The new year has just kicked off and that means that many of the sci fi/fantasy shows that have been on hiatus for the past few weeks or more will be returning with new episodes and some mid-season entries will be making their bows as well. The Fall half of the season saw two casualties among genre shows (ABC’s Last Resort and 666 Park Ave) and left some on unsure footing (The CW’s Beauty and the Beast and ABC’s The Neighbors), and some of the new entries hitting the schedule have struggles ahead of them as well. I have put together my full predictions for the shows currently set to air in the coming months with my Mid-Season Cancellation Watch Preview. And you can check the mid-season schedule for all of the genre shows over at this link. And as always, I will continue to track the weekly ratings results for all the current shows and adjust my estimates of their renewal/cancellation prospects based on their latest numbers.
As for the ratings for the shows that have already resumed their seasons, The American Horror Story returned down last Wednesday as it pulled a 1.2 rating in the 18-49 demographic and 2.2 million total viewers. It has also slipped considerably to its former position as the top-rated cable series on Wednesday nights as it was beat by “reality” shows like Moonshiners and Amish Mafia and even fell below repeats of The Big Bang Theory and Family Guy. Still, it’s numbers are decent for a basic cable series and it may have lost some of its audience to the bowl games airing that night. I expect it to rebound as it wraps up its current season and it has already received a renewal for a third season. On Thursday night, Person of Interest had one if its strongest performances ever as it pulled a 3.4 rating and 16.2 million total viewers. This show continues to build up its audience and is growing into a notable hit for CBS. And last night, ABC’s Once Upon A Time returned to the same levels where it end its Fall run, pulling a 3.1 rating and just over 9 million total viewers. So this one looks to continue its ratings success into 2013 as well. 666 Park Ave, which was supposed to begin airing out its final episodes beginning last night has been pushed to Summer to finish its run
I won’t have a Wednesday column this week, but mid-season kicks into high gear over the next week and a half with most of the Fall shows resuming their seasons during that span. 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.
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.
