premiere week ratings 2014

Fall TV Ratings Report: Madam Secretary Gets Sampled by Big Audience

Photo: Craig Blankenhorn/CBS

At least 14 million viewers checked out the premiere of CBS’s new Téa Leoni drama Madam Secretary, according to early Nielsen estimates. Some of Sunday’s big Denver-Seattle game spilled into primetime on the East Coast, which means final numbers will change when they’re released tomorrow. However, two industry insiders reached by Vulture suggested it’s possible Madam could actually go up when all is said and done. Whatever the final figure, Madam was certainly sampled by a big audience, which is exactly what CBS was hoping by scheduling its debut the same day as the Denver-Seattle rematch and 24 hours before tonight’s official start of the season. Now the Eye just needs those viewers to return next week, when Madam will face off against the Frozen-themed season premiere of ABC’s Sunday hit Once Upon a Time.

Fall TV Ratings: Madam Secretary Gets Sampled