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: The Purge Starts Off Well
Last week was the first week of the Fall season and it got off to a good start for the USA Network. The “event series” The Purge bowed on Tuesday with a 0.55 rating based on same day viewing for the 18-49 demographic with 1.4 million total viewers. Those may not be spectacular numbers, but still pretty good for a cable show these days–especially considering it went up against the premiere of the Sons of Anarchy spin-off on FX–and it was the fourth highest rated among the cable entries for the night. This week’s ratings will determine how much of that was driven by the curious-onlooker effect, though. Well-known properties that move to television often have good debut numbers, but also often see those drop with subsequent episodes. USA is currently billing The Purge as “10-Episode Television Event”, but if the ratings are strong enough they will almost certainly bring it back for another ten episodes or more. If the numbers drop off, though, they can say it was never intended to go beyond the initial run and effectively cancel it without actually cancelling it. The debut was also simulcast on Syfy, and that airing drew a 0.12 rating with 368K total viewers. The finale will also run on Syfy, but not the episodes in between.
On Sunday, TNT’s The Last Ship returned for its fifth season but posted a series low 0.24 rating with 1.3 million total viewers. That show is in its final season. Over on AMC, Fear the Walking Dead rebounded from its Labor Day Weekend series low and posted a 0.57 rating with 1.7 million total viewers. That is still down from its last non-holiday-weekend episode, though, and has the show continuing on its downward trend. It has already been renewed for a fifth season.
On Friday, Syfy’s Wynonna Earp dropped a bit to a 0.11 rating with 496K total viewers, but that one has already been renewed for a fourth season. Killjoys improved slightly to a 0.10 rating with 482K total viewers and that one will be coming back for a fifth and final season. Cinemax is now counting new eps of Outcast as repeats (they did already air in Europe) and no ratings data is being collected on them. But then that show appears to be cancelled in all but name at this point.
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
What’s to watch on the Streaming Services? Click on the following links for a comprehensive list of the Sci Fi TV Shows available on Netflix | Prime Video | Hulu
News Roundup: Doctor Who will be moving to Sundays at 9 PM EST with its eleventh season this Fall. That show has its debut on October 7th. The new Firefly comic book from Boom! Studios will be coming out in November and will follow the adventures of Mal and Zoe during the Unification War. Henry Cavil has been cast in the lead role of Geralt of Rivia in Netflix’s upcoming fantasy series The Witcher. The ‘USS Callister’ episode of Netflix’s Black Mirror picked up three Emmy’s and the team behind that has said that they would love to do a spin-off series.
Status Updates: Iron Fist Strikes Harder with Its Second Season
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.
Fear the Walking Dead (AMC, Status – Renewed): After getting off to a strong start in its fourth season, the ratings have been on a downward trend for this one, but AMC still renewed it for a fifth year. That does not come as a huge surprise because it is still one of the highest rated cable shows, and the network is likely targeting at least six seasons total for this one to get it to a syndication friendly count of episodes.
Humans (AMC, Status – On the Bubble): This show’s numbers have been down in its third season, and AMC kicked the show out of Prime Time to the 11 PM hour; never a good sign. Its fate is more closely tied to how it is performing in Britain on Channel 4, but its numbers are down over there as well according to Wikipedia. I have moved it to Bubble status and will keep it there until we hear final word on its fate.
Into the Badlands (AMC, Status – On the Bubble): This show wrapped up the first half of its third season in June and there is still no word on when it will be back, leading me to wonder if AMC has given up on it (more on that at this link). Its ratings are down over fifty percent from its second year and it remains firmly On the Bubble at this point. Fans should definitely make a Call to Action on the social networks to show that it has a loyal following.
Iron Fist (Syfy, Status – Renewal Possible): This show had its second season debut last week and the reviews have been much better than the tepid response from the first season. I have not seen any viewership numbers, but consider this one a good candidate for a second season renewal at this point, and/or a possible Luke Cage and Iron Fist team-up series that draws from their partnership in the comics.
Killjoys (Syfy, Status – Renewed): This show has returned for its fourth year at series low ratings levels, averaging viewership of less than half of what it saw in its third season. It has already been renewed through a fifth and final season, though, so it should at least have the opportunity to wrap up its storylines.
The Last Ship (TNT, Status – Final Season): This show has had a decent run for TNT, but its numbers have dropped off the last couple of years. The network did decide to bring it back for a fifth and final season to give it a chance to wrap up its storylines.
Outcast (MAX, Status – Cancellation Likely): By all appearances, this show appears to be in burn-off mode. The second season already aired in Europe over a year ago and the contracts for the actors have lapsed. The network has indicated that if viewership is strong enough for the second season in the U.S. that they could try to get the cast back, but the show is barely registering in the ratings so it appears to be done.
The Outpost (CW, Status – On the Bubble): The debut numbers for this one were low even for a CW series, but as an acquisition to fill up space on the Summer schedule it’s not necessarily doomed. If it does well internationally and if it does not cost the network too much, it could be back for another season.
The Purge (USA, Status – Renewal Possible): The debut numbers for this show were good, but that might have included a lot of curious onlookers from the movie franchise. The numbers going forward will better determine where this show stands. USA has billed this one as a “10-Episode Television Event”, but if the ratings are good enough, they will definitely extend that.
Preacher (AMC, Status – On the Bubble): This show has wrapped its third season with ratings down by close to 40% from last year and I already considered it on iffy ground then. I have 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 has wrapped up its first season and is now awaiting word on its fate. It was originally planned for a mid-season start, but was pushed on the schedule suggesting that the network lost faith in it. Its numbers were pretty low even for a Summer entry, and it didn’t seem to generate much activity on the social networks. 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, otherwise it seems certainly set for a date with the Network Executioner.
Salvation (CBS, Status – On the Bubble): This show’s numbers remain low as do it chances of surviving to a third season. 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 consider it firmly On the Bubble and will likely keep it there until we hear word on the show’s fate.
Wynonna Earp (Syfy, Status – Renewed): This show has returned even with its prior year ratings and it received a fourth year renewal notice during Comic-Con. It is one of the few shows not experiencing year-over-year declines, but fans should definitely remain active on the social networks to help expand the audience beyond its cult following.
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