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 preliminary numbers from last night show that The CW’s Legends of Tomorrow is off to a slow start for its third season as it posted a series low 0.3 rating based on same day viewing for the 18-49 demographic with one million total viewers for its S4 debut. The CW’s numbers do tend to adjust up, especially when sports air on the same evening, so its possible that could end at a 0.4 score when the finals come in this afternoon. In any case, I don’t believe the show is in trouble because this is the one that can pick up characters from other Arrow-verse shows if the network decides to start trimming down on those. But we will see how it tracks in the coming week.s
Leading in to the LoT Season 4 debut, Arrow held steady at a 0.4 rating with with 1.2 million total viewers. I am expecting that one could end this season or next and characters from that show could potentially join LoT. Over on NBC, Manifest slipped again as it posted a 1.4 rating with 7.3 million total viewers. But it is still one of the top shows on the broadcast networks and it just got an order for three more episodes, so it is safe for now.
On Sunday, AMC’s The Walking Dead slipped a little bit more in the ratings as it reached a new series low of a 1.9 score with five million total viewers. I still believe that one is safe this season, but I am not certain how much longer it will stick around after that which I discuss in more detail at this link. The curious onlooker effect appears to have passed for Doctor Who as it slipped to a 0.25 rating with 808K total viewers for its third Season 11 episode. But that show is in no danger of being cancelled anytime soon. Over on Disney, Star Wars: Resistance slipped back to a 0.08 rating with 397K total viewers, but if its merchandising is bringing in enough money it should be okay.
On Friday, Syfy’s Z Nation took a pretty big drop to a series low 0.10 rating with 365K total viewers. I still believe it will get at least one more season, but my stance on that is getting more tenuous by the week. In the lead-out hour, Van Helsing also slipped, pulling only a 0.09 rating with 386K total viewers. If it does not rebound with its next episode, it will be going On the Bubble.
The Wednesday and Thursday genre entries stayed mostly in expected ranges, but on Tuesday both of The CW shows took a drop. The Flash slipped to a 0.7 rating with 1.7 million total viewers while Black Lightning slipped to a 0.3 rating with one million total viewers. The former series is in no immediate danger because it is the top-rated show on the network. But Black Lightning might be shifting to Bubble status if it continues to slip. FOX’s The Gifted also had a notable drop on that night which I go into in more detail at this link.
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 | Other
News Roundup: Netflix and Marvel have followed up their cancellation announcement of Iron Fist with a surprise cancellation of Luke Cage. CBS has ordered nine more episodes of God Friended Me and NBC has ordered three more episodes of Manifest. Stephen Amell has claimed that the seventh season of Arrow may not be its last because he is contracted to play the character for another year. Netflix has renewed its animated comedy Disenchantment for two more seasons which will bring it to a total of four.
Status Updates: The Gifted Is Fall’s First Bubble Entry
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.
Arrow (CW, Status – Renewal Possible): This show has returned down a bit from last year’s numbers and it is almost certainly looking at wrapping up sooner rather than later. Whether it comes back for an eighth season depends on how The CW decides to proceed with its Arrow-verse shows.
Black Lightning (CW, Status – Renewal Likely): The numbers are down for this show in its second year and it will not have too many episodes under its belt by season end. The CW prefers to renew shows rather than cancel them, but with the waning popularity of its superhero entries, this one could be the first casualty if its ratings continue to slip.
Charmed (CW, Status – Renewal Possible): The CW might have hoped that this would have been their next big thing, but the early ratings are not that good. Still, it is performing quite well in its highly competitive Sunday night timeslot and should charm its way to a second season if it does not slip too much.
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. The number has slipped now that the curious onlooker effect has passed, but expect this show to stick around for several more years.
The Flash (CW, Status – Renewal Likely): The momentum for this one has slowed some with its continued ratings declines, but it is still the network’s top-rated show and it should race right into a sixth season.
The Gifted (FOX, Status – Renewal Possible): This show is at series low numbers and it is not getting the same lift from delayed viewing that it was seeing last year. FOX owns the show and it is part of the X-Men franchise, but at these levels it has to be counted as On the Bubble and fans should take to the social networks to try and give it a boost.
God Friended Me (CBS, Status – Renewal Possible): This show is doing quite well for CBS on highly competitive Sundays and has ranked in the Top 25 based on total viewers each week. If it can continue to post good total viewers stats (older-skewing CBS tends to give more weight to those numbers), 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.
Legends of Tomorrow (CW, Status – Renewal Possible): This show has started out its fourth season at series low levels, but I believe it is still safe for now. This is the one that can pick up characters from other Arrow-verse shows if the network decides to start trimming down on those. Plus, once a show gets through its third season on this network it usually sticks around for at least 70 episodes (it will be just shy of that at the end of this year), meaning LoT probably has another year or so left.
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 ratings average, then it will almost certainly fly right into a second 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 of 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.
Riverdale (CW, Status – Renewal Likely): This show has returned about on par with last year’s numbers and it tends to get plenty of attention on the social networks. It also performs very well in its encore runs on Netflix and is on the verge of the syndication stretch. Expect it to be back for at least one more season if not more.
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 are on the low side, 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 if it sells enough toys.
Supergirl (CW, Status – Renewal Possible): This show returned close to last season’s average and has also done quite well for The CW’s first foray into Sunday night programming in a decade, especially considering how competitive that night is. If it doesn’t drop too much in the coming weeks, and if the network remains committed to its Arrow-verse shows, this one should soar into a fifth season.
Supernatural (CW, Status – Renewal Possible): This venerable genre entry has returned even with its average from last season and it remains one of the better-rated shows on The CW. The network boss has already said that this one will continue as long as the lead actors want to stay with the show, so whether it has a fifteenth season is largely up to them.
Van Helsing (Syfy, Status – Renewal Possible): This show’s numbers dropped notably with the latest episode and will find itself in trouble if they do not rebound. Since it is a third year show not owned by Syfy (the network tends to cancel those, more on that at this link), it needs to keep its numbers at least at or above the prior-season levels (it is currently below that) and fans need to make some noise on the social networks supporting it.
The Walking Dead (AMC, Status – Renewal Likely): This show is now down to series low levels and its ratings woes have caused AMC’s stock to slip. It is still one of the highest-rated series on television, but network bosses won’t like the fact that it is dragging down the stock prices. It won’t be cancelled this year, but it may be ending sooner rather than later which I look at in more detail at this link.
Z Nation (Syfy, Status – Renewal Possible): This show has slipped to series low levels, but it may still be on track for renewal. It is inexpensive to produce and a sixth season gets it to a good episode count for a syndication run, though, so it could stick around another year. But fans should probably take to the social networks to show some support and to boost attention.
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