Thursday TV Ratings 9/24/26: Tepid Start for American Horror Story 13, The Traitors: New Blood Dips, Big Brother Rises
Analysis to come.
Tuesday TV Ratings 9/22/26: Doc Returns Up from Finale, Dancing with the Stars Stays Dominant, The Voice Rises
Analysis to come.
NBC Renew/Cancel Week 1: Line of Fire Is Already in the Firing Line
PILOT REVISITED: Charlie’s Angels
Each week, I take a look back at a pilot from the 2011-12 season, first reviewed on my blog during that season. This week, I am looking at ABC's failed remake of Charlie's Angels!
Raymond Island Season 8 Premiere - The Banshees of Providence
Raymond Island Season 8 Episode 1
The Banshees of Providence
ABC Renew/Cancel Week 1: The RJ Decker Experiment Has Failed
The ABC Renew/Cancel is back after a long summer, as ABC begins to roll out its regular season lineup. This week, it's an in-depth look at the sole scripted debut so far, RJ Decker, plus some more marveling at the remarkable performance of Dancing with the Stars.
FOX Renew/Cancel: Animal Control Is In Control + 2025-26 Recap
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| Fox Corporation, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons |
Below are the September 26th Fox renew/cancel predictions for the 2026-27 television season. The table format will return once each show has at least one data point in the 18-49 demographic.
The Simpsons received a multi-season renewal in 2025, so it is already set to return for next season. No prediction will be assigned to it.
It is rare for a sitcom entering its fifth season to be upgraded to one of the best time slots on the network. This fall, Animal Control will be stationed in the coveted post-Simpsons slot on Sunday nights, a time when the NFL lead-in inflates the lineup's numbers to a cartoonish degree. Such preferential treatment makes Fox's intentions clear, so the series begins as a certain renewal.
Traditionally, a move to an anchor slot would be a vote of confidence by the network. But Universal Basic Guys has not proven itself to be a show that can excel at the top of the hour. In winter 2026, Guys often trailed both its lead-in and lead-out, and being at nine instead of 8:30 means that the NFL's positive impact on its numbers will be reduced. But while it will be dealing with a more challenging set of circumstances, Fox has been quite nurturing to its recent cartoon offerings. And while underwhelming at times, Guys has yet to post an 18-49 rating as low as Grimsburg (0.09 rating on 5/12/24) or Krapopolis (0.07 on 4/19/26). If Fox can continue handing out renewals to those two, then this one can start as a likely renewal.
Grimsburg missed the 2025-26 television season entirely, but it is back to a regular Sunday time slot this season. However, airing at 9:30 means it will receive minimal football help, so its performance among adults 18-49 will be more reflective of its actual strength than the other three. What's working against this one is that it has a low attention score and has been removed from Netflix, but Fox giving it a fall slot for the first time in its career is a positive sign. It is likely to be renewed, but it is far from "certain renewal" territory.
Thanks to a sizable football lead-in, Best Medicine returned with a massive 0.85 rating in the Adults 18-49 demographic. The series was consistently a bright spot in the key demographic last season, and the decision to place the start of its sophomore season after The OT shows Fox is still in its corner. This one is a certain renewal.
The 22-episode season is not as common as it once was, and Doc belongs to a shrinking group of shows still afforded such a luxury. The fact that it maintains such a robust order in 2026 means Fox is highly invested in its success. While its performance in the key demo weakened in season two, it remained solid on the streaming front. This is another certain renewal.
2025-26 Recap
Of the twelve scripted offerings Fox aired in the 2025-26 television season, half were renewed in advance for the 2026-27 season. That left just six to provide predictions for. Of the six, there were five correct predictions and one miss (Going Dutch), resulting in an 83% accuracy score for this column.
| The TV Ratings Guide | 8:00 | 8:30 | 9:00 | 9:30 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon | Celebrity Name That Tune | Celebrity Weakest Link | ||
| Tues | Best Medicine | Doc | ||
| Wed | The Floor | 99 to Beat | ||
| Thurs | Hell's Kitchen | Special Forces: World's Toughest Test | ||
| Fri | Fox Sports | |||
| Sun | The Simpsons | Animal Control | Universal Basic Guys | Grimsburg |
Renewed
Certain Renew
Likely Renew
Likely Cancel
Certain Cancel
Canceled
What’s Trending on Streaming - September 20 - September 26: American Horror Story Scares Up a Strong Debut, Brothers’ Star Power Isn’t Enough to Take Down Ted Lasso, The Traitors: New Blood Rocks Peacock
First Week Peak: Tracker Not On Track For #1 Debut, East of Eden Shows Promising Signs for Netflix
Welcome to First Week Peak, a column which discusses shows that are about to premiere on Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, Paramount+, HBO Max, Peacock, Hulu, and/or Apple TV. Each discussion concludes with a prediction for the show's weekly peak performance on their respective streaming service's U.S. trending chart, including a reader poll. All Attention Scores come from Television Stats as of September 26, 2026. Final results can be found in our weekly What's Trending On Streaming column. Let us know what you think in the comments!
Monday TV Ratings 9/21/26: Line of Fire Premieres Abysmally, The Voice Returns Above Season 28 and 29 Premieres, Name That Tune and Celebrity Weakest Link Decent [+ Analysis]
New series Line of Fire (0.17) had a disappointing launch on NBC, retaining less than half of the premiere of The Voice (0.40) on arrival. NFL on ABC (2.13) was above the other broadcast network offerings, while CBS went with repeats of FBI (0.15/0.09) and CIA (0.13). On Fox, Name That Tune (0.20) and Celebrity Weakest Link (0.20) were at a decent level in their premieres. On the CW, All American (0.05, +0.01) ticked up. Key: (P) = premiere. (R) = repeat.
Sunday TV Ratings 9/20/26: Best Medicine Solid for Post-NFL Airing, Big Brother Down Week-to-Week, Halloween Wars Returns Higher [+ Analysis]
Fox drama Best Medicine (0.85) returned with an NFL-boosted series high on Sunday night, putting it above CBS's 60 Minutes (0.61, -0.33) and Big Brother (0.59, -0.07) in the key demographic. NFL on NBC (5.89) was down but dominant. ABC aired repeats of America's Funniest Home Videos (0.26), RJ Decker (0.11), and Scrubs (0.08/0.08/0.08/0.08). The CW's movie of the week was the 1991 comedy Father of the Bride (0.07). Key: (P) = premiere. (R) = repeat.
Saturday TV Ratings 9/19/26: LSU/Ole Miss College Football Game Gives ABC an Easy Win, Garage Sale Mysteries: Murder Takes the Stage OK on Hallmark, NASCAR Solid [+ Analysis]
All five broadcast networks aired college football on Saturday night. ABC's game (2.61) was by far the strongest, while NBC (0.55) came in a distant second. Fox (0.21) was slightly ahead of CBS (0.20) in the key demographic. The CW's game (0.04) barely made any noise, but it improved on its abysmal PBR lead-in (0.02).
Bake Your Heart Out Season 8 Finale - Ore-Goners
Bake Your Heart Out Season 8 Episode 13
Ore-Goners
Friday TV Ratings 9/18/26: Greatest @Home Videos: CEDY Awards Decent, Houston/Texas Tech College Football Game Dominates, Anna Pigeon Dips [+ Analysis]
On CBS, The Greatest @Home Videos: CEDY Awards (0.18) was a decent Friday night offering, and Big Brother: Unlocked (0.19, 0.00) held steady for its finale. Dateline (0.12) struggled on NBC, while ABC's 20/20 (0.20) was on more solid ground. College football on Fox (0.72) dominated overall. The CW's NASCAR broadcast (0.10) made the network more visible. Key: (R) = repeat. (F) = finale.
Thursday TV Ratings 9/17/26: Big Brother Rises for Double Eviction Episode, The Traitors: New Blood Has Respectable Debut, The Voice 30th Season Special Weak [+ Analysis]
The Traitors: New Blood (0.33/0.28) got off to a solid start on NBC, but The Voice 30th Season Celebration (0.15) underwhelmed in the key demo. CBS's Big Brother (0.73, +0.05) was up noticeably from last week. MLB on Fox (0.29) performed reasonably well. Key: (P) = premiere. (R) = repeat.
Monday TV Ratings 9/14/26: Emmys Sink More Than a Third from 2025, Name That Tune Low for Final Season Five Episodes, Halloween Baking Championship Returns Steady [+ Analysis]
Though overshadowed by NFL on ABC (2.86), the Emmy Awards (0.8) brought in a decent amount of attention on NBC. However, there was a steep 38% decline from 2025 (1.28) in the key demographic. On Fox, Name That Tune (0.17/0.14) returned to air two episodes, while CBS aired repeats of dramas FBI (0.18/0.13) and CIA (0.07). All American (0.04, -0.02) dropped again on the CW. Key: (R) = repeat. (F) = finale.
PILOT REVISITED: New Girl
Each week, I take a look back at a pilot from the 2011-12 season, first reviewed on my blog during that season. This week, I am looking at FOX's hit comedy New Girl!
Bar Exam Season 7 Episode 7 of 8: Lennie’s Secret
New Show Power Rankings: Spinoffs Start High as Comedies Face Uphill Battle
What’s Trending on Streaming - September 13 - September 19: A Monstrous Debut for Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story, Neagley Triumphs as Reacher Wraps, Dancing with the Stars Foxtrots to #1 on Hulu
It was a big week on streaming, as the fall season begins to ramp up, and broadcast and streaming hits return for new seasons. Keep reading to see the top shows on Hulu, Disney+, Paramount+, Peacock, HBO Max, Apple TV, Prime Video, and Netflix this week!
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