Weekly Roundup: The Watch Starts Soft, Doctor Who Holiday Special Holds Steady, and More

Weekly Roundup: 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 throughout the week, be sure to follow the Cancelled Sci Fi Twitter Site

Ratings Results of Interest

On Sunday, BBC America’s new fantasy series The Watch had its debut but posted only a 0.05 rating based on same-day viewing for the 18-49 demographic with 274K total viewers.  Those are not disastrous numbers for that cable net, but definitely on the low side.  It did premiere on a particularly competitive night, and perhaps it will do better when it is not running against NFL games.  I’ll keep an eye on how this one tracks over the coming weeks.

On Friday, the Doctor Who holiday special posted a 0.15 rating based on the demo with 652K total viewers.  That is even with its ratings average from its twelfth season and it should return for its thirteenth season later this year.  Only two other genre entries aired new episodes this past week with The CW’s The Outpost pulling a 0.05 rating and 290K viewers for its mid-season finale and HBO’s His Dark Materials earning a 0.05 score with 347K for its second season finale.  The former will return with new eps in Summer and the latter has been renewed for a third season.

Below are the linear numbers for all the sci fi and fantasy entries from the past week. You can see more detailed ratings info for the week at this link.  Be sure to follow the Cancelled Sci Fi Twitter Site for the latest results and breaking news.  For more info on what the ratings mean and how I use them to gauge the status of a show, check out our Cancelled Sci Fi FAQ Page.  Ratings Source: ShowBuzzDaily

Ratings Results for the Week of 12/28/20

Sci Fi TV News of Note

Jodie Whittaker could be leaving Doctor Who after its thirteenth season according to rumors reported by The Mirror.  There has been no confirmation of the rumors, but the BBC has also refused to deny that the actress could be on her way out . . . There are currently no plans for a third installment of Netflix’s season-long horror anthology The Haunting according to creator Mike Flanagan.  That series started with The Haunting of Hill House and was followed by The Haunting Bly Manor, but a third season is not in the queue at this point . . . The filming of Star Trek: Picard Season 2 has been pushed back to February due to the challenges in the current pandemic environment. That could delay the show’s premiere to late 2021 or possibly even early 2022.  Be sure to follow r/SciFiTV for news, schedule updates, trailers, discussions, and more.

Status Updates of Interest

For the status updates on all of the currently airing shows plus those awaiting word on their fate, go to this link.

The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (Netflix, Streaming Part 4, Status – Cancelled): This show has proven popular for Netflix, but that service does not have much interest in keeping its non-animated originals going more than about four seasons.  Whether fans will lobby for this one to move to another venue (most likely The CW as this was originally considered a spin-off from Riverdale), remains to be seen.

Lovecraft Country (HBO Max, 1st Season Ended, Status – Renewal Possible): The ratings for this show were decent if not spectacular in its first season, and it surely makes up some slack with digital and delayed viewing as well as encore runs. There has been no word on a second season yet, but it has been getting some good buzz and potential Emmy attention, so HBO should have an interest in this one returning to the schedule.

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