Reality Renew/Cancel Part 5: Game of Talents Flounders as The Masked Singer Stays on Top

It's been some time since I've done an update to the Reality Renew/Cancel, and with the return of TV's #1 reality show this week, it felt like a good time for an update! Read on for my thoughts on The Masked Singer, Game of Talents, Tough as Nails, and more!

Wednesday TV Ratings 2/17/21: The Masked Dancer Ends Steady, One Chicago Shows Dominate (UPDATED)

Preliminary Analysis: The eight-episode run of 'The Masked Dancer' came to a close on Fox with a clip show at 8 (0.5) and a stable finale at 9 (0.6). While 'Dancer' never came close to the heights of 'The Masked Singer', it has remained firmly in the 0.5-0.7 vicinity since its January 6th timeslot premiere. This spinoff series never really exploded in popularity but ratings never fell into awful territory either. Over on NBC, 'Chicago Med' (0.9), 'Chicago Fire' (0.9), and 'Chicago PD' (0.8) all lost a tenth on a week-to-week basis. ABC's 'For Life' clung to its 0.3 rating for dear life, looking marginally better than last week as it had to lead out of comedy repeats (0.5/0.4/0.4/0.3) this time around. The crime drama will air its season finale next week. 'SEAL Team' (0.5) and 'SWAT' (0.4) were even after two weeks off on CBS while 'Tough of Nails' (0.5) ticked down from its week-ago return (0.55). The CW's 'Riverdale' (0.2) gained a tenth while 'Nancy Drew' (0.1) matched its previous episode.

Finals Update: 'Chicago Fire' (1.0, +0.1), 'Chicago PD' (0.9, +0.1), 'The Masked Dancer' finale (0.7, +0.1), 'The Goldbergs' repeat (0.6, +0.1), and the 'Call Your Mother' repeat (0.4, +0.1) all adjusted up.

Wednesday TV Ratings 2/10/21: Tough As Nails Premieres OK, Chicago Med, For Life and Call Your Mother Slip (UPDATED)

Preliminary Analysis: After a middling run in summer 2020, reality show 'Tough as Nails' (0.5) had a fairly decent season premiere on CBS. The series was just a tenth shy of its July debut (0.6) and actually a tenth above its September finale (0.4). Repeats of 'SEAL Team' (0.3) and 'SWAT' (0.3) followed the second season start of 'Nails'. NBC was down a tenth with 'Chicago Med' (0.9) but 'Chicago Fire' (1.0), and 'PD' (0.8) matched last week's stellar numbers. ABC was steady with 'The Goldbergs' (0.6) and 'American Housewife' (0.5) but 'Call Your Mother' (0.3) and 'For Life' (0.2) slipped to disastrous new lows after a 'Conners' repeat (0.4). Fox held even with 'The Masked Dancer' (0.6) and 'Name That Tune' (0.5), the CW was also unchanged with 'Riverdale' (0.1) and 'Nancy Drew' (0.1). 

Finals Update: Chicago PD (+0.1), Chicago Med (+0.1), For Life (+0.1) and Tough As Nails (+0.1) adjusted up.

Wednesday TV Ratings 2/3/21: Super Bowl Greatest Commercials Does Decently, The Goldbergs and The Conners Steady, Name That Tune Loses Steam (UPDATED)

Preliminary Analysis: NBC cruised to Wednesday dominance with 'Chicago Med' (1.0) gaining a tenth, 'Chicago Fire' (0.9) holding steady, and 'Chicago PD' (0.8) ticking down. Despite the 'PD' slippage, all three dramas bested every program on the other networks. Over on ABC, it was another troubling evening as 'The Goldbergs' (0.5), 'The Conners' (0.5), and 'Call Your Mother' (0.3) were all a tenth below their final ratings from last week. In the midst, 'American Housewife' (0.5) got back a precious tenth while 'For Life' (0.3) clung to its week-ago rating at 10. CBS's 'Super Bowl Greatest Commercials' special (0.6) came in four-tenths behind what it garnered 12 months ago (1.0). Anemic repeats of 'SEAL Team' (0.2) and 'SWAT' (0.2) took over from there. Fox had a particularly rough night as 'The Masked Dancer' (0.5) lost another tenth and 'Name that Tune' (0.4) took an alarming two-tenth drop after weeks of staying in the 0.6-0.7 range. The CW held even across the board with recently-renewed dramas 'Riverdale' (0.1) and 'Nancy Drew' (0.1).

Finals Update: 'The Goldbergs' (+0.1), 'The Conners' (+0.1), 'Call Your Mother' (+0.1), 'Chicago Fire' (+0.1), 'The Masked Dancer' (+0.1), and 'Name That Tune' (+0.1) adjusted up.

Wednesday TV Ratings 1/27/21: The Goldbergs, The Conners and American Housewife Hit Series Lows, One Chicago Shows Also Slip, Name That Tune Grows on The Masked Dancer (UPDATED)

Preliminary Analysis: It was a particularly hellish night for ABC as 'The Goldbergs' (0.5) and 'American Housewife' (0.4) both lost two-tenths, dropping to new series lows in the process. 'The Conners' (0.5) joined in on the fun at 9, shedding a tenth and falling to its smallest rating yet. 'Call Your Mother' (0.4) was able to hold even despite all that slippage but the winter premiere of 'For Life' (0.3) inched down to tie its low at 10. 'Chicago Med' (0.9), 'Chicago Fire' (0.9), and 'Chicago PD' (0.9) all lost a tenth on NBC but the trio remained stronger than all other offerings. On Fox, 'The Masked Dancer' (0.5) took a noticeable hit after a string of 0.7s. There was a small consolation prize at 9 as 'Name That Tune' (0.6) managed to match its week-ago performance and beat its lead-in for the first time. CBS was able to avoid any declines as 'The Price is Right' (0.7), 'SEAL Team' (0.5), and 'SWAT' (0.4) were all on-par with where they left off. The CW was flat all-around with 'Riverdale' (0.1) and 'Nancy Drew' (0.1).

Finals Update: The Goldbergs (+0.1), The Conners (+0.1), The Price Is Right At Night (+0.1) and The Masked Dancer (+0.1) adjusted up.