After performing quite well in the Nielsens over its first two weeks, FOX’s The Following had a notable drop with its third episode this last Monday. That airing slipped to a 2.9 rating in the 18-49 demographic with just over nine million total viewers, which is a 12% ratings drop from the 3.3 it pulled the prior week. But that doesn’t mean this show is now starting on the some sort of ratings slide that got Alcatraz cancelled last year (which aired on FOX in the same timeslot). One major reason for the drop could be the Super Bowl factor. Whichever network airs that game (CBS this year) typically sees a notable bump in their ratings immediately afterwards, especially on the Monday night following the game. And that was definitely evident as CBS took the night handily (though their comedy block usually dominates the night anyway). In any case, a 2.9 rating for The Following is nothing to sneeze at and it could easily still get a renewal if it stayed at that mark. Check back next week to see where it lands (I expect a 3.0 rating or higher), but don’t worry at this point that the show is heading into any sort of death spiral.
Over on Syfy, Being Human slipped one tick from the 0.6 rating it pulled last week and neither Continuum nor Lost Girl made it into the Cable Top 100. These shows were possibly also impacted by the Super Bowl boost that CBS enjoyed. And on Sunday, Once Upon A Time was in hiding from the Big Game, but it returns with new episodes next week.
Keep an eye on the Cancellation Watch Twitter Site for the early returns from the rest of this week’s shows 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.
Ratings Source: TV by the Numbers
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