Today may be April Fools Day, but this week's ABC Renew/Cancel is no joke! Keep on reading for more thoughts on. ABC's Tuesday night lineup, as voting in the ABC Renew/Cancel March Madness Tournament continues!
Certain Cancellation:
N/A
Likely Cancellation:
N/A
Leans Cancellation:
Not Dead Yet (0.26, 0.21-0.32)
Leans Renewal:
The Conners (0.38, 0.36-0.41)
Already Canceled/Final Season:
The Good Doctor (0.21, 0.18-0.26)
Station 19 (0.33, 0.29-0.37)
Already Renewed:
Abbott Elementary (0.52, 0.28-1.43)
The Rookie: After taking a few weeks off, The Rookie returned this week in diminished fashion, tying the series low it previous set all the way back in October 2022, when it aired in a much worse time slot. The show was already looking a lot weaker this season than it was last season, but going below the 0.30 mark makes it look all that much weaker. It doesn't only look weaker than last season, though, it also looks significantly worse than it did just weeks ago, at the beginning of the season. Then, it grew from Will Trent's 0.34 demo rating to a 0.38. This week, Will Trent was just a single hundredth lower than its premiere rating, while The Rookie was over a full tenth below it, going from 112% retention of its lead-in to 82% retention. It's no longer the strongest part of the ABC Tuesday lineup, and it's also far older and more expensive than Will Trent. I did consider downgrading the show this week, because I think there is an outside chance that ABC decides a seventh season isn't worth the expense, but it does have one thing important going for it: in spite of the the weakened L+SD ratings, it continues to be one of ABC's top performers in Multiplatform ratings - far stronger than Will Trent. There is clearly still an audience for The Rookie, an audience that may well save it from its weak Tuesday night performances this season. Even still, the end is approaching for The Rookie. It holds on to LIKELY RENEWAL status this week.
Will Trent: While Will Trent also dropped alongside the Rookie last week, its ratings look a bit better, being the only show in the Tuesday lineup above a 0.30 last week. That doesn't sound like much to celebrate, but it's become clear that this show is the least of ABC's problems with this block. Given that they own it, and it's the youngest of the lineup, it's also the safest part of the block at this point, having eclipsed The Rookie in that regard as well. It's definitely no ratings titan, but it's continuing to do fine, rating only a half-tenth below Grey's Anatomy last week and out-rating the most recent episode of the already-renewed Abbott Elementary. Its multiplatform performance isn't anything outstanding (as said above, it trails The Rookie in that respect), but it's a reliable-enough same-day performer that ABC can use to fill a hole in their schedule. It remains a LIKELY RENEWAL.
9-1-1: While The Rookie is clearly showing its age, 9-1-1 really isn't. The veteran drama is only in its first season on ABC, which meant it was promoted more heavily than other ABC shows this year, but it's still holding up extraordinarily well for a show in its seventh season. This week, it rose from its second episode even as its fellow Thursday dramas declined as it wrapped its three-part premiere arc. Even if it declines now that the show's standard disaster premiere arc has wrapped, it's still very clear that the show is settling in well at ABC. As I've discussed in other editions of the ABC Renew/Cancel, the show is indeed older and expensive, but it's putting up ratings - both in L+SD and in delayed multiplatform views - that more than justify the cost. It remains a CERTAIN RENEWAL.
