Certain Cancellation:
N/A
Likely Cancellation:
The Golden Bachelor (0.19, 0.16-0.28)
Leans Cancellation:
The Greatest Average American (0.27)
Leans Renewal:
The Rookie (0.26, 0.19-0.29)
Likely Renewal:
9-1-1 (0.33, 0.30-0.35)
9-1-1: Nashville (0.25, 0.18-0.32)
Celebrity Wheel of Fortune (0.23, 0.15-0.31)
The Great Christmas Light Fight (0.18, 0.14-0.22)
Scrubs (0.61, 0.55-0.66)
Shark Tank (0.16, 0.11-0.20)
Shifting Gears (0.37, 0.31-0.45)
Will Trent (0.35, 0.25-0.40)
Certain Renewal:
20/20 (0.18, 0.12-0.23)
Abbott Elementary (0.33, 0.26-0.43)
American Idol (0.54, 0.43-0.62)
America's Funniest Home Videos (0.30, 0.24-0.39)
Dancing with the Stars (1.36, 1.02-2.06)
Grey's Anatomy (0.19, 0.13-0.27)
High Potential (0.36, 0.28-0.42)
Already Canceled/Ending:
Dirty Talk: When Daytime Talk Shows Ruled TV (Miniseries)
Coming Soon:
The Bachelorette
Celebrity Jeopardy!
RJ Decker
Scrubs: We didn't really know just what to expect with a Scrubs revival. While the show has now developed a cult following, and had years to develop an audience on streaming, it was never really a major hit in its original run - not to the likes of previous revived series like Roseanne, or Will & Grace, or even Murphy Brown. Its best season ranking was when it placed fourteenth in the 2002-03 season, when it aired directly behind Friends. Besides then, it was a top 50 show at best, and dropped well below that by season four. It was eventually canceled by NBC, revived for a final season by ABC, then renewed for a heavily rebooted (and panned) ninth season with minimal involvement from much of the main cast before being canceled again. A show with a ratings track record this spotty was never guaranteed to be a hit, even if it has gone on to be looked upon fondly. However, at least on premiere night, Scrubs looked strogner than ever, drawing the highest rating for a comedy this season so far, a 0.66 rating in the key demo. It went to #1 on Hulu and remains #1 on Disney+ as of today. It's a really impressive launch for any show, especially one that was circling the drain the last time it aired. It's clear that there was an appetite for bringing this show back - or, at least, a curiosity in seeing what these characters have been up to since we last saw them over fifteen years ago. There's no guarantee that audience will remain, however. Shifting Gears, which was not a revival, dropped sharply after premiering to roughly the same rating, though it thankfully stabilized fairly quickly and is still doing solidly for ABC. Night Court premiered very strong, with a 1.0, and was down to a 0.3 by the thirteenth episode of that very same season - though that show was a less traditional revival, with only a single cast member returning as a regular. Revivals like Will & Grace, Law & Order, Last Man Standing, and even Roseanne also dropped sharply from their splashy premieres to their first season finales, while Murphy Brown held a bit more stable due to stumbling straight out of the starting gate. Revivals have a history of starting strong and fizzling quickly, because nostalgia can only get a show so far. People have to be incentivized to continue tuning in. That's not to say revivals never work long-term. The Conners (the continuation of a controversy-plagued Roseanne) lasted seven seasons, and most of them have at least gotten to two. It's too early to know where Scrubs will land, but we do already have some signs that it'll cool down. It already shed a full tenth by its second episode, which aired immediately after the first, but a 0.55 is still a very strong performance, so I'm not too worried yet. Either way, there are only seven episodes yet, and it would be very difficult to see Scrubs sinking far enough so quickly that ABC had to pull the plug after a single season. It remains to be seen whether this will be a long-term schedule-filler for ABC, but a second season seems like a near-guarantee after such a commendable debut. It begins as a likely renewal.
The Greatest Average American: On Wednesday, ABC had a debut that was very strong, and one that was not, Unfortunately for The Greatest Average American, its debut was the latter. In a vacuum, a 0.27 debut for a cheap midseason game show at 9 PM isn't so bad. It's better than all but one Golden Bachelor episode in that time slot, and it's in line with fellow 9 PM ABC series 9-1-1: Nashville. However, it had a strong 0.55 lead-in, and retained less than half of that. That leads to major questions about how it'll hold up when its lead-in is in the 0.3 range, as that's what its regular lead-in, Abbott Elementary, has averaged this season. Its streaming performance hasn't been notable either, though it has done OK on Disney+, which is what you'd expect for a game show. It's going to mostly rely on its same-day ratings for a renewal, and this is an underwhelming debut. We'll probably get more clarity next week, and it may be due for an upgrade if it holds up well rather than collapsing as its lead-in drops, but for now, it leans cancellation, and feels like yet another one-and-done midseason filler program.
Interactive Schedule:
| The TV Ratings Guide | 8:00 | 8:30 | 9:00 | 9:30 | 10:00 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon | American Idol | The Rookie | ||||||
| Tues | Will Trent | High Potential | Encores | |||||
| Wed | Scrubs | Abbott Elementary | The Greatest Average American | Shark Tank | ||||
| Thurs | 9-1-1 | 9-1-1: Nashville | Grey's Anatomy | |||||
| Fri | Celebrity Wheel of Fortune | 20/20 | ||||||
| Sat | NBA Saturday Primetime | |||||||
| Sun | The Wonderful World of Disney | |||||||
Renewed
Certain Renew
Likely Renew
Leans Renew
Leans Cancel
Likely Cancel
Certain Cancel
Canceled
