The ABC Renew/Cancel continues this week, as three more of the network's scripted series head to the exits temporarily. One in particular remains a major concern for them - keep reading to see my final thoughts on Doctor Odyssey before it returns in March.
Certain Cancellation:
N/A
Likely Cancellation:
N/A
Leans Cancellation:
Doctor Odyssey (0.29, 0.22-0.40)
Leans Renewal:
N/A
Already Ending:
The Conners
Yet to Premiere:
The Rookie
Shifting Gears
Will Trent
Doctor Odyssey: Last week, I discussed High Potential, and why I think its mediocre same-day ratings and poor retention won't matter due to its streaming performance. I do not feel the same about Doctor Odyssey. Ryan Murphy's first show created for ABC has failed to live up to the promise of its pedigree. After a strong start, the show's completely cratered, sliding from a 0.40 debut to a 0.22 series low in just five episodes. That 0.22 wasn't a fluke, either. While it rose the week after, it was back down to 0.22 the week after, and only managed a 0.25 rating for its midseason finale the week after. The show, and the Thursday block as a whole, is now on hiatus until March. Spring is not a time known for high ratings, as daylight saving time begins and warmer, nicer weather leads to fewer people staying home to watch primetime TV in these hours. With a long break ahead of it and tepid interest so as it is, Doctor Odyssey's ratings don't seem likely to get better. And they do need to get better. A strong streaming performance can save paltry ratings - it's part of why Grey's Anatomy is likely coming back yet again despite being ABC's lowest-rated show. Thus far, we have not seen any remarkable performance from Doctor Odyssey on streaming. Its premiere - the only episode we've been concrete given data on - drew a 2.21 demo rating and 11 million viewers in MP+35 ratings. This is the lowest MP+35 rating we've seen from ABC so far this season, and about a point and a half worse than High Potential's debut, as well as seven tenths beneath fellow Murphy drama 9-1-1. It's not an abysmal showing, but its premiere rating wasn't abysmal on linear, either. With no data regarding the show's streaming performance for any episodes since, you can't help but wonder if it's also slid on streaming, much like its nearly 50% drop in linear ratings. Viewers' reception to the show was relatively poor, so it wouldn't be a shock. Its daily performance on Hulu seems to imply it's declined, as it topped the charts when it began and now peaks at #3 at best, behind the other Thursday ABC shows. It also stays on the chart for less time than the other four ABC scripted series. Its ratings are not the only indicator that Doctor Odyssey is in some trouble. We've long known that ABC is developing another 9-1-1 spinoff from Murphy, which itself would imply that one of the Thursday shows would probably have to move, and Odyssey would most likely lose the 9-1-1 lead-in. However, this week, ABC also put a new medical drama into development. While it's not impossible for ABC to have three medical dramas airing at the same time, it feels unlikely that, with how few scripted series they have on the air at this point, three of them would be medical dramas. To me, ABC's scripted developments show that they're not all that content with how Doctor Odyssey is doing, and they're looking for a replacement. Given the ratings, it's not hard to see why. It LEANS CANCELLATION.
Interactive Schedule:
| The TV Ratings Guide | 8:00 | 8:30 | 9:00 | 9:30 | 10:00 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tues | Dancing with the Stars | High Potential | ||||
| Wed | The Golden Bachelorette | Abbott Elementary | What Would You Do? | |||
| Thurs | 9-1-1 | Doctor Odyssey | Grey's Anatomy | |||
| Fri | Shark Tank | 20/20 | ||||
What do you think of my predictions? What are your predictions? Let us know in the comments and vote in the poll of the week!
