| 23 | 2011/12 | 6.9m | 69th |
- Notes
- Until the 1996/97 television season, ratings were calculated over 30 weeks from September to mid April. Episodes that aired after mid April were not part of the overall average and ranking.
- Season one had approximately 13.4 million viewing households. Season two dropped 9%, resulting in an average of approximately 12.2 million viewing households.
- Season three had an average rating of 13.0 points. For the 1991/92 season, each point represented 921,000 viewing households, resulting in a total average of approximately 12.0 million viewing households.
- Season four had approximately 12.1 million viewing households. Season five dropped 13%, resulting in an average of approximately 10.5 million viewing households.
Read more about this topic: List Of The Simpsons Episodes