Sci Fi Cancellation Watch: Is The Walking Dead Losing Its Audience? Plus the Full Ratings Round Up

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9 years ago

Unless otherwise noted, the ratings numbers below are based on the final overnights and may vary slightly from the preliminaries reported on the Cancelled Sci Fi Twitter Site.

The Walking Dead wrapped up its Fall run on Sunday with a 7.0 rating in the overnights for the 18-49 demographic and 14 million total viewers which is up from recent weeks but down from the 7.6 score the show had for its Fall finale last year. And its numbers overall are down this year with a season to date average of a 6.7 rating vs. the show’s average of 7.5 at this time last year. There have been rumblings across the internet that the writing this season has not been the best, and that whole is-Glen-dead-or-isn’t-he diversion definitely did not work in the show’s favor. But then fans have grumbled about the show’s writing from time to time during its previous seasons, so that’s nothing new (and despite a few lapses, I have say that it remains first-rate). And the fact that the show is only averaging a 6.7 rating does not in any way signal the beginning of a death spiral. In an era where the broadcast networks are renewing shows performing in the low 2’s or high 1’s (or sometimes even lower), that 6.7 average still has TWD in the stratosphere and with plenty of leeway before it finds itself in trouble. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the numbers continue to slip because it is rare that a show that has been around for six seasons or more can continue to perform at such high levels. But then the writers have plenty of source material to mine from the comics and there is already word that the notorious Neegan will show up in the back half of the current season, so that could likely draw people back and boost the show’s numbers. And AMC has never been shy about making changes behind the scenes of their prize show, so if the network feels that the creative team is getting off course I expect to see them step in and shake things up. So while TWD‘s numbers are down just a bit at the moment, this is not a forewarning of the show’s demise. This one has plenty more seasons ahead of it and will almost certainly walk out on its own terms.

Here’s a quick round up of the big announcements from this last week: The CW has announced it mid-season schedule, renewal and pickup announced for Star Wars: Rebels and Supergirl respectively, CBS has announced its mid-season schedule and Person of Interest is not on it.

Ratings results for the sci fi / fantasy shows airing Monday November 23rd thru Sunday November 29th (metric definitions below):

(Updated for the broadcast network and cable Top 25)

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Cyber Knight & the Hand Puppet Commandos: One woman, seven hand puppets, and the solution to the Fermi Paradox will determine the fate of the Earth. Buy now in eBook and print format

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Road Rage: Alex and her brother must ride the apocalypse highway to meet up with their family, otherwise they will find themselves cast with the savages. Buy now in eBook and print format

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It had the expected slip on Thanksgiving week but rebounded this last Monday to a 1.6 rating (tied with Supergirl) for its Fall finale. This show is still looking okay for now and returns from hiatus on February 29th.

The drop over Thanksgiving week was to be expected, but it didn’t rebound too much on Monday as it only improved to a 1.6 rating (which tied Gotham). Still, CBS saw fit to give the show a full season order (likely because they were against a deadline to make a decision), so it has through May to prove that it can fly high enough to justify a second season.

Chart Activity: This show held steady with the prior in the broadcast network Top 25 based on the overnights for the 18-49 demo at Number 24.

It dropped to a series low on Thanksgiving week, and improved a bit to a 0.7 score on Monday for its Fall finale. That will likely also act as its season finale, though fans are rallying to try and convince FOX to keep the show around.