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: Manifest Drops a Bit, The Walking Dead Drops a Lot
Last week was a busy one with quite a number of premieres, but I will get started off with the numbers from last night (Monday) which are hot off the presses. NBC’s Manifest slipped just a bit in its third week to a 1.7 rating based on same day viewing for the 18-49 demographic with 7.8 million total viewers. That is still a very good rating for the broadcast networks these days and as long as this show holds at or above a 1.5 score then it almost certainly should be cleared for landing for a second season.
On Sunday, AMC’s The Walking Dead returned for its new season, but only managed a 2.5 rating based on the demo with 6.1 million total viewers. That’s over a 50% drop from its Season 8 premier and 27% down from its Season 8 finale. That’s also the lowest rating the show has seen since its second season, so the current year’s change of direction is doing nothing to stop the Walking Dexit. Still, a 2.5 rating is damn good in the Peak TV era and will keep this as one of the top-rated shows on television. I expect it still has several more years before it wraps up which I will discuss in more detail in an upcoming post.
Doctor Who had its eleventh season premiere on Sunday, introducing Jodie Whitakker as the Doctor, and that posted a 0.45 rating with 1.4 million total viewers for BBC America. That ratings score is in line with the Season 10 premiere and the total viewers are a bit higher. The episode aired at 1:45 PM EST because it was a global simulcast, so it might have pulled higher numbers in the evening. Over in Britain, the premiere pulled in over eight million total viewers making it the best season opening among the past four Doctors.
Over on the Disney Channel, the new animated series Star Wars: Resistance only managed a 0.08 rating with 336K total viewers for its premiere. Those aren’t great numbers, but they are not terrible either. Animated shows like this tend to live and die more on their merchandising, so this one could stick around a few seasons. On CBS, God Friended Me dropped with its second episode to a 0.9 rating with 8.4 million total viewers, but it did not have the advantage of a boost from football. It should still land in the Top 25 for the week based on total viewers and that could keep it going.
On Friday, Syfy’s Z Nation returned for its fifth season and posted a 0.18 rating with 542K total viewers. That is slightly above its fourth season average and if it can hold around that level it should be on track for a sixth season renewal. In the lead-out hour, Van Helsing returned for its third season posting a 0.11 rating with 390K total viewers. That is below its second season average and if it does not improve next week it will be going On the Bubble. On Thursday, NBC’s The Good Place slipped to a 0.9 rating with three million total viewers, but it should still be okay at that level.
On Tuesday, FOX’s The Gifted slipped to a 0.7 rating with 2.3 million total viewers which puts that one into iffy territory. If it can rebound next week and/or if it can make it into the Top 25 based on Live+7 viewing (haven’t seen those numbers yet), it may still be okay. Over on USA The Purge slipped to a 0.35 rating with 928K total viewers. It may have taken a hit from the baseball playoffs which led cable programming for the night, so we will see if it rebounds this week. Over on The CW, The Outpost went out with a whimper, only managing a 0.1 rating with 587K total viewers for its season finale.
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
The Fall 2018 Season is upon us and brings more than forty new and returning sci fi and fantasy television shows. See our full rundown of the shows at this link and the full schedule at this link.
News Roundup: As expected, Cinemax has officially cancelled its supernatural drama Outcast now that it has wrapped up its low-rated second season. DC Universe has renewed its upcoming live-action series Titans ahead of its Season 1 premiere. Development announcements continue to roll out as Amazon has ordered a series based on Robert Jordan’s The Wheel of Time books, and Netflix has plans to make movies and series based on C.S. Lewis’ Narnia books.
Status Updates: The Gifted Is Off to a Slow Start
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.
American Horror Story (FX, Status – Renewed): This show has returned with decent debut numbers for its eighth season and remains one of the highest rated cable shows on television. FX has already renewed it through its tenth season and could keep it around longer if it continues to draw strong viewership.
Doctor Who (BBCA, Status – Renewal Likely): This show is off to a strong start with the thirteenth Doctor (played by Jodie Whitakker) drawing in plenty of viewers to see the first female lead for the series. Expect the numbers to drop after the curious onlooker effect passes, but also expect this show to stick around for several more years.
The Gifted (FOX, Status – Renewal Possible): The ratings are not tracking strong for this show early in the season, but it tends to do better in delayed viewing. If it can make it into the Top 25 based on the Live+7 numbers (we haven’t seen those yet), then it might be okay.
God Friended Me (CBS, Status – Renewal Possible): This show slipped some for its second episode, but it did not have a boost from NFL. It should still rank in the Top 25 based on total viewers, and if it can stay there then it may survive to a second season.
The Good Place (NBC, Status – Renewal Possible): This show returned down from its second season average, but it is still doing well enough for an NBC show on Thursday nights. If it does not slip too much, it should be okay.
Humans (AMC, Status – On the Bubble): This show’s numbers were down in its third season, and AMC kicked it 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.
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.
MacGyver (CBS, Status – Renewal Likely): This show has returned down from last year’s numbers, but that likely will not matter. It is owned by CBS and it will have three full seasons after this year, so it is worth it to the network to keep it going at least one more season to get it to the episode threshold the syndication market prefers. Also, it plugs up and hour on low-viewership Fridays.
Manifest (NBC, Status – Renewal Possible): This one pulled very strong numbers for its series premiere and has experienced only a modest drop since then. If it can hold at or above a 1.5 rating, then it will almost certainly fly right into a second season.
Outcast (MAX, Status – Cancelled): As expected, this show has been cancelled by Cinemax after two low-rated seasons. More on that at this link.
The Outpost (CW, Status – On the Bubble): The numbers for this one have been 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, and it has not suffered too much from the loss curious onlookers after the first episode. USA has billed this one as a “10-Episode Television Event”, but if the ratings hold around current levels the network may 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 remained low through its now completed second season as do it chances of surviving to a third year. 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 as we wait to hear word on the show’s fate.
Star Wars Resistance (Disney, Status – Renewal Possible): This show’s numbers were pretty low for its debut, but then animated series tend to live and die more by their merchandising than overnight ratings results. This one could stick around for a few seasons.
Van Helsing (Syfy, Status – Renewal Possible): This show has returned slightly down from its second season average which is not good considering it was already a marginal performer last year. Unless it improves with its next episode, I will likely be shifting this one to Bubble status, especially considering it is a third year show not owned by Syfy (the network tends to cancel those, more on that in an upcoming post).
The Walking Dead (AMC, Status – Renewal Likely): This show has experienced a notable drop from last season’s numbers, but it is still one of the highest-rated series on television. The zombie rot will take its toll at some point, but expect this one to stick around for at least a few more years.
Z Nation (Syfy, Status – Renewal Possible): This show has returned for its fifth season with numbers slightly higher than its fourth year average. It is inexpensive to produce and a sixth season gets it to a good episode count for a syndication run, so I would bet on it sticking around for another year at this point.
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