Time delayed viewing shows how ‘The Good Doctor’ is a hit

NEW YORK (AP) — ABC’s new drama about a surgeon on the autism scale, “The Good Doctor,” is a bona fide hit. With a little time, it becomes clearer just how well it is doing.

The Nielsen company said last week’s episode airing Monday night was the most popular show on ABC.

But a look at newly-released Nielsen data on “The Good Doctor” illustrates how many people make their own TV schedules now. The show’s premiere on Sept. 25 was seen by 11.3 million. That number swelled by 69 percent to 19.2 million when people who watched it on a time-delayed basis when the next seven days were added in.

ABC’s “Designated Survivor” more than doubled its audience with time-delayed viewing taken into account.