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
Technical Difficulties and Posting Schedule:
The site has been experiencing technical difficulties as we migrate to a new server. We outgrew the old one and needed to make a move in order to improve on site performance. Hopefully the bumps we experienced this week will pass and we can get back to business as usual. And with little in the way of ratings data as well as sci fi TV news during the holidays, there will be just one Sci Fi TV Update post per week (likely on Thursdays) until the second week of January.
Digital Ratings:
Three genre entries debuted in the Nielsen Streaming Top 10 for original series for the week of November 15th to 21st, with Amazon’s big-dollar series The Wheel of Time topping the chart. That show pulled in an estimated 1.2 billion minutes of viewing for its debut and may have justified the money that Amazon spent on it (it has been renewed for a second season). At the Number 6 slot was Netflix’s Cowboy Bebop which had an estimated 414 million minutes of viewing, but it has been cancelled by the streamer. Note that the Nielsen streaming rankings are on over a one-month lag and we have already seen Cowboy Bebop spend several weeks in Netflix’s own Top 10 ranking which is only about a week behind. Also joining the Nielsen Top 10 that week was the Korean horror series Hellbound which was at the Number 10 slot with 272 million minutes of viewing for Netflix. Locke & Key slipped from the prior week, dropping to the Number 9 slot with 293 million minutes of viewing (it has already been renewed for a third season). The Marvel animated series Hit Monkey had its premiere on Hulu that week but did not make it into the Top 10 original shows. Star Trek Discovery Season 4 also premiered that week, but Paramount+ is not currently included in the Nielsen tallies. 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 Nov-15 to Nov-21
Streaming Originals
1 (n/a) The Wheel of Time (Amazon) 1.16 Billion
6 (n/a) Cowboy Beboop (Netlfix) 414 Million
9 (7) Locke & Key (Netlfix) 293 Million
10 (n/a) Hellbound (Netlfix) 272 Million
Acquired Shows
7 (9) Supernatural (Netflix) 359 Million
Movies
Not Updated Yet
Source: Nielsen SVOD Content Ratings (Amazon Prime, Disney+, Hulu, Netflix, and Apple TV+), Nielsen National TV Panel, U.S. Viewing Through Television
More Digital Ratings:
Sci fi and fantasy shows dominated the Netflix Top 10 for English-language programming for the week of December 13th to 19th. The Witcher Season 2 had its debut that week and jumped to the top of the list with 142 million hours viewed. That one has already been renewed for a third season. The first season of that show was right behind that at Number 2 with 49 million hours viewed. The DC live-action series Titans dropped its third season on Netflix that week and the encore run hit the Number 3 slot with 24 million hours viewed. The first season of that show was also in the Top 10 at the Number 9 slot. At Number 4, Lost in Space continued to perform well for the streamer with the third and final season pulling in 19 million hours of viewing. The first season of the show also placed in the rankings at Number 6. And the animated fantasy series Arcane remained in the Top 10 at the Number 9 slot with 10 million hours viewed. It has already been renewed for a second season.
Ratings Results of Interest:
With not many shows currently airing during the Winter break, there is not much in the way of ratings data. But the animated Blade Runner: Black Lotus did have a new ep on Saturday which slipped to a 0.08 score based on same-day viewing for the 18-49 demographic with 213K total viewers. It seems to be doing okay for an Adult Swim entry and it is also available for streaming on Crunchyroll. On Thursday, Legacies improved to a 0.09 rating with 374K total viewers for its mid-season finale, and it appears to be on track for a fifth season renewal. I covered the early week ratings in the prior Sci Fi TV Update post, and below are the full ratings for genre shows from the past week. Ratings Source: ShowBuzzDaily
Ratings Results for the Week of 12/13/21
| Series | Rating / Tot Viewers |
| 4400 (CW) Mon 9 PM | Rtg: 0.09 ↑ / Tot Vwrs: 395K, Status: Renewal Possible |
| The Flash (CW) Tue 8 PM | Rtg: 0.17 / Tot Vwrs: 717K, Status: Renewal Possible |
| Riverdale (CW) Tue 9 PM | Rtg: 0.06 ↓ / Tot Vwrs: 290K, Status: Renewal Possible |
| Legends of Tomorrow (CW) Wed 8 PM | On Hiatus, Status: Renewal Likely |
| Batwoman (CW) Wed 8 PM | On Hiatus, Status: Renewal Likely |
| Legacies (CW) Thu 9 PM | Rtg: 0.09 ↑ / Tot Vwrs: 374K, Status: Renewal Likely |
| Ghosts (CBS) Thu 9 PM (Repeat) | Rtg: 0.29 / Tot Vwrs: 3.1M, Status: Renewal Possible |
| Nancy Drew (CW) Fri 9 PM | On Hiatus, Status: Renewal Likely |
| Day of the Dead (Syfy) Fri 10 PM | Season Ended, Status: On the Bubble |
| Blade Runner Black Lotus (Syfy) Sat 12 AM | Rtg: 0.08 ↓ / Tot Vwrs: 213K, Status: Renewal Possible |
Sci Fi TV News of Note:
The current showrunner for Doctor Who, Russell T Davies, has indicated that they are currently auditioning for the role of the fourteenth Doctor. Jodie Whittaker will continue as the thirteenth Doctor for three specials that will air in 2022, and then a new actor will pick up the baton. Davies has also indicated that he has started writing scripts for the fourteenth season . . . HBO Max is working on an adult-skewing animated adaptation of Legion of Super-Heroes based on comic book run by writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Ryan Sook. Bendis will be onboard as writer for the show . . . The much-maligned Star Wars Holiday Special which aired on television in late in 1978 is getting an unauthorized 4K upgrade. Youtuber Nick Acosta is currently working on the remaster and you can see the trailer at this link. Be sure to follow r/SciFiTV for news, schedule updates, trailers, discussions, and more.
Sci Fi TV Schedule:
We are currently on the Winter break and there is not much to watch in the way of sci fi and fantasy television beyond the streaming services, but next week still brings a few points of interest for genre fans. On Friday, The Book of Boba Fett has its debut on Disney+ and that one will release one episode per week. Then on Saturday, the first of three 2022 Doctor Who specials will drop as Jodie Whittaker prepares for her departure from the lead role. Mid-Season kicks off the next week and you can get a look at the 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.
