After three months away, ABC's only remaining three-hour block of scripted shows returned last week with new episodes, to very mixed results. Keep reading to see if last week's performances changes the fate of any of the Thursday night dramas.
Certain Cancellation:
N/A
Likely Cancellation:
N/A
Leans Cancellation:
Doctor Odyssey (0.29, 0.22-0.40)
Leans Renewal:
The Rookie (0.28, 0.22-0.34)
Already Ending:
The Conners
Already Renewed:
Abbott Elementary
High Potential
Doctor Odyssey: Last week, Doctor Odyssey returned after a three-month hiatus. Its lead-in, 9-1-1, was up nearly two tenths, a 45% rise from its fall finale. Doctor Odyssey was entirely steady from its own fall finale. Its 0.25 marked 69% retention for the fall finale, and just 47% retention for the midseason premiere. Making matters even worse was its half-hours, starting the hour at 0.28 and ending at just a 0.21. Grey's Anatomy rose half a tenth at the 10 PM half-hour. In other words, Doctor Odyssey is pretty much a ratings black hole. For much of the fall, it managed to at least out-rate Grey's Anatomy (though not by much). While they ended up with the same rounded average for their entire hour, Grey's having to rise significantly from Odyssey in order to achieve that is a damning indictment of how weak Doctor Odyssey is. No show with a 0.5 lead-in should be in 0.2 territory, especially when they're fairly similar in tone, from the same creator, and seemed to be tailor-made to air together. In theory, this lineup should work, but viewers just don't seem to like Doctor Odyssey that much. ABC sure tried to get them to tune back in. Not only did it get a massive promo push the last month or so, including during an Oscars broadcast that drew nearly 20 million viewers just a few days earlier, but they also did a minor retooling of the show, with somewhat of a tonal shift to make it a bit more serious. A network retooling a show is typically a sign that they're concerned about its ratings, but also a sign that they at least care enough to try and make it work (though it's rarely enough to turn things around). ABC, perhaps out of loyalty to the show's creator, Ryan Murphy, remains pretty committed to making this work, but even the most stubborn of networks eventually admits when something is a misfire. In the end, I expect Doctor Odyssey, with abysmal linear ratings and tepid multiplatform ratings, to be abandoned by ABC at the end of this season. They've tried all they could, they threw it several life preservers, but it's still sinking all the same. It still LEANS CANCELLATION, but if ABC drastically calms down its onslaught of promos for this show and stops prioritizing it, expect a further downgrade.
9-1-1: As I said above, 9-1-1 returned in strong fashion last week, with a season-high 0.53. Ratings in fall weren't terrible, but they were very underwhelming for the most part, with six of the eight episodes that aired coming in below the show's previous series low (0.44), and a few being a full tenth below that. While it was never in danger, thanks to a continued strong streaming performance and international revenue, it was still a bit concerning to see a veteran with unusually-high production costs put up such a mediocre performance. The strong showing this week won't change its prediction, it's always been a lock to return, but it further emphasizes why ABC is looking to expand the 9-1-1 franchise and launch its first spinoff since the show moved from Fox. 9-1-1's a valuable property for Disney and ABC, and one of their highest-rated in every regard. It's hard to say how long the expensive parent series will last, but I expect ABC wants to keep the 9-1-1 brand alive for many seasons to come. 9-1-1 is a CERTAIN RENEWAL.
Interactive Schedule:
| The TV Ratings Guide | 8:00 | 8:30 | 9:00 | 9:30 | 10:00 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon | The Bachelor | The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives | ||||
| Tues | Will Trent | The Rookie | High Potential | |||
| Wed | Shifting Gears | Abbott Elementary | Celebrity Jeopardy! | 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 me know in the comments and vote in the poll of the week!
