The "Every Episode, Every Rating" series examines the Nielsen ratings history of a program during its broadcast run. Praise or criticism is in reference to the show's performance in the Adults 18-49 demographic.
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| Photo Credit: ABC |
In 2021, it was clear that ABC's prowess in the comedy department was waning. Sitcoms were disappearing from the network's Tuesday and Friday night lineups, leaving Wednesday as the sole evening with a full comedy block. Reliable staples like The Middle and Modern Family were out of the picture, leaving solid but weaker options like The Conners and American Housewife to replace them. Home Economics made its entrance during this transitional period. The sitcom focused on a trio of siblings, each one representing a different income bracket. Topher Grace of That '70s Show fame served as middle-class protagonist Tom, Caitlin McGee played Tom's lower-class sister Sarah, and Jimmy Tatro portrayed the obscenely wealthy Connor. Home Economics tried its best to stay afloat, but it was never able to become the Modern Family of the 2020s.
Spring 2021: On premiere night, Home Economics posted a passable 0.56 rating in the 8:30 p.m. time slot, placing it nearly a tenth below its Goldbergs lead-in (0.65) and a full tenth behind its Conners lead-out (0.66). Clearly, the series was no breakout hit, but it was a marked improvement on the week-ago American Housewife finale. But while this was a decent start for a late-spring addition, it was also the strongest rating the series would post in its run. A 16% drop in week 2 (0.47) brought it down to that Housewife finale rating, and the slippage only continued from there, as it dropped to a 0.40 by the end of April. That could have been the end for Economics, but it perked up to a 0.45 for its first May episode and was renewed shortly thereafter. A cancellation would not have been surprising at this stage, but Call Your Mother's numbers were weaker and American Housewife was on its last legs, so ABC decided to give this sitcom another shot.
Fall 2021: The Home Economics renewal came with a time slot downgrade, as the series found itself at 9:30 this time around, leaving 8:30 free for the reboot of The Wonder Years. From the jump, it was clear that Economics was an even shakier option than before. The 0.41 rating that the series returned with put it well below its Conners lead-in (0.65), The Goldbergs (0.70), and The Wonder Years (0.67), making it the clear weak link of the lineup. By episode two, Home Economics had already dipped to a new series low (0.36), and it would fall to a meager 0.29 on a night when The Conners was in repeat-mode. There was some relief from there, as the series ticked up to a 0.30 and then rose to a 0.36 on November 17th, but this version of the show was a step below the already borderline performer it was in season one, and the fall finale decline (0.33, -0.03) cemented that.
Winter/Spring 2022: Home Economics began 2022 with a dreadful 0.29 rating, but it did manage to work its way up to a new season high (0.42) by February. That rally was short-lived however, as it set another low (0.25) just two episodes later, this time barely retaining more than half of its Conners lead-in (0.46). This odd trend continued in the spring, as Economics yet again recovered (up to a 0.37 for a March 23rd episode) and then came crashing down (0.24 on 5/11/22). There was a nice jump on finale night (+0.05), but these numbers spelled doom for the show. And yet, ABC gave it a third chance despite its rating woes.
Fall 2022: Home Economics returned reenergized in fall 2022, this time airing after fellow single-cam Abbott Elementary. It started the season with a rating (0.38) that was above every episode from spring 2022. And though it dropped off from there, it eventually climbed to a new season high (0.41) on November 2nd. Not only did it retain over 80% of its Abbott lead-in on this occasion, it also inched past former heavyweight The Goldbergs (0.39) for the night. It was mostly downhill from there though, as Economics closed out 2022 with a more mild 0.33.
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| Photo Credit: ABC |
Post-Mortem: In its first season, Home Economics was a late-spring newbie that was renewed over a seasoned veteran. By season three, it was a veteran pushed aside for a late-spring newbie. ABC clearly had space for Economics, as the 9:30 p.m. slot in winter 2024 was primarily occupied by game show reruns. But having room for a series is not enough to justify keeping it around. Shortly after Home Economics left the airwaves, ABC abandoned the two-hour comedy block altogether, reducing their sitcom presence to a single hour on a single night. Had titles like Economics, Wonder Years, and Not Dead Yet attracted more attention, it is likely that ABC would still have a sizable comedy roster. But dependable players faded away and viable replacements disappointed, so expansion came to a halt.
What did you think about this article? Were you a fan of Home Economics? Leave your thoughts in the comment section below.
