Syfy’s new series The Ark is closing in on its first season finale and the ratings results have not been great so far for the show. In addition, the general buzz has been negative, and those who have found themselves engaged in the series may be wondering whether it will continue into a second season. Based on viewership numbers for the first season, the chances of a renewal are not strong, but it may depend on how much support will be forthcoming from its fans.
The Ark comes from Stargate veterans Dean Devlin and Jonathan Glassner and follows a spaceship sent to colonize another world that meets with disaster along the way. The survivors must figure out how to repair the damage and get the ship back on course while dealing with very limited resources and a crew pushed to their limits. The show arrived with high expectations considering the pedigree of its creators but appears to have fallen short considering it currently has only a 36% on the Tomatometer at Rotten Tomatoes and a 41% Audience Score. In addition, it did not receive much promotion from its network, so it hasn’t found much of an audience.
The show premiered with a 0.08 rating based on same-day viewing for the 18-49 demographic and 578K total viewers which are okay stats for its network these days. When Live+3 delayed viewing is factored in, the numbers improved to over one million total viewers which is the best premiere for a Syfy show since the first season of Resident Alien. Its same-day numbers dropped after that, but it has improved over the last few weeks (though it did tick down with its latest episode). This show appears to be an acquisition for the network which means that the only way Syfy makes money is from the advertising. Since the ad rates are driven by the same-day viewing numbers (not delayed viewing) the network may not be able to make enough from the sponsors to justify the licensing fee for the show. But the specifics on all that are not shared, so it is hard to say for sure.
This past Fall, another acquisition arrived on Syfy’s schedule and it managed to get renewed despite mediocre ratings, so the performance of that one can give has some indications of The Ark‘s chances for renewal. The supernatural dramedy Reginald the Vampire premiered in October 2022 with the hit horror series Chucky as its lead-in. It managed a 0.08 rating for its first episode, then tracked a very similar path to The Ark for the next few weeks (see chart below). The numbers for Reginald actually dropped after its fourth week whereas The Ark has mostly seen an upswing since then. Reginald finished off with an upward trend and ended up receiving a second-season renewal. The Ark is likely a more costly show, but it still may be tracking well enough for renewal based on the fact that Syfy kept Reginald the Vampire going.
The remaining episodes of The Ark may be key to its survival, and if fans want the show to stick around for a second year they should mount an effort to bring it more attention. If the numbers hold where they are, or even improve, that will definitely work in its favor. But if they slip, that could spell doom for a show that I already have On the Bubble. (Note that I had Reginald the Vampire as a Bubble show while it was airing). Fans should take to the social networks to bring attention to their show in hopes that more viewers will tune in for the remaining episodes. They should also stage watch parties on Peacock where all of the episodes that have been broadcast so far are available for streaming. That will help boost attention for the show and the ads on Peacock bring in some revenue as well. The show’s co-creator Dean Devlin has been active on the social networks promoting the show, so fans should look at enlisting his support as well.
Even though The Ark has not received rave reviews from critics and viewers so far, the show still has potential and a second season could give it a chance to improve and possibly turn into the sci fi drama people hoped for when it first arrived. But that may be up to the fans at this point and the amount of support they give to it. Its ratings are barely passable, but if Syfy execs see strong support for the show they may be willing to stick with it.
Are you watching The Ark and will you help with efforts to keep it going? Chime in with your comments below.
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Love The Ark. It deserves a long run.
We’ve been watching and enjoying the show. I hope it will be renewed but you never know with Syfy..