Ratings results and status updates on all the currently airing sci fi & fantasy shows as well as those still awaiting word on their fates. For the latest ratings updates, be sure to follow the Cancelled Sci Fi Twitter Site
Ratings Results of Interest: 12 Monkeys Barely Registers With Its Season 4 Debut
On Friday, Syfy’s 12 Monkeys returned for its fourth season, and few people showed much interest in tuning in for its final year. The network aired three episodes back-to-back and the show averaged only a 0.05 rating based on same day viewing in the 18-49 demographic with 270K total viewers. That’s down from the show’s already low average of a 0.09 rating in its third season. And with the way that Syfy has been airing the show, running the third season across one weekend and airing three eps a night in its fourth year, it sure seems like the network wants to burn it off as quick as possible in order to move it to a streaming platform (the first three seasons are available on Hulu) where it apparently performs better.
On Tuesday, Legion slipped to a 0.12 rating with 315K total viewers for its Season 2 finale. That one has been renewed for a third year, but I’m not certain how much longer beyond that it can survive at its current ratings levels. Over on AMC, Humans slipped to a 0.08 rating with 419K total viewers and that show’s numbers have been down on Channel 4 in Britain this season as well. On Wednesday, NBC’s Reverie held steady at a 0.5 rating with 2.3 million total viewers, but those numbers are low even for a Summer show on that network. Over on USA, Colony slipped to a 0.19 rating with 785K total viewers, and its numbers remain down notably year-over-year.
On Thursday, Freeform’s new series Cloack & Dagger took a tumble in its second week as it dropped almost 35% from its premiere to post a 0.19 rating with 548K total viewers. Those are not disastrous numbers, but if it slips any further that show will be flirting with Bubble status. In its favor is the fact that Disney owns the network and the show and tends to stand behind its Marvel related entries at least through a second season.
On Sunday, Into the Badlands slipped to a 0.29 rating with 894K total viewers for its mid-season finale. It didn’t have a boost from Fear the Walking Dead which is already on hiatus, and its numbers are down by 55% from last season. Considering that this is an expensive show to produce, I am thinking that the AMC execs are not too happy with its current viewership levels. Over on FOX, Ghosted improved to a 0.5 rating with 1.4 million total viewers, though it was beat out by a repeat of Family Guy during the lead-in timeslot. That show’s chances of getting a second season pickup continue to diminish.
You can see the full ratings results for the week at this link, and be sure to follow the Cancelled Sci Fi Twitter Site for the latest results and breaking news. Ratings Source: ShowBuzzDaily
Rounding up the news from this past week, Netflix definitely took notice of fan efforts to save Lucifer and has picked that show up for a ten-episode fourth season. In sci fi TV news, MTV is working on a live-action reboot of the cult series Aeon Flux. Star Trek: Discovery has experienced some more behind the scenes shakeups with the loss of its showrunners. Netflix has given series orders to the mission-to-Mars show Away and the Greek mythology inspired Kaos. You can read about those stories and more in the latest This Week in Sci Fi TV column.
Status Updates: Into the Badlands Continues to Struggle
Below is the status of all the currently airing shows or those still awaiting word on their fate. This does not include streaming shows, unless there is information worth mentioning, because there is typically too little data available to gauge their fates. You can click through to the show pages to see week-over-week ratings results (where available) and find out more information about the series. You can see the status of all the currently airing and returning sci fi TV shows at the Cancellation Watch Page.
12 Monkeys (Syfy, Status – Final Season): This show has returned for its fourth and final season and has barely registered in the ratings. It appears that Syfy is trying to burn it off as quick as possible by airing three-hour blocks of new episodes in order to shuffle it off to a streaming run (its first three seasons are currently available on Hulu) where it has performed better.
The 100 (CW, Status – Renewed): This show returned for its fifth season posting decent numbers for The CW with The Flash as its lead-in. It has been renewed for a sixth season which will get it close enough to the episode threshold that should get it a profitable syndication deal. Whether the show’s upcoming season will be its last is uncertain at this point, but consider that a strong likelihood.
Altered Carbon (Netflix, Status – On the Bubble): There has been no word yet on a second season renewal for this show, and series star Joel Kinnaman has moved on to a new gig. Its viewership has been on the low side for a Netflix entry according to Nielsen, and the show received mixed reviews from critics. It is possible that this could be a rare one-season-and-done sci fi causality for this streaming service.
Cloak and Dagger (Freeform, Status – Renewal Possible): This show debuted with good numbers for a Freeform entry, but slipped notably in its second week. In its favor is the fact that Disney owns the network and the show and tends to stand behind its Marvel related entries at least through a second season.
Colony (USA, Status – On the Bubble): This show returned for its third season with ratings down by over 40% from last year, and despite some recent gains it has not been able to build its audience back. I currently have it On the Bubble and fans need to make some noise in support of this show on the social networks if they want it to survive to a fourth season.
The Expanse (Syfy, Status – Renewed): Syfy (unwisely) decided to drop this one after its third season, but the show’s production company started shopping it around and fans took up the Call to Action to make a massive outpouring of support leading Amazon to the decision to pick it up for a fourth season.
Fear the Walking Dead (AMC, Status – Renewal Possible): This show has been doing well in its fourth season, but with the cast changes and the new story direction in its fourth season it seems almost like AMC is in the process of rebooting it. It returns from hiatus on August 12th and I am guessing the ratings for the second half of the season will heavily dictate its fate. I still believe it will be back for at least one more year, but I am a little less certain about that at this point.
Ghosted (FOX, Status – On the Bubble): This show had been off the schedule since January, but FOX said at the Upfronts that its remaining episodes would air in Summer and then they would decide the show’s fate. But it was slipped onto the schedule with almost no notice and aired amidst repeats of The Simpsons and Family Guy and has posted pretty poor numbers. It certainly seems to be in burn-off mode at the moment, and if fans want to keep this one from going to the grave, they should definitely stage a Call to Action to help bring attention to it.
Humans (FOX, Status – Renewal Possible): This show returned for its third season slightly below its second season ratings average, but it appears that its fate is more heavily tied to its performance in Britain on Channel 4. Its numbers are down over there as well, so we will have to see how it tracks over the coming weeks.
Into the Badlands (AMC, Status – On the Bubble): This show wrapped up the first half of its third season with ratings declines of over fifty percent from its second year and remains firmly On the Bubble. Fans should definitely make a Call to Action on the social networks to help it out and maybe bring more attention to it when it returns later this Summer.
Legion (FX, Status – Renewed): This show’s numbers are down notably year-over-year, but FX still gave it the greenlight for a third season. The fact that FOX owns the series and that this is an X-Men tie in likely helped it, but I wonder how much longer this one can survive with such low viewership.
The Originals (CW, Status – Final Season): This show is currently airing its final season, though a spin-off titled Legacies will debut in Fall 2018 and will focus on Hope Mikaelson.
Reverie (NBC, Status – On the Bubble): This show debuted with tepid numbers even for a Summer entry. It was originally planned for a mid-season start, but was pushed on the schedule suggesting that the network lost faith in it. At this point, it is almost certainly in burn-off mode unless fans can make enough noise on the social nets to draw attention to the show.
Supergirl (CW, Status – Renewed): This show has been renewed for a fourth season as expected, though how many years it has after that remains to be seen. I go into that in more detail at this link.
Superstition (Syfy, Status – Cancellation Likely): This show show barely registered in the ratings during its first season and was kicked out of its Prime Time slot to 11 PM EST on Thursdays about mid-way through its run. It has started streaming internationally on Netflix, so perhaps it will get a boost from that, but at this point it appears it will be another one-season-and-done Peak TV casualty.
Timeless (NBC, Status – On the Bubble): This one’s numbers were down in its second season, but the fan support on the social networks was still there and allegedly NBC is working on a deal with Sony that will bring the show back for a third year. That has not been finalized, though, so fans need to continue the Call to Action on the social networks in support of the show.
Westworld (HBO, Status – Renewed): This show’s linear ratings are down from where it ended it first season, but HBO does not rely on the Nielsen numbers to determine the success of its original programming. Apparently they are quite happy with its performance in its second season and have given the show an early renewal notice.
LAST WEEK: Cloak & Dagger Debuts Well for Freeform, Ghosted Returns with No Notice Read
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