Fall TV buzz matches ratings

Gotham and How to Get Away With Murder continue to generate the most conversation among new TV shows, but chatter about CBS' Madam Secretary is more positive, according to the fourth and final installment of Keller Fay Group's research on new broadcast primetime series.

Among the top 10 most talked-about new shows, Secretary had the most positive word of mouth, while NBC comedy Bad Judge had the most negative reaction. But top-rated newcomers NCIS: New Orleans and Scorpion, both on CBS, and Murder, on ABC, were also the most widely discussed. "There's a very strong correlation between how word-of-mouth moves and ratings," says Keller Fay CEO Ed Keller.

ABC's Black-ish climbed in the rankings, though its reaction has polarized viewers: Younger folks like it much more than older ones do. CW's The Flash, with lots of early talk among men, has now gained traction with women. And Fox's low-rated Red Band Society climbed back into the top 10, the only new entrant last week, with solid support among those still watching it. NBC's Selfie, Fox's Utopia and CW's Jane the Virgin have generated more negative reaction.

While Twitter and Facebook provide a public forum for TV talk, Keller contends that 90% of such conversations occur offline, either in person or by phone, and are less easily measured.

10 Most Talked-About New TV Shows

1. Gotham (Fox) +47 9.7

2. How to Get Away With Murder (ABC) +36 14.8

3. NCIS: New Orleans (CBS) +49 18.2

4. Black-ish (ABC) +33 10.0

5. Scorpion (CBS) +56 15.2

6. The Flash (CW) +43 4.6

7. Madam Secretary (CBS) +60 13.5

8. Bad Judge (NBC) +13 5.8

9. Stalker (CBS) +31 9.5

10. Red Band Society (Fox) +48 4.3

Online survey based on representative sample of 1,445 viewers ages 13 to 69 conducted Oct. 13-19, 2014, with "net sentiment" score, the percentage of those responding favorably to the show minus the percentage with negative or mixed feedback, and season-to-date viewership, in millions. Sources: Keller Fay Group, Nielsen