2017-18 Week 6 Sitcom Scorecard -- Several Status Changes As Viewers Ding-Dong-Ditch 9JKLetsChangeTheChannel and Me, Myself & I'm Cancelled

Written Wishing 2 Broke Girls Had Lived Another Season by Bridger Cunningham


Related imageThe horses, pigs and ratings chickens have come home to roost as the 2017-18 season has officially entered November sweeps with saddening results.  Only 6 weeks into the season, a cancellation has been declared, majority of the veteran franchises are down by considerable measures.  CBS still holds the lead, and NBC is now defacto 2nd place after a fall break and Will and Grace powering up their tepid lineup.  A hearty upgrade indeed, as the network's sitcoms finished last season in 4th Place.  Conversely, ABC's two comedy evenings are eroding and now rest in 3rd place, and FOX plunged south to 4th Place.

FOX' saving grace was all seven sitcoms took the week off in lieu of the 2017 World Series spanning to Wednesday, November 2.  This left a mangled trail of ruined sitcom ratings, depicting many shows' raw Nielsen weight.  Monday, October 30 was indeed Devil's Night as the CBS house endured its share of vandalism and arson.  Kevin Can Wait made its timeslot debut at 8:00 matching last week's 1.2, demonstrating this show has an established fanbase.  The same cannot be said for 9JKL, which plunged to a 0.8 in its first outing sans The Big Bang Theory, registering a timeslot and series low.  Superior Donuts' 2nd season debut burned the baked goods with a series low of 0.8, marking the lowest entry CBS has held in the Sitcom Scorecard history only one rank above the bottom in 26th.  And the (now) series finale of Me, Myself & I tied the CBS sitcom low of 0.7, now currently sinking the record low cancellation of a 1.00, only one-hundredth below last year's failure, The Odd Couple (1.01).

ABC should have heeded caution airing programming on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, destroying much of its franchises by stubbornly insisting on airing new programs.  Perhaps the network should have crafted a mini-block preview of 6 episodes of Season 3's Quantico airing from 8-11:00 on Tuesday and Wednesday....  On October 31, The Middle matched its series low and was off a tenth from last week (1.2), and Fresh Off The Boat tied its series low (0.9), a number it has not seen since Season 2 in 2016.  Blackish registered its series low (1.0), and The Mayor tunneled beneath predecessor the Real O'Neals' series low and hit a 0.7.  Wednesday November 1 delivered low blows across the board as The Goldbergs tied its series low (1.3), Speechless barely garnered its now series low (1.0), Modern Family hit a new low (1.5), and American Housewife managed to only lose a tenth (1.2).  Next year, ABC, air something no one will cry about if it gets damaged!

And Thursday, November 2 marked the debut of CBS Thursdays to promising results.  The Big Bang Theory nosed down a tenth (2.7), and Little Sheldon registered an impressive 2.2 (down from the outlandishly high 3.8 debut in September).  Mom made its season debut down one tenth (1.4), and Life in Pieces marked a promising 1.2.  NBC clearly lost (most) of the race, as Superstore dropped two-tenths (1.0), The Good Placed ticked down one tenths and matched its series low (1.0), Will and Grace hit a new low (1.6), and Great News sadly shed an alarming three-tenths (0.3).  Also, November 2 marked the Fall/2017 NBC finales until holiday episodes air in December.



CHANGES IN PREDICTIONS

A cancellation on CBS prompted the first declared scheduling change of the season, and Me, Myself & I is CANCELLED.  In its place, the struggling 9JKLetsChangeTheChannel is being horsewhipped with CBS' least desirable timeslot at 9:30, allowing Man With a Plan to make its November 13 debut on Mondays at 8:30.  And on November 6, an encore episode of The Big Bang Theory (aka Big-Bang-Lite) will hopefully give follow-up Superior Donuts a TLC bump.

UPGRADES IN STATUS

 Additional episode orders depict ABC has goof faith in American Housewife and Black-Ish.  Life in Pieces will have 66 episodes by May 2018 and is doing just dandy.  And Superstore is NBC's 2nd Highest Sitcom and will have 55 episodes by the same benchmark.  All shows have been upgraded to 100% renewal.  Young Sheldon has only aired two episodes and has delivered extraordinary ratings above the 2.0 benchmark.  Its sturdy potential for growth entered it into the arena at 90% renewal with a potential upgrade after 5 episodes.

DOWNGRADES IN STATUS

9JKL's first outing sans TBBT was an epic disaster, shedding six-tenths and some view this dead weight as harming Superior Donuts.  A status evaluation was planned for November 10, but MM&I's swift cancellation, coupled with 9JKLetsDitchThisDeadWeight getting moved to an undesirable timeslot downgraded the series to 20%.  And The Mayor delivering a sitcom series low (0.7), coupled with three comedies on the bench seeking a timeslot, prompted a downgrade to 5% Renewal.

WATCHING FOR STATUS CHANGE

Kevin Can Wait and The Good Place are candidates for upgrades to 90% renewal if their next 2-3 outings prove sturdy.  Mom returned to above average ratings and may also join that classification if it holds up next week.  Another 2-3 episodes of solid performance may see Bob's Burgers join that league, and the same benchmark will qualify Family Guy upgrade to 100%.  A reversal of fortune may be in order for Speechless to drop to 55%, as the sophomore slump the series is scourging Wednesday evenings with may opt for ABC to open the development space for a deserving contender.  The Mick and Great News are also treading troubled waters and may get bumped down to 45% renewal odds, and if Brooklyn 99 hits a 0.5, that number will stick and become a 5% odd.  Superior Donuts will be on watch over the next 1-2 episodes.

WHAT ARE THE DEFINITIONS OF THE RENEWAL PREDICTION STATS?

As called out in the revamped table, these odds are defined as follows:

RENEWED -- Shows are slated to air past May 2018 and are under contract with their respective networks. Currently in the phylum are The Big Bang Theory, Modern Family, The Goldbergs, The Simpsons and Will and Grace.

100% -- Certain Renewal is predicted as the series are a necessity due to age, source of production or scheduling value.  A network would be foolish to yank the cord on these powerful players in the ranks.  Most of these shows are nearing syndication, have augmented episode orders or are eyed as replacements in the event of veteran shows exiting the network.  Currently in this phylum are American Housewife, Black-ish and Fresh Off The Boat for ABC, Life in Pieces for CBS and Superstore for NBC.

90% -- Almost Certain Renewal is predicted as these series are performing above average and rate decently against competition or in line with the network's other staples.  More episode performances are needed to be declared a Certain Renewal, and these shows are on the right track.  FOX's veteran Family Guy and CBS' new hatchling Young Sheldon are in transition in this phylum.

80% -- Likely Renewal is predicted.  Things are looking promising for this fairly-populated phylum as shows are performing at or above network standards and either ranking well in their timeslot or sitcom block.  More performance is needed to earn an upgrade, and the networks axing these series would be deemed foolish under current developments.  CBS' Kevin Can Wait, NBC's The Good Place and FOX' Bob's Burgers and Last Man On Earth sit pretty in green in this category.

70% -- Leans Renewal.  Sitcoms classified in this category are performing decently or have age/productions which are in the network' interests to renew.  They do, however, underperform and are likely to moved if picked up.  They are not on the bubble, but not at the point where a Likely Renewal is predicted.  Currently, FOX's freshman Ghosted and ABC's sophomore Speechless reside in this Phylum.

55% -- On the Bubble, Leans Renew.  These shows often range in the lower end of the Middle of the Pack or in the Anemic range.  They have some scheduling potential but are likely underperforming their network standards.  Currently, NBC's Great News and FOX's The Mick reside in this phylum, both resting in the Anemic classification.

45% -- On the Bubble, Leans Cancel.  These shows are likely not rating abysmally, yet are underperforming by competition or network scheduling.  They can be salvaged, but are leaning toward trouble.  No current contenders are on the radar in the scorecard under this phylum.

20% -- Likely Cancellation.  The odds are stacked against these series as they are underperforming in the demos and run the risk of elimination is space is needed on the schedule.  Salvaging theses shows is less likely.  Currently, ABC's The Mayor and FOX's veteran Brooklyn 99 are in this phylum.

5% -- Certain Cancellation.  To put it bluntly, these shows are forked!  They are certain to deliver poor Nielsen performance, are losing their timeslot or their respective network has too many scheduling options to pick these shows up for another season.  The only show currently in this doomed phylum is ABC's The Mayor, as the network has three sitcoms on the bench ready to debut.

CANCELLED -- The network has chosen to discontinue the franchise or series due to Nielsen performance or production issues.  This is by call of the network, not the shows.

FINAL SEASON -- Shows will be ending by May 2018, but they are being ended as a mutual agreement between the network and show runners, or show runners have elected in their own volition to end their series' run.  Currently, The Middle and New Girl are the only two series calling this out before the networks end their runs in May.

COMING SOON IN WEEK 7 SITCOM SCORECARD

The Sitcom Scorecard will conjure up the spirit of CBS' dearly departed 2 Broke Girls and discuss the state of the four networks and their sitcoms.  Proposed schedules and more status changes will be discussed.

Image result for 2 broke girls knocking on door

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