Wednesday TV Ratings 6/23/21: Card Sharks and In The Dark Returns Tie Previous Averages, The Blacklist Finale Hits Series Low, MasterChef Easily Leads (UPDATED)

Preliminary Analysis: On a night with a handful of premieres and finales, NBC's 'The Blacklist' (0.2) found itself hitting a new series low for its season eight closer. The longtime drama was a tenth shy of last week's rating and a tenth behind its lead-in, 2017 DreamWorks film 'The Boss Baby' (0.3). ABC brought back 'Card Sharks' (0.3) in underwhelming fashion. The Joel McHale game-show was two-tenths below its last episode from January but roughly in-line with its lackluster Fall 2020 run. Earlier in the evening, 'Press Your Luck' (0.4) shed a tenth as 'The $100,000 Pyramid' (0.4) tied its previous outing. Over on CBS, 'Kids Say the Darndest Things' (0.3) was flat for its finale and was followed by more 'SWAT' repeats (0.2/0.2). Fox was steady across the board with 'MasterChef' (0.6) and 'Crime Scene Kitchen' (0.4). 'In the Dark' (0.1) returned for its third season on the CW and posted the same rating it garnered throughout season two. 'Kung Fu' (0.1) didn't budge in the 8pm slot. 

Finals Update: 'MasterChef' (+0.1) and 'Crime Scene Kitchen' (+0.1) adjusted up.

Wednesday TV Ratings 6/16/21: The Blacklist Steady on Special Night, Press Your Luck Ties MasterChef (UPDATED)

Preliminary Analysis: ABC's 'Press Your Luck' (0.5) rose by a tenth and found itself in a three-way tie in the 8pm slot. 'The $100,00 Pyramid' (0.4) lost a tenth after taking last week off and led into a pilot encore of 'The Celebrity Dating Game' (0.3) that came within a tenth of its Monday debut. On Fox, 'MasterChef' (0.5) took an unsettling two-tenth decline while 'Crime Scene Kitchen' (0.4) only lost a few hundredths. NBC's broadcast of the 'US Olympic Swimming Trials' (0.5) was on-par with the showing from Tuesday night. At 10, 'The Blacklist' (0.3) held steady in its move from Friday to Wednesday. 'Kids Say the Darndest Things' (0.3) slipped on CBS and was followed by another pair of 'SWAT' encores (0.2/0.2). The CW had reruns of 'Kung Fu' (0.1) and TBS series 'The Cube' (0.1). 

Finals Update: 'MasterChef' (+0.1), 'US Olympic Swimming Trials' (+0.1), and the repeat of 'SWAT' (+0.1) adjusted up.

Wednesday TV Ratings 6/9/21: A Million Little Things Rises for Finale as Press Your Luck Slips, MasterChef and Kids Say the Darndest Things Steady (UPDATED)

Preliminary Analysis: ABC's 'A Million Little Things' (0.4) gained a tenth for its two-hour finale, getting back to a level it hadn't seen since early April. The veteran drama pulled into a tie with its 'Press Your Luck' lead-in (0.4). The Elizabeth Banks game show lost a tenth from last week. On Fox, 'MasterChef' (0.6) matched its week-ago premiere and once more outpaced all other telecasts. Lead-out program 'Crime Scene Kitchen' (0.4) fell by a few hundredths when compared to its previous episode (0.45). CBS was steady with 'Kids Say the Darndest Things' (0.4) and another batch of 'SWAT' reruns (0.3/0.3). NBC had a surprisingly strong 'Chicago Fire' rerun (0.5) that beat out every non-'MasterChef' series. Repeats of 'Chicago Med' (0.4) and 'Chicago PD' (0.3) surrounded 'Fire' at 8 and 10pm respectively. The CW had encores of 'Kung Fu' (0.1) and 'Whose Line Is It Anyway?' (0.1/0.1).

Finals Update: 'MasterChef' (+0.1) and 'Crime Scene Kitchen' (+0.1) adjusted up. The repeat of 'Chicago Fire' (-0.2) and the 10 PM repeat of 'SWAT' (-0.1) adjusted down.

Wednesday TV Ratings 6/2/21: MasterChef Returns with New Low, Press Your Luck and The $100,000 Pyramid Rise, Nancy Drew Ends Steady (UPDATED)

Preliminary Analysis: After close to two years off the air, Fox's 'MasterChef' (0.6) premiered to a new series low but was still strong enough to top all other programs. The Gordon Ramsay series was two-tenths behind its previous finale from 2019 (0.8), which feels like quite a win for a show that's been absent for as long as 'MasterChef' was. At 9, 'Crime Scene Kitchen' (0.4) shed two-tenths from its 'Masked Singer'-fueled premiere. With the reduced competition, ABC's game shows showed a bit more promise than the week prior. 'Press Your Luck' (0.5) inched up while 'The $100,000 Pyramid' (0.5) gained a tenth. 'A Million Little Things' (0.3) remained unchanged at 10. CBS's 'Kids Say' (0.4) held flat and led into a pair of 'SWAT' encores (0.3/0.3). NBC had a steady trio of 'One Chicago' reruns (0.3/0.3/0.3). The CW's 'Kung Fu' (0.1) tied its last outing as the 'Nancy Drew' finale (0.1) gained a few hundredths.

Finals Update: 'Crime Scene Kitchen' (0.5, +0.1) adjusted up.

Summer Renew/Cancel Week 1: Press Your Luck and The $100,000 Pyramid Enter in Weaker Shape

It's been a while! The 2020 summer TV season wrapped up last September, but now it's officially summer once again in the land of television, and that means it's time to predict the fates of summer's TV lineup. Keep reading for my initial thoughts on five of the summer season's first debuts!