First Two Renewals of the Week

We are down to crunch time as next week is the Upfronts when the broadcast networks unveil their schedules for the 2018-19 season.  So announcements on renewals, cancellations, and pickups will be coming fast and furious this week and through the weekend.  Leading off those announcements yesterday was the second season renewal that TBS gave to its animated sci fi comedy Final Space.  That show, which comes from Conan O’Brien’s production company Conaco, has had decent linear ratings in its first season but has performed much strong in digital viewing.  The network claims that it has reached 20 million viewers across all platforms, which likely includes Live+7 delayed viewing and I’m not quite sure how they are totaling things up.  I have considered that one a decent renewal prospect for much of the season, so the announcement came as no surprise.

Late yesterday, The CW announced that its post-apocalyptic series The 100 will be returning for a sixth season.  That renewal was definitely not guaranteed, though the show has been performing well enough for its network since returning this season with The Flash as a lead-in.  I had previously thought that this might be the show’s final season because it will pass the seventy episode threshold that The CW usually has for its lower rated shows (it will be at 71 by season end).  But they may be targeting higher profits in the syndication market and decided to keep it running for at least one more season.  The fact that the network announced the renewal for The 100 and remained mum on iZombie is not a good thing for the latter show.  I previously considered iZombie the more likely of the two to get renewed (more on that at this link), but now its fate certainly hinges on how many new show pickups the network has for next season.  I still believe that it has a decent chance of renewal, especially considering the fact that The CW will be adding Sunday to its schedule next year, but I will be moving it to Bubble status at this point.

More announcements will be coming over the next few days and up to the point that the network’s make their presentations next week (you can see the schedule at this link).  I will be posting breaking news throughout the day at the Cancelled Sci Fi Twitter Site and will then put together a rundown of the announcements in the evening or the next morning, so be sure to stay tuned.

Ratings Results of Interest: Timeless Slips at the Worst Time

On Sunday, NBC’s Timeless only managed a 0.5 rating based on same day viewing for the 18-49 demographic with 2.3 million total viewers (according to the preliminary numbers) for its second to last Season 2 episode. That show needed to see a boost in its numbers heading into its season finale, but instead it matched a series low which means that its chances of renewal are waning. Over on FOX, The Last Man on Earth held at a 0.7 rating with 1.7 million total viewers as it continues to cling to hope for a fifth season renewal.

Over on the cable nets, the numbers continued to slip on Sunday. HBO’s Westworld dropped to a 0.64 rating with 1.6 million total viewers. That one is apparently picking up slack with digital viewing and has already been renewed for a third season. AMC’s Fear the Walking Dead slipped to a 0.85 rating with 2.5 million total viewers, but it continues to perform better than it did in its third season. In the lead-out hour, Into the Badlands slipped to a 0.33 rating with 968K total viewers, and those numbers are starting to look iffy considering that this is an expensive show to produce.

On Friday, ABC’s Agents of SHIELD held low at a 0.4 rating with 1.6 million total viewers, but that one still looks like it could be headed to a sixth season. Over on CBS, MacGyver slipped to a series low 0.6 rating with 6.1 million total viewers for its season finale. But then it was an off night for the network in general, perhaps due to competition from NBA playoffs, and that show has already been renewed for a third season.

I covered the early week ratings on Saturday at this link and you can see the full ratings results for the week at this link. Be sure to follow the Cancelled Sci Fi Twitter Site for the latest results and to stay tuned as we approach next week’s Upfront presentations.  Ratings Source: ShowBuzzDaily