The Fall season is winding down now and several sci fi and fantasy shows look like they could become victims of the Peak TV crunch. But the networks are starting to understand that the old school Nielsen ratings no longer accurately reflect the full viewership for their shows, and that offers an opportunity for fans to step up and show their support in ways that the networks will notice. Last year we saw FOX’s Lucifer and Syfy’s The Expanse saved by the streaming services (Netflix and Amazon respectively) after fans took to the social networks (and more) to support those shows. So it appears that an active and engaged fanbase can influence the fate of a show if they rally together.
Since the vast majority of us are not members of the Nielsen elite, watching live does very little to help out our shows. But if we are active on the social networks, especially when an episode has its live broadcast, those stats are counted. Live tweeting along with continued social network activity throughout the week helps get a show trending and brings more attention to it. I also believe that digital viewing helps (it definitely does for CW shows) because the networks see those numbers without the filter of Nielsen sampling. And buying the season pass to a show from Amazon, iTunes, etc. could help as well because that goes straight to the bottom line. I go into more detail on what fans can do to help their shows at our Call to Action page which also includes tips for how to put together a Save My Show campaign. And you can also vote in our Fall poll for the shows you believe should be renewed.
Below is the current list of the shows that could use a Call to Action from fans. One has already been cancelled and some of these are definitely verging on a date with the Network Executioner. Others are looking weak in their ratings performance and could use a boost of support from fans. If you have an active campaign for any of these shows, let us know in the comments below, on Twitter, or CancelledSciFi [at] Gmail [dot] com and we will include the information and help promote it.
Vote to Save Iron Fist, The Gifted, Van Helsing, Legends of Tomorrow, Daredevil, Channel Zero and More in Our Fall Poll
Black Lightning (CW, Status: Renewal Possible) The CW likes to renew shows rather than cancel them, but this one is down in the ratings in its second season and it is not actually part of the Arrow-verse, so it can’t get any crossover help from those shows. I don’t consider this one On the Bubble just yet, but it’s not far and a show of support from the fans (plus watching online because The CW pays attention to those numbers) could definitely give it a boost.
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. But if fans were to take to the social networks and show some support, perhaps another venue might be interested in picking this up this sleeper anthology series.
Daredevil (Netflix, Status: Renewal Possible) Netflix has already cancelled Iron Fist and Luke Cage and word is that viewership for Daredevil‘s third season was down notably. The streaming service may be in the process of purging its Marvel shows, but they could always shift over to the upcoming Disney service. A campaign is already in place to help this show with plans for weekly tweet storms on Fridays starting on November 30th. You can find out more about that at the RenewDaredevil.com website as well as their twitter site. [Update: this show has been cancelled by Netflix.]
The Gifted (FOX, Status: On the Bubble) This show’s numbers are down by over 30% this season and it has not been getting the same lift from delayed viewing that it saw last year. This is part of the X-Men franchise and FOX does own the show, but it is one of the network’s lowest rated this season and it is pretty expensive to produce. Fans definitely need to get active supporting this one otherwise it could succumb to the greatest super villain of them all: the Network Executioner.
Iron Fist (Netflix, Status: Cancelled) This show received bad reviews for its first season, but the second season–which debuted in early September–was better received by fans and critics. But apparently viewership was down notably and Netflix decided to give the show the ax. Fans have started an online petition to save the show, and there is a chance that this one could move over to the new Disney streaming service. The petition is currently approaching 35K signatures, but I believe it needs much more plus a boost on the social networks. There is also an online petition to bring back Luke Cage which was cancelled by Netflix after its Summer run.
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
Legends of Tomorrow (CW, Status: Renewal Possible) This show’s numbers are down by 38% from last year, which is a little be concerning. I’m thinking this one will get at least one more season to get it to a syndication friendly count of episodes, and the network could also use it to fold in some of the other Arrow-verse characters if it decides to trim down those shows next year. But supporting the show on the social nets and especially watching it online could definitely go a long way toward boosting it to a fifth season.
Midnight Texas (NBC, Status: Cancellation Likely) This show did pretty well for NBC when it debuted in Summer of 2017 and apparently the network thought moving it to the regular season on Fridays would tap into the audience that tuned into Grimm in the same timeslot for six years. Sadly, that hasn’t quite worked out and this one is currently the network’s lowest rated show. Midnight, Texas had some notable support on the social nets during its first season and those fans need to come out now en masse, otherwise the clock will be striking midnight on this one.
Stan Against Evil (IFC, Status: Renewal Possible) The numbers were down a bit for this show in its third season, but it may still be doing well enough for an IFC entry. Still, a show of support on the social networks could definitely help improve the chances that Stan lives on to fight evil another year.
Van Helsing (Syfy, Status: On the Bubble) This show’s numbers are down notably in its third season and it finds itself in a rather precarious position. It is a low-rated third year show not owned by Syfy, and that network tends to cancel those (more on that at this link). This one had a lot of fan support on the social nets in its first and second seasons, though I haven’t seen as much activity this year. If the fans rally, this one could escape the third season curse just like Wynonna Earp did this past Summer. But they need to get active RIGHT NOW before Syfy pushes the speed dial button for the Network Executioner.
Z Nation (Syfy, Status: Renewal Possible) Like Van Helsing (see above), this show’s numbers are down notably this year (and it is also not owned by Syfy). But it is a relatively inexpensive show to produce and one more season gets it to a syndication friendly count of episodes. I’m thinking it has at least one more year in it, but a boost from fans on the social networks could definitely help its prospects.
i hope they renew midnight texas. i love this show .