Sitcom Scorecard: January 17-21, 2021


 It is another week in paradise for the network's sitcoms.  Playing into Football Inflation wisely, FOX placed newbie The Great North (2.13) and struggling Family Guy (1.13) directly into the stadium and gave them healthy boosts on Sunday, January 17.  The Great North also holds the dubious honor of being not only the highest-rated sitcom episode of the season, but also the most successful of scripted series utilizing NF inflation for exposure.  CBS' 3rd season drama FBI came close this week with a 1.98 rating boost.  CBS delivered solid as usual on Monday, January 18 with The Neighborhood (0.80) and Bobishola (0.66), which tied its season high.  ABC took a bold stroke on Inauguration Day by scheduling The Conners (0.61) and freshman Call Your Mother (0.42) on Wednesday, January 20, resulting in new series lows for both.  

Thursday, January 21 delivered the most action on the sitcom front with CBS dominating the laughers as usual with their sitcoms returning from icy December ratings and series lows.  Young Sheldon (0.81) grew 0.13, freshman B-Positive (0.66) grew 0.14, Mom (0.58) recovered 0.009 points, and The Unicorn (0.41) recovered 0.004.  The same blessings were not delivered to NBC or FOX sitcoms with most striking series lows.  On NBC, Mr. Mayor (0.51) clipped 0.002 off of the prior week, and outgoing Superstore (0.41) lost 0.007 of its ailing numbers.  On FOX, Call Me Cat (0.56) recovered 0.001 as it continues to sink from its Football Windfall debut, and ending Last Man Standing (0.44) lowered the bar 0.005 to its series low.


More sitcoms filing into the lineup brought changes to the chart with The Great North soaring to the front with a healthy boost.  It is likely going to be this chart's 1st place MVP well into March or potentially April.  FOX seems invested in the animated sitcom, leaving it predicted as a Certain Renewal.  The same cannot be stated for sophomore Bless The Harts, which has been displaced to develop The Great North and has remained absent for 2021 even on repeat Sundays and downgraded to Likely Cancellation.  The nail in the coffin is FOX has moved it to the dreaded 7:30 timeslot, notorious for pummeling new episodes.  The last series to take a battering here in the 2017-18 season was Bob's Burgers which rated as one of the lowest sitcoms that year.  

Over at ABC, Call Your Mother has failed to establish an audience and lowered the standards beyond Blackish's failed Wednesday scheduling in 2020.  Unless one of its aging series checks out by May, Call Your Mother is likely to be axed to make room for new life.  And CBS' The Unicorn continues to drown in its poor 9:30 timeslot on Thursdays.  New episodes being scheduled against a flood of sitcom repeats indicates CBS is likely burning off episodes to make way for other shows and The Unicorn is now a Certain Cancellation.

Another alarming reality is not a single sitcom will finish the season above the 1.0.  In the last season, The Conners, Modern Family, Young Sheldon and The Simpsons managed to break this boundary.  Young Sheldon took a battering with onset declines across the board, The Simpsons is on its way down without football bumps and The Conners shed a massive following in a move to Wednesday.  The trends from this chart show sitcoms are less in favor in this season and just exist.  The days of megahits like Young Sheldon, Modern Family and the Roseanne revival are long over.  FOX continues high and could retain the lead in its sitcom average, and CBS reclaimed 2nd place after jockeying with ABC for weeks.  Given Mixedish return tonight along with a weakened Blackish, the writing is on the wall ABC's tired laughers are in for some rough, low-rated waters.



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