One Chicago beaten by The Masked Singer in premiere TV ratings

Chicago Fire, Chicago Med and Chicago PD returned this week, but The Masked Singer beat them all. Check out the latest One Chicago ratings.

While the One Chicago heroes can overcome almost everything, they were beaten this week by an egg and some ice cream.

One Chicago’s season premieres aired Wednesday to strong numbers, but not enough to reclaim the top spot in broadcast TV ratings. That went to FOX‘s singing competition The Masked Singer, which had its two-hour season premiere on Sept. 25.

The Masked Singer was the most-watched broadcast TV show of the night, both in total viewers and amongst the adults 18-49 demographic. 7.90 million people watched it live, with a 2.5 share in the key demo.

Chicago Med then came in second with 7.41 million live viewers, or 490,000 less. It took a harder hit in the demo; its 1.0 share was only good enough to tie it for sixth out of 13 shows.

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Then at 9 p.m. there was Chicago Fire with its jaw-dropping cliffhanger and 7.22 million people tuned in live. It was slightly better in the demographic, bringing in a 1.1 share that put it into a tie for fourth place.

Finishing out the night, the Chicago PD premiere was the lowest-rated of the three One Chicago episodes. It had 6.52 million audience members, good for fourth place overall; it was also tied for the fourth spot in the 18-49 group.

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What do all these numbers mean for One Chicago fans?

It means that the franchise’s dominance that it enjoyed last fall isn’t going to be as much of a sure thing as it was last season. Last season The Masked Singer didn’t even exist, but the show was a smash hit when it premiered this spring and the audience has clearly come back to watch its new episodes.

The good news is that next week, that show goes back to being just one hour long, so Chicago Med is the only show that will have to compete directly with it. While that may hurt Med‘s ratings, it also opens the door for Chicago Fire to pick up more viewers next Wednesday.

A different aspect that’s almost more concerning is that Chicago PD continues to lag behind the other two series. That’s what happened over most of last season, and clearly it’s still an issue. Is it because of the show’s late 10 p.m. time slot, when many people are going to bed? Or is it because viewers just aren’t as interested in that show anymore, after its cast and producer changes?

At least the show held off its direct competition: the second half of the Big Brother finale on CBS (at 4.23 million) and new series Stumptown on ABC (at 4.53). PD is roughly two million live viewers over both those shows, so it’s winning its time slot even if it’s not keeping up with the rest of the franchise.

For the latest Chicago PD season 7 spoilers and news, plus more on the entire series, follow the Chicago PD category at One Chicago Center.