Under the Dome CANCELLED by CBS

The Ratings Junkie Monday, August 31, 2015
Under the Dome CANCELLED by CBS
Thanks to Polyester Poontang for letting us know the news: CBS has cancelled Under the Dome after three seasons. The news comes as a big surprise to us and many others, as despite a big decline was still a solid summer player for CBS, and is Hunter's first big miss of the summer (and mine too!).

What our your thoughts on this pretty shocking cancellation? Let us know in the comments below.

List of New Shows by their Instagram Followers

List of New Shows by their Instagram Followers
Hello peeps! I will first begin this post by introducing myself. I'm Jessica Boggs, and I am the newest contributor to The TV Ratings Guide. I will be posting the weekly Renew/Cancel predictions for The CW. I'm an avid blogger, and I'm the author of The Re-Up, Jessica's Blog, and Jess's Journal: Life Unscripted. But enough of the details, let's get on with the talk about the new shows that are premiering this fall and I decided to list them by their Instagram followers. This may be a wild card post to get a better understanding on how the ratings will fare. 

ABC
The Muppets: 2592
Blood & Oil: 2360
Quantico: 2111
Wicked City: 1861
Dr. Ken: 123

An ouch on Dr. Ken, looks like it may be DOA. 

CBS
Supergirl: 20K
Limitless: 682
Code Black: 572
Life in Pieces: 469
Angel from Hell: 448

The only hit I can definitely see out of CBS's lineup would be Supergirl. 

FOX
Scream Queens: 119K
Minority Report: 4146
Grandfathered: 4115
The Grinder: 1112
Rosewood: 474

Scream Queens looks to be a massive hit. Minority Report and Grandfathered look to be modest hits. Rosewood is definitely DOA.

NBC 
Chicago Med: 47.8K
Heroes Reborn: 16.5K
Best Time Ever w/ Neil Patrick Harris: 10.9K
Blindspot: 1393
Truth Be Told: 1045
The Player: 335

No surprise about Chicago Med. Finally, a post where Truth Be Told is not last place! It's still obviously dead. NBC should worry about The Player at this point. 

CW
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend: 294

This definitely will scream Beauty and the Beast numbers. I don't expect it to get renewed, but I will be surprised if it does.

This post will most likely be updated as the fall TV season approaches. Let me know what you think in the comments below! 

Top Posts + Comment and Question of the Week

The Ratings Junkie Saturday, August 29, 2015
Since this is the last Top Posts + Comment and Question of the Week post of August 2015, I will be providing a list of top articles of both the week and the month. Remember that this series of posts is ineligible to make the list.

Top Posts of the Month
  1.  Summer Renew/Cancel Predictions: July 10 by Hunter
  2.  Summer Renew/Cancel Predictions: August 7 by Hunter
  3.  Summer Renew/Cancel Predictions: August 14 by Hunter
  4.  List of New Shows by Their Facebook Likes by Luke
  5.  Which Fall Series Will Be Renewed (Competition) by theratingsjunkie
Top Posts of the Week

  1. List of New Shows by Their Facebook Likes by Luke    
  2. Which Fall Series Will Be Renewed? (Competition) by theratingsjunkie
  3. The Carmichael Show Series Premiere Review by Hunter
  4. Summer Renew/Cancel Predictions: August 21 by Hunter
  5. List of New Shows by Their Twitter Followers by theratingsjunkie

I would also like to take the time to present this graph, which indicates the growth of our traffic from May-August. Keep in mind that the February-April traffic on Wordpress was actually much lower than these Blogger months. None of this would be possible without all of you and we hope that you stay with us and that we keep growing in September!

Comment of the Week

This week's Comment of the Week comes from the Facebook likes post.

Avatar
Nice analysis! It's interesting to try to gauge interest based on social media traction, because I think it plays a part. It's evident there are two extremes here:
There are the given few that will fare well at least to begin with (Scream Queens, Supergirl, The Muppets, Heroes Reborn), and that's reflected in their current respectable like counts. The ones towards the bottom rung (#s 14-22) are looking more DOA than anything. I could see the four CBS shows (Limitless, Angel From Hell, Code Black, Life in Pieces) doing OK in total viewers but not the A18-49 demo, which isn't out of the ordinary for the network. But then it gets a little more complicated to predict the correlation of FB likes to prospective viewers for other shows that don't immediately stick out and are kind of in the middle/meh territory, especially Blood & Oil, Blindspot, The Player, and Quantico.
Chicago Med is OK at 93K but, IMO, it's also rather irrelevant for the time being as I think Fire/PD fans will turn up at first regardless, and that's the audience they are depending on. I am sort of surprised that Grandfathered has amassed over 100K likes already while The Grinder is stuck at 50K, but I think John Stamos' return to television is enticing more of an audience than Rob Lowe. However, The Grinder is faring far better than Dr. Ken's 14K and the nearly nonexistent Truth Be Told at 1.3K.
I'm looking forward to seeing the growth of these numbers in the coming weeks!

The comment was followed up with:

...I want so badly to predict that one will topple the HTGAWM and Empire premieres (3.8) and hit that 4.0 mark, but it's a bold move with all of the competition these days. If one were to do it, I'd say it would be Scream Queens, Supergirl, or The Muppets. However, I'm going to predict (for now):
Scream Queens: 3.7
Supergirl: 3.3
The Muppets: 3.1
Heroes Reborn: 2.3
After maybe 4-6 weeks, I could see them down to about:
Scream Queens: 2.6-2.8
Supergirl: 2.3-2.5
The Muppets: 2.6-2.8
Heroes Reborn: 1.5-1.7
In other words, I don't currently predict another sensation like Empire. However, those would be good numbers, at least for SQ, Supergirl and Muppets. I think Heroes Reborn fizzles a bit after a curiosity-driven first couple of episodes, but mid-to-high 1s would be an improvement for the Thursday 8PM slot leading into The Blacklist. However, I could see Heroes Reborn getting axed come May.

As usual there were many great comments this week. Please, keep them coming!

Question of the Week


  1. Do you think any new shows will premiere to a 3.9 or higher?

Summer Renew/Cancel Predictions - August 27: The Carmichael Show is a Toss-Up


Hi! In case this is your first time reading my summer renew/cancel predictions post, I'm Hunter and I will be posting these predictions each weekend this summer, covering the summer shows on the five major broadcast networks. This is week eleven, which included the premiere of The Carmichael Show, the final summer show to premiere! Also this week, it was quietly confirmed that there will be no second season of The Astronaut Wives Club. Now, here are the summer shows divided into categories, and then my in-detail thoughts on a few of them. Enjoy!

Format for predictions:
Show title (network) (average adults 18-49 rating)

Certain to be Canceled
Dates (CW) (0.1)
Golan the Insatiable (FOX) (0.5)
The Whispers (ABC) (0.8)

Will Likely be Canceled
Extant (CBS) (0.7)
Rookie Blue (ABC) (0.7)
Significant Mother (CW) (0.2)

Toss-Up
The Carmichael Show (NBC) (1.0)
Mistresses (ABC) (0.8)

Will Likely be Renewed
Mr. Robinson (NBC) (1.0)

Certain to be Renewed
Under the Dome (CBS) (1.0)
Zoo (CBS) (1.1)

Fate Determined
A.D.: The Bible Continues (NBC) CANCELED
American Odyssey (NBC) CANCELED
Aquarius (NBC) RENEWED
The Astronaut Wives Club (ABC) CANCELED
Beauty and the Beast (CW) RENEWED
Hannibal (NBC) CANCELED
Wayward Pines (FOX) CANCELED
Welcome to Sweden (NBC) CANCELED

This week The Carmichael Show premiered on NBC, taking over Mr. Robinson's timeslot. While it premiered worse than Mr. Robinson, with a 1.1 at 9:00 and 0.9 at 9:30 while Mr. Robinson got a 1.2 at 9:00 and 1.0 at 9:30, it wasn't that much worse, and since it got received much more positively than Mr. Robinson by most critics and viewers, it is very possible that it will go up or stay stable next week, so I will not make any decision on it this week. For now, it is a "toss-up". But, if it hits 0.8 next week, I will move it down to "will likely be canceled" for sure, and I might even do that if both episodes get 0.9.

There is a fairly decent chance that ABC will renew one show instead of none, I'd say about 67% chance they renew one and 33% they renew none. Previously I was very torn between if that one renewal would go to Mistresses or Rookie Blue. I thought there was about 33% chance Mistresses would be renewed, about 33% chance Rookie Blue would be renewed, and about 33% chance neither would be renewed. Since this week Rookie Blue fell to a low of 0.5, its chances of getting another season (airing on ABC) are very slim. While it is probably cheaper for ABC to air another season of Rookie Blue than produce and air another season of Mistresses, the 0.8 that Mistresses got this week looks a lot better than the 0.5 that Rookie Blue got, plus Mistresses is ABC-produced. This week, I have decided that Mistresses is a "toss-up". Next week the finales of Mistresses and Rookie Blue will air, and I will decide which direction I think that Mistresses will go. If Mistresses get another season however, expect it to be its last.

Extant went up to 0.8 this week. While an 0.8 is most likely considered by CBS to be good enough, this is just one after weeks of 0.7s. It is going to take a few more 0.8s for me to consider Extant a "toss-up" again.

Next week I will make decisions on Mistresses and probably The Carmichael Show. Come back next week to see where I put them!

Do you agree or disagree with my predictions? Leave a comment with your thoughts!

The Carmichael Show Series Premiere Review

The Carmichael Show Series Premiere Review


Splitsider
Thanks for reading my first review of The Carmichael Show! Before I begin my review I just wanted to let anyone interested know that if you would like to review any shows this fall, or contribute to The TV Ratings Guide in other ways, to contact theratingsjunkie. And now, my review.

While I was very unimpressed with NBC's other end-of-summer sitcom Mr. Robinson, I still was interested in watching The Carmichael Show. While the original trailer made the show look good enough to try out, but not all that great, the advertisements that NBC has aired since then look better and I really thought that the show could be better than its timeslot predecessor. And this is what I thought of the first two episodes of The Carmichael Show.


S1E1 "Pilot"

The start of the first episode was pretty good. It set up the plot of the episode well, though it didn't have too many laughs. The most entertaining part of the first scene was Jerrod's trying to get off the topic of Maxine moving in with him. After that the show got a lot funnier when Jerrod's parents were introduced. Jerrod gets his parents to debate so that Maxine can't tell them that they moved in together, and it was hilarious. The personalities of the two parents were just hilarious.

But the episode was only halfway over, because this is a sitcom, which means that the problem can't be resolved easily. Jerrod of course realized how important it was to Maxine that they are honest with his parents, so they went back to their house to tell them the news, which gave the parents more opportunity to be hilarious.

It was a pretty good pilot, and while the parents provided most of the funny and the rest of the cast didn't, the show definitely has potential.


S1E2 "Protest"

The second episode started similarly, starting with Jerrod and Maxine, and then Jerrod's brother and his ex-wife entering. While the show attempted at some jokes at the beginning with Jerrod not liking his gift very much, it wasn't funny. Then, the brother's ex-wife introduced the episode's main plot, a unarmed black person was shot by a police officer and as a result people are protesting.

This episode wasn't very funny. The episode talked about a serious issue, and as a result it was taken seriously and the attempted jokes fell flat. I didn't really laugh until almost halfway through the episode when the ex-wife came in a with a stolen TV. It handled the serious issue fairly well, but it just didn't feel right for the show, at least at this point. Many sitcoms in the past have tackled serious issues, but usually it wasn't this early on.

There were a couple of good jokes when Jerrod and his dad were talking, but after that the episode wasn't as funny. It wasn't serious though either, it was just trying to be funny, but not doing it well.


Overall, I thought that the first episode was good, and the second was mediocre. The parents are very funny, but the other characters need to be funny too. Also, it seems like the show wants to tackle serious issues, so I hope they can do that well, they did it alright in "Protest".

What did you think of the series premiere of The Carmichael Show? Leave your thoughts in the comments!

Top Posts + Comment and Question of the Week

The Ratings Junkie Saturday, August 22, 2015

Here we go again with this Saturday's edition of Top Posts + Comment and Question of the Week! If you click on the title of the posts listed, it will redirect you to that post, which should come to use if you have yet to view the article or want to revisit it.

Top Posts (Raw Rankings)


  1. Summer Renew/Cancel Predictions: July 10 by Hunter
  2. Summer Renew/Cancel Predictions: August 21 by Hunter
  3. Summer Renew/Cancel Predictions: August 14 by Hunter
  4. List of New Shows by Their Twitter Followers by theratingsjunkie
  5. Renew/Cancel Watch: CBS Fall 2015 by theratingsjunkie
Looks like Renew/Cancel predictions were really popular this week (not like they ever weren't though, really). After spending last week at #2, Hunter's July 10th edition of Summer Renew/Cancel climbed up to the top spot. Due to the initial success of the post, it became more friendly on search engines and traffic has been climbing very steadily since then. It has over double the views of our #2 all-time post.

Comment of the Week

This week's Comment of the Week is not a comment in whole, but I will show a certain part of it:


Oh Smoo!


I have a feeling though that when the n-word episode airs, it could either make or break the show. Some viewers such as I enjoy social issues addressed in proper doses, but many watch TV to avoid the troubles of the world. Blackish could see trouble in S2.....

Question of the Week

And as such, this week's question is: Do you think Blackish will be affected either positively or negatively through the announced n-word episode?

Summer Renew/Cancel Predictions - August 21: Mr. Robinson Will Likely be Renewed


Hi! In case this is your first time reading my summer renew/cancel predictions post, I'm Hunter and I will be posting these predictions each weekend this summer, covering the summer shows on the five major broadcast networks. This is week ten, which included the finales of Mr. Robinson and The Astronaut Wives Club. Now, here are the summer shows divided into categories, and then my in-detail thoughts on a few of them. Enjoy!

Format for predictions:
Show title (network) (average adults 18-49 rating)

Certain to be Canceled
The Astronaut Wives Club (ABC) (0.8)
Dates (CW) (0.1)
Golan the Insatiable (FOX) (0.5)
The Whispers (ABC) (0.8)

Will Likely be Canceled
Extant (CBS) (0.7)
Mistresses (ABC) (0.8)
Rookie Blue (ABC) (0.7)
Significant Mother (CW) (0.2)

Toss-Up

Will Likely be Renewed
Mr. Robinson (NBC) (1.0)

Certain to be Renewed
Under the Dome (CBS) (1.0)
Zoo (CBS) (1.1)

Fate Determined
A.D.: The Bible Continues (NBC) CANCELED
American Odyssey (NBC) CANCELED
Aquarius (NBC) RENEWED
Beauty and the Beast (CW) RENEWED
Hannibal (NBC) CANCELED
Wayward Pines (FOX) CANCELED
Welcome to Sweden (NBC) CANCELED

Yet to Premiere
The Carmichael Show (NBC)

Since Mr. Robinson's ratings remained fairly steady, and the ratings weren't bad, I decided to move it up to "will likely be renewed". While it did get a lead-in of America's Got Talent, which got a 1.6 rating the last two weeks, the 1.0 rating it got in most episodes is probably good enough for summer. Despite the fact that the show's season is over, I may still move it depending on the ratings that The Carmichael Show gets. The Carmichael Show premieres next Wednesday and airs two episodes a night for three weeks, just like Mr. Robinson.

Extant's chances are getting slimmer. This week it again got a 0.7. I predict that, unless the remaining four episodes all get 0.8 or higher, the show will be canceled. There is a chance that it can still be renewed without hitting those numbers, and there is a chance that even if it hits those numbers it can be canceled.

Could it be any more dead? That's what some may ask about The Whispers after it hit a new low of 0.5 this week. Its chances were decent back in June, but when ABC didn't renew it by the end of the month, so the cast's contracts expired, and ratings slipped, the show's fate became certain. And, while it was certain enough already, this week the show hit its third consecutive series low. How low will hit go in its two remaining episodes? 0.4? 0.3? No matter what, it is 100% dead.

Next week, I will have my first prediction on The Carmichael Show. Come back to see my prediction!

Do you agree or disagree with my predictions? How do you think the upcoming summer shows will do? Leave a comment with your thoughts!

List of New Shows by Their Twitter Followers

The Ratings Junkie Friday, August 21, 2015
Let me start off by saying that Twitter followers aren't always directly coordinated to how popular a show will become. However, I do believe that we can use this numbers to get at least a good RELATIVE idea of how a show will do with the younger A18-34 demographic.

ABC


  1. The Muppets: 17K
  2. Quantico: 8.8K
  3. Blood & Oil: 3.5K
  4. Wicked City: 2.4K
  5. Dr Ken: 1.7K
The Muppets being #1 for ABC came as no surprise to me, but that wide gap between Quantico and Blood & Oil did. I now have a feeling that Quantico may be able to beat its lead-in by a tenth of two, while also holding it from reaching its full potential. Wicked City is doing better than I expected considering its late launch. And then, poor Dr Ken.

CBS


  1. Supergirl: 32.1K
  2. Angel from Hell: 5.4K
  3. Limitless: 1.4K
  4. Life in Pieces: 1.2K
  5. Code Black: .9K
Supergirl was always going to be #1, but Angel from Hell winning this race for #2 by such a large race surprised me at first, but then I realized that Jane Lynch must have some young followers through her role in Glee. But what really surprised me is how the other three managed to do WORSE than Dr Ken. I'm not all that concerned though, because CBS shows just haven't had much luck in the younger demo so these numbers may not translate into much. The question is if Supergirl's quality holds up to its seemingly high expectations.

FOX

  1. Scream Queens: 113K
  2. Grandfathered: 4.6K
  3. Minority Report: 2.3K
  4. The Grinder: 1.7K
  5. Rosewood: 1.1K
Yes, you read that right for Scream Queens. This show is going to premiere MASSIVE! How it does after that depends on quality, like Supergirl. I was surprised to see Grandfathered with the next highest total, and to see Minority Report so low, since I thought that show would have a chance to do well. Time will tell, but Gotham weakening is not really favoring the show. Meanwhile, The Grinder looks like it may do weak, while Rosewood looks to be the epitome of DOA despite having a massive lead-out. In fact, I wouldn't be completely surprised to see it premiere to a 1.1 A18-49 rating, just as it has 1.1K followers on Twitter.

NBC


  1. Heroes Reborn: 68.8K
  2. Chicago Med: 13.4K
  3. Blindspot: 4.4K
  4. The Player: 3.1K
  5. Best Time Ever: 2.6K
  6. Truth Be Told: .45K (so, 451)
This list doesn't surprise me at all except for how many followers Heroes Reborn has. Like Supergirl and Scream Queens, overall ratings should depend upon if the quality lives up to the hype. My personal guess is that it will not. Chicago Med's number is impressive to me, but it still has ways to go to catch up to PD, which in turn is far away from Fire. What surprised me the most is that Blindspot and The Player are relatively close, while I predict even without the follower number that Best Time Ever will be more of a Hollywood Game Night than a Saturday Night Live or Voice. And then there's Truth Be Told with a whopping 451 followers. 

The CW

  1. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend: .54K
Yep, this one is dead in the ratings. That still may not stop The CW from giving it a full season or even a renewal though.

Midseason Notables

  • With nearly 43K followers, DC's Legends of Tomorrow has more followers already than all but 2 Big Four fall series. I truly think this will be a big show for The CW standards, but such a high number proves my point that if Twitter followers should be used to speculate ratings at all, it should be in the A18-34 (or M18-34 and W18-34 for that matter) demographic.
  • Despite only having 783 followers, NBC's midseason entry Hot & Bothered is already doing better than fall's Truth Be Told. Also with 645 followers is Crowded. Superstore and Coach are both lagging behind.
  • Bordertown's 634 followers may grow over time, but considering that the young Twitter demographic is what this show should be reaching, this doesn't bode well for the show. I can see it as a talking point for the upcoming election though. 
  • Lucifer is doing better than Minority Report right now, with 5.6K followers. The Frankenstein Code, meanwhile, isn't doing as hotly.
  • Both ABC midseason comedies, Uncle Buck and The Real O'Neals, have quite some ways to go, but also some time before their premieres. So far the latter is doing slightly better than the former, but both are under 1K followers.
  • CBS's Rush Hour may be the least-followed upcoming show on all five networks, with only 126 followers. Ouch.
What are your thoughts on all of this? Leave a comment below and maybe it will be featured as tomorrow's Comment of the Week!

List of TV Shows By Their Major Production Company

The Ratings Junkie Wednesday, August 19, 2015
List of TV Shows By Their Major Production Company
Production companies are appearing to play larger roles recently in a show's fate, especially if the show is on ABC, CBS, or The CW. This is reportedly a tactic that the networks are using to optimize the number of in-house produced shows that make it to syndication, meaning more long-term money for the studios in an age of decreasing live television viewership.

While most shows are produced by more than one production company, the shows will be organized only by their MAJOR production company.

Note: Only some midseason series have made the list below.

ABC Studios

All shows on this list are broadcast by ABC unless otherwise noted.

  • America's Funniest Home Videos
  • Jimmy Kimmel Live
  • Grey's Anatomy
  • Criminal Minds (co-production with CBS)
  • Castle
  • Once Upon A Time
  • Scandal
  • Nashville
  • Mistresses
  • Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D
  • Blackish
  • How to get Away with Murder
  • Galavant
  • Marvel's Agent Carter
  • Secrets & Lies
  • American Crime
  • The Whispers
  • The Astronaut Wives Club
  • The Muppets
  • Code Black (co-production with CBS)
  • Quantico
  • Dr Ken
  • The Catch
  • Uncle Buck
  • Wicked City
  • The Family
  • The Real O'Neals
  • Grandfathered (co-production with FOX)
Have you noticed a trend here? I certainly have. Take notice that almost all of ABC's upcoming series are in-house produced, and yet only one of their returning comedies (Blackish) is in-house produced. With this, I predict that ABC will start leaning heavily towards in house productions, and that whenever The Goldbergs finishes, it will be the lone show on the network not produced by the company.

CBS Studios


  • CSI
  • CSI: Cyber
  • The Amazing Race
  • NCIS
  • NCIS: LA
  • NCIS: NO
  • Criminal Minds (co-production with ABC)
  • Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders (co-production with ABC)
  • The Good Wife
  • Hawaii 5-0
  • Blue Bloods
  • Elementary
  • Under the Dome
  • Extant
  • The Odd Couple
  • Limitless
  • Code Black (co-production with ABC)
  • Angel from Hell
  • The Vampire Diaries (co-production with Warner Bros)
  • Beauty and the Beast
  • The Originals (co-production with Warner Bros)
  • Reign (co-production with Warner Bros)
  • The 100 (co-production with Warner Bros)
  • Jane the Virgin (co-production with Warner Bros)
  • Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
Like with ABC, I noticed that most of the dramas yet almost none of the comedies are in-house produced. I also noticed that some of the less-favored upcoming series such as Code Black and Angel from Hell are in-house produced, which may or may not have an impact on their fates.

20th Century FOX

  • The Simpsons
  • Family Guy 
  • Bob's Burgers
  • Bordertown
  • Bones
  • Modern Family
  • Last Man Standing
  • New Girl
  • Sleepy Hollow
  • Empire
  • Rosewood
  • Grandfathered (co-production with ABC)
  • The Grinder
  • Minority Report
NBC Universal

  • Law & Order: SVU
  • Chicago Fire
  • Chicago PD
  • Chicago Med
  • Heroes Reborn
  • Grimm
  • Brooklyn 9-9
  • Truth Be Told
Warner Brothers

  • The Big Bang Theory
  • The Middle
  • Mike & Molly
  • 2 Broke Girls
  • Person of Interest
  • Mom
  • Undateable
  • The Mysteries of Laura
  • Gotham
  • Blindspot
  • Supernatural
  • The Vampire Diaries (co-production with CBS)
  • Arrow
  • The Originals (co-production with CBS)
  • Reign (co-production with CBS)
  • The 100 (co-production with CBS)
  • The Flash
  • iZombie
  • Jane the Virgin (co-production with CBS)
  • Significant Mother (co-production with CBS)
  • Containment
  • Legends of Tomorrow
Sony
  • The Blacklist
  • The Goldbergs
What did I miss? Did anything here surprise you? Let me know in the comments below!

Top Posts + Comment and Question of the Week

The Ratings Junkie Saturday, August 15, 2015
Top Posts + Comment and Question of the Week
Sorry for the slight delay in this week's post. As usual, this segment will present a list of the top posts this week as well as a Question of the Week and the toughest part, picking a standout comment. Here it goes:

Top Posts of the Week


  1. ABC Schedule Analysis by theratingsjunkie
  2. Summer Renew/Cancel Predictions: July 10 by Hunter
  3. Mr Robinson Review: Messy in Many Ways by Hunter
  4. Renew/Cancel Watch: CBS by theratingsjunkie
  5. Summer Renew/Cancel Predictions: August 15 by Hunter
I can also tell you that the latest Summer Renew/Cancel Predictions post had a great first 24 hours, almost climbing up to 4th place, and should be considered the strongest post of the week. Just missing the top 5 was the notice that The TV Ratings Guide is currently seeking helpers.

What I found most surprising about this list is the fact that the July 10th Summer Renew/Cancel Predictions post actually improved this week at #2, up from the #5 spot it held last week. This should be its fourth week on the list, a new record, and is also our top post ever.

Comment of the Week


  • Avatar
    Fox really has a very solid Monday night the whole 2015-16 season with Gotham/Minority Report/X-Files/Lucifer. It should average quite well for them.
    Grandfathered and Grinder will get slaughtered on Tuesday at 8PM. What were they thinking, especially now that ABC has found one comedy that semi-works in that hour (Fresh Off The Boat) and potentially a break-out hit with The Muppets - I almost expect sub-1.0 numbers, but then again, the hyped Scream Queens lead-out might help the 8:30 comedy.
    Rosewood is an odd one, then again, where to place it? If it gets mid-1 numbers I expect it to be renewed. I still think they made the right move not to slide Empire down an hour - Fox is in no position to fix what isn't broken! Too huge of a risk with their biggest hit by far.
    I expect Sleepy Hollow to do sub-1 numbers and get cancelled or alternatively get shipped off to Fridays. Bones is also on it's last legs and is probably getting too expensive at this point to keep it going on barely-above 1 numbers. It earns quite a bit in syndication for them I guess. I expect a complete revamp of the night in the 2016-17 season.
    Fridays are fine. Clearly not a priority.
    I still don't like the idea of breaking up the animation block with live comedies, but they really have no else to put male-skewing B99 and LMoE. They don't own B99 though, so I wonder how long they'll keep it there? Even a Bob's Burgers-The Simpsons-Bordertown-Family Guy-LMoE block would be better imho because at least they won't lose the animation domination fans between Simpsons and Family Guy.

      This comment comes from the FOX Schedule Analysis post. Thanks Polyester Poontang for providing your own analysis, and as usual, I really enjoy reading everyone's comments!

      Question of the Week

      1. If a show you are watching starts to have a noticeable decline in quality, how much time do you usually give it before you end up dropping it? (Or do you even drop it?)

      Summer Renew/Cancel Predictions - August 14: Significant Mother Will Likely be Canceled

      Summer Renew/Cancel Predictions - August 14: Significant Mother Will Likely be Canceled
      Hi! In case this is your first time reading my summer renew/cancel predictions post, I'm Hunter and I will be posting these predictions each weekend this summer, covering the summer shows on the five major broadcast networks. This is week nine, and while not much happened this week other than the ever-so-hated football preemptions, my predictions will still be just as exciting. Here are the summer shows divided into categories, and then my in-detail thoughts on a few of them. Enjoy!

      Format for predictions:
      Show title (network) (average adults 18-49 rating)

      Certain to be Canceled
      The Astronaut Wives Club (ABC) (0.8)
      Dates (CW) (0.1)
      Golan the Insatiable (FOX) (0.5)
      The Whispers (ABC) (0.9)

      Will Likely be Canceled
      Extant (CBS) (0.7)
      Mistresses (ABC) (0.8)
      Rookie Blue (ABC) (0.7)
      Significant Mother (CW) (0.3)

      Toss-Up
      Mr. Robinson (NBC) (1.1)

      Will Likely be Renewed

      Certain to be Renewed
      Under the Dome (CBS) (1.0)
      Zoo (CBS) (1.1)

      Fate Determined
      A.D.: The Bible Continues (NBC) CANCELED
      American Odyssey (NBC) CANCELED
      Aquarius (NBC) RENEWED
      Beauty and the Beast (CW) RENEWED
      Hannibal (NBC) CANCELED
      Wayward Pines (FOX) CANCELED
      Welcome to Sweden (NBC) CANCELED

      Yet to Premiere
      The Carmichael Show (NBC)

      Last week I talked about how difficult it was to predict Significant Mother's chances. This week it got a lot easier. While Whose Line rose to a 0.5 (last week it got 0.4), Significant Mother fell to a 0.2 (last week it got 0.3). Last summer, the second episode of comedy Seed got a 0.2 after a Whose Line repeat that got a 0.6. While the lead-in for Significant Mother wasn't quite as good, Seed was yanked after episode two, that's how badly the CW thought it was doing. Significant Mother may get to air all of its episodes, but it is looking like it will be canceled.

      This week Extant is once again likely to be canceled, even though last week I moved it up to a toss-up. Extant could go up again, and then down again, if its ratings cause me to move it like that. I have decided that if Extant gets twice as many 0.8s as it gets 0.7s airing after Big Brother, I will move it up to "toss-up". If it gets less than twice as many 0.8s, it will be at "will likely be canceled". At this point, Extant has gotten two 0.7s and three 0.8s airing after Big Brother.

      While Significant Mother and Extant, for a second time, have moved out of the "toss up" category, Mr. Robinson remains there. Last year's summer comedy Undateable was getting slightly worse ratings than Mr. Robinson with a much worse lead-in (repeats of Hollywood Game Night for most episodes). Getting 1.0 out of 1.6 is not that impressive, although the fact that it also got 1.0 at 9:30 is good. Next week, when it airs its final two episodes of season one, I will make a decision, but this may not be a permanent decision, as The Carmichael Show's ratings might make me change my mind on Mr. Robinson.

      This week the CW announced that they are developing a US version of Dates as a hour-long pilot. Dates was originally a UK show from a couple of years ago, that the CW decided to air this summer. It only got one season in the UK. Now, I have a question for you, the readers. Does the CW developing a version of Dates count as a renewal for Dates, making me wrong in my prediction (for only the second time this summer)?  Does it count as a renewal only if it gets picked up to series? Or does it not count as a renewal in any way? Please comment on this!

      On a related note, next week's episode of The Astronaut Wives Club is the final one of the season. I looked to see if I could find any news about it being advertised as the series finale, but I could not find any. Also, on the show's Twitter they were calling the episode the "season finale". If anyone hears anything about The Astronaut Wives Club's next episode being advertised as the "series finale" please let me know, so I can put it in the "fate decided" category.

      Next week, Mr. Robinson will no longer be a toss-up! Come back next week to see what direction it goes.

      Do you agree or disagree with my predictions? How do you think the upcoming summer shows will do? Leave a comment with your thoughts!

      Renew/Cancel Watch: CBS Fall 2015

      The Ratings Junkie Friday, August 14, 2015
      Below are my predictions for which shows will be renewed and which will be canceled for the CBS fall 2015 shows. Under that will be my reasoning for each prediction.

      Certain to be Canceled

      • The Good Wife
      • Hawaii 5-0
      • Code Black
      • Life in Pieces
      • Angel from Hell
      Likely to be Canceled

      • Limitless
      On the Bubble

      • Blue Bloods
      Likely to be Renewed

      • Madam Secretary
      • CSI: Cyber
      • Criminal Minds
      Certain to be Renewed

      • Supergirl
      • Scorpion
      • NCIS: LA
      • NCIS
      • NCIS: NO
      • Mom
      • Elementary

      Already Renewed


      • The Big Bang Theory


      Madam Secretary: CBS's new strategy seems to be that they would rather ride lower-rated CBS-produced shows all the way to syndication, taking a loss now while gaining it all back and more after a syndication deal is struck. Combine that with Madam Secretary's success in upper-level homes and I see very little reason to believe this will be canceled. I only kept it in "likely" to keep this somewhat conservative.

      The Good Wife: The creator's envisioned storyline will be complete at the conclusion of this season, and already being syndicated for several seasons the show is probably making enough money elsewhere.

      CSI: Cyber: Like Madam Secretary, this is another CBS-produced show that albeit low-rated, I see them dragging to syndication. There is no word yet of a different CSI franchise spin-off in the works, and the brand name will give it strong syndication and international sales. Again, only kept in "likely" because of raw ratings and the time slot downgrade.

      Supergirl: CBS has just invested too much money into this show to quit now. While it could end up being a massive failure, the brand may help.

      Scorpion: CBS's strongest new show is keeping life on their Mondays against The Voice and is one of the few dramas that isn't sticking around for syndication and retirees. Definitely renewed, no doubt about it.

      NCIS: LA: Ratings may not be the best anymore, but they are still pretty strong and the NCIS brand will help continue success in syndication.

      NCIS: Despite massive declines, it's still one of CBS's powerhouses.

      NCIS: NO: CBS will probably try to make this the third NCIS show to make it to syndication and make them some serious money. They have bigger fish to fry.

      Limitless: Average lead-in, average time-slot and average hype. It may not be enough to get this show to a second season.

      Criminal Minds: The show has declined a lot lately, and its age may not allow it to stay alive at high 1s for much longer. I call it a likely renewal, not certain, only because of the amount of shows staying around to hit that four-season mark. That Criminal Minds spin-off shows me they are serious about continuing the brand, and who knows, if the spin-off takes off then maybe Criminal Minds will end or at least be downgraded to Friday.

      Code Black: With all the midseason backups, included a Criminal Minds spin-off, I don't see this one lasting.

      The Big Bang Theory: Already renewed

      Life in Pieces: CBS is going to have some really high standards for this one. A 2.0 won't cut it behind The Big Bang Theory, and I can easily see this being canceled with low 2s. In fact, it's time slot may be more of a curse than a blessing. And not being produced by CBS with so many backups ready don't help either.

      Mom: Going into its third season. One of their strongest shows. Need I say more?

      Angel From Hell: Despite Mom being a strong show, I don't see Mom being able to boost Angel from Hell up to renewable numbers. Again, with so many backups waiting I can't see this one lasting either. 2 Broke Girls seems to be the most likely candidate.

      Elementary: When they didn't downgrade its time slot when they easily could have, I decided that Elementary will get at least a short final season due to its way-too-lucrative syndication deal. In fact, it may even see a 6th season as a result.

      Hawaii 5-0: I believe the contracts are up after this season, and CBS won't go out of their way to renegotiate for a Friday show when they have other worthy candidates.

      Blue Bloods: This show is on the bubble because of the range of shows that could take over the Friday at 10 time slot that may be more profitable. I am leaning renewal right now though.

      Mr. Robinson Review: Messy in Many Ways

      Mr. Robinson Review: Messy in Many Ways

      After two bad episodes last week, this week Mr. Robinson's third episode needed to be good, or I would be done with the show. But, the episode was not good.


      S1E3 "Ain't Nothin' but a Hound Dog"

      One of the better things about the first two episodes was that it was consistent, such as how both episodes started with a funny song. In episode three things were different. The main plot of this episode is how Craig's brother is messy and irresponsible, which has been used countless times in past sitcoms. Meanwhile, the principal is taking care of her boss's dog, which ends up jumping out the window, reminding me of the advertisements for Animal Practice three years ago. The third episode is not fixing the problem of unoriginality.

      The PE teacher, who was the funniest part of the first episode, played a larger role in this episode, moving in with Craig and his brother, and it turns out he is a neat-freak, which was somewhat funny at least. He was supposed to make Craig's brother more responsible, but instead Craig's brother unlocked the inner child in the PE teacher.

      One positive that I can say about this episode was that it was set up well. Unlike previous episodes, the plot progressed at a good pace. The problem was introduced early. In the next act, the problem worsened. A problem about the episode though was that the show is about a musician who is a substitute music teacher, and music was never mentioned in the episode until the very end, when he sang a song. At least that song was pretty funny, but it was less funny than last week's songs.


      Overall, I thought that episode three was terrible, so I decided to give up on Mr. Robinson. The show however has given me an increased appreciation for originality.

      What did you think of "Ain't Nothin' but a Hound Dog"? You can share your opinions in the comments!

      FOX Schedule Analysis


      Overview
           FOX's schedule for Fall 2015 has a format quite similar to its Fall 2014 except with less reality shows after the epic bomb "Utopia" and the overexposure of "Hell's Kitchen". Mondays are still genre night with FOX's only freshman hit last fall, Gotham, which leads into a new sci-fi drama Minority Report, which is a continuation of the 2002 film of the same name. After the reality shows and female skewing comedies delivered not-so stellar ratings on Tuesdays, FOX has opted to go all new on the night with Grandfathered at 8, The Grinder at 8:30, and Scream Queens at 9. Grandfathered and The Grinder are single cam comedies starring John Stamos and Rob Lowe, respectively. Scream Queens is a new comedy horror anthology series from Ryan Murphy, creator of dramedy Glee and horror series American Horror Story. Scream Queens was ordered direct to series in October, and since then FOX has launched an extensive promotion campaign. On Wednesdays, FOX is trying to grow hit show Empire by having it stay in its same 9 pm slot. Preceding it is medical procedural, Rosewood. Like last Fall, Bones starts at 8, leading into another drama. What's different this time is that the third season of Sleepy Hollow will air after it. Fridays are all-reality with Gordon Ramsay's cooking competition show MasterChef Junior leading into Terry Crews-hosted World's Funniest Fails. Sundays follow the exact format of male-skewing animation and live action shows with The Last Man On Earth" at 9:30 after Family Guy.

      Analysis

      Sunday
      The lineup gets a big boost from NFL in the Fall, so it should look much better than the Spring. Instead of Bordertown, FOX decided to premiere LMOE in the Fall, which is good IMO because long hiatuses can be damaging. Also, there are no other spots for the male-skewing live action comedies, so this is the best place to put them. Overall, the lineup is consistent and will look solid with the NFL boost.

      Monday
      Gotham/Minority Report was always the most obvious choice and most natural, but there were more possibilities with all the genre pilots ordered to series. The late season drop for Gotham is worrying, but that could be attributed to the general collapse of post-Empire FOX. Minority Report has built-in appeal, a very compatible leadin, so its chances at doing well are pretty good. Overall, Mondays are great, but Minority Report being limited weakens it some.

      Tuesday
      This is where I believe FOX made one of its two big mistakes of the schedule. Already, I think the comedies look shaky. Grandfathered is relying on John Stamos who honestly is not as relevant as before, and Parks and Recreation with Rob Lowe had not been setting the world on fire. FOX placed them in the most likely spot for ABC comedies whereas 9 pm is a drama filled hour. Scream Queens leads out of incompatible and shaky comedies. Scream Queens looks like it has a lot of potential, though Ryan Murphy shows' ability to sustain themselves are questionable. FOX really looks like it is trying with Scream Queens, and the scheduling shows this by placing it in a higher viewed hour away from The Voice. Overall, FOX is mainly trying to nurture Scream Queens which has a nice chance to be a hit, but it may come at the expense of the night as a whole.

      Wednesday
      The second mistake was on this night. Rosewood will have to self-start, and appeal seems middling. What it has going for it is the competition (Mysteries of Laura is also procedural, but...) and Empire pre-tune which seemed to benefit American Idol. I don't immediately see a hit, but I would not count it out. Empire at 9, the higher viewed spot, sets it up for higher numbers. Wasting that big of a leadin just does not seem worth it to me though. Overall, FOX made a big mistake because they were not thinking of the night overall.

      Thursday
      This fall, Thursdays will become even more crowded. In addition to Thursday Night Football and TGIT, NBC is actually trying on the night with high profile Heroes: Reborn and The Blacklist compared to last years filler lineup. FOX is semi-trying with scripted, and they placed the better "filler" options. Bones is the reliable utility procedural with its loyal fans and Sleepy Hollow was bound to be demoted another night. FOX does not really have the depth to tackle this tough night, so going with this lineup is good enough for now. At the very least, it should be on par with this year's Thursday.

      Friday
      MasterChef Junior is very good filler, and World's Funniest Fails is okay to decent for Fridays. Only thing is, it could be squandering MasterChef Junior's potential by demoting it to Fridays. Overall, a good, cheap reality night that can perform decently.

      ABC Schedule Analysis

      The Ratings Junkie Monday, August 10, 2015
      Note: This article has been edited to adjust to changes made in the schedule since its original publishing in May.

      Overview


      If there is any network schedule so far that has played it safe, it was this one. For months, I have been trying to think of how ABC could optimize their comedy success, and which comedy would be forced to leave the night to do so. Turns out, none of them did, with the entire Wednesday lineup staying intact. Although unexpected to me, it was a pleasant surprise given that The Middle is my favorite TV series, and I could not have asked for a better pairing by ABC than The Middle and The Goldbergs. Stability is the goal here, and it appears that this is because they have great confidence in The Muppets. It is being asked to self-start Tuesdays and give a boost to midseason entry Fresh Off The Boat. When The Muppets leaves the air midseason, Fresh is expected to anchor the hour once again, showing that ABC has confidence in both The Muppets and its power as a lead-in. Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays also stayed the same, with the exception of Dr. Ken on at 8:30 on Fridays instead of Cristela. The only real news was Sunday: unexpectedly a Nashville-less night that will be led by Once Upon A Time, followed by new entries Oil and Of Kings and Prophets Blood & Oil and Quantico.


      Analysis

      Monday
      On March 9, 2009, ABC premiered Castle. Although a bubble show at first, it has passed the test of time and has become a very steady performer for the network—that is, until this season, when ratings have fallen down to very mediocre levels at best. However, Castle is now entering its eight season airing behind Dancing with the Stars on Mondays. Some say it has been under this protection for way too long, while others see stability as the better option. ABC kept Castle in its timeslot at the expense that two new dramas in a row will have to air on Sundays, which historically means that either one or none will be successful. 

      Tuesday
      ABC's Tuesday schedule has improved dramatically from the last two seasons. In 2013-2014, SHIELD underwhelmed to the point where the underrated Trophy Wife did not feel any boost, leading into an even more abysmal rating for the many shows they tried to air after it.  Both that season and this season, ABC has consistently had two shows on their Tuesday schedule which has struggled to break a 1.0. This season, the high-profiled Muppets are asked to self-start on the fall
      schedule, which is something it most likely will do well. For starters, it already has much hype, the trailer was well-received, and insiders report that ABC loved its presentation even more so than the other comedies they ordered to series. Although many expected either Blackish or The Middle in the time slot, this could actually work. I would encourage everyone to give it a try—I did not expect to like the trailer nearly as much as I did. This would lead into Fresh Off The Boat, which did a decent job self-starting this season. It was good enough for a renewal, but not good enough to be considered a breakout hit. With a good leadin and maybe even some awards love for Constance Wu, we should see it grow. SHIELD will follow at 9, and then the male-skewing Quantico Wicked City at 10. The question is if Quantico Wicked City can defy the odds by being a hit show despite a mediocre lead-in. ABC has not seen much success in that time slot in years.

      Wednesday
      Every time I watch The Middle (which is every week), ABC starts with an announcement along the lines of "Tonight's all-new with The Middle, The Goldbergs, Modern Family, and Blackish, later Nashville and Kimmel". Turns out everyone watching The Middle will hear that exact same announcement next season, despite speculation of something moving away from the night. I'm genuinely surprised that neither The Goldbergs nor Blackish will be anchors, and
      that neither The Middle nor Blackish will be paired with Fresh Off The Boat on Tuesdays. This proves ABC's confidence in The Muppets, which hopefully works out for their sake—last time they overestimated the power of SHIELD and as a result The Goldbergs did not see the ratings they presumably thought it would. Nashville not moving to Sundays is a shocker to me. Considering Secrets & Lies, which was on Sunday this spring, will be used as a gap show for Nashville, I was surprised they didn't move them to Sunday at 10, otherwise known as the syndication farm slot. I think the Blackish leadin can be used for much better, and that they should have picked up a dramedy. Maybe Mix just wasn't executed well enough. The only reason I can think of to keep Nashville as is because it airs an hour after Empire, albeit on a different network, and maybe ABC hopes that this time around viewers of Empire will want to switch over to Nashville at the end to hear some more singing?

      Thursday
       #TGIT is back in the fall. That, of course, stands for Thank God It's Thursday, and is the hashtag that has taken over Twitter as hype for Shondaland's three shows: Grey's Anatomy, Scandal, and How to Get Away with Murder. As expected, her fourth show, The Catch, will premiere in the spring after How to Get Away with Murder's limited run (~16 episodes). Although Scandal has
      weakened this spring and fans are mad at Grey's Anatomy, I still think this night will remain the cultural phenomenon is was this season. If The Catch ends up being huge in the ratings, Grey's may be a dark horse to be retired at the end of the season.

      Friday
      The format of Friday also remains the same: the continuation of multi-cam comedies at 8pm led by Last Man Standing, business reality show Shark Tank at 9pm, and long-running interview news show 20/20 at 10pm. This time, instead of Makibu Country, The Neighbors, or Cristela, the unlucky 8:30 show will be Dr. Ken, led by Community and The Hangover's Ken Jeong, with my reason for potentially tuning in being Trophy Wife's Albert Tsai. ABC seems to have little to no confidence in the show, considering their 0/3 record for the Friday at 8:30 comedy spot, and the fact that it has already been announced that Uncle Buck will be replacing it midseason. This is subject to change, of course, but I think this will be another under-advertised Albert Tsai show.

      Sunday
      ABC is taking a big risk on Sunday, and quite frankly I do not think it will work out for them. They will stay steady for the first two hours, leading off with America's Funniest Home Videos at 7pm and Once Upon A Time at 8pm, but after that they are premiering two new dramas. The first one, Blood & Oil, is not very hyped right now, while 10pm Biblical show Of Kings and Prophets seems like it
      would work more as a show following Once Upon A Time show Quantico looks like it may be cursed by its less-than-ideal time slot despite good critical reviews and hype from fans of the trailer on sites such as SpoilerTV. Assuming all these shows had to make the fall schedule, I think it would have been wise to schedule Oil Quantico Wednesday at 10, and Nashville Sunday at 10, and Of Kings and Prophets at 9.

      __________________________________
      What do you think of ABC's fall 2015 schedule? Do you think there are things they should have done differently, or things they did perfectly? Do you agree or disagree with my analysis? Leave a comment below and it may be featured as Saturday's Comment of the Week!