Ratings results and status updates on all the currently airing sci fi & fantasy shows as well as those still awaiting word on their fates. For the latest ratings updates, be sure to follow the Cancelled Sci Fi Twitter Site
Ratings Results of Interest: Preacher Returns Down
On Sunday, AMC’s Preacher returned for its third season and posted only a 0.23 rating based on same day viewing for the 18-49 demographic with 838K total viewers. That is down over 42% from the show’s second season average and marks the continuation of notable ratings fall-offs for returning shows, especially among the cable channels. Other shows that we have seen this with recently include USA’s Colony (down 33% YOY), AMC’s Into the Badlands (down 55% YOY), and FX’s Legion (down 58% YOY). With so many shows to watch, and with gaps of over a year between seasons becoming common, returning series are having a hard time sustaining their viewership. AMC does share ownership of Preacher so that will likely work in its favor, but at these levels I just wonder how long these shows can last, especially considering the fact the networks are shelling out a fair amount of money on them. I will be starting Preacher On the Bubble and will likely keep it there because there are intangibles (such as international deals) that could keep it going despite low ratings in the States.
On Tuesday, AMC’s Humans remained low at a 0.08 rating with 384K total viewers. On Wednesday, NBC’s Reverie slipped to a 0.4 rating with 1.8 million total viewers. That one already appeared to be in burn-off mode and I am moving it to Cancellation Likely status. Over on USA, Colony improved to a 0.20 rating with 729K total viewers, but as mentioned above, it is still down notably from last year’s numbers. On Syfy, The Expanse improved to a 0.18 rating with 670K total viewers as it winds down its third season. On Thursday, Freeform’s Cloak and Dagger improved slightly to a 0.20 rating with 606K total viewers and it should be okay if it does not slip much further than this.
On Friday, Syfy’s 12 Monkeys improved slightly to a 0.06 rating with 291K across its three-episode block. That one is airing its final season. On Sunday, HBO’s Westworld slipped to a 0.56 rating with 1.6 million total viewers for its season finale, but it has already been renewed for a third year. Over on FOX, Ghosted slipped to a 0.4 rating, performing lower than most of the repeats the network aired that night. Unless this one rebounds, it is moving back to Cancellation Likely status soon.
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, NBC announced on Friday that its time travel series Timeless will not continue to a third season, but that it might get a two-hour movie to wrap up its storylines. Fans are currently lobbying other networks to pickup the show. In other Sci Fi TV news, CBS has announced plans for more Star Trek on its All Access service and one series could see the return of Patrick Stewart. Amazon has placed an order for an animated series based on Robert Kirman’s Invincible comic book. Lucifer writers will break up the story they originally planned for that show’s fourth season into two parts since they only have ten episodes per season to work with. You can read about those stories and more in the latest This Week in Sci Fi TV column.
Status Updates: Humans Moves to Bubble Status
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 the Cancellation Watch Page.
12 Monkeys (Syfy, Status – Final Season): This show has returned for its fourth and final season and has barely registered in the ratings. It appears that Syfy is trying to burn it off as quick as possible by airing three-hour blocks of new episodes in order to shuffle it off to a streaming run (its first three seasons are currently available on Hulu) where it has performed better.
The 100 (CW, Status – Renewed): This show returned for its fifth season posting decent numbers for The CW 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 consider that a strong likelihood.
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.
Cloak and Dagger (Freeform, Status – Renewal Possible): This show debuted with good numbers for a Freeform entry, but slipped notably in its second week. It improved slightly with its third episode and in its favor is the fact that Disney owns the network and the show and tends to stand behind its Marvel related entries at least through a second season.
Colony (USA, Status – On the Bubble): This show’s third season ratings are down by over 30% from last year, and despite some recent gains it has not been able to build its audience back much. I currently have it On the Bubble 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 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 Possible): This show has been doing well in its fourth season, but with the cast changes and the new story direction in its fourth season it seems almost like AMC is in the process of rebooting it. It returns from hiatus on August 12th and I am guessing the ratings for the second half of the season will heavily dictate its fate. I still believe it will be back for at least one more year, but I am a little less certain about that at this point.
Ghosted (FOX, Status – On the Bubble): This show had been off the schedule since January, but FOX said at the Upfronts that its remaining episodes would air in Summer and then they would decide the show’s fate. But it was slipped onto the schedule with almost no notice and aired amidst repeats of The Simpsons and Family Guy and has posted pretty poor numbers. It certainly seems to be in burn-off mode at the moment, and 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.
Humans (AMC, Status – Renewal Possible): This show returned for its third season slightly below its second season ratings average, but it appears that its fate is more heavily tied to its performance in Britain on Channel 4. However, its numbers are down over there as well according to Wikipedia, so I have moved it to Bubble status.
Into the Badlands (AMC, Status – On the Bubble): This show wrapped up the first half of its third season with ratings declines of over fifty percent from its second year and remains firmly On the Bubble. Fans should definitely make a Call to Action on the social networks to help it out and maybe bring more attention to it when it returns later this Summer.
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 it, 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.
Preacher (AMC, Status – On the Bubble): This showed returned for its third season with ratings down by 42% from last year and I already considered it on iffy ground then. I am starting it On the Bubble and fans should definitely take to the social networks if they want this one to survive to a fourth season.
Reverie (NBC, Status – Cancellation Likely): 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 and I have moved it to Cancellation Likely status. If there are any fans out there, they need to make some noise on the social nets RIGHT NOW to draw attention to the show.
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 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.
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 the success of its original programming. Apparently they are quite happy with its performance in its second season and have given the show an early renewal notice.
LAST WEEK: 12 Monkeys Returns Low, Cloak & Dagger Slips, Into the Badlands Continues to Struggle Read
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