In an arena in which an estimated 110 million viewers—and close to 170 million globally—will tune in to see the New England Patriots face the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, one of the key programming strategies of any network carrying the Super Bowl is slating the right program to take advantage of that huge Super Bowl lead-in. This year, Fox has chosen 24: Legacy, the next entry in the 24 franchise (and the first without Kiefer Sutherland) to hopefully benefit from initial sampling.

Some years, most notably in 1996 when a record 52.92 million viewers gathered for a one-hour installment of NBC’s Friends, the incentive is to give a boost to a series that already exists. That plan certainly worked for reality/competition staples Survivor on CBS (in 2001 with The Australian Outback) and The Voice on NBC (in 2012), and it was used for CBS talker The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in 2016, among many others.

Friends is the poster child of the enormity of the Super Bowl lead-in, and every show—new and established—that airs in that coveted spot will get sampled to some degree. But not every newbie is guaranteed a long shelf-life after the Super Bowl preview. Many such series, in fact, have barely made it past the initial sampling.

In honor of upcoming Super Bowl LI, and the preview of 24: Legacy, what follows is a ranking of the five most successful and the five least successful new primetime series launched out of the Super Bowl. While the preview tune-in is certainly one of the deciding factors in the rankings, how the series fared outside of the enormous lift from football is the primary benchmark used.

THE BEST

1. Undercover Boss (CBS)

Feb 7, 2010 (out of Super Bowl XLIV) - 38.65 million viewers

In this preview featuring Larry O’Donnell, president and chief operating officer of Waste Management, Inc., good intentions equaled mammoth sampling, with Undercover Boss the sixth most-watched series ever to air out of The Super Bowl (behind aforementioned Friends and Survivor: The Australian Outback, The Big Event on NBC in 1977, 60 Minutes on CBS in 1980, and The Last Precinct on NBC in 1986). While no longer a regularly scheduled occupant on CBS’ primetime line-up, Undercover Boss, now in season eight, is a designated Eye net benchwarmer and the perfect inspirational vehicle to keep a time period temporarily occupied.

2. The Wonder Years (ABC)

Jan. 31, 1988 (out of Super Bowl XXII) – 28.98 million viewers

Set initially in 1968, this nostalgic slice of life, seen through the eyes of Fred Savage as 12-year old Kevin Arnold, only featured six episodes in its abbreviated first season. But Emmy immediately came calling, with The Wonder Years named outstanding comedy series in that first season. And who could ever forget that July 4 set series-finale on May 12, 1993, after five-and-one seasons as one of the more memorable comedies on television.

3. Homicide: Life on the Street (NBC)

Jan. 31, 1993 (out of Super Bowl XXVII) – 28.12 million viewers

Homicide: Life on the Street, housed initially on Wednesdays, was never exactly a ratings bonanza, ultimately landing in the Friday 10 p.m. hour in the fall of 1994 after the Super Bowl preview. The series never even finished a season ranked in the Top 20. But countless accolades, including four Emmys and three Peabody Awards, resulted in a seven-season run for the predecessor to HBO’s The Wire and a reputation as one of the finest crime-themed scripted hours in the history of television.

4. Family Guy (Fox)

Jan. 31, 1999 (out of Super Bowl XXXIII) – 22.00 million viewers

Considered controversial in content for an animated sitcom, Family Guy was introduced to the masses out of the Denver Broncos victory over the Atlanta Falcons, rolling into an episode of The Simpsons. Fox made us wait another two-and-one-half months until we got a another glimpse of the Griffin family, and it made the mistake of canceling the much beloved animated comedy after season two. While a last minute reprieve led to a third season, the pink slip arrived for a second time and Fox did not return to its senses until repeats began airing on Adult Swim and the first and second season DVDs were released. On May 24, 2004, the network ordered 35 new episodes of Family Guy, marking the first time a series has been revived based on the DVD sales. Now in season 15, Family Guy will surpass the 300-episode mark next season.

5. The A-Team (NBC)

Jan. 30, 1983 (out of Super Bowl XVII) – 21.91 million viewers

Technically, The A-Team was already featured in a two-hour series premiere one week prior to Super Bowl XVII. But airing out of The Super Bowl was The A-Team’s first hour-long installment, which, spiked by the football extravaganza, was the first new series to achieve stardom after the added exposure. Breakout star Mr. TV was even at the Washington Redskins/Miami Dolphins match-up to promote his new series.

THE WORST

1. The Last Precinct (NBC)

Jan. 26, 1986 (out of Super Bowl XX) – 39.73 million viewers

Known for a slew of crime-solving dramas, this one-hour comedy anomaly from Stephen J. Cannell (The Rockford Files, Baretta, The A-Team, etc.) featured former Batman star Adam West leading a group of misfit police academy rejects (including an Elvis impersonator). Despite the almost 40-million viewer sampling from the Chicago Bears victory over the New England Patriots, The Last Precinct performed no better in the Friday 9 p.m. ET hour than the failed drama it replaced, Misfits of Science, and it lasted a mere eight episodes. Bam! Pow! Zap!

2. Brothers and Sisters (NBC)

Jan. 21, 1979 (out of Super Bowl XIII) – 31.72 million viewers

As one of the three failed frat-house sitcoms created at the height of Animal House mania – ABC had Delta House and CBS housed Co-Ed Ever for one single episode – Brothers and Sisters (which is not to be confused with the ABC family drama Brothers & Sisters) was the first new series to debut out of the Super Bowl. Focused on the Pi Nu fraternity at fictional Larry Krandall College, a more appropriate name for this group of college students might have been PU Nu. But there was one memorable cast member in this highly unmemorable fiasco: Mary Cosby before she pulled the trigger on J.R. Ewing (Larry Hagman) on the original Dallas. Thankfully, NBC pulled the trigger on Brothers and Sisters after 12 laugh-challenged episodes.

3. Grand Slam (CBS)

Jan. 28, 1990 (out of Super Bowl XXIV) – 30.76 million viewers

Like The Dukes of Hazzard before it, Grand Slam, featuring John Schneider and Paul Rodriguez as two mismatched bounty hunters in San Diego, had plenty of action and car chases. There was even a comical moment, or two, on each of the six aired episodes (eight, in total, were produced and two never were broadcast). But, unlike those lovable lugs in fictional Hazzard County, there was no character of interest in this highly forgettable adventure hour.

4. Extreme (ABC)

Jan. 29, 1995 (out of Super Bowl XXIX) – 22.59 million viewers

Centered on a search and rescue team in the Rocky Mountains headlined by current Life in Pieces star James Brolin, Extreme was cut short seven episodes into its 13-episode order. But if you look close enough, you will find Julie Bowen pre-Ed and Modern Family as a lively and ambitious local girl.

5. The Good Life (NBC)

Jan. 30, 1994 (out of Super Bowl XXVII) – 23.01 million viewers

NBC apparently really likes the title The Good Life, which to-date has been used for two different comedies and is pretty darn close to the just-renewed half-hour starring Kristen Bell and Ted Danson called The Good Place. This second version featured comedian John Caponera as an amiable Dad (aren’t they all?) with a ditzy wife (laugh track, please) and three typical sitcom kids: the happy-go-lucky older son, the wise middle daughter, and the cute-as-a-button little boy peppered with some smart-alecky dialogue. Drew Carey also starred. Immediately following The Good Life was an episode of then also freshman comedy The John Larroquette Show, which ultimately survived for three seasons.

[Cube image of Undercover Boss courtesy of CBS]

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