Friday TV Ratings 4/30/21: MacGyver Eyes Series Low for Series Finale, Magnum PI and Blue Bloods Also Hit Lows, NFL Draft Weak in Night 2 (UPDATED)

Preliminary Analysis: A 5-season run came to a close on CBS, with drama 'MacGyver' (0.4) going out with a whimper for its final episode ever. The procedural was down a tenth from last week and will end on a series low unless it scores an upward adjustment. 'Magnum PI' (0.4) and 'Blue Bloods' (0.4) didn't fare much better, with the programs losing a tenth and two-tenths respectively. On ABC, night two of the 'NFL Draft' (0.4) was well below Thursday's broadcast (1.05) and also several tenths behind the average 'Shark Tank' installment. This meant that Fox's 'WWE Smackdown' (0.5) was able to cruise to a rare Friday win, topping the evening altogether and matching its last outing. NBC saw one-tenth declines from 'The Blacklist' (0.3) and 'Dateline' (0.4). The CW brought back 'World's Funniest Animals' (0.2) in pretty solid fashion, up from its usual 0.1s. A 'Penn & Teller' repeat (0.1) followed from there.

Finals Update: NFL Draft (+0.1), MacGyver (+0.1), Magnum PI (+0.1), Blue Bloods (+0.1) and The Blacklist (+0.1) adjusted up. World's Funniest Animals Spring Fling (-0.1) adjusted down.

Friday TV Ratings 4/16/21: Shark Tank Slides but Tied with Blue Bloods in First, WWE SmackDown and MacGyver Also Down (UPDATED)

Preliminary Analysis: A two-tenth decline from ABC's 'Shark Tank' (0.6) and a one-tenth rise from CBS's 'Blue Bloods' (0.6) put the two shows back into a tie for the top spot. Preceding 'Blue Bloods', 'MacGyver' (0.4) shed a tenth at 8 while 'Magnum PI' (0.5) held even in the 9pm slot. 'Shark Tank' was followed by a stable '20/20' (0.5). Over on Fox, 'WWE Smackdown' (0.5) inched down from last week. NBC's 'The Blacklist' (0.3) lost a tick but its 'Dateline' lead-out (0.4) grew from there. The CW had the steady season finales of 'Whose Line Is It Anyway' (0.1) and 'Penn & Teller: Fool Us' (0.1). A repeat of 'Whose Line' (0.1) was sandwiched in-between. 

Finals Update: Shark Tank (+0.1), 20/20 (+0.1), MacGyver (+0.1), WWE SmackDown (+0.1), and The Blacklist (+0.1) adjusted up.

Friday TV Ratings 4/9/21: MacGyver Down After Cancellation, First-Place Shark Tank Rises (UPDATED)

Preliminary Analysis: Fresh off its cancellation, CBS's 'MacGyver' (0.4) seemed to justify the network's decision. The 5th season drama not only lost a tenth but also tied its series low. 'Magnum PI' (0.5) was steady in the 9pm slot, but 'Blue Bloods' (0.5) came back down after last week's strong showing (0.65). The 'Blue Bloods' slippage meant that a rising 'Shark Tank' (0.7) was able to top the night unchallenged. ABC capped off their night with a stable, two-hour edition of 20/20 (0.5). On NBC, a repeat of 'The Blacklist' (0.3) wasn't far off from the rating of its week-ago original (0.36). Later in the evening, 'Dateline' (0.4) got back a tenth despite the smaller lead-in. Fox's 'WWE Smackdown' (0.6) remained a solid offering and matched its previous broadcast. The CW had a batch of 'Whose Line Is It Anyway?' repeats (0.2/0.1) and an original 'Penn & Teller: Fool Us' (0.1).

Finals Update: 'Shark Tank' (+0.1) and 'MacGyver' (+0.1) adjusted up.

MacGyver Canceled by CBS

CBS is saying farewell to yet another veteran series: MacGyver has been canceled after five seasons. The Friday staple has been an OK performer for the Tiffany Network throughout its run, but was never a hit for the network. It's the third veteran cancellation of the season, after comedy Mom and fellow procedural NCIS: New Orleans. The series fell near the middle of the CBS scripted ratings pack, rating as the #8 drama and #14 scripted series overall among 21 series. The show has averaged a 0.51 so far in season five, marking a 23% drop. The series was at the center of a lawsuit alleging that the plaintiffs were owed payments due to a deal made for the original MacGyver series from the 80s and 90s. It remains to be seen whether that lawsuit had anything to do with the cancellation, though the series was said to boast high production costs, only made higher in the age of COVID. MacGyver starred Lucas Till, Tristan Mays, Justin Hires, Meredith Eaton, Levy Tran and Henry Ian Cusick. The series finale will air April 30. It will be the fifteenth episode of the season and ninety-fourth overall.

Friday TV Ratings 4/2/21: Blue Bloods Ties Shark Tank for the Win, MacGyver and The Blacklist Steady at Lows (UPDATED)

Preliminary Analysis: It was a tight race for the #1 spot, but ABC's 'Shark Tank' (0.6) and CBS's 'Blue Bloods' (0.6) ended up tying for first place. 'Shark Tank' held even on a week-to-week basis and led into a lower '20/20' (0.4) while 'Blue Bloods' led out of stable helpings of 'MacGyver' (0.4) and 'Magnum PI' (0.5). Fox was in the same ballpark as those two networks with 'WWE Smackdown' (0.5), the wrestling program ticked down from its last episode. NBC trailed the others as 'The Blacklist' (0.3) and 'Dateline' (0.3) remained deathly low. The CW had an encore of the 'Wipeout' reboot (0.1) and an original 'Penn & Teller: Fool Us' (0.1).

Finals Update: Shark Tank (+0.1), 20/20 (+0.1), WWE SmackDown (+0.1), MacGyver (+0.1), Blue Bloods (+0.1) and The Blacklist (+0.1) adjusted up.