Before election night, networks were scrambling to generate new hits and digital offshoots that could stanch the bleeding.

Instead, the old analog favorites are in, with comfort-food franchises like "Saturday Night Live" drawing its highest Nielsen numbers in 24 years. Despite a dizzying array of new media choices, viewers are opting for television's mass gathering spots, seeking the kind of shared experience that can validate and reassure.

"There's definitely a sense of we're-in-this-together-ness," Mr. Noah said in an interview, noting that Mr. Trump's election had infused his show with a new sense of purpose.

"People are finding a space here in saying, 'Oh, I'm not crazy — somebody else is also outraged by this,'" Mr. Noah said.

However, the article also admits: 

Uncertainty and tumult have long driven ratings, and the interest is bipartisan. Fox News, already cable's highest-rated network, is having another big year: In February, its prime-time viewership was up another 31 percent from a year ago.

One-fifth of the 48 million people who watched Mr. Trump's address to Congress two weeks ago did so on Fox.