The TV Ratings Guide: September 2023

Archive for September 2023

Ratings Analysis: For its fall premiere, ABC's 'Shark Tank' (0.37) was up by two-hundredths when compared to its May season finale (0.35). '20/20' (0.29) dipped from there but still beat out the premiere of NBC's 'Dateline' (0.25) head-on. In fairness, 'Dateline' had less lead-in help than its newsmagazine rival since it aired after an 8 p.m. rerun of 'The Voice' (0.22) instead of an original broadcast. On CBS, 'Secret Celebrity Renovation' (0.16, -0.06) collapsed on finale night and led into more encores of 'Fire Country' (0.12) and 'Blue Bloods' (0.13). Fox's 'WWE Smackdown' (0.60, -0.03) shed a few ticks but maintained its dominance. The CW's broadcast of 'Miss USA 2023' (0.10) performed better than the network's usual fare.

Finals Update: ‘WWE SmackDown’ (+0.1), ‘Shark Tank’ (+0.1), ‘Secret Celebrity Renovation’ (+0.1), and ‘Dateline NBC’ (+0.1) adjusted up.

Fox Renew/Cancel Week 1: Snake Oil Will Slither On

Ahmad Usufzy Saturday, September 30, 2023

Ahmad Usufzy

Predictions for 09/30/23

Photo Credit: Fox

Below are the latest renew/cancel predictions for the Fox network in the 2023-24 television season. The numbers listed in the table mark the Nielsen rating low, average, and high for each respective program in the Adults 18-49 demographic. The "Y2Y (year-to-year) Change" column denotes how much the series has risen or fallen when compared to its average from the previous season. Because of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, there is a limited amount of scripted programming this fall. As a result, reality television will now be included in this column.

Krapopolis: Fox Renewed 'Krapopolis' for a second and third season before it even premiered, so its performance in the ratings is mostly irrelevant to its fate. However, that does not mean the animated sitcom is off the hook. Fox could still decide to reverse their decision or boot it to Hulu if the numbers become a problem. The series ultimately launched with 0.88 rating on Sunday, September 24th but lost a huge chunk of the rating that 'The OT' (3.09) put up thirty minutes prior. With a lead-in of that size and a persistent marketing campaign, it is not a good sign that 'Krap' could not even clear the 1.0 threshold for its first night, especially since 'The Simpsons' went as high as a 1.3 with a similar lead-in in fall 2022. An uninspiring showing like this spells doom for the future of 'Krap'. It may make it through its three-season order, but it probably won't last past that.

The Masked Singer: Though it is a shell of what it used to be in terms of Nielsen strength, 'The Masked Singer' remains near the top of the pack. A 0.54 rating is higher than almost everything else on the Fox network and close to what the reality series put up in the spring. This series is already Renewed.

Snake Oil: On premiere night, game show 'Snake Oil' came in with a healthy 0.39 rating and retained a bit over 70% of its 'Masked Singer' lead-in. This is an adequate start and enough to place the series in the Likely Renewal category. Though there could very well be a steep drop in week two, 'Snake Oil' begins on solid footing.

Kitchen Nightmares: 'Kitchen Nightmares' returned to the Fox network for the first time in almost a decade with a passable 0.35 rating. Since this is a Gordon Ramsay show with name recognition, it begins as a Certain Renewal. The ratings could definitely be better, but this is perfectly fine for Fox standards.

Special Forces: 'Special Forces: World's Toughest Test' (0.33) had very strong retention of its lead-in on premiere night, retaining nearly 95% of 'Kitchen Nightmares' for its return. Though it is not certain to come back, this is a sufficient start. The series sits comfortably in the Likely Renewal category...for now.

Hell's Kitchen: Though it has been a staple on the Fox network for years, 'Hell's Kitchen' began the season with a modest 0.29 rating in the Adults 18-49 demographic. If not for the Gordon Ramsay association, this might have been cause for concern. But, it's very unlikely that Fox would get rid of a long-running staple from Ramsay's corner. 'MasterChef' also had an underwhelming debut in the summer but finished its season with a new high. Even if 'Hell's Kitchen' does not follow that path, it is still a Certain Renewal.

LEGO Masters: Though it currently resides near the bottom of the chart, 'LEGO Masters' has already been Renewed for a fifth season. The reality-competition series returned with a feeble 0.24 rating on Thursday night and went below the one-million mark in total viewers. The ratings are clearly below average, even by Fox standards, but the network sees value in the program nonetheless.

Name That Tune: 'Celebrity Name That Tune' began the season with a meager 0.20 rating and then dipped to a 0.19 the week after. It is the lowest-rated of the current crop of Fox shows and is therefore Likely to be Canceled. These numbers are simply not tolerable for an 8 p.m. anchor on Tuesday nights. Fox has also not provided 'Tune' with a companion and is instead pairing it up with reruns of '9-1-1: Lone Star'. This is a possible sign that 'Tune' is not as much of a priority to them when compared to their other offerings.

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