2015 in Television: Highest Rated Shows

Things we learned from this year’s television ratings: America loves Taraji P. Henson and Kaley Cuoco.

And drama. Lots of drama and singing competitions.

It’s been a great year for television. Whether you’re a fan of drama or comedy, there are great new shows out there fromMy Crazy Ex-Girlfriend to Blindspot. Then there are the classics like The Big Bang Theory and NCIS that have become family favorites.

We’ve rounded up the list of highest-rated television shows of 2015, according to The Nielson Company. Is your favorite show below?

10. Madam Secretary

People by the millions have tuned in to watch Madam Secretary, starring Tea Leoni. The political drama first took the air in 2014.

9. Blue Bloods

On the air since 2010, Blue Bloods enlists the talents of Donnie Wahlberg, Tom Selleckand Bridget Moynahan to tell the story of a family of cops. Now in its sixth season, the show has been nominated for one Emmy.

8. The Voice (Fall – Tues. Nights)

The Voice dominates social media. And with stars like Adam Levine, Blake Shelton,Pharrell Williams and Gwen Stefani as vocal coaches (and who also happen to be dominating news outlets for their personal lives) it’s no wonder this singing competition has become the most-viewed of its kind.

7. Dancing With the Stars

If there’s one thing America likes almost as much as singing competition shows, it’s dancing competition shows. And when you put celebrities in fancy outfits and make them dance, people turn on their TVs. Dancing With the Stars has been on since 2005, and clearly it’s not going anywhere.

6. The Voice (Fall – Mon. Nights)

A show so nice, it made the list twice. That’s right– the Monday night showing of The Voice has slightly more views than the Tuesday night show, but it’s still a whole lot of views.

5. Empire

It’s really a no-brainer that Empire appears on this list. The insanely popular series led by Taraji P. Henson and Terrence Howard debuted in January, and social media has been buzzing about it ever since. And with guest appearances by Cuba Gooding Jr., Mary J. Blige, Alicia Keys and more, you should probably start watching.

4. NCIS: New Orleans

This isn’t the last time you’ll see an NCIS show on this list. NCIS: New Orleans has become one of the most popular shows on air since its debut last year. The police procedural, led by Scott Bakula, was even nominated for a People’s Choice Award for favorite new TV drama.

3. 60 Minutes

America loves some good old fashioned investigative reporting. And if that ticking clock in the intro gets your heart a-pumpin’, you’ll understand why 60 Minutes is the third most-watched show in the country. On air since 1968, the show even interviewed the man responsible for the Oklahoma City Bombing– Timothy McVeigh.

2. The Big Bang Theory

Kaley Cuoco, Jim Parsons, Johnny Galecki all have The Big Bang Theory to thank for propelling their careers into super-stardom. The sitcom about a group of nerdy scientists is the second most-watched show in the US and also has an Emmy under its belt.

1. NCIS

Now in its 13th season, it’s clear that America loves CBS’s NCIS. Mark Harmon and his team of special agents solve crimes related to the Navy and Marine Corps, and what it produces is TV gold. Hovering around 16 million viewers each week is what makes NCIS top the highest-rated show on this list.celebuzz