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It's time for our annual off-topic discussion of who will watch the Super Bowl's lead-out program. FOX has the broadcast rights to Super Bowl XLVIII, and the last time they had an opportunity to air something, they chose to air an episode of Glee in 2011. That ended up being a decent ratings success for FOX, as it captured 26.8 million viewers. Last year, CBS got kind of a raw deal because of how long the Super Bowl lasted; Elementary started at 11:11 PM EST and only garnered 20.8 million viewers, the lowest mark since Alias on ABC in 2003.
This year, FOX is airing a pair of comedies, New Girl and Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Because New Girl airs first, that is the one this post will primarily focus on. The show stars Zooey Deschanel as Jess, who is bubbly in personality and hangs out with several males as they take on random adventures with a humorous plot. The episode that will air is titled, "Prince," and is the 14th episode of the third season. The musical artist Prince will be hosting a party in the episode, and he'll play a major role in the plot. The show has been critically acclaimed, but is only pulling in an average of about 4 million viewers per episode this season.
Comedies have been a mixed bag for Super Bowl ratings in the past. For example, take a look at how these comedies have done since 1996:
- 1996: Friends (NBC, 52.925 million)
- 1998: 3rd Rock from the Sun (NBC, 33.662 million)
- 1999: Family Guy / The Simpsons (FOX, 22.005 million)
- 2002: Malcolm in the Middle (FOX, 21.445 million)
- 2005: The Simpsons / American Dad (FOX, 23.1 million)
- 2009: The Office (NBC, 22.905 million)
- 2011: Glee (FOX, 26.8 million)
Three years ago, only 18% of you said you'd tune in to watch Glee after the Super Bowl. Two years ago, only 12% of you said you'd tune in to watch The Voice. Last year, 63% of you said you'd tune in to watch Elementary. What about this year? Vote in the poll below and let us know in the comments section. Also, feel free to spin this into an off-topic discussion about current television shows you are in to as well!