Sci Fi TV Update: Status updates, news, and developments on sci fi and fantasy television. For breaking news, be sure to follow the Cancelled Sci Fi Twitter Site
Ratings Results of Interest:
NBC’s new sci fi entry La Brea got off to a good start on Tuesday, pulling a 0.77 rating based on same-day viewing for the 18-49 demographic with 6.2 million total viewers. It was the top-rated scripted show for the evening and held over 80% of its lead-in audience from The Voice. In the current ratings-challenged environemnt for the broadcast networks, that certainly counts as a strong launch for a scripted entry. However, sci fi shows on the broadcast nets have tended to see a quicker downward trend in their ratings after they premiere than other Prime Time offerings, especially those that follow a Lost-like formula. So we will have to see how this one tracks in the coming weeks to get a better gauge of its status. But for now, this show is at a good point. I will cover the full ratings for the week in the Tuesday edition of the Sci Fi TV Update posts. Ratings Source: ShowBuzzDaily
Digital Ratings:
And speaking of NBC sci fi shows, the one that it cancelled this past June after three seasons continues to dominate streaming viewing with its encore run. Manifest remained at the Number 1 slot for acquires shows in the Nielsen Streaming Rankings for the week of August 30th to September 5th. That show pulled in an estimated 1.1 billion minutes of viewing and was the most-watched show on streaming for the week according to Nielsen. In the Top 10 for original series, Disney+’s What If . . . ? was the lone genre entry, slipping to the Number 8 slot with 235 million minutes of viewing. Following are all the sci fi and fantasy entries on the streaming charts for the week (the number in parenthesis is the prior week rank):
Digital Ratings for the Week of Aug-30 to Sep-5
Streaming Originals
8 (7) What If (Disney+) 235 Million
Acquired Shows
1 (1) Manifest (Netflix) 1.1 Billion
8 (10) Supernatural (Netflix) 426 Million
10 (n/a) The Flash (Netflix) 336 Million
Movies
(n/a) No Genre Entries ()
Source: Nielsen SVOD Content Ratings (Amazon Prime, Disney+, Hulu, and Netflix), Nielsen National TV Panel, U.S. Viewing Through Television
Sci Fi TV Development:
As I reported in the prior Sci Fi TV Update post, a new Babylon 5 TV series is headed to The CW and it is described as a “from-the-ground-up reboot.” Creator J. Michael Straczynski is closely involved and has tried to calm the concerns of the fans of the original series. Following are some of the comments he has made about the reboot:
The network understands the uniqueness of Babylon 5 and is giving me a great deal of latitude with the storytelling . . . if I were creating Babylon 5 today, for the first time, knowing what I now know as a writer, what would it look like? How would it use all the storytelling tools and technological resources available in 2021 that were not on hand then? How can it be used to reflect the world in which we live, and the questions we are asking and confronting every day? Fans regularly point out how prescient the show was and is of our current world; it would be fun to take a shot at looking further down the road . . . Better to go the way of Westworld or Battlestar Galactica where you take the original elements that are evergreens and put them in a blender with a ton of new, challenging ideas, to create something fresh yet familiar . . . Let me conclude by just saying how supportive and enthusiastic everyone at the CW has been and is being with this project. They understand the unique position Babylon 5 occupies both in television and with its legions of fans, and are doing everything they can to ensure the maximum in creative freedom, a new story that will bring in new viewers while honoring all that has come before.
You can read the full Twitter thread at this link.
Sci Fi TV News of Note:
And yet another reboot is on the way as William Shatner’s future crime drama Tek War will be adapated as a “mixed-reality”, adult animated series. According to Deadline, “viewers will be able to participate with the show in different forms of technology via mobile, tablets or wearable devices”. The original series, based on the novels by Shatner, aired in the mid-90s . . . Netflix is working on a Raybearer TV series that will adapt the West African-inspired YA fantasy novel of the same name by Jordan Ifueko. Gina Atwater (Westworld) will helm the project and the streamer will likely be looking at 2022 to get this added to its lineup of originals. Be sure to follow r/SciFiTV for news, schedule updates, trailers, discussions, and more.
Sci Fi TV Schedule:
The CW has announced season finale dates for its 2020-21 season shows that are still airing. Riverdale will wrap up its 5th season next week on October 6th. Roswell New Mexico will have its Season 3 finale on October 11th. Stargirl will have its second season finale November 2nd. All of those shows have been renewed by the network. Finally, the series finale of Supergirl will arrive on November 9th. Next week brings the premiere of the supenatural sitcom Ghosts on CBS on Thursday and the return of Nancy Drew on The CW on Friday. The Outpost will have its series finale on Thursday on The CW, and Season 11A of AMC’s The Walking Dead will wrap up on Sunday. You can keep up with the Weekly Listings at this link and you can see the full Fall schedule of sci fi and fantasy shows at this link.
Follow our Sci Fi TV Schedule for all the currently airing and upcoming sci fi and fantasy television shows, and keep up with what is airing/streaming each week with our Weekly Listings.
