It was a quiet week on CBS, as the network is mostly in hibernation mode until late February, but there were some major developments for the sole new series on their lineup. Keep reading to see I those developments will spur a prediction change for Harlan Coben's Final Twist!
Prediction Key:
Week 12 Predictions:
Harlan Coben's Final Twist: Despite a pitiful premiere that saw CBS's new true crime series debut to just a 0.13 - with just 41% retention - Harlan Coben's Final Twist is arguably the most intriguing option on CBS's bare winter schedule. Its ratings aren't terribly interesting, and at first glance, it seems to be run-of-the-mill midseason filler. However, the way CBS is treating the show is a bit eyebrow-raising. After that single episode on Wednesday at 10 performed so poorly, CBS announced they were moving it to an 8 PM slot on Tuesday. It definitely looked a bit better in that slot - it rose to a 0.18 in the demo, coming in last among broadcast's offerings in a fairly competitive slot that pitted it against Will Trent, the NBA, and Best Medicine. That was down nearly a full tenth from the NCIS repeat that aired in the slot against weaker competition the week before, but a half-tenth rise from its own premiere nonetheless. It's also regularly schedule to air on Wednesdays at 10 PM, and that first repeat also improved on the ratings for its original premiere, with a 0.16. That was in spite of a slightly weaker Price is Right lead-in and unchanged competition, so it does beg the question of whether Final Twist is managing to find itself enough of an audience for CBS to justify renewing it. They certainly do seem to like it. It's aired just two episodes and it'll already have aired four repeats by the time the third airs. One of those repeats is even airing after CBS's only NFL Playoff game of the weekend, giving Final Twist the biggest lead-in they could possible offer it. Obviously, they have few shows that they could actually give that lead-in to, but it's still notable that this was the show they chose to give that NFL exposure to, and not their other midseason game shows or repeats of any of their many scripted shows (which typically fill their Saturday night repeat slots). Its ratings are still inarguably quite low, and CBS does not need this show, but it's clearly a very cheap program that CBS is giving a surprisingly major push to, so it has a much greater chance at renewal than its ratings and (non-existent) streaming performance would suggest. I think you could probably make an argument for either side of the bubble here, since CBS often does hand renewals to struggling shows simply because they want to, but for now, its performance while being the main focus of CBS's early midseason promotion hasn't really warranted an upgrade, and CBS has plenty of time to decide this show isn't matching their expectation, despite their very best efforts. It leans cancellation.
Interactive Schedule:| The TV Ratings Guide | 8:00 | 8:30 | 9:00 | 9:30 | 10:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon | The Neighborhood | DMV | FBI | Watson | |
| Tues | NCIS | NCIS: Origins | NCIS: Sydney | ||
| Wed | Hollywood Squares | The Price Is Right At Night | Harlan Coben's Final Twist | ||
| Thurs | Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage | Ghosts | Matlock | Elsbeth | |
| Fri | Sheriff Country | Fire Country | Boston Blue | ||
| Sun | Tracker | The Road | Encores | ||
What do you think of these predictions? What are your predictions? Let us know in the comments and make sure to vote in the poll below!
