Cancellation Watch: Ratings results and status updates for the sci fi and fantasy shows on the broadcast networks, cable channels, and streaming services as well as breaking news on the currently airing, returning, and upcoming genre entries. For the streaming ratings, see our weekly Digital Ratings posts.
Linear Ratings Results of Interest:
On Wednesday, Syfy’s new series The Ark slipped in the ratings in its second week dropping 50% to a 0.04 rating based on same-day viewing for the 18-49 demographic with 408K total viewers. That seems like a notable drop, but the first episode did do well in delayed viewing, rising to one million total viewers according to The Wrap. That makes it the best premiere for a Syfy show since Resident Alien and I will keep this one out of Bubble status for now. But we will see how it tracks in the coming weeks.
ABC’s new supernatural dramedy Not Dead Yet slipped onto the schedule last Wednesday without much notice and posted a 0.44 rating in the demo with 3.6 million total viewers for its 8:30 PM EST episode and a 0.37 score with 2.9 million total viewers for its 9:30 PM EST ep. Those numbers represent a decent start for the show, but that would be expected with the network’s top comedies as its lead-in. This week it settles into the 9:30 PM EST timeslot, so we will see how it tracks going forward.
Wednesday has become a pretty busy night for genre entries as The CW’s The Flash and Kung Fu have now joined the schedule on that night. The latter had a 0.10 rating with 509K total viewers for its Season 9 bow which represents the lowest numbers it has seen yet for a premiere. The former had a 0.05 rating with 446K total viewers which is down from its Fall numbers. The Flash is in its final season while Kung Fu is currently very much On the Bubble.
On Thursday, Ghosts continues to do well for CBS as it matched a season-high 0.63 rating with seven million total viewers. That one has already been renewed for a third season. On The CW on Tuesday, The Winchesters slipped to a 0.04 rating with 293K total viewers. That was lower than the repeat that aired in the hour before, and the fact that it was scheduled against the State of the Union did not help. That show appears to have its network working against it as I discuss in more detail at this link.
The latest episode of The Last of Us was released early on Friday on HBO Max because of the Super Bowl. That caused the live airing of the new ep on Sunday to drop a 0.09 rating with 382K total viewers. Expect it to rebound next week.
You can see the full, season-to-date ratings for the sci fi and fantasy shows at this link, and below are the ratings for the genre shows from the past week. Ratings Source: ShowBuzzDaily
Ratings Results for the Week of 2/6/23
| Series | Rating / Tot Viewers |
| Fantasy Island (FOX) Mon 8 PM | Rtg: 0.20 / Tot Vwrs: 1.7M, Status: On the Bubble |
| Quantum Leap (NBC) Mon 10 PM | Rtg: 0.29 / Tot Vwrs: 1.8M, Status: Renewed |
| The Winchesters (CW) Tue 8 PM | Rtg: 0.04 ↓ / Tot Vwrs: 293K, Status: On the Bubble |
| La Brea (NBC) Tue 9 PM | Preempted, Status: Renewed |
| The Flash (CW) Wed 8 PM | Rtg: 0.10 / Tot Vwrs: 509K, Status: Final Season |
| Not Dead Yet (ABC) Wed 8:30 PM | Rtg: 0.41 / Tot Vwrs: 3.2M, Status: Renewal Possible |
| Kung Fu (CW) Wed 9 PM | Rtg: 0.05 / Tot Vwrs: 446K, Status: On the Bubble |
| The Ark (Syfy) Wed 9 PM | Rtg: 0.04 ↓ / Tot Vwrs: 408K, Status: On the Bubble |
| Ghosts (CBS) Thu 8:30 PM | Rtg: 0.63 ↑ / Tot Vwrs: 7.0M, Status: Renewed |
| The Last of Us (HBO) Sun 9 PM | Rtg: 0.09 ↓ / Tot Vwrs: 382K, Status: Renewed |
| Mayfair Witches (AMC) Sun 9 PM | Rtg: 0.06 ↓ / Tot Vwrs: 274K, Status: Renewed |
Cancellation/Renewal Score:
One more genre show was cancelled this past week, but that was offset by one renewal. HBO’s Avenue 5 will not have a third season, though that has been expected since the cast and crew had already been released from their contracts. Amazon’s The Peripheral will be continuing on as a second season of that show has been announced. That brings the Cancellation/Renewal Score for the season to 26 cancelled/ending shows (39% of shows tracked) vs. 23 renewed (34%). Below are this season’s numbers, and you can keep up with this throughout the week at our Cancellation Watch Page.
| Show Count | 67 | ||
| Cancelled | 14 | 20.9% | |
| Ending | 12 | 17.9% | 38.8% |
| Renewed | 23 | 34.3% | |
| On the Bubble | 7 | 10.4% | |
| Renewal Possible | 11 | 16.4% |
ALSO READ:
Digital Ratings: Lockwood & Co Tops the Netflix Charts Read
CancelledSciFi.com: Keep up with the status updates of all the airing, returning, and upcoming sci fi and fantasy shows for the current season with our Cancellation Watch posts. And be sure to follow the Cancelled Sci Fi Twitter Site for breaking news and updates.
SciFiTVSite.com: Follow our Sci Fi TV Schedule for all the currently airing and upcoming sci fi and fantasy television shows, and you can see the premieres for all the upcoming genre entries at this link.
