Certain to be Canceled:
The Wonder Years (0.20, 0.18-0.22)
Likely to be Canceled:
HouseBroken (0.15, 0.11-0.18)
Leans Cancellation:
Beat Shazam (0.21, 0.17-0.26)
Hot Wheels: Ultimate Challenge (0.30, 0.26-0.33)
Stars on Mars (0.21, 0.18-0.24)
Leans Renewal:
Crime Scene Kitchen (0.21, 0.18-0.24)
Don't Forget The Lyrics! (0.23, 0.20-0.25)
Gordon Ramsay's Food Stars (0.28, 0.26-0.29)
Likely to be Renewed:
Weakest Link (0.27, 0.20-0.30)
Certain to be Renewed:
American Ninja Warrior (0.39, 0.34-0.43)
America's Got Talent (0.65, 0.63-0.68)
MasterChef (0.37, 0.33-0.40)
Yet to Premiere:
The $100,000 Pyramid
The Bachelorette
Big Brother
Celebrity Family Feud
The Challenge: USA
The Chase
Claim To Fame
Generation Gap
LA Fire & Rescue
Mysteries Decoded
The Prank Panel
Superfan
Tough As Nails
Fate Determined:
Gotham Knights (Canceled)
Superman & Lois (Renewed)
The Wonder Years: One of ABC's only freshman fall series in 2021 (alongside Queens, which was off the air quickly) didn't make the fall schedule the second time around, nor was it a midseason replacement. It wasn't even given a late spring bow - no, it was dumped in the dead of summer, airing behind the moderately-rated Judge Steve Harvey on Wednesday nights. This is despite a much-publicized writer's strike that has left scripted shows unable to film new episodes. Upon the unveiling of their fall schedule, ABC was the only network to go ahead without a single scripted original on it (CBS and NBC are ignoring the strike issue entirely at the moment, while The CW put together a schedule full of acquired international scripted and reality programs and Fox still doesn't know what they're doing, which is nothing new). In fact, the only scripted show on it is repeats of Abbott Elementary, in the slot that The Wonder Years is being burned off in this summer - Wednesdays at 9. While Abbott is a promising series, it truly says a lot about how ABC sees the Wonder Years if they are prioritizing repeats of it over The Wonder Years, which was their only hope of having a scripted show in the fall. That ABC didn't take the initiative to move Wonder Years to fall seems to be a death knell - in other words, this show was DOA. To tell you the truth, this prediction was already set in stone regardless of how the show performed in the ratings, though it did itself no favors there, either. Its 0.22 premiere, with a 67% retention of Judge Steve Harvey, is easily a new low, and the 0.18 at 9:30 is just as inexcusable. While ABC renewed Not Dead Yet after matching that 0.18 for its finale, The Wonder Years will not repeat that inexplicable feat. Only one sort of live-action comedy has aired in the summer in recent years: ones that are canceled fast. This show will not break that trend. It's a CERTAIN CANCELLATION.
Crime Scene Kitchen: Speaking of 0.18s, that's how low Crime Scene Kitchen dropped this week against the NBA Finals. While that is pitiful, it's not unique - it matches or exceeds the ratings of two other Fox shows this week. It's also 100% of the rating of its lead-in. Stars on Mars, which is just about the only positive thing you can say about its ratings. I wouldn't be at all surprised to see Fox part with it, as its first season performed far better, but I am still expecting a renewal as of now, mainly for the reason I stated above: much of Fox's summer lineup is in just as dire shape, and this show probably costs less than Stars on Mars or the aged Beat Shazam. If Fox were to clean house and cancel every summer show that deserves the axe, they'd be left with only MasterChef. That's why I am, with no confidence, keeping it as LEANS RENEWAL.
What do you think of my predictions?? Let us know in the comments and vote in the poll of the week!
