Can Roseanne sustain its massive ratings?

Decider

The strong buzz and the big headlines may actually reverse a trend of revivals of hit shows returning to big ratings, only to see their numbers drop, says Josh Sorokach. "The polarizing series proved that nostalgia and controversy are a potent combination, but recent history suggests that the ratings may have reached their apex," he says. "Last year Will & Grace made its return to NBC after an 11-year absence. The year before, X-Files revival premiered on Fox. Both series had strong openings but saw a significant drop in ratings from Episode 1 to Episode 2. X-Files went from about 16 million viewers to a little over 9.5 million, while Will & Grace saw a decrease of about 3 million viewers (10 million to 7 million). If we’re basing our projections solely on the numbers, we should except Roseanne’s massive ratings to take a dip. But this could be the one TV series that evolves into a ratings outlier."

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