On the final ABC Renew/Cancel of 2025, we focus on a holiday staple on ABC that's still awaiting a renewal. Plus, an update on a show that recently had its prediction upgraded.
One week after the mammoth Dancing with the Stars finale, Dancing with the Holidays (0.65) dominated in a similar fashion, although its ratings prowess was muted when compared to a traditional episode of Dancing. ABC also aired a CMA Country Christmas (0.34) and a holiday-themed edition of What Would You Do? (0.21). On CBS, NCIS (0.34, -0.02) slipped, but NCIS: Origins (0.29, +0.07) and NCIS: Sydney (0.15, +0.02) rose. NBA on NBC (0.47, +0.08) also climbed higher. Murder in a Small Town (0.16, -0.03) declined for its Fox finale. Key: (F) = finale.
A monumental season of television came to a close in record-breaking fashion, as ABC's Dancing with the Stars (2.06, +0.56) soared to one last new high for its finale. Dancing zoomed past the 2.0 threshold for the first time in years and was just shy of ten million total viewers overall. But despite the additional competition, NBA on NBC (0.39, +0.09) was up from last week. Doc (0.19, +0.01) also rose on Fox, while Murder in a Small Town (0.19, 0.00) matched its week-ago rating. CBS aired repeats of NCIS (0.18) and NCIS: Origins (0.18/0.15). Key: (R) = repeat. (F) = finale.
Murder in a Small Town (0.19, +0.04) and Doc (0.18, +0.02) were both up on Fox, but it was ABC's Dancing with the Stars (1.5, +0.2) that made the most noticeable gain. Dancing found its way to yet another season high with this surge. NCIS (0.36, +0.04) bounced back on CBS, while NCIS: Origins (0.22, -0.14) and NCIS: Sydney (0.13, -0.04) crumbled. NBA on NBC (0.3) also declined. On the CW, WWE NXT (0.11, +0.04) recovered.
An ABC special marking the 40th anniversary of The Golden Girls (0.34) did well in the 10 p.m. hour, although it still trailed its Dancing with the Stars lead-in (1.30, +0.08). On CBS, NCIS: Origins (0.36, +0.11) surged, while NCIS (0.32, 0.00) held steady. NCIS: Sydney (0.17, -0.02) dropped. NBA on NBC (0.42) gained a tenth. Murder in a Small Town (0.15, -0.01) and Doc (0.16, +0.01) switched ratings on Fox. The CW's WWE NXT (0.07, -0.01) lost a hundredth.
Dancing with the Stars (1.22, -0.14) cooled down a bit on ABC, but that still put it more than 3x higher than its closest Adults 18-49 competitor. NCIS (0.32, 0.00) tied last week's installment on CBS, while NCIS: Origins (0.25, +0.05) and NCIS: Sydney (0.19, +0.04) made some noticeable gains. NBA on NBC (0.30) faded away. Fox's Murder in a Small Town (0.16, +0.01) ticked up, while Doc (0.15, -0.01) ticked down. WWE NXT (0.08, +0.01) grew slightly on the CW. Key: (R) = repeat.
ABC's Dancing with the Stars (1.36, -0.02) barely declined at all, despite facing competition from the World Series (3.05, +1.03), but High Potential (0.28, -0.06) was down to a new season low at ten. NBA on NBC (0.44) was down by almost a full point from last week. CBS's NCIS (0.32, +0.02) rose, NCIS: Origins (0.20, -0.01) dipped, and NCIS: Sydney (0.15, 0.00) matched last week's installment. WWE NXT (0.07, 0.00) was also steady on the CW.
Although NBA on NBC (1.39) inched past it in the key demo, Dancing with the Stars (1.38, +0.12) still found its way to another new season high on ABC, now over three-tenths above a premiere rating that was already massive. High Potential (0.34, +0.01) ticked up at ten. On CBS, NCIS (0.30, -0.01) and NCIS: Origins (0.21, -0.02) slipped, but NCIS: Sydney (0.15, +0.01) rose. Murder in a Small Town (0.15, -0.01) lost a hundredth on Fox, while Doc (0.16, +0.01) gained one. WWE NXT (0.07, -0.05) collapsed on the CW.
In its season premiere, CBS drama NCIS (0.31) matched its May finale rating (0.31), but NCIS: Origins (0.23) and Sydney (0.14) returned lower. On ABC, Dancing with the Stars (1.26, 0.00) tied last week's season high, but High Potential (0.33, -0.09) plummeted. The Voice (0.36, 0.00) held steady on NBC, while On Brand (0.17, +0.02) rose. Murder in a Small Town (0.16, 0.00) was stable on Fox, but Doc (0.15, -0.05) dealt with a sharp decline. WWE NXT (0.12, 0.00) was frozen at last week's rating on the CW. Key: (P) = premiere.
ABC's Dancing with the Stars (1.26, +0.04) showed no sign of slowing down on Tuesday night, rising to yet another new season high in the Adults 18-49 demographic. Drama High Potential (0.42, +0.10) rose alongside its lead-in this time, setting a new season high as well. On NBC, The Voice (0.36, -0.04) and On Brand (0.17, -0.01) both dropped. CBS continued airing repeats of NCIS (0.17/0.18) and NCIS: Origins (0.14). Murder in a Small Town (0.16, +0.04) and Doc (0.20, +0.03) recovered a bit on Fox. On the CW, WWE NXT (0.12, +0.02) grew slightly. Key: (R) = repeat.
On Brand with Jimmy Fallon (0.22) had a mediocre start on NBC, retaining a little more than half of its Voice lead-in (0.40, -0.01). On ABC, the momentum of Dancing with the Stars (1.22, +0.20) could not be suppressed, as the series soared to even loftier heights. But the surge did not seep into the 10 p.m. hour as High Potential (0.32, -0.02) dipped. On Fox, Murder in a Small Town (0.12, -0.03) dropped to a new series low, and Doc (0.17, -0.62) also fell behind every rating from its first season. CBS aired repeats of NCIS (0.11/0.08) and NCIS: Origins (0.06). WWE NXT (0.10, -0.02) declined on the CW. Key: (R) = repeat.
Jimmy Kimmel Live! was back on the air in most of the country after a widely publicized suspension, and it came with a massive ratings explosion. The late-night staple soared to a 0.87 rating in the Adults 18-49 demographic and was viewed by over six million overall. Kimmel maintained a mere 0.13 average last season, so this serves as an unprecedented jump and its highest rating in ten years. ABC had good luck during prime time hours as well, as High Potential (0.34, 0.00) held steady, and Dancing with the Stars (1.02, -0.04) was only down slightly from last week's monster premiere rating. On NBC, The Voice (0.41) was up from Monday, but America's Got Talent (0.30, -0.10) lost a full tenth. CBS aired repeats of NCIS (0.13/0.14/0.12). On Fox, Murder in a Small Town (0.15) returned with a lower rating than its November 2024 finale (0.19). WWE NXT (0.12, -0.05) took a hit on the CW. Key: (P) = premiere. (R) = repeat.
ABC's Dancing with the Stars made its return in explosive fashion, beginning the season with a mammoth 1.06 rating in the Adults 18-49 demographic, a whopping 45% improvement on last year's premiere (0.73). At ten, High Potential (0.34) retained less than a third of its Dancing lead-in for its season premiere, but the series was only a hundredth shy of its year-ago launch (0.35). America's Got Talent (0.40, +0.02) was up from last week on NBC, but a 10 p.m. fall preview special (0.13) did not impress. CBS aired repeats of NCIS (0.17) and NCIS: Origins (0.12/0.10). On Fox, The 1% Club (0.25/0.23) finished strong. WWE NXT (0.17, +0.03) gained some momentum on the CW. Key: (P) = premiere. (R) = repeat. (F) = finale.
It's been a few months since my last look at ABC's reality slate, and several new shows have debuted in the time since. Keep reading for my initial looks at the new revival of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and new seasons of The Bachelor and Celebrity Jeopardy.
Certain Cancellation:
N/A
Likely Cancellation:
N/A
Leans Cancellation:
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (0.26, 0.21-0.35)
Leans Renewal:
The Golden Bachelorette (0.31, 0.26-0.38)
What Would You Do? (0.18, 0.12-0.26)
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition: We're over a month into the latest reboot of ABC's 2000s reality hit Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, and it truly is a story of diminishing returns. Its premiere at the very start of the new year was a decent showing, with a 0.35 demo rating that put it fairly in-line with 9-1-1, which usually airs in its time-slot. That didn't last. It was down to a 0.29 the week after, which still looks fairly renewable considering the current state of TV, but the bleeding did not stop there. It was down to 0.22 just four weeks into its run, and that's where it's stayed since. This current ABC Thursday lineup, which is thankfully only a very limited run, is a ratings disaster. Extreme Makeover is the highest-rated of the trio, but it's hard to be impressed by beating Scamanda and reruns of a Hulu docuseries from last year. ABC was last among the big four networks the last two Thursdays, even with NBC in repeats last week. The decline has not been exclusive to linear viewing on ABC. Extreme Makeover: Home Edition started out solidly on Hulu as well, but its performance there has dwindled. It started out charting within Hulu's top 15 TV chart several days after airing, then started charting for only a single day, and now no longer charts at all. It last charted January 25th, failing to chart after its last two episodes aired. ABC has plenty of unscripted shows with modest (at best) ratings, but I just don't think the audience is there to keep this show going. Cheaper game shows can perform just as well, or likely better. I don't view summer as the proper place to air this going forward, either, seeing how ABC has cut down on their summer offerings in recent seasons. A show doing 0.2s in January and February is not going to be a strong option to keep ABC afloat in the summer. People tried this show out, and they didn't like it, and I think ABC's going to admit that it was a failed experiment. It LEANS CANCELLATION.
Celebrity Jeopardy!: What was a very solid option for ABC last season, and helped keep them afloat during a season sidelined by Hollywood strikes, has become yet another middling entry for a network that's struggled to put together a coherent lineup. Wednesday nights on ABC are an incompatible mismatch of shows, featuring a strong comedy hour, a game show, and a hidden camera variety show. It's not the worst lineup they've ever put together, but it doesn't flow. Despite Abbott Elementary rating solidly at 8:30, Celebrity Jeopardy is having a tough season, down 30% from last season and hitting an uncharacteristically low 0.19. It's averaging 0.29 overall, so it's still stronger than the Thursday night disasters and basically on par with Shark Tank, but it's definitely a disappointing performance. That being said, I don't doubt it'll be back. I think all it will really take to get it back on more solid footing would be to move it to 8 PM, where it used to air, and where it would have the local lead-in. In many affiliates, including three of the top five media markets (New York, Los Angeles and Philadelphia), Jeopardy! itself airs in the 7 PM hour, followed by Wheel of Fortune, providing Celebrity Jeopardy! a very compatible lead-in. I'm sure ABC can see that, and won't give up on the show after one season of mediocre, but not uniformly bad, ratings. Even if they don't move it back to 8, this is the sort of show that ABC knows they could plug in wherever and get decent enough ratings, even if it's past its heyday. It's a LIKELY RENEWAL.
Interactive Schedule:
| The TV Ratings Guide | 8:00 | 8:30 | 9:00 | 9:30 | 10:00 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon | The Bachelor | The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives | ||||
| Tues | Will Trent | High Potential | The Rookie | |||
| Wed | Shifting Gears | Abbott Elementary | Celebrity Jeopardy! | What Would You Do? | ||
| Thurs | Extreme Makeover: Home Edition | Scamanda | Perfect Wife | |||
| Fri | Shark Tank | 20/20 | ||||
What do you think of my predictions? Let me know in the comments and vote in the poll of the week!
The ABC Reality Renew/Cancel is back this week, with a further look at a breakout season for the long-running Dancing with the Stars, as well as a further look at two shows that I wrote about last time.
Ratings Analysis: ABC's Dancing with the Stars (1.14, +0.39) exploded to a new season high on finale night, soaring to its best Adults 18-49 performance since September 2020! The reality-competition series cleared the 1.0 threshold effortlessly and posted a rating over 3x larger than its nearest broadcast competitor. On NBC, St. Denis Medical (0.33, -0.01) lost a hundredth, but Night Court (0.32, +0.04) was up from last week's premiere. The Voice (0.35, +0.03) and The Irrational (0.19, +0.02) also rose. CBS aired repeats of FBI (0.25), FBI: International (0.21), and FBI: Most Wanted (0.19). Over on Fox, Murder in a Small Town (0.19, +0.03) gained some momentum for its finale and brought Accused (0.17, +0.05) up with it. WWE NXT (0.15, -0.04) dropped on the CW. Key: (R) = repeat. (F) = finale.
Ratings Analysis: On season premiere night, NBC's Night Court (0.28) was down from its March 2024 finale (0.30) and could only tie last season's low. Earlier in the night, St. Denis Medical (0.34, -0.11) dealt with a sizable post-premiere drop. The Voice (0.32, -0.07) slipped in the 9 p.m. hour and led into the special Defying Gravity: The Curtain Rises on Wicked (0.20). Dancing with the Stars (0.75, +0.04) grew some more on ABC, but the 10 p.m. special Vegas Lights & Country Nights: Countdown to the CMA Awards (0.15) completely flopped. FBI (0.38, +0.02), FBI: International (0.31, +0.03), and FBI: Most Wanted (0.30, +0.01) all ticked up on CBS. Fox dramas Murder in a Small Town (0.16, +0.01) and Accused (0.12, +0.01) picked up a hundredth apiece. WWE NXT (0.19, +0.03) climbed higher on the CW. Key: (P) = premiere.