On this installment of Jess's Take, I will take an apocalyptic approach to the current ratings climate. The apocalypse is nigh, and we will be talking ratings! Here's an analysis on each network.
1. NBC and a Nuclear Winter Spreads to Spring
After a very strong showing in fall, NBC's midseason entries dropped by and underwhelmed its strong nuclear arsenal. With all of NBC comedy now at fractional levels, including Superstore, something has to give. With Powerless and Trial & Error dragging down the ratings average, their ends are almost certainly nigh and Great News hasn't been tested in the benched artillery yet. These two shows are in nuclear wasteland, and most definitely will be in smithereens when NBC fires the cancelation bomb.
In the drama department, Taken is doing worse than Timeless after a slightly weakened Voice. Emerald City ratings fell to nuclear wasteland territory on Friday night, Blacklist: Redemption flopped hard, Chicago Justice underwhelmed on Sunday, and already renewed Shades of Blue is in fractional territory.
Without This is Us skewing the drama average, NBC drama is going through a nuclear winter, sans the other three Chicagos, and Law & Order: SVU. However, this may not last long. By next season, NBC should rise like a phoenix.
2. The CW's Ratings Plummet to All Time Low
Sans The Flash and Supergirl, the rest of the CW is struggling to crack a 0.6 in the all important A18-19 demographic. Both Supernatural and Arrow are in 0.5 territory. SpoilerTV commenters are using raw ratings to relate that these ratings are not good for advertisers, despite the fact that ratings have been decreasing for decades. But nevertheless, this season has not been kind to the little network that could. SpottedRatings is currently projecting that a hit for the CW is a 0.55 or above. That's a 45 Plus or above. On the bright side, The Originals is overperforming expectations.
Would the CW return back to its heyday? Could the CW potentially clean house of its failing nuclear arsenal? When will CW realize that dramedies don't work, even for critical acclaim?
3. ABC's Drama Situation
ABC is in nuclear shambles, with most dramas at fractional levels. While TGIT mainstays Grey's Anatomy, Scandal, and How to Get Away with Murder earning renewals and celebrating in the 1.0+ fallout shelters, Designated Survivor is hanging on to high fractionals to low 1.0s. The rest of the dramas on ABC are averaging in the 0.4-0.7 range. ABC needs to figure out how to fix the Sunday Siberia before nuclear winter continues to set in.
4. CBS: Doing Okay, But Comedy and 10pm Needs Work
What happened to the days where 1.5s cause sitcoms to be pulled? Well, they are on Mondays for the most part.
But that's not the only issue with CBS. A 10pm problem exists. In Code Black's case, every show that has premiered after it flopped badly. Thursday 10pm has flopped badly, but Amazing Race has stabilized the spot for the most part. Sunday has become a Siberia outside of NCIS: LA. Criminal Minds has underwhelmed at 9pm. The one thing that CBS has done this season is pulling nuclear failure Doubt from the schedule. CBS needs to figure out how to fix 10pm and Sundays.
5. FOX: A Nuclear Wasteland
FOX, for the past two seasons, is looking at last place. A hit literally is a 1.1 or above. The network outside of sinking ship Empire is a nuclear wasteland, filled with low rated dirty bombs and reality flops. You the Jury becomes FOX's latest reality flop to be pulverized by the low ratings radioactive wasteland.
FOX is in such bad shape, it seems that even stability would cause ratings to go down. To make things worse, there is no clear direction for the network to go. Only regime change can get this network back on track.
With these network situations, this ratings apocalypse could take a while to end. This concludes the latest installment. Any thoughts? Let's discuss in the comments below.
