Fox Renew/Cancel #1: ’Filthy Rich’ Is Likely to be Canceled

Predictions for 9/29/20

Photo Credit: Fox TV

Given that most scripted programming on the Fox network has an episode or two out now, here is an updated chart to reflect where they currently stand. One series has been downgraded while two others have received early renewals. Drama 'Next' is still yet to premiere but will debut on October 6th. It remains in the 'Tossup' section until Nielsen data is available.

Key

Show Title [Average Adults 18-49 Rating/Most recent rating]

LA's Finest [0.45/0.4] & Filthy Rich [0.40/0.3]: Fox's Monday drama duo already disappointed on premiere night (both programs garnering a mediocre 0.5 A18-49 rating) but week two saw them sink into more dire territory. Although the 0.4 that LA's Finest notched a day ago was far from solid, it remains one-tenth above the weaker Filthy Rich (0.3). The latter took a steep two-tenth fall from its September 21st debut rating. Because of this, Filthy Rich has now been downgraded from "Tossup" to "Likely to be Canceled". LA's Finest remains in the tossup category because there is still a chance it can rebound from here. Cop procedurals are prone to casual viewing and Fox may still want a bit of a scripted presence on their sports and reality-heavy roster. Despite that, chances of it returning continue to be up in the air. At the very least, it will likely transition back to its Spectrum home if Fox has no need for it.

Cosmos: Possible Worlds [0.35/0.3]: Right out the gate, Cosmos: Possible Worlds premiered in particularly ugly territory. It was understandably a far cry from what the first season managed in spring 2014 (ratings in the 1.1-2.1 range) but a 0.3 A18-49 rating is still an incredibly poor number to pull. Since this (like LA's Finest) is an acquired series that has already aired out its season order, it will either return to the National Geographic channel or not come back at all. Even by current, bleak Fox standards, these numbers will not be tolerated.

The Simpsons [1.7/1.7] & Bless the Harts [0.8/0.8]: There is not much to say about the performance of The Simpsons. With massive assistance from football, America's favorite animated family managed a hefty 1.7 rating for its season premiere and was the highest-rated scripted series of the week. Without NFL help, it will likely pull numbers in the 0.5-0.7 vicinity but that is still enough to be considered passable in today's climate. It remains a 'Certain Renewal' as there is little reason to believe Fox will get rid of this longtime juggernaut. Airing immediately after it, Bless the Harts managed a 0.8 for its second season premiere, a notch above last year's series debut (0.7). The only problem is that it also lost a whopping 53% of its 'Simpsons' lead-in. Such poor retention would have been a death sentence in the past but Fox seems determined to expand its animated roster. They renewed 'Harts' last year with equally poor numbers and they will probably continue trying to nurture it. The sophomore sitcom remains a 'Likely Renewal'.

Bob's Burgers [0.7/0.7] & Family Guy [0.7/0.7]: These two Sunday night staples returned with a 0.7 rating each, matching their year-ago premieres. Before they even returned, Fox handed them both two-season renewals. These were correct predictions as they were in the 'Certain Renewal' category before the announcement took place.