Thursday TV Ratings 5/20/21: Last Man Standing Rises for Series Finale, Law & Order: SVU and Organized Crime Stable, Grey’s Anatomy Hits Series Low (UPDATED)

Preliminary Analysis: Amassing a total of 194 episodes and 9 seasons overall, Tim Allen sitcom 'Last Man Standing' (0.4) rose a tenth for its series finale. While serving as an improvement over the last three outings, this rating fell short of season-high territory and was lower than episodes from just a few months earlier. Although it'd have been foolish to expect 'Last Man' to soar into the 1.0 range for its last hurrah, it is disappointing that a program that aired for nearly a full decade would go out with such a whimper. Earlier in the night, Fox's puppet show 'Let's Be Real' (0.2) had a finale of its own, remaining steady at that pathetic number behind a 'Family Guy' encore. On ABC, 'Station 19' (0.7) lost a tenth while 'Grey's Anatomy' (0.8) shed a tenth-and-a-half. Canceled drama 'Rebel' (0.4) ticked up after having a repeat lead-in last week. Serving as the lone original on an island of reruns, CBS's 'United States of AI' (0.4) dropped by two-tenths and hit a new low. NBC was stable across the board with struggling 'Manifest' (0.4) and solid helpings of 'Law & Order: SVU' (0.7) and 'Organized Crime' (0.7). 'Walker' (0.2) gained a tenth on the CW as 'Legacies' (0.1) held even.

Finals Update: 'Station 19' (0.8, +0.1) and 'United States of Al '(0.5, +0.1) adjusted up. 

Thursday TV Ratings 5/13/21: Mom Rises for Series Finale, Manifest and Rebel Eye Series Lows, Law & Order: Organized Crime Rises for SVU Crossover (UPDATED)

Preliminary Analysis: CBS's long-running sitcom 'Mom' (0.7) ended its 8-season stint in respectable fashion. The Allison Janney comedy rose a tenth from last week and found itself smack-dab in season high territory. The 'Young Sheldon' season finale (0.7) and 'United States of AI (0.6) each ticked up, but the 'B Positive' finale (0.5) and 'Clarice' (0.3) failed to make any gains. On NBC, 'Manifest (0.4) fell to its lowest rating yet, losing a tenth on a week-to-week basis. 'Law & Order: SVU' (0.7) lost a tenth as 'Law & Order: Organized Crime' (0.7) managed to gain one at 10. ABC's 'Rebel' (0.3) crashed to a series low, the Katey Sagal drama had much less lead-in support than usual since 'Grey's Anatomy' (0.4/0.4) went into repeat-mode. 'Last Man Standing' (0.3) and 'Let's Be Real' (0.2) were unchanged on Fox, with 'Last Man' airing its last episode before next week's series finale. 'Walker' (0.1) and 'Legacies' (0.1) also matched their previous showings on the CW. 

Finals Update: 'Law & Order: SVU' (0.8, +0.1), the 'B Positive' finale (0.6, +0.1), a repeat of 'Grey's Anatomy' (0.5, +0.1), 'Last Man Standing' (0.4, +0.1), and 'Rebel' (0.4, +0.1) adjusted up. 

Thursday TV Ratings 5/6/21: Grey’s Anatomy Rises from Previous Preliminary Rating, Mom and B Positive Beat Young Sheldon and United States of Al, Rebel Ticks Up (UPDATED)

Preliminary Analysis: ABC remained in relatively strong shape as both 'Station 19' (0.7) and 'Grey's Anatomy' (0.9) held even. Struggling newbie 'Rebel' (0.5) even gained a tenth in the 10pm slot. CBS had a rough night in comparison, with 'Young Sheldon' (0.5) losing two-tenths and 'United States of AI' (0.4) shedding a tenth. Prospects brightened at 9 as 'Mom' (0.6) rose a tenth for its penultimate episode and 'B Positive' (0.5) inched up as well. 'Clarice' was frozen at a 0.3 rating at 10. NBC's double-pump of 'Manifest' (0.5/0.5) matched last week and led into another 'SVU' encore (0.4). Fox's feeble comedy duo of 'Last Man Standing' (0.3) and 'Let's Be Real' (0.2) held onto their poor week-ago ratings. They were preceded by a rerun of 'Name That Tune' (0.3). 'Walker' (0.1) inched down on the CW but 'Legacies' (0.1) tied its previous installment. 

Finals Update: Station 19 (+0.1), Grey's Anatomy (+0.1), Young Sheldon (+0.1) and United States of Al (+0.1) adjusted up.

Fox Renew/Cancel #10: Final Predictions

 

Predictions for 5/5/21

Photo Credit: Fox

Below are the final renew/cancel predictions for the Fox network and the respective A18-49 rating averages for the listed programs. For the last column before the the majority of decisions are announced, the shows will be divided into two categories. The first category will be for shows with undetermined fates and the second will include those that have already been renewed or canceled.  

Fate Undetermined:

The '9-1-1' Duo: As the 'The Simpsons' and 'The Great North' fade away without the help of artificial football boosts, 9-1-1' and '9-1-1: Lone Star' have become the highest-rated scripted programs on the Fox network. The former is the last drama remaining to consistently post a 1.0 rating in the Adults 18-49 demographic while 'Lone Star' hovers around the solid 0.7-0.9 range. It's very difficult to imagine that either would be in any danger. Status: CERTAIN RENEWAL

Call Me Kat: With 'Let's Be Real' starting off with a horrific 0.17 rating and 'Last Man Standing' falling to a hellish 0.26, the middling performance of 'Call Me Kat' is looking a lot nicer these days. While the sitcom probably wouldn't be doing much better if it were still airing, there's also a chance it would be comfortably outpacing those two. This Schrodinger's 'Kat' scenario means that we can never truly know how it would be doing in the much tougher month of May. Nonetheless, the poor ratings of fellow Thursday comedies 'The Moodys', 'Let's Be Real', and 'Last Man Standing' should only work to its advantage. Fox had confidence in 'Kat' from the moment it decided to air its premiere behind football, and it certainly turned out to be stronger than it could have been. A second season renewal should materialize soon. Status: LIKELY RENEWAL

The Resident: A month-long break really didn't seem to faze The Resident' as the medical drama has remained around the same range that it was pre-hiatus. A 0.5 rating isn't particularly stunning, but it's definitely acceptable in our current climate. With every other Fox scripted series outside of the '9-1-1' pair performing worse than it, the network will probably want to hold onto this series for a little while longer. On top of that, the May 4th installment (0.55) actually bested all of its April data-points. Its future definitely looks brighter than its Tuesday-night companion. A fifth season should be on the horizon. Status: LIKELY RENEWAL

Prodigal Son: 'Prodigal Son' recently fell to a new low, garnering a miserable 0.3 rating for its April 27th outing. With ratings down close to 50% from its first season, this procedural is clearly on its way out. While live ratings are far from the only factor that determines a program's fate, they do help paint a pretty clear picture here. A season three renewal is a longshot. Status: LIKELY CANCEL

The Moodys: Shockingly enough, the anemic 0.25 rating that 'The Moodys' posted for its premiere is currently the lowest that it has gone. The comedy series actually inched up to a slightly less awful 0.27 in week 2 and rose to a 0.34 rating for its 4th episode. After that, Fox yanked it off the schedule in favor of a puppet show. Any program that is crudely pulled from its timeslot is all but canceled. Even though 'Let's Be Real' somehow managed to go lower, there's no chance that 'The Moodys' is returning on the Fox network. The small week-to-week increases were simply not enough to keep it afloat. Status: CERTAIN CANCEL

Let's Be Real: Dropping 50% from a week-ago episode of 'The Moodys' isn't an easy feat, but 'Let's Be Real' managed to do just that. The political puppet series debuted with a rotten 0.17 rating, making 'Moodys' look like a godsend in comparison. It was a terrible idea to transform a one-off special into a weekly series, especially since the public is far less interested in politics than they were in October 2020 when these puppets first graced our airwaves. This show is undoubtedly dead on arrival. Status: LIKELY CANCEL

Fate Determined:

The Animated Veterans: 'The Simpsons', 'Bob's Burgers', and 'Family Guy' definitely disappointed this season, with 'Simpsons' and 'Family Guy' falling by nearly 20% and 'Bob's' losing close to 30%. But, they still kept the lights on and bring in tons of revenue through syndication and streaming. All three have already been renewed for two extra seasons and won't be going anywhere anytime soon. Status: RENEWED

Bless the Harts: 'Bless the Harts' was given a second chance to prove itself and failed miserably to grow an audience. It holds the embarrassing distinction of being the only scripted series on one of the big 4 networks to post a 0.1 rating for an original episode. Although it's debatable if 'The Great North' is meaningfully stronger, Fox had clearly made their decision on the fate of 'Harts' when they dumped it in the 7:30 death slot. Rest in peace to Betty Hart and friends. Status: CANCELLED

The Great North: For the most part, 'The Great North' has been a passable player in the post-'Simpsons' slot. While it has posted a putrid 0.3 rating before and consistently goes below a million in total viewers, it's usually not far behind its lead-in. Whether it has a future on the network or not is a question for next season. Status: RENEWED

Last Man Standing: It's hard to believe that this is the same show that posted a monstrous 1.8 rating for its Fox debut, especially when its most-recent episode garnered a pathetic 0.26 in the 18-49 demographic. That is down a ridiculous 86% from its start on the network that took place less than three years ago. The Tim Allen sitcom was a sturdy performer on ABC and extended its strong ratings into the first season of its Fox run. From there, it fell into mediocre territory and now to outright flop levels. Although it is limping to the finish line, a 9-season run is nothing to scoff at. Status: ENDED

The Fall Dramas: Does anyone even remember 'LA's Finest', 'Filthy Rich', and 'Next'? All three met such quick demises that it's barely worth mentioning them. These dramas can at least share a good laugh in the afterlife at the fact that 'The Moodys' and 'Let's Be Real' have made their ratings look significantly better. Status: CANCELLED

Which Fox Program Deserves a Renewal?

Call Me Kat

The Resident

Prodigal Son

The Moodys

Let's Be Real

Free Survey Maker

What do you think of these predictions? Leave your own thoughts and predictions in the comment section below.

Thursday TV Ratings 4/29/21: Let’s Be Real Bombs Behind Dropping Last Man Standing, Weaker NFL Draft Dominates, Manifest, Mom & B Positive Also Slip (UPDATED)

Preliminary Analysis: ABC traded out its drama trio for the '2021 NFL Draft' (1.0) and got slightly stronger ratings than usual. Despite that, the draft was four-tenths below the previous edition from 2020 (1.4). On CBS, 'Young Sheldon' (0.7) held even but 'United States of AI' (0.5), 'Mom' (0.5), and 'B Positive' (0.4) all lost a tenth. A repeat of 'Clarice' (0.2) clogged the 10pm slot once more. NBC's 'Manifest' (0.4/0.4) dropped to a new season low for a two-hour episode, leading into an encore of 'Law & Order: SVU' (0.3). Fox had an absolutely horrific night with 'Hell's Kitchen' out of the picture. Following a repeat of 'Name That Tune' (0.2), 'Last Man Standing' (0.3) fell to a brutal series low. At 9:30, the return of puppet comedy 'Let's Be Real' (0.2) bombed out the gate, 50% below the last time it aired (0.4) and even behind last week's installment of 'The Moodys' (0.34). The CW aired two royal-themed specials, 'William & Kate's Royal Anniversary' (0.1) and 'Harry & Meghan's American Dream' (0.1). Few tuned in to watch but those low ratings should definitely excite Piers Morgan.

Finals Update: 'NFL Draft' (+0.1) and both episodes of 'Manifest' (+0.1 each) adjusted up.