Fox’s medical dramedy Best Medicine is becoming a case study in how a streaming library window can feed a broadcast ratings recovery. Its Season 2 premiere reached 11 million total viewers across platforms to date, making it the network’s most-watched fall entertainment episode in almost four years.
The milestone clears an episode of 9-1-1 from November 2022, from before that first-responder drama left Fox for ABC. That comparison shows how scarce this kind of fall entertainment turnout has been for the network.
The ratings stack
The Sept. 20 premiere also set a series high for the show’s most-watched episode among adults 18-49. Episode 2, which moved into its regular Tuesday 8 p.m. slot on Sept. 29, became the show’s highest-rated and most-watched episode in that slot so far and Fox’s most-watched drama episode in more than three years, excluding post-NFL programming.
Fox measured non-linear viewing through Oct. 3, so the 11 million count is a to-date figure and could rise as delayed and Hulu viewing accumulates.
- 11 million viewers to date for the Season 2 premiere across platforms
- 1.63 billion Netflix viewing minutes for Season 1 from Aug. 4 to Sept. 27
- 23.8 million total viewers for Season 1 across linear and streaming, including repeats
- 12.9 million average multiplatform viewers for Season 1
Why the Netflix window matters
Season 1’s Netflix run is the clearest explanation for the stronger second-season sampling. The show tied for No. 1 in average audience among acquired titles on Netflix and ranked No. 5 in total minutes watched during the Aug. 4-Sept. 27 window. That is effectively a national sampling campaign that feeds viewers back to Fox and Hulu once new episodes arrive.
For media planners, the split assigns each platform a clear job. Netflix carries Season 1 as library inventory; Hulu rolls out new episodes as they air on linear. The result is a top-of-funnel and lower-funnel structure around a single title.
What to watch next
The show is an American remake of British series Doc Martin, produced by Fox Entertainment Studios and distributed by Fox Entertainment Global. The real test now is retention: whether Episode 3 and the rest of the Tuesday 8 p.m. slot hold the audience that the Netflix window appears to have created.
Source: TheWrap
