Most of the genre shows are winding down for their winter hiatus, but the entries on The CW have a few more weeks because that network elected for a later start this year. But most of the shows on that network slipped some in the ratings this past week, and freshman series Beauty and the Beast definitely looks to be in trouble at this point. On Tuesday, Arrow slid to a 1.1 rating in the 18-49 demographic and 3.4 million total viewers. Its lead-out show, Supernatural, actually improved a bit to a 0.9 rating and 2.1 million total viewers. But on Thursday, that network’s flagship series Vampire Diaries pulled its lowest rating of the season with a 1.2 score and 2.4 million total viewers. And in the next hour, Beauty and the Beast couldn’t even manage half that rating as it sunk to a 0.5 with only 1.4 million total viewers. The first three shows are probably just experiencing a bit of a slump and also suffering from the general woes of their network this season. Beauty and the Beast, though, is coming close to Nikita number (which pulled a 0.4 rating and 1.2 million total viewers), but it’s not a Friday show and it doesn’t have a large international following to help keep it alive. The CW did give the series a full season order, but unless it makes a significant turnaround in Spring, which is very unlikely, consider it gone after this season and I have raised its Cancellation Alert status to Elevated.
ABC’s Last Resort managed to pull up its numbers a bit on Thursday to a 1.2 rating in the 18-49 demo and 5.4 million total viewers. That’s not to convince the network to un-cancel the show, though. And on CBS, Person of Interest pulled its usual 2.9 rating with 14.2 million total viewers. On Friday, Fringe pulled a 0.9 rating with 2.7 million total viewers. All three of these shows still have a few more episodes left before they will begin their Winter break.
You can read more about the Sunday shows at this link and you can see the full breakdown of last week’s numbers below. There will be no mid-week column this week because the Sunday/Monday shows are all on hiatus but keep an eye on the Cancellation Watch Twitter Site for the early returns from later in the week and you can see the Cancellation Alert status of all the shows currently airing plus the final results from prior seasons at my Cancellation Watch page. And for questions on how the ratings work and my Cancellation Alert statuses, you can see the Cancellation Watch FAQ.
Following are the ratings results (based on the overnights) for all of the genre shows from this past week. In some cases, the numbers below are based on the preliminary returns and could change slightly when the final results are tallied.
Ratings Results for the Week of Dec 2:
Once Upon A Time (ABC Sun 8 PM) Rating: 3.1 | Trend: Steady | Cancellation Alert: Low
The Walking Dead (AMC Sun 9 PM) Rating: 5.4 | Trend: Steady | Cancellation Alert: Low
666 Park Ave (ABC Sun 10 PM) Rating: 1.3 | Trend: Up | Cancellation Alert: Cancelled
Revolution (NBC Mon 10 PM) Rating: On Hiatus | Trend: Up | Cancellation Alert: Low
Arrow (CW Wed 8 PM) Rating: 1.1 | Trend: Down | Cancellation Alert: Low
The Neighbors (ABC Wed 9:30 PM) Rating: 1.9 | Trend: Steady | Cancellation Alert: Moderate
Supernatural (CW Wed 9 PM) Rating: 0.9 | Trend: Down | Cancellation Alert: Moderate
American Horror Story (FX Wed 9 PM) Rating: 1.4 | Trend: Up | Cancellation Alert: Renewed
Last Resort (ABC Thu 8 PM) Rating: 1.2 | Trend: Up | Cancellation Alert: Cancelled
Vampire Diaries (CW Thu 8 PM) Rating: 1.2 | Trend: Down | Cancellation Alert: Low
Person of Interest (CBS Thu 9 PM) Rating: 2.9 | Trend: Steady | Cancellation Alert: Low
Beauty and the Beast (CW Thu 9 PM) Rating: 0.5 | Trend: Down | Cancellation Alert: Elevated
Nikita (CW Fri 9 PM) Rating: 0.4 | Trend: Steady | Cancellation Alert: No Guess
Grimm (R) (NBC Fri 9 PM) Rating: On Hiatus | Trend: Down | Cancellation Alert: Low
Fringe (FOX Fri 9 PM) Rating: 0.9 | Trend: Steady | Cancellation Alert: Final Season
Haven (Syfy Fri 10 PM) Rating: Pending | Trend: Steady | Cancellation Alert: Renewed
Ratings Source: TV by the Numbers
Why Were They Cancelled?
The Plight of Science Fiction and Fantasy Television in the Face of the Unforgiving Nielsens and Networks
Ever wondered why your favorite science fiction and/or fantasy show disappeared from the television schedule, never to deliver anymore new episodes? The reason why, most likely, is that it was cancelled because its ratings were low. And this book looks at those many cancelled sci fi/fantasy shows as well as the Neilsen ratings and television networks that dictate their fates. Available now for only $2.99 on Kindle from Amazon.com.
