CW Renew/Cancel Part 1: All American’s Ratings Are All Right, but the End Is Nigh

Welcome to the all-new CW Renew/Cancel! There has been massive shakeups at the network since our last column in May of 2023, with the new owners completely reshaping what the CW is what what it airs. The network is now home to a heavily-unscripted slate, with nearly all of its scripted programs being acquired programs from Canada and the UK. However, some originals do remain, as do several co-productions. For this renew/cancel, we're only predicting CW originals like All American and Walker, as well as international shows that CW has a hand in producing, like Wild Cards and Son of a Critch. These are shows that, while other networks hold much of the power for determining renewals, CW has at least some stake in them and will have a sway in the decisions. This means fully acquired shows, like Children Ruin Everything, Family Law, and The Conners will not appear in this chart, though you can still get predictions for The Conners in our ABC Renew/Cancel.

Friday TV Ratings 12/8/23: Norman Lear Special Low, Shark Tank Rises After Break, WWE SmackDown Also Up (UPDATED w/Analysis)

Ratings Analysis: CBS honored legendary sitcom producer Norman Lear with the special Norman Lear: A Life on Television (0.21), but its performance in the Adults 18-49 demographic left much to be desired. Raid the Cage (0.20, -0.04) declined in the 9 p.m. time slot and was followed by the usual Blue Bloods rerun (0.17). Fox's WWE Smackdown (0.63, +0.04) grew a bit and returned to its position as Friday night champion. Shark Tank (0.36, +0.02) and 20/20 (0.33, +0.07) were both up on ABC after taking a few weeks off. NBC's broadcast of 2017 film Despicable Me 3 (0.19) did not impress and dragged down Dateline (0.21, -0.06). FBoy Island (0.04, 0.00) held flat for its CW finale, but Penn & Teller (0.07, -0.01) shed a hundredth. 

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

Friday TV Ratings 12/1/23: Pac-12 Championship College Football Game Dominates, The Wall Slides, WWE SmackDown Below Most Recent Fox Airing (UPDATED w/Analysis)

Ratings Analysis: The Pac-12 Championship game (2.33) dominated in the Adults 18-49 demographic and led ABC to a rare Friday-night victory. Fox's WWE Smackdown (0.59, -0.03) seemed rather meek in comparison as it is usually tops the night with ease. Raid the Cage (0.24, +0.05) climbed higher on CBS but still trailed the rerun of The Price Is Right At Night (0.30) that aired before it. An encore of Blue Bloods (0.18) held down the 10 p.m. hour. NBC's The Wall (0.18) underwhelmed in the 8 p.m. slot, but Dateline (0.27, -0.02) built on it from there. Penn & Teller: Fool Us (0.08, 0.00) and FBoy Island (0.04, 0.00) were stable on the CW.

Finals Update: College Football: OR v. WA (+0.6) and WWE SmackDown (+0.1) adjusted up.

Friday TV Ratings 11/24/23: Texas Tech/Texas College Football Game Takes Second as Oregon State/Oregon Game Leads, Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer Solid (UPDATED w/Analysis)

Ratings Analysis: Fox's broadcast of the Oregon State v. Oregon college football game (0.99) easily topped the night and was just a hundredth away from the elusive 1.00. In the 8 p.m. hour, BMW Ultimate Update (0.36) placed third in its time slot. ABC put up quite a fight with its Texas Tech v. Texas game (0.83) but fell short of Fox's. NBC had a solid Penn State v. Michigan State game (0.61) but was below the other college football broadcasts. On CBS, The Greatest @Home Videos (0.21) appeared to underwhelm but was on-par with its last episode from June (0.21). Reruns of Raid the Cage (0.16) and Blue Bloods (0.16) followed. Over on the CW, Christmas special Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer (0.08) was actually up from 2022's broadcast (0.06). FBoy Island (0.04, 0.00) tied last week's installment. 

Finals Update: College Football: TX Tech v. TX (+0.1), College Football: Penn St. v. MI St. (+0.2), College Football: OR St. v. OR (+0.4), and repeats of Raid the Cage (+0.1) and Blue Bloods (+0.1) adjusted up.

Friday TV Ratings 11/17/23: WWE SmackDown Rises, Raid the Cage and Let’s Make A Deal Primetime Slide, Shark Tank Also Sinks (UPDATED)

Ratings Analysis: WWE Smackdown (0.62, +0.05) enjoyed some growth on the Fox network and increased its lead in the Adults 18-49 demographic. Let's Make a Deal Primetime (0.22, -0.03) and Raid the Cage (0.19, -0.07) crumbled on CBS. The 10 p.m. Blue Bloods rerun (0.16) was also down when compared to last week. ABC's Shark Tank (0.34, -0.04) and 20/20 (0.26, -0.02) both declined. NBC had a rerun of The Wall (0.20) and an episode of Dateline (0.29, +0.06) that improved on last week's by a sizable amount. Penn & Teller: Fool Us (0.08, -0.01) inched down on the CW, but FBoy Island held steady at last week's 0.04 rating. 

Finals Update: 20/20 (+0.1) adjusted up.

Friday TV Ratings 11/10/23: After the Blast Special Weak, Raid the Cage Builds on Let’s Make A Deal Primetime, WWE SmackDown Easily Leads (UPDATED)

Ratings Analysis: After the Blast: The Will to Survive (0.18) completely bombed in ABC's 8 p.m. time slot and was over 50% lower than last week's Shark Tank (0.38) in the Adults 18-49 demographic. The special could only tie a 10 o'clock rerun of CBS's Blue Bloods (0.18) and brought 20/20 (0.28, -0.03) down with it. Let's Make a Deal Primetime (0.25, -0.02) dipped on CBS, but Raid the Cage (0.26, 0.00) held even and actually beat out its lead-in. WWE Smackdown (0.57, +0.04) grew a bit on Fox and was once more the 18-49 ratings champion. The Wall (0.26, +0.01) picked up a hundredth on NBC, while Dateline (0.23, -0.05) crashed. Penn & Teller: Fool Us (0.09, +0.02) and FBoy Island (0.04, +0.01) improved on the CW. 

Finals Update: The Wall (+0.1), Raid the Cage (+0.1), and WWE SmackDown (+0.1) adjusted up.

Friday TV Ratings 11/3/23: Let’s Make a Deal Primetime and The Wall Have Underwhelming Returns, Shark Tank Rebounds, Weaker WWE SmackDown Leads (UPDATED)

Ratings Analysis: The return of 'Let's Make a Deal Primetime' (0.27) did not impress on CBS and was a couple hundredths lower than last week's rerun of 'The Price Is Right At Night' (0.31). Despite the lead-in reduction, 'Raid the Cage' (0.26, 0.00) held even in the 9 p.m. time slot and was followed by another encore of 'Blue Bloods' (0.17). NBC's 'The Wall' (0.25) had an even weaker return than 'Deal' but at least 'Dateline' (0.28, +0.06) was able to bounce back rather nicely. Over on ABC, 'Shark Tank' (0.38, +0.10) gained a full tenth, but '20/20' (0.31, -0.01) still shed a hundredth. Fox mainstay 'WWE Smackdown' (0.53, -0.06) declined when compared to its episode from two weeks ago but was still the top program of the evening. 'Penn & Teller: Fool Us' (0.07, +0.02) built on last week's premiere, while 'FBoy Island' (0.03) could only tie its week-ago repeat.

Finals Update: 'Shark Tank' (+0.1), 'Let's Make a Deal Primetime' (+0.1), and 'Raid the Cage' (+0.1) adjusted up.

Monday TV Ratings 10/30/23: World Series Ticks Up and Narrowly Tops Monday Night Football, The Voice and Lotería Loca Drop (UPDATED)

Ratings Analysis: The 2023 World Series (1.64, +0.09) was about a tenth higher in game 3 than it was in game 2 on the Fox network. This time around, ABC nearly eclipsed Fox with its 'Raiders v. Lions' NFL game (1.59) in the Adults 18-49 demographic. On NBC, 'The Voice' (0.51, -0.05) and new drama 'The Irrational' (0.27, -0.02) both slipped. CBS's 'Loteria Loca' (0.13, -0.06) crashed to a new series low and trailed the reruns of 'Ghosts' (0.29/0.21) that led into it. The 10 p.m. 'NCIS' encore (0.12) was steady. 'FBoy Island' (0.04, +0.01) gained a hundredth on the CW but was a good bit behind the repeat of 'Penn & Teller: Fool Us' (0.06) that aired an hour before it.

Finals Update: '2023 World Series Game 3' (+0.4) and 'NFL: Raiders v. Lions' (+0.3) adjusted up.

Monday TV Ratings 10/23/23: Monday Night Football Slips, MLB ALCS and The Voice Rises (UPDATED)

Ratings Analysis: The '49ers v. Vikings' NFL game (1.98) was almost two-tenths lower than last week's 'Cowboys v. Chargers' game (2.17) but still led ABC to a clean Monday-night win. Fox's 'Rangers v. Astros' MLB game (0.99) took a distant second in the 18-49 demographic. 'The Voice' (0.56, +0.05) and 'The Irrational' (0.29, +0.05) picked up five-hundredths apiece on NBC. CBS game show 'The Price Is Right At Night' (0.34, +0.01) was a hundredth higher than it was on Friday. 'Loteria Loca' (0.19, +0.05) was also on the rise. The 10 p.m. 'NCIS' rerun (0.12) picked up a hundredth as well. 'FBoy Island' (0.03, +0.01) inched up on the CW and led into 'The Royals: A New Era' (0.02).

Finals Update: 'NFL: 49ers v. Vikings' (+0.5), 'The Voice' (+0.1), and 'MLB ALCS: Rangers v. Astros' (+0.2) adjusted up. 

Monday TV Ratings 10/16/23: The Irrational and Lotería Loca Sink, The Voice Also Drops, Kitchen Nightmares Rises (UPDATED)

Ratings Analysis: NBC drama 'The Irrational' (0.24, -0.07) was down more than its 'Voice' lead-in (0.51, -0.04) when compared to last Monday and set a new series low. On CBS, game show 'Loteria Loca' (0.14, -0.08) completely plummeted and retained less than half of the 'Price Is Right At Night' rerun (0.30) that led into it. The 10 p.m. 'NCIS' repeat (0.11) was also lower than last week. The news was a lot more positive on Fox as 'Kitchen Nightmares' (0.35, +0.07) and 'Special Forces' (0.30, +0.06) soared to their highest ratings in some time. 'Kitchen Nightmares' in particular tied its season high, while 'Special Forces' beat every episode outside of its premiere. ABC broke the 2.0 threshold in the Adults 18-49 demographic with its 'Cowboys v. Chargers' NFL game (2.17). The CW barely cleared the 0.02 threshold with the return of 'FBoy Island' (0.02/0.02).

Finals Update: 'NFL : Cowboys v. Chargers' (+0.5) adjusted up.

Thursday TV Ratings 10/5/23: Big Brother and The Golden Bachelor Lead, Hell’s Kitchen Rises (UPDATED)

Ratings Analysis: ABC series 'The Golden Bachelor' (0.57, -0.06) remained a force in week two, even as it dealt with a post-premiere decline. 'Bachelor in Paradise' (0.36, -0.02) inched down in the 9 p.m. hour. 'Buddy Games' (0.32, +0.09) and 'Big Brother' (0.57, +0.04) climbed higher on CBS, while 'The Challenge: USA' (0.24, 0.00) held steady. Fox's 'Hell's Kitchen' (0.37, +0.08) improved greatly on its mediocre premiere, but 'LEGO Masters' (0.21, -0.03) only weakened some more. NBC re-ran 'Law & Order: SVU' (0.17), 'Found' (0.17), and 'Dateline' (0.24). 'FBoy Island' (0.05, +0.01) grew by a hundredth for its CW finale and led into a 'Whose Line' repeat' (0.04).

Finals Update: ‘The Golden Bachelor’ (+0.1), ‘Bachelor in Paradise’ (+0.1), and ‘Big Brother’ (+0.1) adjusted up, while ‘Hell’s Kitchen’ (-0.1) and ‘LEGO Masters’ (-0.2) adjusted down.

Thursday TV Ratings 9/21/23: Big Brother Up from Last Thursday for Double Eviction Episode, Buddy Games and The Challenge: USA Slip, The Prank Panel Ticks Up for Finale (UPDATED)

Ratings Analysis: CBS's 'Big Brother' (0.65, +0.01) was a hundredth higher than last Thursday for a double eviction episode, but 'Buddy Games' (0.27, -0.02) and 'The Challenge: USA' (0.25, -0.03) shed a few ticks. On ABC, 'Generation Gap' (0.33, +0.04) and 'The Prank Panel' (0.22, +0.01) improved for their respective finales. The 10 p.m. 'Shark Tank' rerun (0.15) was three-hundredths lower than last week's. Fox's 'MLB: Regional Coverage' (0.27, 0.00) was on-par with the week prior. NBC aired repeats of 'Password' (0.26) and 'American Ninja Warrior' (0.16). 'Fight to Survive' (0.02, -0.02) and 'FBoy Island' (0.02, -0.01) dipped on the CW.

Finals Update: The repeat of 'Password' (+0.1) adjusted up. 'MLB: Regional Coverage' (-0.1) adjusted down.

Thursday TV Ratings 9/14/23: Buddy Games Struggles in Premiere, Generation Gap Slides, The Challenge: USA Also Down (UPDATED)

Ratings Analysis: Though 'Big Brother' (0.64, +0.03) was a bit higher than it was last Thursday, new  series 'Buddy Games' (0.29) got off to a rocky start on CBS. The reality-competition series retained less than half of its 'Big Brother' lead-in and was only a hundredth above the 10 p.m. installment of 'The Challenge: USA' (0.28, -0.04). On ABC, 'Generation Gap' (0.29, -0.02) dropped by two-hundredths for its first original episode in three weeks. At 9, 'The Prank Panel' (0.21, -0.07) crashed to a new series low after being off the air for nearly a month. A rerun of 'Shark Tank' (0.18) occupied the 10 p.m. time slot. 'Fight to Survive' (0.04, 0.00) and 'FBoy Island' (0.03, 0.00) were both steady on the CW. Fox had little luck with 'MLB: Regional Coverage' (0.27). NBC had repeats of 'Password' (0.19) and 'America's Got Talent' (0.17). 

Finals Update: 'MLB: Regional Coverage' (-0.1) adjusted down.

Thursday TV Ratings 9/7/23: NFL Rises from 2022 Kickoff, Big Brother Ticks Up, The Challenge: USA Rises (UPDATED)

Ratings Analysis: 'NFL Kickoff' (3.39) and the 'Lions v. Chiefs' game (6.85) improved significantly on the 'Kickoff' (3.01) and comparative 'Bills v. Rams' game (5.86) from September 2022. Amidst NBC's football dominance, CBS's 'Big Brother' (0.61, +0.04) dropped by seven-hundredths when stacked up against Wednesday's episode (0.68), but it was four-hundredths above last Thursday's telecast. 'The Challenge: USA' (0.32, +0.03) grew by three-hundredths when compared to its week-ago outing. Reruns of 'Young Sheldon' (0.27) and 'Ghosts' (0.25) held down the 8 p.m. hour. ABC had a passable rerun of 'Generation Gap' (0.20), but encores of 'The Prank Panel' (0.09) and 'Shark Tank' (0.08) reached unsettling levels. Fox had repeats of 'I Can See Your Voice' (0.14) and 'Name That Tune' (0.14). 'Fight to Survive' (0.04, +0.03) and 'FBoy Island' (0.03, +0.02) rebounded on the CW.

Finals Update: 'NFL: Lions v. Chiefs' (+1.4) adjusted up. 'NFL Kickoff' (-0.8) adjusted down.

Thursday TV Ratings 8/31/23: The Price Is Right Bob Barker Tribute Strong, College Football Leads, Big Brother Slips (UPDATED)

Ratings Analysis: CBS's broadcast of 'The Price Is Right: A Tribute to Bob Barker' (0.49) put up a very solid Nielsen rating and was the most-watched program of the night in terms of total viewership. This special comes less than a week after longtime 'Price Is Right' host Bob Barker passed away at the age of 99. Though the 8 p.m. hour was much stronger than usual, 'Big Brother' (0.57, -0.06) and 'The Challenge: USA' (0.29, -0.03) declined when compared to last Thursday's episodes. And while the Barker tribute and 'Brother' put up a good fight, it was Fox's telecast of the 'Nebraska versus Minnesota' college football game (0.81) that topped the evening in the Adults 18-49 demographic. Reality shows 'Fight to Survive' (0.01, -0.04) and 'FBoy Island' (0.01, -0.03) completely crashed to new lows. These numbers are even awful by the CW's low standards and place them just a hundredth away from the infamous 0.00 rating. ABC's reruns of 'Generation Gap' (0.25) and 'The Prank Panel' (0.21) were on-par with NBC's encores of 'Password' (0.25) and 'Law & Order: SVU' (0.21). However, NBC had the upper-hand in the 10 p.m. hour as their 'Law & Order' repeat (0.20) beat out ABC's 'Shark Tank' encore (0.16).

Finals Update: All shows held their preliminary rounded ratings.

Thursday TV Ratings 8/24/23: Miley Cyrus Special Weak, Generation Gap Slips, Big Brother Easily Leads (UPDATED)

Ratings Analysis: 'Generation Gap' (0.31, -0.08) took a hit on ABC and was followed by a rerun of the 20th Anniversary special of 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' (0.21). In the 10 p.m. hour, a Miley Cyrus special entitled 'Endless Summer Vacation: Continued' (0.16) was unable to bring in many viewers. Fox had slightly better luck with their 'TMZ Investigates' Britney Spears telecast (0.22), but it still barely tied NBC's repeat of 'Password' (0.22). NBC also aired reruns of 'Law & Order: SVU' (0.18) and 'Law & Order' (0.14), while Fox had an encore of 'Name That Tune' (0.19). 'Big Brother' (0.63, +0.01) and 'The Challenge: USA' (0.32, 0.00) were close to even on CBS. Reruns of 'Young Sheldon' (0.25) and 'Ghosts' (0.24) populated the 8 p.m. hour. 'Fight to Survive' (0.05, +0.01) and 'FBoy Island' (0.04, +0.02) perked up on the CW. 

Finals Update: 'TMZ Investigates: Britney Spears: Divorce and Despair' (-0.2) adjusted down, as did repeats of 'Ghosts' (-0.1) and 'Name That Tune' (-0.1). 

Thursday TV Ratings 8/17/23: Generation Gap and The Prank Panel Rise, Big Brother Leads the Night, FBoy Island Hits New Low (UPDATED)

Ratings Analysis: 'Generation Gap' (0.39, +0.11) and 'The Prank Panel' (0.28, +0.04) climbed higher on ABC, barreling past the series lows they posted a week ago and two weeks ago respectively. At 10, a 'Claim to Fame' encore (0.12) placed third (or last) in its time slot. CBS's 'Big Brother' (0.59, -0.03) was down by three-hundredths from Wednesday, and 'The Challenge: USA' (0.28, -0.01) dropped by a hundredth when compared to Sunday's telecast. Repeats of 'Young Sheldon' (0.29) and 'Ghosts' (0.26) occupied the 8 p.m. hour. 'Fight to Survive' (0.04, -0.02) and 'FBOY Island' (0.02, -0.01) dipped on the CW. Fox had little luck with 'MLB: Regional Coverage' (0.22) and lost to a repeat of NBC's 'Password' (0.23) head-on. NBC also re-ran 'Law & Order: SVU' at 9 p.m. (0.15) and 10 p.m. (0.16). 

Finals Update: Repeats of 'Password' (-0.1) and 'Claim to Fame' (-0.1) adjusted down.

Thursday TV Ratings 8/10/23: The Challenge: USA Has Decent Return, Big Brother Drops, Fight to Survive Off to a Solid Start (UPDATED)

Ratings Analysis: Though 'Big Brother' (0.56, -0.07) weakened some more, the premiere of 'The Challenge: USA' (0.31) served as a clear improvement over Wednesday's 'Superfan' launch (0.22). This rating was only half a tenth below the program's finale from back in September 2022 (0.36). CBS began the evening with a rerun of 'Young Sheldon' (0.24) that placed third in the 8 p.m. time slot and followed that up with a slightly stronger 'Ghosts' encore (0.25). Also in the 8 p.m. hour, the series premiere of 'Fight to Survive' (0.06) was a mild success by the CW's standards. In the 9 p.m. time slot, 'FBOY Island' (0.03, 0.00) tied its week-ago premiere. ABC's 'Generation Gap' (0.28, -0.04) declined by four-hundredths and led into reruns of 'The Prank Panel' (0.19) and 'Shark Tank' (0.20). Fox's broadcast of the 'FIFA Women's World Cup' (0.49) settled for second in the Adults 18-49 demographic. NBC aired encores of game show 'Password' (0.27) and drama 'Law & Order: SVU' (0.31/0.18).

Finals Update: 'Big Brother' (+0.1) adjusted up. 'FIFA Women's World Cup Live' (-0.1) adjusted down, as did repeats of 'Password' (-0.1), 'The Prank Panel' (-0.1), and 'Young Sheldon' (-0.1).

Thursday TV Ratings 8/3/23: NFL Preseason Starts Up from 2022 Opener, MLB Solid, Generation Gap and The Prank Panel Take a Hit (UPDATED)

Ratings Analysis: The 'Jets v. Browns' NFL preseason game (1.46) comfortably topped the night and went about 4% higher than last year's preseason game (1.41) in the Adults 18-49 demographic. Fox tried to compete with NBC's football broadcast, but its showing of 'MLB: Regional Coverage' (0.40) settled for a distant second-place. Against all the sports competition, ABC programs 'Generation Gap' (0.32, -0.04) and 'The Prank Panel' (0.24, -0.07) both crashed to new season lows, with 'Prank' taking an especially brutal hit. In the 10 p.m. hour, ABC's rerun of 'Shark Tank' (0.18) easily crushed CBS's encore of 'CSI: Vegas' (0.10). Earlier in the night, CBS had repeats of 'Young Sheldon' (0.19), 'Ghosts' (0.17), and 'So Help Me Todd' (0.16). The CW reran 'Son of a Critch' (0.03) and 'Run the Burbs' (0.03). At 9, the premiere of 'FBOY Island' (0.03) did not perform any better than the sitcoms.

Finals Update: 'NFL Preseason: Jets v. Browns' (+0.3) and 'MLB: Regional Coverage' (+0.1) adjusted up.