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.
Nielsen Streaming Rankings
Netflix’s Shadow and Bone slipped to Number 6 in the Nielsen Streaming Rankings for the week of March 20th to 26th. That was its third week in the charts and it dropped below one billion minutes (after two weeks at or above that mark) to 535 million minutes viewed. It has still done well so far in its second season, but will probably have to post at least one more week in the Top 10 to satisfy the streamer’s completion rate requirement and get a third season nod. Disney+’s The Mandalorian held at the Number 3 slot and pulled in 878 million minutes of viewing that week. Work has already begun on a fourth season of that show. Neither Paramount+’s Rabbit Hole (which premiered at the end of the prior week) nor Amazon’s The Power (which premieres March 31st) made it into the Top 10 that week. 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):
Nielsen Streaming Rankings for the Week of Mar-26 to Apr-1
Streaming Originals
3 (3) The Mandalorian (Disney+) 878 Million Minutes, Weeks in the Chart: 5
6 (2) Shadow and Bone (Netflix) 535 Million Minutes, Weeks in the Chart: 3
Acquired Shows
6 (6) Supernatural (Netflix) 535 Million Minutes, Weeks in the Chart: 38
10 (8) The Walking Dead (Netflix) 384 Million Minutes, Weeks in the Chart: 10
Source: Nielsen SVOD Content Ratings (Amazon Prime, Disney+, HBO Max, Hulu, Netflix, Paramount+ and Apple TV+), Nielsen National TV Panel, U.S. Viewing Through Television
Linear Ratings Results of Interest:
On Tuesday last week, The CW’s Gotham Knights rebounded from a season-low and pulled a 0.11 rating based on same-day viewing with 431K total viewers. It’s last new episode only posted a 0.05 score, so that was over a fifty percent increase. This show will need to continue to pull good numbers in order to have a shot at a renewal (more on that at this link). Leading into that, Superman & Lois had a 0.12 rating with 614K total viewers and it appears to be on track for a third-season renewal.
On FOX on Monday, Fantasy Island slipped to a 0.17 rating in the demo with 1.8 million total viewers. That is currently one of the lowest-rated dramas on that network, but it still has a shot at a third season because it is considered a low-cost show.
Over on The CW on Wednesday, The Flash only managed a 0.09 rating with 535K total viewers for the episode that brought back Oliver Queen. That show is in its final season. On ABC, Not Dead Yet slipped to a 0.26 rating with 1.7 million total viewers. That show’s numbers have been going up and down the last few weeks, and since it is the lowest-rated comedy on the network I currently have it On the Bubble.
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 4/24/23
| Series | Rating / Tot Viewers |
| Fantasy Island (FOX) Mon 8 PM | Rtg: 0.17 ↓ / Tot Vwrs: 1.8M, Status: On the Bubble |
| Superman and Lois (CW) Tue 8 PM | Rtg: 0.12 / Tot Vwrs: 614K, Status: Renewal Possible |
| Gotham Knights (CW) Tue 8 PM | Rtg: 0.11 / Tot Vwrs: 431K, Status: On the Bubble |
| The Flash (CW) Wed 8 PM | Rtg: 0.09 / Tot Vwrs: 535K, Status: Final Season |
| Riverdale (CW) Wed 9 PM | Rtg: 0.04 / Tot Vwrs: 185K, Status: Final Season |
| Not Dead Yet (ABC) Wed 9:30 PM | Rtg: 0.26 ↓ / Tot Vwrs: 1.7M, Status: On the Bubble |
| The Ark (Syfy) Wed 9 PM | Season Ended, Status: Renewed |
| Ghosts (CBS) Thu 8:30 PM | Rtg: 0.49 / Tot Vwrs: 6.3M, Status: Renewed |
Netflix Top 10
It was slow again in the Netflix charts as only two shows made it into the Top 10 for the week of April 17th to 23rd. Wednesday was at Number 10 in the English Language chart and Alchemy of Souls Part 1 was at Number 6 in the Non-English Language chart. Shadow and Bone Season 2 slipped out after a five-week run. Whether that is enough to satisfy the completion rate that Netflix execs are looking for remains to be seen. Following are all the sci fi and fantasy TV shows on the Netflix charts for the week (the number in parenthesis is the prior week rank):
Netflix Top 10 for the Week of Apr-17 to Apr-23
English Language Shows
10 (10) Wednesday 9.5 Million Hours, Weeks in the Chart: 20
Non-English Language Shows
9 (9) Alchemy of Souls: Part 1 5.8 Million Hours, Weeks in the Chart: 19
Source: Netflix
Cancellation/Renewal Score:
I reclassified The Witcher: Blood Origin to mini-series status even though there was some talk about that continuing beyond its limited run. Any continuation would be a separate mini-series, so that takes one away from what I previously tallied for the cancelled/ending column. Also, Amazon’s Citadel was renewed in advance for a second season, so now that it is active it is counted among the renewals for the current season. That brings the score to 30 genre renewals so far this season (37% of shows tracked) vs. 28 cancelled and ending (36%). Below are this season’s numbers, and you can see the list of shows and keep up with the score throughout the week at our Cancellation Watch Page.
| Show Count | 81 | ||
| Cancelled | 14 | 17.3% | |
| Ending | 14 | 17.3% | 34.6% |
| Renewed | 30 | 37.0% | |
| On the Bubble | 12 | 14.8% | |
| Renewal Possible | 11 | 13.6% |
ALSO READ:
Sci Fi TV Week in Review: A Twilight TV Series Is in the Works, Severance Runs Into Delays, and More Read
Status Updates: Will The Winchesters, Lockwood and Co, She-Hulk, and More Be Cancelled or Renewed? 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.
