The Office Nielsen Ratings, Season 6

All ratings data from TV by the Numbers.

Sept. 17, 2009: ‘Gossip’

Overnight ratings: 8.1 million viewers, 4.0/11 rating/share 18-49.
Placement: 1st place, leading Fringe, CSI, Grey’s Anatomy, and Supernatural in rating/share 18-49.

Sept. 25, 2009: ‘The Meeting’

d Overnight ratings: 7.33 million viewers, 3.8/10 rating/share 18-49.
Placement: 3rd place, behind season premieres of Grey’s Anatomy and CSI in rating/share 18-49.

Oct. 1, 2009: ‘The Promotion’

d Overnight ratings: 7.28 million viewers, 3.7/10 rating/share 18-49.
Placement: 3rd place, behind Grey’s Anatomy and CSI in rating/share 18-49.

Oct. 8, 2009: ‘Niagara’

u Overnight ratings: 9.10 million viewers, 4.5/12 rating/share 18-49.
Placement: 2nd place, behind Grey’s Anatomy in rating/share 18-49.

Oct. 15, 2009: ‘Mafia’

d Overnight ratings: 8.08 million viewers, 4.0/10 rating/share 18-49.
Placement: 2nd place, behind Grey’s Anatomy in rating/share 18-49.

Oct. 22, 2009: ‘The Lover’

u Overnight ratings: 8.52 million viewers, 4.2/11 rating/share 18-49.
Placement: 2nd place, behind Grey’s Anatomy in rating/share 18-49.

Oct. 29, 2009: ‘Koi Pond’

d Overnight ratings: 8.14 million viewers, 4.2/10 rating/share 18-49.
Placement: 3rd place, behind the World Series Game 2 and Grey’s Anatomy in rating/share 18-49.

Nov. 5, 2009: ‘Double Date’

d Overnight ratings: 7.94 million viewers, 3.9/10 rating/share 18-49.
Placement: 2nd place, behind Grey’s Anatomy in rating/share 18-49.

Nov. 12, 2009: ‘Murder’

u Overnight ratings: 8.05 million viewers, 4.2/10 rating/share 18-49.
Placement: 2nd place, behind Grey’s Anatomy in rating/share 18-49.

Nov. 19, 2009: ‘Shareholder Meeting’

d Overnight ratings: 7.43 million viewers, 3.7/9 rating/share 18-49.
Placement: 2nd place, behind Grey’s Anatomy in rating/share 18-49.

Dec. 3, 2009: ‘Scott’s Tots’

u Overnight ratings: 8.05 million viewers, 4.1/11 rating/share 18-49.
Placement: 1st place, leading Private Practice and Fringe in rating/share 18-49.

Dec. 10, 2009: ‘Secret Santa’

u Overnight ratings: 9.24 million viewers, 4.4/12 rating/share 18-49.
Placement: 1st place, leading CSI and Fringe in rating/share 18-49.

Jan. 21, 2010: ‘The Banker’

d Overnight ratings: 7.29 million viewers, 3.7/9 rating/share 18-49.
Placement: 2nd place, behind Grey’s Anatomy in rating/share 18-49.

Feb. 4, 2010: ‘Sabre’

u Overnight ratings: 7.36 million viewers, 3.8/10 rating/share 18-49.
Placement: 2nd place, behind Grey’s Anatomy in rating/share 18-49.

Feb. 11, 2010: ‘The Manager and the Salesman’

u Overnight ratings: 7.40 million viewers, 3.7/10 rating/share 18-49.
Placement: 3rd place, behind CBS Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains and Grey’s Anatomy in rating/share 18-49.

Mar. 4, 2010: ‘The Delivery’

Part 1:
u Overnight ratings: 8.71 million viewers, 4.5/12 rating/share 18-49.
Placement: 1st place, leading Grey’s Anatomy and CSI in rating/share 18-49.

Part 2:
u Overnight ratings: 9.35 million viewers, 4.9/13 rating/share 18-49.
Placement: 1st place, leading Grey’s Anatomy and CSI in rating/share 18-49.

Mar. 11, 2010: ‘St. Patrick’s Day’

d Overnight ratings: 7.50 million viewers, 3.8/11 rating/share 18-49.
Placement: 2nd place, behind Grey’s Anatomy in rating/share 18-49.

Mar. 18, 2010: ‘New Leads’

u Overnight ratings: 7.63 million viewers, 3.6/10 rating/share 18-49.
Placement: 2nd place, behind NCAA Basketball March Madness in rating/share 18-49.

Mar. 25, 2010: ‘Happy Hour’

d Overnight ratings: 7.16 million viewers, 3.5/10 rating/share 18-49.
Placement: 3rd place, behind NCAA Basketball March Madness and Grey’s Anatomy in rating/share 18-49.

Apr. 22, 2010: ‘Secretary’s Day’

d Overnight ratings: 6.41 million viewers, 3.3/9 rating/share 18-49.
Placement: 1st place, leading CSI and Private Practice in rating/share 18-49.

Apr. 29, 2010: ‘Body Language’

u Overnight ratings: 7.09 million viewers, 3.6/11 rating/share 18-49.
Placement: 2nd place, behind Grey’s Anatomy in rating/share 18-49.

May 6, 2010: ‘The Cover-Up’

d Overnight ratings: 6.85 million viewers, 3.5/10 rating/share 18-49.
Placement: 2nd place, behind Grey’s Anatomy in rating/share 18-49.

May 13, 2010: ‘The Chump’

d Overnight ratings: 6.575 million viewers, 3.4/10 rating/share 18-49.
Placement: 2nd place, behind Grey’s Anatomy in rating/share 18-49.

May 20, 2010: ‘Whistleblower’

u Overnight ratings: 6.60 million viewers, 3.4/10 rating/share 18-49.
Placement: 2nd place, behind Grey’s Anatomy in rating/share 18-49.

Key

u More viewers than previous episode
d Less viewers than previous episode

You can find Nielsen ratings of other seasons here.

58 comments

  1. I’m pretty happy with this result, considering that the Fringe premiere was on last night. I watched and dvr’d Office and dvr’d Fringe to watch later.

    Keep in mind, Company Picnic had less than 7 mil viewers, and the competition is tougher now. I just hope it doesn’t fall off too much next week. It’s a killer time slot.

  2. And that was the best Parks & Recreation yet….it’s on its last legs. Sad. I love Rashida & Amy!

  3. Oh no, poor P&R! And it was the best episode of that series yet! It was really really funny! Hope it can pull through in the ratings and keep up the comedy. LOVE that cast.

  4. I think The Office had the highest 18-49 rating of the night! Congrats and I hope it keeps up.

  5. I’m actually surprised that The Office beat out Fringe. I was sure they’d take the top spot but to be fair, maybe the time change affected them somehow.

    Man, I forgot that P&R premiered last night because all my attention was given to The Office. Guess I’ll have to watch it online now. Shame it didn’t bring in the numbers, even though you guys said it was the best episode yet.

  6. Well done. I remember the days when we were fretting being up against the likes of Grey’s Anatomy and CSI.

    Hands in, everybody. 1-2-3, what’re we gonna do?!

  7. I love, love Parks and Recreation! NBC promos are horrid and they need to include that show as well.

  8. It’s weird, because I always thought more people watched the show. I mean, almost everyone I know watches it so I just assume like half the world does too. But those are great numbers and I’m thrilled it beat out Fringe :)

  9. I think I saw this is 20% lower than last season’s premier. However, it wasn’t largely advertised that the show was returning unless you watch NBC (and not many people do). Because of this I see the ratings staying about the same if not going up slightly once people find out, and not having that large drop off after many premiers. The Office is also one of the most DVR/online-viewed shows out there. The amount of people who actually watch it, therefore, is much much higher. So, The Office isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

  10. Wow, Grey’s and CSI had monster numbers, so I’m actually pretty happy with what The Office pulled in on 9/24.

    Here’s hoping we dominate the competition on 10/8!

  11. Luckily for The Office they’re pretty safe regardless of ratings at this point. Look for next week’s to spike though due to the wedding.

  12. I bet next week is huge for ratings…at least I hope. I wish that every tv had a Nielsen box so that we’d really see what people were watching instead of basing it on a small sample.

  13. Completely agree, Jonathan. Nielsen ratings are far too small of a sample size and are completely outdated in the age of On Demand, DVR, and internet viewing. Yes, us diehards will be there for the broadcast because we got it like that but I know plenty of fans of the show who are content to view it later.

  14. Bummed Grey’s still leads (who watches that show??!?!), but it’s awesome this was a season-high for The Office!

  15. I think Grey’s is in the lead because a lot of people record The Office and watch Grey’s live. So they can re-watch The Office over and over, like I do. They should keep track of how many people rewatch the shows on Tivo and DVRs. The Office would win hands down.

  16. Fear, they DO measure how many people DVR shows. And the Office DOES win. (At least it won for premier week.) The Office does great on DVRs and is always first for the week on Hulu.

    But sadly those just don’t matter as much to advertisers as live viewing. Sure Office is safe on the air. (NBC has nothing else and they make a ton of money on DVD sales.) But I still wish the ratings were higher. The cast and crew deserve it. Watch it live people! (And then rewatch it on DVR.)

  17. I can honestly say I don’t know anyone watching Grey’s. I’m curious to know if it’s a geography thing or what.

  18. For anyone wondering who watches Grey’s…I do. Most people do tape the office and watch grey’s but i do the opposite! :) i am always sure to watch the office live and i tivo it and watch it throughout the week then watch grey’s anatomy over the weekend.

  19. The Office also had to compete with baseball playoffs last night. As the playoffs go deeper into this month, the competition is only going to get tougher. Hopefully the DVR numbers for Niagara are high. Even though I watched it live as well as DVR’ed, I did switch to TBS channel during commercials to check on the Angels-Red Sox game.

  20. @ #22 I know lots of people in Canada who watch Grey’s, but I love both the office and grey’s

  21. While Grey’s Anatomy is usually ranked number one during that time slot, I hope people are taking into account the different mediums on which the show is watched, including TIVO/DVRs and internet. I think The Office is usually one of the most popular shows each week on Hulu.

  22. AW! The Office should beat Grey’s Anatomy! Bah, 2nd it’s good anyways! Fringe should be higher also.

  23. 8 Million viewers…not too shabby. I privately wondered if The Office could keep their Niagara ratings bump going with the next episode. It looks like they did a good job. Next week will tell the real story, however.

  24. Pretty impressive numbers. Good retention after last week’s special..as someone else said the real story will be next week, although, I can’t see it being really bad. This show is as hot as ever, a hard thing to do after 6 years.

  25. Awesome, good bump in the rating. And the viewers tuned in to one of the best episodes of the last two years. That’s a positive sign.

  26. Actually, the numbers for this past Thursday’s episode are pretty great considering it was up against the World Series.

  27. Aww… I just looked over at the episodes coming up. No Office on November 26th :( It’s not Thanksgiving in Canada, lol

    Anyway, I liked last night’s episode but it wasn’t my favourite of the season.

  28. FYI, the updated ratings for the most recent episode have it as 8.046 Million and a 4.2 18-49 share…a small increase over last week’s!

    Link

  29. Considering the monsters that The Office is up against at 9 pm (Grey’s, CSI), it’s amazing we get the numbers we do. I really think that a huge number of fans never watch it on TV at all, but prefer to tune in to the show in a different medium.

  30. I can’t believe Grey’s still beats the Office. I’ll bet when you take into consideration DVR, the Office does better. The Office is still fresh for a lot of people; I’ve never even seen Grey’s but it’s hard to imagine that it brings in new viewers, just the die-hards.

  31. It figures, the one episode I’m not loving all that much, is number one in the ratings. Yay Office!

  32. This season needs MORE Angela. Please, writers, if you’re reading this, write more Angela. She had more lines in the last episode, that’s why the ratings were higher (just kidding). Loved this season so far.

  33. Nice! Great ratings, great Christmas episode! Glad so many people were watching!

  34. The ratings will now be higher because they now use a different system to determine ratings. They finally include online viewings and DVR recordings.

  35. Ratings were higher for the Xmas episode because there was no Grey’s Anatomy. Good to see a higher rating but don’t think it is going to be that way once Grey’s comes back.

  36. Considering The Office went against a MONSTER turnout for the Survivor Heroes vs Villains premiere, this is a good number.

  37. Good Numbers. Getting closer to competition…

    However, I think that promotion on NBC is lackluster many times. I think “The Office” and “30 Rock” get good (not great) promotion, but “Community” and “Parks and Recreation” hardly get any.

    Hope to see the numbers rise when “The Delivery” airs.

  38. Wow! Awesome Numbers which were better than “Niagara.” And it was on NBC.

    Well this show isn’t going anywhere for a long time.

  39. Woo-hoo! FINALLY beat Grey’s in 18-49! Way to go, Office!

    Isn’t it weird that Delivery Part 2 had more overall viewers than Part 1?

  40. @ 47. jkfan9989 — I agree. That is weird. A LOT more people tuned in later. I guess people got bored with Grey’s half way through. haha

  41. The Office is starting to beat “Grey’s” (It got the same demo, but less viewers) and that show has really fallen.

    End on a high, though for season seven!

  42. The ratings have been really solid for The Office this year. Far and away NBC’s highest rated scripted show in the demos. Great to see!

  43. 30 rock got more viewers because march madness ended on the west coast. The office was great but i didn’t watch it until later on the internet because march madness was on. Nothing can compete with march madness!

  44. Wonder what was going on. ‘Community’ and ’30 Rock’ had series lows! At least ‘The Office’ won its slot…

  45. I think the NFL draft might have affected the ratings. It was a struggle at my house; normally, we watch and DVR The Office, and DVR Fringe. With only two tuners, the draft was a problem, since my husband absolutely will not miss it!

  46. I agree, I wouldn’t read too much into the numbers this week. The combination of the NFL draft and NBA playoffs had a big affect on the numbers this week. Next week will probably be back to normal.

  47. The average numbers for “The Office” (as well as some other NBC comedies) continue to drop. “The Office” should be fine for the year or two it apparently has left, however. But hopefully the writers are taking note that whatever they’re doing isn’t exactly working for a lot of people. Your average viewers just don’t drop 2 million for no reason.

  48. Overall viewers basically has no bearing for renew/cancel decisions. The only thing that matters is 18-49 rating, because that’s all the advertisers care about, and The Office is by far the highest rated 18-49 scripted show that NBC has.

    Broadcast TV viewership is down basically across the board, and actually The Office has retained most of its 18-49 rating from last season. I believe it was a 4.2 average last season for new airings and a 4.1 for this season as of a couple weeks ago.

    Also, if you look at the past ratings of the show, the spring ratings are always lower than the fall ratings. Less people watch TV in the warmer months, and during sweeps you have NBA and NHL playoffs that attract the 18-34M audience that The Office gets a relatively high draw with.

  49. The writers aren’t going to change anything. The ratings are fine, and writing staffs don’t write based on ratings anyway.

    TV is changing every year. You aren’t going to see Seinfeld like ratings anymore, with more channels to watch, DVR, the internet, etc.

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