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.
Linear Ratings Results of Interest:
On Sunday, AMC’s new TWD spin-off The Walking Dead: Dead City had its premiere and pulled a 0.17 rating based on same-day viewing for the 18-49 demographic with 704K total viewers. Those numbers are below what the main series was seeing in its final season, but they are the highest ratings for a TWD spin-off in the past year or so. This one is billed as a mini-series, but there is a chance it could continue to a second season if the numbers hold.
Leading out from that, the mid-season finale of Fear the Walking Dead managed only a 0.06 rating in the demo with 463K total viewers. That show is in its final season. Over on TNT, The Lazarus Project had a 0.06 rating with 318K total viewers. That show is an acquisition for the network and it has already been renewed for a second season in its home country of Britain.
On Friday, Starz’s Outlander returned for its seventh season but managed only a 0.02 rating with 387K total viewers. That one tends to do better in digital viewing, but the audience has definitely dropped off from its earlier seasons. It has already been renewed for an eighth year and that will be its last.
On Wednesday, The CW’s Nancy Drew slipped to a 0.06 rating with 397K total viewers, but it is still doing well for that network, especially for a Summer entry. On Monday, The Rising pulled a 0.05 with 318K total viewers for The CW. That is an acquisition that has already been cancelled by Sky Max in Britain.
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 6/12/23
| Series | Rating / Tot Viewers |
| The Rising (CW) Mon 8 PM | Rtg: 0.05 ↓ / Tot Vwrs: 318K, Status: Cancelled |
| Superman and Lois (CW) Tue 8 PM (Repeat) | Repeat, Status: Renewed |
| Gotham Knights (CW) Tue 8 PM (Repeat) | Repeat, Status: Cancelled |
| Nancy Drew (CW) Wed 8 PM | Rtg: 0.06 ↓ / Tot Vwrs: 397K, Status: Final Season |
| Riverdale (CW) Wed 9 PM (Repeat) | Repeat, Status: Final Season |
| Outlander (Starz) Fri 8 PM (Repeat) | Rtg: 0.02 / Tot Vwrs: 387K, Status: Renewed |
| The Walking Dead: Dead City (AMC) Sun 9 PM | Rtg: 0.17 / Tot Vwrs: 704K, Status: Renewal Possible |
| The Lazarus Project (TNT) Sun 9 PM | Rtg: 0.06 / Tot Vwrs: 318K, Status: Renewed |
| Fear the Walking Dead (AMC) Sun 10 PM | Rtg: 0.06 ↓ / Tot Vwrs: 463K, Status: Final Season |
Netflix Top 10
Manifest Season 4 returned to the Number 1 slot in the Netflix Top 10 for the week of June 5th to 11th. That was the first full week of release for the final ten episodes of the series and it pulled in 78 million hours of viewing while the first season returned to the charts at Number 5 with 18 million hours watched. 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 Jun-5 to Jun-11
English Language Shows
1 (2) Manifest: Season 4 78.2 Million Hours, Weeks in the Chart: 9
5 (n/a) Manifest: Season 1 18.2 Million Hours, Weeks in the Chart: 18
Non-English Language Shows
No Genre Entries
Source: Netflix
Nielsen Streaming Rankings
Netflix’s Sweet Tooth slipped to Number 8 in the Nielsen Top 10 for originals the week of May 15th to 21st. That was its fourth week in the charts and it had an estimated 377 million minutes of viewing. That one has been renewed for a third and final season. Rick & Morty and Supernatural were in the Top 10 for acquired shows for a second week in a row at Number 7 and Number 10 respectively. 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 May-15 to May-21
Streaming Originals
8 (5) Sweet Tooth (Netflix) 377 Million Minutes, Weeks in the Chart: 4
Acquired Shows
7 (8) Rick & Morty (HBO Max/Hulu) 476 Million Minutes, Weeks in the Chart: 2
10 (9) Supernatural (Netflix) 429 Million Minutes, Weeks in the Chart: 43
Source: Nielsen SVOD Content Ratings (Amazon Prime, Disney+, HBO Max, Hulu, Netflix, Paramount+, Peacock, and Apple TV+), Nielsen National TV Panel, U.S. Viewing Through Television
Cancellation/Renewal Score:
I had not yet factored in the eighth season renewal for Starz’s Outlander to the Cancellation/Renewal Score, so that brings the numbers for the current season to 38 renewed sci fi and fantasy shows (43% of shows tracked) vs. 36 cancelled and ending (40%). I am currently tracking AMC’s The Walking Dead: Dead City as a mini-series, but that could change. 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 | 89 | ||
| Cancelled | 20 | 22.5% | |
| Ending | 16 | 18.0% | 40.4% |
| Renewed | 38 | 42.7% | |
| Mini-Series | 3 | 3.4% | |
| On the Bubble | 5 | 5.6% | |
| Renewal Possible | 7 | 7.9% |
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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.
