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:
Only a few shows aired new episodes on the linear networks last week, but that will start to ramp up with Mid-Season returns and premieres on the way (you can see the full schedule at this link). On Thursday, Ghosts returned from its short Winter hiatus and posted its highest rating yet. It pulled a 0.70 score based on same-day viewing for the 18-49 demographic with 6.5 million total viewers. That made it the second highest rated showed on the broadcast networks for the night, just behind a new episode of Young Sheldon. At this point, a second season sure seems like a good bet for Ghosts. On Friday, Nancy Drew returned from hiatus and posted a 0.05 rating with 445K total viewers. I have had that show as renewal likely all season despite the low linear ratings, but the potential sale of the network could change the show’s status. More on that in an upcoming post.
Nielsen Streaming Top 10:
Netflix’s Lost in Space repeated at the Number 1 slot in the Nielsen Streaming Rankings for the week of December 6th thru 12th. That one spent its second week in a row at the top spot for originals and pulled in just over one billion minutes of viewing according to Nielsen estimates. Disney+’s Hawkeye improved to Number 2 for the week pulling in 527 million minutes of viewing while Amazon’s The Wheel of Time improved to Number 3 with 509 million minutes viewed. Netflix’s cancelled Cowboy Bebop crept back onto the rankings for the the week at the Number 10 slot with 218 million minutes of viewing. The final season of The Expanse premiered on Amazon’s Prime Video that week, but the show did not make it into the Top 10. Following are all the sci fi and fantasy TV shows on the streaming charts for the week (the number in parenthesis is the prior week rank):
Digital Ratings for the Week of Dec-6 to Dec-12
Streaming Originals
1 (1) Lost in Space (Netflix) 1 Billion Minutes
2 (3) Hawkeye (Disney+) 527 Million Minutes
3 (4) The Wheel of Time (Amazon) 509 Million Minutes
10 (n/a) Cowboy Bebop (Netflix) 218 Million Minutes
Acquired Shows
6 (6) Supernatural (Netflix) 371 Million Minutes
Source: Nielsen SVOD Content Ratings (Amazon Prime, Disney+, Hulu, Netflix, and Apple TV+), Nielsen National TV Panel, U.S. Viewing Through Television
Sci Fi TV Development:
An Anime adaptation of the Scott Pilgrim comics is in the works at Netflix with artist/creator Bryan Lee O’Malley onboard as writer and executive producer. The Hollywood Reporter gives the following description of the project:
Part action fantasy, part romantic comedy, Pilgrim centered on the titular slacker and in a garage band named Sex Bob-omb with his friends. His life is turned upside down when he meets Ramona Flowers, an American girl who is recently single. But before their love can blossom, Pilgrim finds himself challenged by his love’s seven previous relationships, and must defeat them in over-the-top fashion.
Netflix will be looking to add this to its lineup of originals later this year or early 2023.
Sci Fi TV News of Note:
Disney+ has brought on Dara Resnik and Ken Kristensen to the writing crew for the upcoming Hawkeye spin-off Echo. The former previously worked on the Netflix Daredevil series and the latter wrote for The Punisher . . . . FX has given a series order to the time travel drama Kindred based on the Octavia E. Butler book of the same name. Watchmen alum Branden Jacobs-Jenkins will be onboard as writer and showrunner . . . Comic book writer Ed Brubaker (creator of the Winter Soldier) is joining HBO Max’s upcoming animated series Batman: Caped Crusader. He will be working alongside Bruce Timm to run the writer’s room. Be sure to follow r/SciFiTV for news, schedule updates, trailers, discussions, and more.
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.
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