FOX took the week off as the World Series played out this week, leaving the heart of the action with ABC and NBC. Both welcomed veteran players American and Housewife and Superstore, both of which registered a sturdy and respectable 0.6 rating. Wednesday, October 28 saw slight changes as the Goldbergs (0.7) and The Conners (0.8) shed a tenth, while a newly recovered Blackish (0.6) held low but steady. NBC received a mild bump with Superstore's return, followed by another dismal buffering of Connecting (0.2).
Calculations for shows have been updated, without a single certain renewal. The justification lies in the fact that all shows save for Connecting and Bless The Harts are aging veterans over 5 years, two of which are outsourced productions. The Simpsons will likely be the first to be upgraded when more performance is registered, but the remains will be determined deeper into the season. Over at ABC, The Goldbergs is in its 8th Season and now belting out ratings above average. That, coupled with being outsourced from Sony will need more monitoring to determine if a renewal is likely. The Conners is still a strong player, but lost its niche as ABC's sure heavyweight. After a soft 0.8 (0.7 in initial numbers), it is no longer a juggernaut but an above average player, also outsourced.
American Housewife is ABC's youngest player which bounced back nicely after taking a battering of scheduling moves the prior two seasons. However, it hasn't proven itself sturdy enough to hold a lead position in the lineup. If any of the players end this season, AH could find its hair caught with the cancelled show as it circles the drain and ABC trims down the sitcom block further. Blackish is in a similar predicament at its advanced age in its 7th season. It is critically acclaimed, but failed to lead on Tuesday nights. ABC's entire sitcom block fits as a Likely Renewal as all are registering solid-ish numbers, but no one is the beacon for the network's future. NBC would be foolish to hock Superstore as it has once again moved into the network's leading sitcom, but it too is aging and salaries grow expensive as shows move out of the 5th year of production.
CBS is the only network marking sitcom returns for the remainder of 2020 as all 6 of its players return between November 5-16. Next Thursday marks the debut of veterans Young Sheldon and Mom, as well as freshman pilot B-Positive. Can Young Sheldon hang onto ratings above the 1.0 mark? Yearly losses coupled with COVID-19 disruptions could see the series tick down but it will likely remain CBS' lead player. Mom is in the spotlight November 5 as it marks the first episode minus Anna Faris, and a potential bump is anticipated. Readers need to be reminded though the prior season harmed CBS' entire comedy block after losing The Big Bang Theory, and Mom only experienced ratings between 0.7-1.0, often holding to 0.8. The Unicorn gallops in November 12, and surprisingly sturdy Monday players The Neighborhood and Bob Hearts Abishola come home November 16.
To look back at last week's entry, click HERE.
And curious how this season leverages against the prior? Check out the Scorecard from October 6, 2017.
