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: Last Monday, NBC’s Manifest slipped to its lowest ratings yet as it pulled a 1.2 score based on same day viewing for the 18-49 demographic with 5.6 million total viewers. The show seems to be following a similar path to other Lost-like entries like FlashFoward and The Event which started out strong but saw their numbers slip throughout their first seasons. But the television landscape is different these days and Manifest continues to rank in the Top 5 shows based on Live+7 delayed viewing, so I believe it is still doing okay. The numbers could drop further over the next couple of weeks as we head into the holiday time, but if this one rebounds at mid-season then it should still be cleared for a second season landing.
This past Sunday, AMC’s The Walking Dead slipped just a little for its first post-Rick Grimes episode as it posted a 2.0 rating in the demo with 5.4 million total viewers. Starz’s Outlander slipped to a series low 0.13 rating with 870K total viewers but that one performs better in digital and delayed viewing and has already been renewed through its sixth season. TNT’s The Last Ship had a 0.19 rating with 1.1 million total viewers for its final episode. And Disney’s Star Wars: Resistance improved to a 0.10 rating with 412K total viewers. On the broadcast nets, God Friended Me improved to a 1.0 rating with 7.9 million total viewers for CBS. And both The CW’s Supergirl and Charmed posted a 0.3 rating, but they are safe for now.
On Friday, Syfy’s Z Nation improved slightly to a 0.12 rating with 457K total viewers and I’m still thinking that one may get at least one more season to get it to a syndication friendly count of episodes. Van Helsing dropped to a 0.08 rating with 416K total viewers and the red flags are going up on that one. I have been on the verge of moving that one to the Bubble the last few weeks and now I am officially pushing it to that status. Now is the Call to Action time for fans of that show as they need to take to the social networks to support it. Over on NBC, Midnight, Texas remained low at a 0.4 rating with 1.9 million total viewers. That’s another show that needs support from its fans on the social nets.
On Thursday, The CW’s Supernatural and Legacies both dropped to a 0.3 rating, but they should be okay for now. On Wednesday, IFC’s Stan Against Evil improved slightly to a 0.04 rating with 94K total viewers. That may be enough for that network, but we will see how the show tracks in the coming weeks. On Tuesday, The Gifted improved to a 0.7 rating with with 2.3 million total viewers airing against election coverage. It needs to get those numbers higher, though, if it wants to get off the Bubble. Over on USA, The Purge had a 0.36 rating with one million total viewers for its first season finale. That one has been renewed for a second year.
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: As expected, NBC has cancelled its low-rated Summer series Reverie after one season. Also as expected, USA has renewed its freshman series The Purge for a second season after that one performed well in the ratings in Fall. The CW has given additional episode orders to its new shows Charmed and Legacies largely on the strength of their digital viewing. That network has also announced its mid-season schedule which will see Black Lightning move to Mondays after Arrow, and Roswell, New Mexico get the lead-out hour from The Flash on Tuesdays. Legends of Tomorrow will be on break until April. You can see the return dates for all The CW shows at our mid-season schedule page. In development news, a Star Wars: Rogue One prequel series is in the works, Grant Morrison is bringing The Invisibles to television, and Netflix has ordered five new Anime series. You can read about those and more development at this link.
Status Updates: Van Helsing Is Now Officially On the Bubble
Below are the status updates for 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 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 Possible): 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 remain low.
Channel Zero (Syfy, Status – Cancellation Likely): By all appearances, this one looks to be a dead show walking. Its ratings have been on a continual decline across its four seasons, and Syfy burned off the fourth year episodes across six consecutive nights outside of Prime Time. The show has stirred up some good buzz and has picked up a small but loyal following, but Syfy has been in the cancelling business of late and it looks like this one could be the next to fall. Fans could try to make some noise on the social nets to see if another venue might be interested in picking the show up, though.
Charmed (CW, Status – Renewal Possible): The same day ratings for this show may not be great on highly competitive Sunday nights, but it is one of the most watched shows in digital viewing on the network’s website and app. Since The CW has better adapted to the 21st century than the other broadcast nets, it factors online viewing more heavily into its model. This show has received a full season order and should be on track to charm its way into a second season.
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 numbers have slipped now that the curious onlooker effect has passed, but word is that production has already begun on a twelfth season so 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’s numbers in the 18-49 demo have slipped of late (though they were up with its latest episode), but it continues to rank in the Top 25 based on total viewers each week. It has received a full season pickup, and 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 holds around its current levels, 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.
Legacies (CW, Status – Renewal Possible): This one has not gotten off to a great start based same day ratings, but it is one of the most watched shows in digital viewing on the network’s website and app. Since The CW has adapted to the 21st century better than the other broadcast nets, it factors online viewing more heavily into its model. Legacies has received an order of three more episodes (shorter than the usual Back 9 because production got off to a late start) and seems to be on track for a second season renewal.
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), and one more full season gets it to a syndication friendly count of episodes.
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, though it has seen those drop since then. It continues to see a notable lift from delayed viewing, though, and if it does not drop much further from its current same day ratings then it should be on course for a second season renewal.
Midnight Texas (NBC, Status – On the Bubble): This show performed relatively well for a Summer entry when it debuted in July of last year, but shifting it to Fridays in Fall has done it no favors. It has started out as one of the network’s lowest rated shows and I have placed it On the Bubble. I know this one had a pretty dedicated fanbase in its first season, so they need to make some noise on the social nets if they want it to stick around.
Outlander (Starz, Status – Renewed): This show has returned down in its fourth season, but Starz pays less attention to the same day viewing and more to the total airings for the week plus online viewing. This is an established franchise for the network that performs well overseas and it has already been renewed through a sixth season.
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.
The Purge (USA, Status – Renewed): The debut numbers for this show were good, and it did not suffer too much from the loss of curious onlookers after the first episode. As expected, its “10-Episode Television Event” has been extended to a second season.
Reverie (NBC, Status – Cancelled): As expected, this show has been cancelled by NBC. 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 or develop much of a following.
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.
Stan Against Evil (IFC, Status – Renewal Possible): This show has returned down from last year’s numbers, but it may still be doing well enough to an IFC entry. Fans might want to take to the social nets and show some support, though.
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 – On the Bubble): This show’s numbers are down notably in its third season and I have now officially moved it to Bubble status. Since it is a low-rated 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 (though it got a boost with its latest episode) 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 relatively inexpensive to produce and a sixth season gets it to a good episode count for a syndication run, 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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