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: There May Be No Salvation for Salvation
Last Monday, CBS’s pre-apocalyptic series Salvation returned for its second season but could only manage a 0.4 rating based on same day viewing in the 18-49 demographic with 3.4 million total viewers. That rating matches the series low from its first season and puts the show’s future in doubt. It has a streaming deal with Amazon which may make it profitable upfront, but those ratings are certainly an eyesore to the network executives and they may want more viewers watching live during the hour (as broadcast nets continue to hold on to old school thinking). I am starting this one out On the Bubble and will likely leave it there unless we get a clear sign that the network is giving up on the show like shuffling it to a Saturday timeslot.
On Tuesday, Humans improved slightly to a 0.09 rating, but those numbers are very low and its viewership has been down across the Atlantic as well, so it remains On the Bubble. On Wednesday, USA’s Colony slipped to a 0.15 rating with 704K total viewers on Wednesday. That show had trended up from its earlier season numbers the last few weeks, but dropped with its latest episode and remains firmly On the Bubble as its year-over-year ratings are down notably. Over on Syfy The Expanse had a 0.19 rating for the first part of its two-hour finale but slipped to a 0.14 in the second hour. That one will be moving to Amazon, though, where it will not be gauged by the outdated same day viewing metric. On NBC, Reverie remained at a 0.4 rating with 1.8 million total viewers and it looks like it will be one-season-and-done.
On Thursday, Freeform’s Cloak and Dagger slipped to a 0.15 rating with 509K total viewers. That definitely has the show in iffy territory, though Disney owns it and the network it airs on so that should help its prospects. But if it slips any further, it will be moving to Bubble status. On Friday, Syfy’s 12 Monkeys slipped to a 0.06 rating across its three-episode block with 291K total viewers as it airs out its final season. On Sunday, AMC’s Preacher slipped to a 0.19 rating with 768K total viewers as that show remains very much On the Bubble.
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, FOX announced that its supernatural comedy Ghosted will not be returning for a second season. Timeless co-creator Shawn Ryan has indicated that a third season of the show will not happen on another network, but there is still a slight chance for a two-hour movie wrap up. In Sci Fi TV News, Showtime has placed a ten-episode order for a live-action Halo series. Patrick Stewart could return to the role of Captain Jean-Luc Picard in an animated series on CBS All Access. The DC Universe streaming channel is prepping for a Fall startup and has announced its lineup of original and classic programming. You can read about those stories and more in the latest This Week in Sci Fi TV column.
Status Updates: Cloak and Dagger Continues to Slip
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 it has slipped quite a bit since then. 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. But if the ratings keep falling, their stance may waver.
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 – Cancelled): Apparently FOX’s claims that they would give this show a chance to prove itself in Summer were not entirely true. It was slipped on the schedule with almost no notice and aired amidst repeats. Not surprisingly, the ratings were low and the network pulled the plug after only a few weeks. It still has a few more episodes to air, but at this point the few fans out there may have to wait for the home video release because the show has been removed from the schedule.
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.
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.
Salvation (CBS, Status – On the Bubble): This show has returned with ratings that are low even for a Summer entry. It has a streaming deal that likely makes it profitable for the network, but CBS may prefer to fill the hour with something that will draw more viewers watching live. I am starting it out On the Bubble and will likely keep it there until we hear word on the show’s fate.
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.
LAST WEEK: Preacher Returns Low, Humans Could Be in Trouble Read
Sci Fi Frontiers is a collaborative website for lovers of sci fi, fantasy, and horror. We welcome you to join our community and contribute articles, fiction, films, comics, artwork and more and/or promote your genre projects. Find out how to join at this link.
