Unless otherwise noted, the ratings numbers below are based on the final overnights and may vary slightly from the preliminaries reported on the Cancelled Sci Fi Twitter Site.
Ratings Results: The Labor Day holiday caused delays in the ratings results this week and that is why I am doing a single post covering the full week’s activity. The holiday weekend also resulted in several shows experiencing a drop in their numbers because people were busy BBQing and hanging out at the pools rather than watching television. On Sunday, FX’s The Strain slipped to a series low of a 0.9 rating in the 18-49 demographic with 1.9 million total viewers, but it was still the top scripted show on the cable channels for the evening. Over on TNT, Falling Skies wrapped up its fourth season on a low note with an average of a 0.5 rating and 2.4 million total viewers across its two episode finale. On Monday, CBS’ Under the Dome slipped to a series low of a 1.2 rating with 6.3 million total viewers (based on the preliminaries, the finals still haven’t come in yet). And over on MTV, Teen Wolf slipped a tick to a 0.6 rating with 1.3 million total viewers. The full rundown of this past week’s sci fi / fantasy shows with the numbers can be found below.
Renewal Notice: Netflix has announced a third season renewal for their original series Hemlock Grove, though that will be its last. It’s hard to say, though, if that is essentially a preemptive cancellation or if they felt like thirty episodes total would be sufficient for the series. The original shows airing on the streaming services like Netflix and Amazon are not necessarily aiming for the extended, multi-season runs that are typical of the cable or television productions. These shows may not be designed in a way that requires a pickup by the syndication market to make them truly profitable, and they may be following a model similar to the British shows that chose to wrap up when they feel like they have played out their premise. I would be interested to hear from any Hemlock Grove fans, though, as to whether they think one more season will be enough for the show.
Following are the full ratings results* for the sci fi / fantasy shows airing Saturday 8/30 thru Wednesday 9/3 with my comments. And keep an eye on the Cancelled Sci Fi Twitter Site for the latest numbers and any breaking news.
Outlander Starz Sat 8/30 9 PM
Rating: 0.2 | Tot Viewers: 0.8 | StD Rating: n/a | Target: n/a | Cancellation Alert: Renewed
Its numbers might look low, but they are good for Starz and are helping that network build up its slate of original programming.
Witches of East End LIFE Sun 8/31 9 PM
Preempted | StD Rating: 0.5 | Target: 0.5 | Cancellation Alert: Low
It wisely took a break over the Labor Day weekend because this show doesn’t need to suffer any more ratings drops.
The Leftovers HBO Sun 8/31 10 PM
Preempted | StD Rating: 0.8 | Target: 1.0 | Cancellation Alert: Renewed
It took a break over the Labor Day weekend and returns with its season finale next week.
The Strain FX Sun 8/31 10 PM
Rating: 0.9 | Tot Viewers: 1.9 | StD Rating: 1.1 | Target: 1.0 | Cancellation Alert: Renewed
It dropped to a series low, but it gets a Mulligan for the holiday weekend. Expect it to rebound next week.
The Lottery LIFE Sun 8/31 10 PM
Preempted | StD Rating: n/a | Target: 0.5 | Cancellation Alert: Medium
It took a holiday break over the weekend, but did anybody really notice it was gone?
Falling Skies TNT Sun 8/31 10 PM
Rating: 0.5 | Tot Viewers: 2.4 | StD Rating: 0.7 | Target: 1.0 | Cancellation Alert: Renewed
It sunk to a series low for its season finale. Can this one rebound and go out on a high note during its fifth and final year?
Under The Dome CBS Mon 9/1 10 PM
Rating: 1.2 | Tot Viewers: 6.3 | StD Rating: 1.6 | Target: 1.6 | Cancellation Alert: Low
This show dropped to a series low, though it should get a Mulligan for the holiday. That said, it needs to improve for its final three Season 2 episodes lest CBS decides to pass on bringing it back for a third year.
Teen Wolf MTV Sun 8/31 7 PM
Rating: 0.6 | Tot Viewers: 1.3 | StD Rating: 0.7 | Target: 0.8 | Cancellation Alert: Renewed
This is another show whose numbers were likely impacted by the holiday, it doesn’t need to worry, though as it already received its fifth season renewal notice.
Legends TNT Wed 9/3 9 PM
Rating: 0.4 | Tot Viewers: 1.7 | StD Rating: 0.5 | Target: 1.0 | Cancellation Alert: Moderate
This show is still low, and it can’t blame the holiday. I’m thinking its status is getting more and more shaky.
Extant CBS Wed 9/3 10 PM
Rating: 1.0 | Tot Viewers: 5.8 | StD Rating: 1.1 | Target: 1.4 | Cancellation Alert: Medium
I believe it is up to Amazon (who shares the production costs) at this point to keep this show going. I can’t see CBS bringing it back with these ratings, even with Steven Spielberg’s and Halle Berry’s names headlining the project.
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*Metric Definitions:
Rating: Overnight rating in the 18-49 demographic for same day viewing based on the final numbers unless otherwise noted
Tot Viewers: Estimated total viewers to tune in to the episode for same day viewing
StD Rating: Season to date average for the rating metric tracked above.
Target: The estimated average rating that the show needs to sustain to get renewed.
Cancellation Alert: My prediction of the likelihood that a show will get cancelled. From least to most likely the statuses are Low, Moderate, Medium, Elevated, and High.
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Ratings Source: TV by the Numbers
Nielsen TV Ratings: ©2014 The Nielsen Company. All Rights Reserved.
