2024's Best New Series Is a Crime Drama Watched 13 Billion Minutes
ABC is still the network to beat. The latest Nielsen ratings for the 2024-2025 broadcast season (September to May) have dropped, and ABC isn't just leading — they're dominating.
The network claimed the top five broadcast shows in the key 18-49 demo, plus the highest-rated new comedy and new drama.
Sitting at the top of the pile is High Potential, a crime drama led by Kaitlin Olson, which didn't just outperform every new show — it crushed them. It more than doubled its closest new drama competitor, CBS's Matlock starring Kathy Bates.
Here's the snapshot of the season's winners among adults 18-49 (multiplatform ratings):
- High Potential — 3.85 rating
- Abbott Elementary — 3.25
- The Rookie — 2.49
- Shifting Gears — 2.39
- 9-1-1 — 2.38
ABC packed seven of the top 20 shows this season, followed by CBS with six, Fox with four, and NBC with three.
For new shows, the landscape wasn't even close:
- High Potential (ABC): 3.85 rating
- Matlock (CBS): 1.75
On the comedy side:
- Shifting Gears (ABC): 2.39
- Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage (CBS): 1.79
Returning series? ABC still on top. The Rookie snagged the highest-rated returning drama, beating CBS's Tracker (2.15). And Abbott Elementary stayed ahead of Ghosts as the top returning comedy.
As for sheer viewership, High Potential didn't just win the demo — it pulled in 16.41 million total viewers and dominated streaming. On Hulu and Hulu on Disney+, its numbers more than doubled Tracker, the next closest rival.
And if you want the scale of its success:
- 13 billion minutes watched across linear TV and streaming
- Over 50% audience growth in the Multiplatform+7 ratings across 35 days
No surprise that ABC is heading into the next season with momentum. With High Potential stacking up numbers like that, it's not just the best new drama of 2024 — it's the one everyone else is now chasing.