March 2, 2017 ratings: Chicago Med, The Blacklist Redemption ratings rise thanks to The Voice

Chicago Med ratings -

When you look at the latest Chicago Med ratings, there is one thing that you can say about them almost immediately: Lead-ins do still matter!

Last night’s new episode of the NBC series, and the first after the epic three-part crossover on Wednesday, ended up drawing in total a 1.7 rating in the 18-49 demographic. That marks the show’s best performance in a good ten months, and it matches it with the performance of Chicago Fire and Chicago Justice on Wednesday. We like to think this was all about quality, but having The Voice on before it — and having that show post a 2.3 for a special Thursday airing — surely helped.

This rating should help to further show that Chicago Med is close to a lock for a season 3 renewal. While its average rating may be smaller than the other editions of the franchise, it’s got a tougher timeslot and it also faces more challenges with its lead-in. There’s a lot of room for growth here.

Expect to hear something more on the future of this show and others in the franchise before we get around to May.

How The Blacklist: Redemption was impacted by the Chicago Med ratings

Unsurprisingly, it was also positive. The second episode improved by 25% up to a 1.0 rating, which gives the show a little bit more hope for a future. Still, it did lose a big chunk of its own lead-in audience, so we’re certainly concerned for it when it doesn’t have The Voice helping out the night. The show has some merits, but we think it needs a little more zeal and a quicker pace with its main storyline. (Read our episode 2 review here.)

Other odds and ends

For its first episode following the death of star Bill Paxton, Training Day improved to a 0.8.

Over on The CW, Riverdale managed to recover from its recent slump, posting a 0.4. If this is around where the show’s floor is, there is at least a chance for another 13-episode order for the new season. It’s not great, but it’s also not terrible.

What did you watch on Thursday night? Share some of your thoughts in the comments below! (Photo: NBC.)

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