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:
There is not much in the way of ratings numbers as shows are starting to wrap up their Fall seasons, but The CW still has a few genre entries airing. On Tuesday, The Flash improved to a 0.17 rating based on same-day viewing for the 18-49 demographic with 725K total viewers. That remains the top-rated genre-show for the network and it appears to be on track for ninth season renewal. In the lead-out hour, Riverdale ticked up to a 0.07 rating with 267K total viewers. The numbers have been down for that one this season, but it should at least get a seventh and final year to wrap up its storylines. On Monday, 4400 improved to a 0.08 rating with 343K total viewers. Since it airs on The CW, I am expecting it to get a second season renewal. The full numbers for this week will be included in the Tuesday Sci Fi TV Update post.
Digital Ratings:
Nielsen has not updated its streaming rankings yet this week, but Netflix has put out its most recent Top 10 List. For its English-language originals for the week of November 29th to Devember 5th, Lost in Space Season 3 topped the charts in its premiere week with 47.4 million hours viewed. The first season of the show was also in the Top 10 and Number 4 with 20.9 million hours viewed. Arcane slipped to Number 5 in its fourth week of release with 18.2 million hours viewed. And Cowboy Bebop slipped to Number 9 with 15.3 million hours viewers. Among non-English-language shows, Hellbound slipped to Number 3 in its third week of release with 22.4 million hours viewed. While Elves improved to Number 4 with 17.9 million hours viewed.
Cancellation Announcement:
Netflix has cancelled its live-action reboot of Cowboy Bebop after one season. It premiered at Number 6 in the streamer’s weekly Top 10 with 21.6 million hours viewed and then improved in its second week to Number 2 with nearly 40 million hours viewed. But as mentioned above, it slipped towards the bottom rungs in the most recent rankings. The show is expensive to produce and went through some behind-the-scenes struggles while in production for its first season, driving up the cost even more. To make matters worse, it has not been well-received by critics or fans, currently only holding a 46% score from critics and a 54% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. So apparently the combination of high productions expenses, lower-than-expected viewership, and poor reception lead Netflix execs to the decision to scrap the show. Whether it will be shopped around remains to be seen.
Sci Fi TV News of Note:
Y: The Last Man could find new life at the House of Mouse. That show streamed on Hulu under the FX on Hulu banner and was cancelled after one season. But apparently Disney is considering reviving it as a Hulu original or possibly moving it to Disney+. These are only rumors at this point, though, so stay tuned for updates . . . Nick Offerman has been cast in the role of Bill in the upcoming post-apocalyptic series The Last of Us which is based on the popular Playstation game. He will be taking over the role from Con O’Neill who departed due to scheduling conflicts . . . Mark Hamill and Carla Cugino have joined the cast of Netflix’s upcoming The Fall of the House of Usher. The show will adapt several Edgar Allen Poe stories and comes from The Haunting of Hill House team Mike Flanagan and Trevor Macy. Be sure to follow r/SciFiTV for news, schedule updates, trailers, discussions, and more.
Sci Fi TV Schedule:
Next week brings two more genre entries to the schedule starting with the vampire drama Firebite which has its premiere on the AMC+ streaming service on Thursday. And then on Friday, The Witcher Season 2 has its debut with all episodes available for viewing that day. Also next week, Star Trek: Prodigy will begin its encore run on Nickelodeon on Fridays. Wrapping up next week, The Flash, 4400 and the other CW shows will air their Mid-Season finales. And Syfy’s Day of the Dead will have its season finale on Friday. There are a few more shows arriving in December, and you can see the current schedule at this link. Mid-Season is just around the corner (starting in January) and you can get a preliminary look at that schedule at this link.
Follow our Sci Fi TV Update posts each week for the status of the current sci fi and fantasy shows, the latest news, schedule info, and more.
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.
