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.

Thursday TV Ratings 3/28/24: March Madness Rises Again, 9-1-1 Also Rises, Grey’s Anatomy and Station 19 Drop (Final Ratings w/Analysis)

Ratings Analysis: CBS's latest March Madness broadcast (1.54/2.06) was significantly higher than last Thursday's (1.50/1.26) and kept them on top in terms of Adults 18-49 ratings. 9-1-1 (0.57, +0.05) grew on ABC, but Grey's Anatomy (0.39, -0.08) and Station 19 (0.29, -0.03) continued to decline. Next Level Chef (0.26, -0.03) dropped to a new series low on Fox, while Farmer Wants a Wife (0.19, 0.00) tied its episode from two weeks ago. NBC re-ran their Law & Order trio (0.23/0.24/0.20). The CW's Son of a Critch (0.04/0.03) was steady at 9 but down a hundredth from last week at 9:30.

Thursday TV Ratings 3/7/24: State of the Union Rises from 2023, Young Sheldon and Ghosts Slip (Final Ratings w/Analysis)

Ratings Analysis: President Biden's State of the Union Address took over primetime, and the ratings were generally higher than they were in 2023. NBC's coverage (0.69 rating/4.47 million viewers) led the way in the Adults 18-49 demographic, but ABC (0.68 rating/5.24 million viewers) had the peacock network beat in terms of total viewership, despite being a hair below them in the demo. CBS (0.49 rating/4.09 million viewers) took a distant fourth, while Fox (0.30 rating/1.77 million viewers) was unsurprisingly in last place. For the 10:30 p.m. Republican Response, it was ABC (0.36 rating/3.36 million viewers) that took the top spot, beating NBC (0.30 rating/2.63 million viewers) in both the demo and viewership. CBS (0.26 rating/2.65 million viewers) pulled slightly ahead of NBC in viewership but was dead-last in the demo. In the 8 p.m. hour, CBS comedies Young Sheldon (0.50, -0.02) and Ghosts (0.48, -0.03) dipped slightly, but Next Level Chef (0.36, +0.04) grew on Fox. ABC had a strong rerun of Celebrity Wheel of Fortune (0.38), while NBC re-ran Law & Order (0.22). Son of a Critch (0.05, 0.00) and Children Ruin Everything (0.04, 0.00) were stable on the CW.

Thursday TV Ratings 2/22/24: Law & Order Jumps with Sam Waterston Exit, Ghosts Collapses, So Help Me Todd and Next Level Chef Also Sink (UPDATED w/Analysis)

Ratings Analysis: NBC's Law & Order (0.47, +0.09) was up by nearly a full tenth for the Sam Waterston exit episode and helped SVU (0.58, +0.06) and Organized Crime (0.41, +0.03) grow along with it. On CBS, Young Sheldon (0.53, -0.10), Ghosts (0.44, -0.23), and So Help Me Todd (0.29, -0.09) plummeted in week two, but it was Ghosts that took the most alarming drop of the three. Fox's Next Level Chef (0.29, -0.15) and Farmer Wants a Wife (0.17, -0.07) also crumbled. ABC re-ran American Idol (0.30) and Will Trent (0.16). Reruns of The Conners (0.09/0.07) remained a strong option for the CW, but Son of a Critch (0.04, -0.02) and Children Ruin Everything (0.02, -0.02) still slipped. 

Finals Update: All shows held their preliminary rounded ratings.

Thursday TV Ratings 2/15/24: So Help Me Todd and Young Sheldon Return Up from Finales, Ghosts Draws Highest Scripted Premiere of the Season, Next Level Chef Rises (UPDATED w/Analysis)

Ratings Analysis: CBS comedies Young Sheldon (0.63) and Ghosts (0.67) returned in very solid shape for their respective season premieres. Both returned a good bit higher than their May finales and were well above all other offerings in the Adults 18-49 demographic. The momentum completely stopped once the clock hit 9 as So Help Me Todd (0.38) remained a poor retainer, but the drama was still up from its own season finale from last May. The night finished with an encore of Tracker (0.27). On Fox, Next Level Chef (0.44, +0.05) and Farmer Wants a Wife (0.24, +0.02) were both on the rise, but Farmer was once more a lot less impressive than its lead-in. ABC went with more Truth and Lies (0.24) and another Will Trent rerun (0.16). NBC re-ran Law & Order (0.30), SVU (0.29), and Organized Crime (0.24). Son of a Critch (0.06, +0.01) inched up on the CW, while Children Ruin Everything (0.04, 0.00) held even.

Finals Update: Ghosts (+0.1) and So Help Me Todd (+0.1) adjusted up.