TV Ratings: Oprah Winfrey’s ‘Greenleaf’ Premieres to OWN’s Biggest Audience Ever

“Greenleaf,” the new scripted drama series starring OWN founder Oprah Winfrey, debuted Tuesday night to the cable network’s best-ever ratings in its target demographic.

Among women ages 25-54, “Greenleaf” drew 3.04 million viewers and a 2.18 rating in Nielsen live-plus-same day numbers. That makes it the No. 2 cable premiere in the demo in 2016 thus far, behind FX’s “The People Vs. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story.”

“Greenleaf” marks Winfrey’s return to series television as an actress. The host and media mogul starred in the single-season ABC drama “Brewster Place” in 1990. Her last on-screen acting work was in the 2014 feature film “Selma.”


Written by Craig Wright and executive produced by Winfrey and Clement Virgo, “Greenleaf” explores the inner workings of the powerful family behind a Memphis megachurch. Merle Dandridge, Keith David and Lynn Whitfield star alongside Winfrey. The series is produced by Lionsgate.

“Greenleaf” will air two new episodes Wednesday at 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. Next week it will settle into its regular 10 p.m. Wednesday time period.

The season premiere of Tyler Perry drama “The Haves and the Have Nots” debuted at 9 p.m. after “Greenleaf,” drawing 2.9 million viewers and a 2.12 rating among women 25-54. “The Have and the Have Nots” is created, written, directed and executive produced by Tyler Perry and produced for OWN by Tyler Perry Studios.