Beginning this week, I will be starting a new edition of the Cancellation Watch column called Weekly Roundup. This will cover the ratings results and status of all the currently airing shows and those still awaiting word on their fate, and it will also roundup the news from the prior week. This will consolidate the highlights of the past week in one column and also have status updates for the current shows all in one place. I will continue to post ratings results daily at the Cancelled Sci Fi Twitter Site, and breaking news will be posted there and at this site throughout the week as well.
Ratings Results and News Roundup: Reverie Starts Slow for NBC
NBC’s new series Reverie had its debut last Wednesday and only managed a 0.6 rating based on same day viewing in the 18-49 demographic with 2.9 million total viewers. Those are tepid numbers even for a Summer entry and place this show’s future very much in doubt. This one was originally planned for a mid-season start, but was pushed on the schedule suggesting that the network lost faith in it.
On Monday last week, ABC’s The Crossing slipped to a 0.4 rating with 1.6 million total viewers which likely prompted the network’s move of the show’s final two episodes to this Saturday. On Tuesday, FX’s Legion slipped to a 0.15 rating with 362K total viewers, but that one still got the renewal nod from its network. On Wednesday, Syfy’s The Expanse improved to a 0.20 rating with 609K total viewers while USA’s Colony also improved to a 0.20 rating with 691K total viewers. Both of those shows were at or near season highs.
Sunday took a toll on the cable shows as AMC’s Fear the Walking Dead slipped to a 0.60 rating with right at two million viewers after a week off and Into the Badlands slipped to a 0.26 rating with 921K total viewers. Those are series low numbers for both shows, and while I believe that the former is still doing okay, I am moving Into the Badlands to Bubble status because is down by 50% year-over-year. Over on HBO, Westworld rebounded some from its Memorial Day Weekend slump to a 0.50 rating with 1.4 million total viewers, though its numbers are still down notably. That one has already been renewed for a third season.
You can see the full ratings results for the week at this link, and be sure to follow the Cancelled Sci Fi Twitter Site for the latest results and breaking news. Ratings Source: ShowBuzzDaily
Rounding up the news from this past week, Freeform has cancelled Shadowhunters after three seasons but will give the show a two-hour finale. FX has renewed Legion for a third season as mentioned above, and Netflix has renewed its Scandinavian made The Rain for a second season.
Status Updates: Timeless Still Waiting to Find Out if It Has More Time
Below is the status of all the currently airing shows or those still awaiting word on their fate. This does not include streaming shows, unless there is information worth mentioning, because there is typically too little data available to gauge their fates. You can click through to the show pages to see week-over-week ratings results (where available) and find out more information about the series. You can see the status of all the currently airing and returning sci fi TV shows at this link.
The 100 (CW, Status – Renewed): This show returned for its fifth season posting decent numbers for the fifth place network with The Flash as its lead-in. It has been renewed for a sixth season which will get it close enough to the episode threshold that should get it a profitable syndication deal. Whether the show’s upcoming season will be its last is uncertain at this point, but I would say that there is a good chance it will be.
Altered Carbon (Netflix, Status – On the Bubble): There has been no word yet on a second season renewal for this show, and series star Joel Kinnaman has moved on to a new gig. Its viewership has been on the low side for a Netflix entry according to Nielsen, and the show received mixed reviews from critics. It is possible that this could be a rare one-season-and-done sci fi causality for this streaming service.
Colony (USA, Status – On the Bubble): This show returned for its third season with ratings down by over 40% from last year, though it has been on the upswing the last few weeks. I have moved it to Bubble status and fans need to make some noise in support of this show on the social networks if they want it to survive to a fourth season.
The Crossing (ABC, Status – Cancelled): This one debuted with a decent lead-in from the American Idol reboot, but never managed to take advantage of its timeslot and ABC decided to send it to the Network Executioner. The cancellation was pretty much expected and I have not heard too much outcry from the fans, so it does not appear to have developed much of a following.
The Expanse (Syfy, Status – Renewed): Syfy (unwisely) decided to drop this one after its third season, but the show’s production company started shopping it around and fans took up the Call to Action to make a massive outpouring of support leading Amazon to the decision to pick it up for a fourth season.
Fear the Walking Dead (AMC, Status – Renewal Likely): This show returned strong for its fourth season, likely bolstered by Lennie James making the crossover from TWD. The numbers have dropped some since then but is still doing well enough for a cable series these days. At this point, I expect it to return for at least one more season if not more, depending on how well its ratings hold up.
Ghosted (FOX, Status – On the Bubble): This show did not get cancelled during the Upfronts, but neither did it get renewed. It is actually one of FOX’s better-rated shows this season, but it benefited from NFL Football bleed-over in Fall and has not had the chance to prove it can sustain an audience on its own merits (more on that at this link). It has seven more episodes left to air which FOX plans to get on the schedule in July and then make a decision on the show’s fate. If fans want to keep this one from going to the grave, they should definitely stage a Call to Action to help bring attention to it and perhaps get it a second season renewal.
Into the Badlands (AMC, Status – On the Bubble): This one returned down from where it was performing in its second season and has seen its numbers continue to slip so I am moving it to Bubble status. Fans of the show should definitely make a Call to Action on the social networks to help it out.
Legion (FX, Status – Renewed): This show’s numbers are down notably year-over-year, but FX still gave it the greenlight for a third season. The fact that FOX owns the series and that this is an X-Men tie in likely helped the show, but I wonder how much longer this one can survive with such low viewership.
The Originals (CW, Status – Final Season): This show is currently airing its final season, though a spin-off titled Legacies will debut in Fall 2018 and will focus on Hope Mikaelson.
Reverie (NBC, Status – On the Bubble): This show debuted with tepid numbers even for a Summer entry. It was originally planned for a mid-season start, but was pushed on the schedule suggesting that the network lost faith in it. At this point, it is almost certainly in burn-off mode unless fans can make enough noise on the social nets to draw attention to the show.
Shadowhunters (Freeform, Status: Cancelled): Freeform has cancelled this show but ordered two additional episodes that will act as a series finale. The second half of the third season has been pushed to air in Spring 2019 along with those last two episodes.
Supergirl (CW, Status – Renewed): This show has been renewed for a fourth season as expected, though how many years it has after that remains to be seen. I go into that in more detail at this link.
Superstition (Syfy, Status – Cancellation Likely): This show show barely registered in the ratings during its first season and was kicked out of its Prime Time slot to 11 PM EST on Thursdays about mid-way through its run. It has started streaming internationally on Netflix, so perhaps it will get a boost from that, but at this point it appears it will be another one-season-and-done Peak TV casualty.
Timeless (NBC, Status – On the Bubble): This one’s numbers were down in its second season, but the fan support on the social networks was still there and allegedly NBC is working on a deal with Sony that will bring the show back for a third year. That has not been finalized, though, so fans need to continue the Call to Action on the social networks in support of the show.
Westworld (HBO, Status – Renewed): This show’s linear ratings are down from where it ended it first season, but HBO does not rely on the Nielsen numbers to determine if its original programming is a success. Apparently they are quite happy with its performance in its second season and have given the show an early renewal notice.
Hi Johnny- I discovered your website looking for info about the Expanse when it was cancelled. I have to say, you rawk. 🙂 I am a TV buff, but also a major league Sci Fi fan (the genre, certainly not the channel), and what you have here is a real pleasure.
I hate to say this, but I was just telling a friend about Reverie: if it’s good, the network will cancel it. If it’s no good, the network will cancel it. So why even bother. And now you say that the viewership of the debut episode isn’t that great. Bingo. Perhaps like a lot of people, I’ve been watching TV for years, and I’m so jaded now, that why even try new shows, when they’ll just get cancelled? I know that’s not a good attitude, but after years of seeing good quality TV shows cancelled, my viewpoint has turned that way. I don’t think networks understand, that there is a consequence to their actions. For example, SyFy is dead to me. I will not start watching any new shows on that network, ever. I’ll check them out later on DVD or bluray perhaps, but not live, and not DVR’ed. I hope their advertisers see this.
I had been DVR’ing the Crossing, but same-o, it’s been cancelled, so I won’t even bother with the episodes I have recorded.
With all that said, I’m excited about Starhunter on El Ray! 😉
One last thought to unfortunately end this note on a real down beat. Lucifer. I think it’s a real travesty how that show finished. 2 essentially throwaway episodes, that didn’t really have anything to do with the major overall story arcs. Yes, they were good episodes, but if they had fallen in the middle of a season, for example. I rarely watch Fox now too, and the straw that broke the camel’s back for me for that network was Almost Human. Another good show, cancelled way before it’s time.
Cheers, and keep up the great writing!
Kevin.
Thanks, and glad you like the site. Hopefully we will be able to deliver some good news on Lucifer if that one gets picked up by another network.