NBC 2020-21 Renew/Cancel Wrap-Up: Thoughts on Good Girls, Manifest, Zoey’s Playlist, Debris and More

After what feels like an eternity, NBC has finally made renewal decisions on all of its scripted originals from the 2020-21 TV season. Read on to see my thoughts on their decisions and the state of NBC as a whole. 

Debris Canceled by NBC

One of NBC's newest dramas is already on the way out. Freshman sci-fi drama Debris has been canceled after a single season by the Peacock network. The show has been a weak performer in live+same-day ratings, averaging just a 0.38 in the 18-49 demo despite airing in the plum post-Voice slot. It rated lower in the slot that the renewed game show Weakest Link. It is also the second-lowest-rated 10 PM drama on the network, only topping Good Girls, which has a lead-in that's averaging nearly six tenths lower than The Voice. Jonathan Tucker, Riann Steele, Norbert Leo Butz and Scroobius Pip star in the series, which wrapped its thirteen-episode run on May 24. This is a correct prediction for The TV Ratings Guide.

Monday TV Ratings 5/24/21: All Rise Drops For Series Finale, The Voice and 9-1-1 Rise, Black Lightning Ticks Up (UPDATED)

Preliminary Analysis: Fox's '9-1-1' (1.0) rose a tenth for its season finale as the 'Lone Star' finale (0.8) held even at 9. On ABC, 'The Good Doctor' (0.6) was flat despite having poor lead-in support from 2010 animated film 'Tangled' (0.4). The series finale of 'All Rise' (0.4) actually shed a tenth on CBS, with the legal drama's last episode surrounded by repeats of 'The Neighborhood' (0.4), 'Abishola' (0.4), and 'Bull' (0.3). 'The Voice' (0.7) got back a tenth on NBC, but 'Debris' (0.3) couldn't rise for its finale. The 'Black Lightning' series finale (0.2) inched up on the CW, tying its 'All American' lead-in (0.2). 

Finals Update: The '9-1-1' finale (1.1, +0.1), the '9-1-1: Lone Star' finale (0.9, +0.1), and 'All American' (0.3, +0.1) adjusted up.

Monday TV Ratings 5/17/21: The Neighborhood and Bob Hearts Abishola Rise for Finales, All Rise Ticks Up following Cancellation, The Voice at Series Low (UPDATED)

Preliminary Analysis: CBS had a fairly strong evening as 'The Neighborhood' (0.7) and 'Bob Hearts Abishola' (0.7) soared for their season finales, with the former up a tenth and the latter rising by two. 'Abishola' was just a tenth below its year-ago closer while 'Neighborhood' dropped by two-tenths on a year-to-year basis. Recently-canceled 'All Rise' (0.5) got back a tenth at 9, with its final episode ever set to air next week. On the other hand, 'Bull' (0.4) actually shed a tenth for its finale, falling two-tenths behind the previous season's (0.6). Fox's lineup remained on top, with '9-1-1' (0.9) ticking up and 'Lone Star' (0.8) matching its week-ago delivery. 'The Voice' (0.6) was flat on NBC, but fading drama 'Debris' (0.3) lost a tenth. ABC's 'The Good Doctor' rose to a healthy 0.6 rating, airing after a mediocre showing of 2001 Pixar film 'Monsters Inc' (0.4). 'Inc' was roughly on-par with last week's 'Finding Dory' telecast (0.44). 'All American' (0.2) and 'Black Lightning' (0.1) were even on the CW.

Finals Update: 'The Neighborhood' (0.8, +0.1) adjusted up.

Monday TV Ratings 5/10/21: 9-1-1: Lone Star Ties Low as 9-1-1 Hits a New One, The Voice and CBS Comedies Also Slip, The Good Doctor Steady (UPDATED)

Preliminary Analysis: Fox took a noticeable hit as '9-1-1' (0.8) lost two-tenths and fell to a fresh, new low. '9-1-1: Lone Star' (0.7) fared a bit better, only shedding a tenth and tying its low-point. On NBC, 'The Voice' (0.6) slid down to its lowest rating ever, but 'Debris' (0.4) actually managed to cling to its week-ago rating. 'The Neighborhood' (0.6) and 'Bob Hearts Abishola' (0.5) each lost a tenth on CBS, but 'All Rise' (0.4) and 'Bull' (0.5) held steady. ABC's broadcast of 2016 film 'Finding Dory' (0.4) was a tenth behind week-ago 'Incredibles 2' (0.49). 'The Good Doctor' (0.5) built from 'Dory' at 10. Airing behind an 'All American' rerun (0.1), 'Black Lightning' (0.1) matched its last episode.

Finals Update: 9-1-1 (+0.1), 9-1-1: Lone Star (+0.1), The Neighborhood (+0.1) and The Voice (+0.1) adjusted up.