Weekly Roundup: 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 throughout the week, be sure to follow the Cancelled Sci Fi Twitter Site
Ratings Results of Interest
On Monday, HBO’s His Dark Materials slipped to a 0.04 rating based on same-day viewing for the 18-49 demographic with 216K total viewers. That show is heading into its Season 2 finale next week with ratings down notably year-over-year. The show averaged a 0.10 rating in its first season–not particularly strong numbers–and has dropped 40% in its second year to a 0.06 average. Its fate is likely more heavily dictated by viewership in Britain, but that has been down as well. It averaged seven million viewers across its first season airing on the BBC, but is down to just under five million in its second year. It is still possible this could get one more season to wrap up its storylines, but I would not expect much beyond that.
Showtime’s sci fi comedy Moonbase 8 quietly wrapped up its first season two weeks ago with a double-episode. That show managed to average only a 0.01 rating (one one-hundredth of a rating point) across its six episodes, twice dropping to a 0.00 score (which I count as a 0.004 for calculation purposes). These are the lowest ratings I have ever seen for a TV series since I started tracking the numbers regularly all the way back in 2007. Of course, the fact that Showtime aired it out of Prime Time (11 PM EST on Sundays) did little to help it find an audience. Moonbase 8 was independently funded and likely cost the cable network very little, so it is not impossible that it could return for a second season if there is more of that funding available. But at this point, I consider it very much On the Bubble.
In other ratings news, The CW’s The Outpost held at a 0.1 rating with 330K total viewers on Sunday (based on the preliminaries). MacGyver continued a solid performance for CBS on Fridays, holding steady at a 0.5 rating with 4.7 million total viewers. On Tuesday, FOX’s neXt held at a 0.2 rating, though it slipped below one million total viewers for the first time with 895M. On The CW, Swamp Thing held at a 0.2 rating, though it improved its total viewers to 655 million.
Below are the linear numbers for all the sci fi and fantasy entries from the past week. You can see more detailed ratings info for the week at this link. Be sure to follow the Cancelled Sci Fi Twitter Site for the latest results and breaking news. For more info on what the ratings mean and how I use them to gauge the status of a show, check out our Cancelled Sci Fi FAQ Page. Ratings Source: ShowBuzzDaily
Ratings Results for the Week of 12/14/20
| Series | Rating / Tot Viewers |
| His Dark Materials (HBO) Mon 8 PM | Rtg: 0.04 ↓ / Tot Vwrs: 216K |
| Swamp Thing (CW) Tue 8 PM | Rtg: 0.10 / Tot Vwrs: 655K |
| NeXt (FOX) Tue 10 PM | Rtg: 0.20 / Tot Vwrs: 895K |
| Star Trek Discovery (CBS) Thu 10 PM | Rtg: 0.20 / Tot Vwrs: 1.7M |
| MacGyver (CBS) Fri 8 PM | Rtg: 0.50 / Tot Vwrs: 4.7M |
| Pandora (CW) Sun 8 PM | Season Ended |
| Fear the Walking Dead (AMC) Sun 9 PM | On Hiatus |
| The Outpost (CW) Sun 9 PM | Rtg: 0.10 ↑ / Tot Vwrs: 330K |
Early Renewal Announcements
This past week brought two early renewal announcements, one from Apple TV+ and one from Netflix. The supernatural drama Servant has been renewed by Apple TV+ for a third in advance of its second season premiere. It has become fairly standard practice now for that streamer to give early renewals to its originals and it did the same with For All Mankind a couple of weeks back. Servant‘s second season premiere is set for January 15th. Netflix has given an early third season renewal to its popular supernatural drama Locke & Key ahead of that show’s second season bow. Production just wrapped on the show’s second year and apparently the streamer wanted to get a jump on the third season. A Season 2 premiere date has not been set yet, but Spring 2020 looks like a likely target.
Status Updates of Interest
For the status updates on all of the currently airing shows plus those awaiting word on their fate, go to this link.
The Expanse (Prime Video, Streaming 2nd Season, Status – Renewed): This show has been renewed for a sixth season, but that has been announced as its last on Amazon’s Prime Video. Whether fans will lobby for it to continue on another venue remains to be seen.
Dispatches from Elsewhere (AMC, 1st Season Ended, Status – Ended): The numbers for this show dropped off notably throughout its first season despite a strong lead-in from Better Call Saul. Series creator Jason Segel indicated that it can be looked at as a limited series with each season standing on its own. There has been no word on the show’s fate since it wrapped up its inaugural run in Spring 2020, so I am going to count this one as ended at this point.
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