Thursday TV Ratings 7/22/21: Good Girls Ends with a New Low, Big Brother and Love Island Rise, Holey Moley and When Nature Calls Steady in Timeslot Shifts (UPDATED)

Preliminary Analysis: NBC's 'Good Girls' (0.2/0.3) ended its four-season run with a whimper, falling to a new series low at 9 before slightly rebounding for its final episode at 10. Its 'Making It' lead-in (0.3) was steady with its usual rating in the 8pm hour. 'Big Brother' (0.9) remained the dominant force on CBS, even with its last Thursday outing. 'Love Island' (0.4) was also stable despite retaining less than half of the 'Big Brother' audience. A 10pm 'Bull' repeat (0.2) was last place in its slot when using the Adults 18-49 rating metric but first place in terms of total viewership. On ABC, neither 'Holey Moley' (0.4) nor 'When Nature Calls' (0.3) seemed to benefit from a timeslot swap. 'Moley' held flat in its move back to 8 while 'Nature Calls' was unchanged for its first episode in the 9pm slot. At 10, 'The Hustler' (0.3) lost about half-a-tenth from last week's installment (0.35). Fox's 'Beat Shazam' (0.4) tied its week-ago preliminary rating and was succeeded by a rerun of 'LEGO Masters' (0.3). The CW was on the upswing as both 'Walker' (0.2) and 'The Outpost' (0.1) gained a tenth. 

Finals Update: All shows held their preliminary ratings. 

Thursday TV Ratings 7/15/21: Big Brother and Good Girls Hold Steady, Love Island Rises, Holey Moley Hits New Low (UPDATED)

Preliminary Analysis: CBS enjoyed an easy win as Big Brother' (0.8) held even with Wednesday's episode and 'Love Island' (0.4) actually rose by a tenth after being frozen at a 0.3 rating for days. A repeat of 'Bull' (0.2) sliced that audience in half at 10. On ABC, 'When Nature Calls' (0.3) and 'The Hustler' (0.3) were steady following a two-week break. 'Holey Moley' (0.3) wasn't quite as lucky, inching down to its lowest rating yet. 'Making It' (0.3), 'Good Girls' (0.3), and an encore of 'SVU' (0.2) all tied their week-ago telecasts on NBC. Fox's 'Beat Shazam' (0.4) was flat and outdid all offerings on CBS and ABC. A repeat of 'LEGO Masters' (0.3) occupied the 9pm slot. The season four debut of 'The Outpost' (0.0) completely tanked on the CW but was essentially on-par with its usual performance. 'Walker' (0.1) shed a tenth at 8. 

Finals Update: 'Big Brother' (+0.1), 'Beat Shazam' (+0.1), 'Holey Moley' (+0.1), and 'The Hustler' (+0.1) adjusted up.

Thursday TV Ratings 7/8/21: Love Island Slips, NBA Finals Rise, Good Girls and Making It Steady (UPDATED)

Preliminary Analysis: It was a particularly promising night for basketball ratings as game 2 of the 'NBA Finals' (2.2) rose two-tenths from Tuesday's first game (2.0). When stacked up against 2020's second game, this was a whopping six-tenths higher than that one's preliminary 1.6 rating. Earlier in the night, ABC's 'Jimmy Kimmel Live! Game Night' (1.2) and 'NBA Countdown' (1.1) were unchanged from two days ago. Fox had a stable edition of 'Beat Shazam' (0.4) and an encore of 'LEGO Masters' (0.3). NBC was steady across the board with 'Making It' (0.3), 'Good Girls' (0.3), and a repeat of 'SVU' (0.2). CBS's 'Love Island' (0.3) was a tenth behind Wednesday's premiere and surrounded by reruns of 'Young Sheldon' (0.4), 'United States of Al' (0.3), and 'Bull' (0.2). The CW had an hour of 'World's Funniest Animals' encores (0.1/0.1) and a tepid '90210' special (0.1). 

Finals Update: NBA Finals Game 2 (+0.9) and Love Island (+0.1) adjusted up. Jimmy Kimmel Live! Game Night (-0.6) and NBA Countdown (-0.2) adjusted down.

Thursday TV Ratings 7/1/21: Good Girls Steady After Cancellation, When Nature Calls and Holey Moley Sink, Beat Shazam Leads Abysmal Night (UPDATED)

Preliminary Analysis: It was a dismal start to July, with Fox's 'Beat Shazam' (0.4) topping the night despite being on the lower-end of its usual delivery. A repeat of 'LEGO Masters' (0.2) retained half that audience in the 9pm hour. Matters were even more dire on ABC as 'When Nature Calls' (0.3) crashed for episode two, losing two-tenths from its already tepid premiere. 'Holey Moley' (0.3) also lost two-tenths at 9, but 'The Hustler' (0.3) only gave back one in the 10pm slot. NBC's 'Making It' (0.3) inched down from its week-ago return while recently-canceled 'Good Girls' (0.3) held steady. A repeat of 'SVU' (0.2) capped off the night for the peacock network. CBS was finally done with airing originals and went with an entire evening of encores (0.3/0.2/0.2/0.2/0.2). The CW had its own set of reruns with 'Walker' (0.1) and 'World's Funniest Animals' (0.1/0.1).

Finals Update: Holly Moley (+0.1) and repeats of United States of Al (+0.1) and Mom (+0.1) adjusted up.

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. 

Good Girls Canceled by NBC

Bad news for Good Girls - NBC has canceled the crime dramedy after four seasons. The show was the second-lowest rated series on NBC in the 2020-21 TV season with just a 0.34 average. It did, however, manage to consistently grow from its Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist lead-in despite airing in the notoriously difficult Sunday 10 PM slot. The show was initially seen as likely to be picked up for season five due to its hearty Netflix deal, said to be one of the most lucrative of any currently-running broadcast show, but chances if renewal faded after it remained in limbo for months after NBC’s Upfronts. It was one of the most popular on Netflix for months after its third season was added to the service earlier this year. That was not enough to save the show from its tiny ratings. Christina Hendricks, Retta, Mae Whitman, Matthew Lillard, Reno Wilson and Manny Montana lead the cast.

Thursday TV Ratings 6/24/21: When Nature Calls Starts Solidly, Good Girls Ties Series Low Behind Passable Making It, United States of Al and Legacies End Steady (UPDATED)

Preliminary Analysis: ABC's new series 'When Nature Calls' (0.5) debuted in respectable territory by summer standards. The comedic nature show outpaced all non-ABC offerings and matched the week-ago 'Holey Moley' premiere. 'Moley' itself (0.5) was steady in the 9pm slot while 'The Hustler' (0.4) actually picked up a tenth after a disappointing start. On NBC, reality series 'Making It' (0.4) returned from a hiatus that lasted a year-and-a-half. Despite that, the Amy Poehler series was only a tenth below its December 2019 finale. 'Good Girls' (0.3/0.3) occupied the 9pm and 10pm slot, matching its low after a month off the air. Fox's 'Beat Shazam' (0.4) lost a tenth while 'Mental Samuari' (0.4) gained one, with 'Samuari' now doubling the dreadful 0.2 rating it posted for its late-May premiere. CBS's 'United States of AI' (0.4) was flat for its finale while 'Clarice' (0.2) lost a tenth for its final episode. Encores of 'Young Sheldon' (0.3), 'Mom' (0.3), and 'B Positive' (0.2) filled up the other slots. 'Walker' (0.2) inched up on the CW, but 'Legacies' (0.1) failed to rise for its finale.

Finals Update: Beat Shazam (+0.1) and the repeat of Young Sheldon (+0.1) adjusted up.

Sunday TV Ratings 5/16/21: Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist, The Rookie and Family Guy End Down, Good Girls and NCIS Los Angeles Steady (UPDATED)

Preliminary Analysis: With its fate still up in the air, NBC's 'Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist' (0.2) lost a tenth for its season finale, two-tenths below last year's closer (0.4). 'Ellen's Game of Games' (0.3) also shed a tenth in the 8pm slot, but 'Good Girls' (0.3) tied its previous broadcast at 10. CBS saw some slippage early in the night with '60 Minutes' (0.5, -0.1) and 'The Equalizer' (0.6, -0.1), but 'NCIS: Los Angeles' (0.6) and 'NCIS: New Orleans' (0.5) were able to match their week-ago showings. 'AFV' (0.6), 'American Idol' (0.7), and recently-renewed 'Rookie' (0.5) all ticked down on ABC, with 'Idol' down about a tenth-and-a-half and the other two losing a tenth. Fox's animated sitcom 'The Simpsons' (0.4, +0.1) rebounded after last week's series low, despite its 'Bless the Harts' lead-in (0.2, -0.05) losing a few hundredths. 'The Great North' (0.3) held even for its season finale as 'Bob's Burgers' (0.4, -0.1) and the 'Family Guy' finale (0.4, -0.1) lost a notch. The CW got another pair of 0.1s out of dramas 'Legends of Tomorrow' and 'Batwoman'. 

Finals Update: 'American Idol' (0.8, +0.1), 'The Equalizer' (0.7, +0.1), 'AFV' (0.7, +0.1), 'Bob's Burgers' (0.5, +0.1), 'Good Girls' (0.4, +0.1), and the 'Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist' finale (0.3, +0.1) adjusted up.

Sunday TV Ratings 5/9/21: The Simpsons Hits Series Low, The Rookie Ties Season High, Family Guy and Bobs Burgers Rise (UPDATED)

Preliminary Analysis: Fresh off of a three-week break, Fox's 'The Simpsons' (0.3) crashed to an awful new series low, barely building from a steady 'Bless the Harts' (0.2). What made matters worse for the yellow family is that fellow veterans 'Bob's Burgers' (0.5) and 'Family Guy' (0.5) were each up a tenth, posting their strongest ratings in a month. In the midst, 'The Great North' (0.3) held even in the 8:30 slot, pulling into a tie with 'Simpsons'. ABC's 'American Idol' (0.8) matched its last episode but lead-in 'AFV' (0.6) and lead-out 'The Rookie' (0.6) each picked up a tenth. CBS saw one-tenth declines across the board for '60 Minutes' (0.5), 'The Equalizer' (0.6), and 'NCIS: Los Angeles' (0.5). At 10, 'NCIS: New Orleans' (0.5) managed to avoid slipping. NBC aired an 'American Ninja Warrior' special (0.3) that failed to improve from the usual 'Ellen's Game of Games'. 'Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist' (0.2) inched down at 9 but 'Good Girls' (0.3) grew from there. 'Legends of Tomorrow' (0.1) and 'Batwoman' (0.1) were unchanged on the CW. 

Finals Update: 'America's Funniest Home Videos' (+0.1), 'American Idol' (+0.1), '60 Minutes' (+0.1), 'The Equalizer' (+0.1), 'NCIS: Los Angeles' (+0.1), 'American Ninja Warrior' (+0.1), 'Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist' (+0.1), and 'Bless the Harts' (+0.1) adjusted up.

NBC Renew/Cancel Week 21: Final Calls for Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist, Manifest, Debris, Good Girls & More

It's been fun, but all good seasons must come to an end. I've had some big successes and some big misses on this season of the NBC Renew/Cancel, and there's still seven shows remaining. It all comes down to this, the final update to the NBC Renew/Cancel of the 2020-21 TV season. Keep reading to see my final predictions for every broadcast show.

Sunday TV Ratings 5/2/21: American Idol Leads, NCIS: LA and NCIS: New Orleans Rise, Good Girls and The Equalizer Slip, Legends of Tomorrow Returns Low (UPDATED)

Preliminary Analysis: ABC's 'American Idol' (0.7) aired its annual, Disney-themed installment but actually lost a tenth in the process. That rating was still enough to top a quiet evening by a pretty narrow margin. 'AFV' (0.5) also lost a tenth in the 7pm slot while 10pm drama 'The Rookie' (0.5) admirably held steady. Over on CBS, 'The Equalizer' (0.6) inched down after a month-long break but was able to beat out its '60 Minutes' lead-in (0.5). 'NCIS: Los Angeles' (0.6) and 'NCIS: New Orleans' (0.5) each picked up a tenth from there, with the former set to return and the latter on its way out. NBC's 'Ellen's Game of Games' (0.4) rose by a tick behind a repeat of itself. 'Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist' (0.3) was unchanged as 'Good Girls' (0.3) dropped by a tenth at 10. 'Bob's Burgers' (0.3) and 'Family Guy' (0.4) were both at series low territory on Fox, with the network rudely airing 'Bob's' behind a low-rated 'Great North' encore (0.2). Sandwiched between a pair of 'Simpsons' reruns (0.2/0.2), 'Bless the Harts' (0.2) also shed a tenth. The CW brought back 'Legends of Tomorrow' (0.1) in disastrous fashion, with the drama down a whopping four-tenths from its last, crossover-themed premiere (0.5). 'Batwoman' (0.1) gave back a tenth at 9. 

Finals Update: '60 Minutes' (+0.1), 'The Equalizer' (+0.1), 'Bob's Burgers' (+0.1), the repeat of 'Ellen's Game of Games' (+0.1) and the 8 PM repeat of 'The Simpsons' (+0.1) adjusted up. This means that 'Bob's Burgers' avoided hitting a 0.3 rating, but it was still a new low by a hundredth. 

NBC Renew/Cancel Week 20: Good Girls Has Great Renewal Odds

This week on the NBC Renew/Cancel, I shift the attention back to Good Girls for some additional discussion of a show that's flown under my radar this season. Plus, I talk about an under-performing comedy that's been dropping more as the season goes on. Keep reading to see which two shows will see prediction shakeups this week!

Sunday TV Ratings 4/18/21: ACM Awards Hold Up Well from 2020 Ceremony, Bless the Harts and Good Girls Rise, American Idol, Zoey’s Playlist & Bob’s Burgers Slip (UPDATED)

Preliminary Analysis: Airing on CBS, the 'Academy of Country Music Awards' (0.8) was only down three-tenths from the previous ceremony (1.1 in Sept. 2020) and edged out 'American Idol' (0.7) for the top spot. The awards show had decent help from its '60 Minutes' lead-in (0.6), despite 'Minutes' losing three-tenths from last week. On ABC, 'American Idol' (0.7) shed a tenth, likely due to the stronger competition and having to lead out of a rotten pair of 'Home Economics' (0.3/0.2) encores. At 10, 'The Rookie' (0.4) clung to its week-ago rating for dear life. Fox's 'Bless the Harts' (0.3) inched up in the 7:30 slot, pulling into a tie with the 8:30pm edition of 'The Great North' (0.3). 'North' led out of a steady 'Simpsons' (0.4) while 'Harts' followed a 'Simpsons' encore (0.2). Later in the evening, 'Bob's Burgers' (0.4) held even but 'Family Guy' (0.4) lost a tenth. NBC had another dreadful night as their 'Roll Up Your Sleeves' (0.2) vaccine special couldn't conjure up viewers. A repeat of 'Ellen's Game of Games' and a sinking 'Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist' both posted that same miserable 0.2 rating. Even with such dismal assistance, 'Good Girls' (0.4) was actually able to rise a tenth in the 10pm slot. 'Batwoman' (0.2) ticked up on the CW and led into a stable 'Charmed' (0.1).

Finals Update: 'American Idol' (0.8, +0.1), 'The Rookie' (0.5, +0.1), 'Family Guy' (0.5, +0.1), and 'Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist' (0.3, +0.1) all adjusted up.

NBC Renew/Cancel Week 19: Manifest Flies Lower

The season is winding down, but there's still plenty to talk about with two of NBC's most recent premieres! Keep reading for my thoughts on a declining Manifest and a positive turn for Young Rock!

Sunday TV Ratings 4/11/21: Good Girls Steady Behind Rising Zoeys Playlist, The Masters Coverage Leads, Family Guy and Bless the Harts Rise, The Rookie and The Great North Slip (UPDATED)

Preliminary Analysis: A sizable boost from 'The Masters' (1.6) helped CBS's '60 Minutes' (0.8) rise by three-tenths from its last episode. That number will likely adjust down in finals, but the news series will probably remain ahead of the 0.5 rating it posted a week prior. Repeats of 'The Equalizer' (0.5), 'NCIS: Los Angeles' (0.4), and 'NCIS: New Orleans' (0.4) filled out the lineup from there. 'America's Funniest Home Videos' (0.6) and 'American Idol' (0.8) held steady on ABC as 'The Rookie' (0.4) lost a tenth in the 10pm slot. NBC's 'Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist' (0.3) picked up a tenth behind a pair of 'Ellen's Game of Games' encores (0.2/0.3). 'Good Girls' posted its 4th-straight 0.3 rating at 10. Airing after a 'Simpsons' rerun (0.2), Fox's 'Bless the Harts' (0.2) got back a precious tenth after last week's horrific low. Anchors 'The Simpsons' (0.4) and 'Bob's Burgers' (0.4) didn't budge, but 'The Great North' (0.3) inched down at 8:30 while 'Family Guy' (0.5) ticked up at 9:30. 'Batwoman' (0.1) and 'Charmed' (0.1) neither rose nor fell on The CW. 

Finals Update: 'The Masters' (+0.2), '60 Minutes' (+0.1), 'Bless the Harts' (+0.1), 'The Great North' (+0.1), 'Bob's Burgers' (+0.1), and the repeat of 'Ellen's Game of Games' (+0.1) adjusted up.

NBC Renew/Cancel Week 18: Law & Order: Organized Crime Organizes NBC’s Biggest Debut in Years

It was a big Thursday for NBC last week, with Chris Meloni making a heavily-buzzed return to the Law & Order franchise with a new spinoff, as well as Manifest making its third season debut. Keep reading to see my initial predictions for these two series.

NBC Renew/Cancel Week 17: An Embarrassing Return for Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist. Does It Matter?

NBC filled out its Sunday lineup this week, returning Zoey's Extraoridary Playlist to its original timeslot. It.. didn't go great. Will that matter for either scripted show in the lineup? Read on to find out!

Sunday TV Ratings 3/28/21: Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist Has Abysmal Return, The Equalizer Slips, American Idol and The Rookie Stable (UPDATED)

NBC Renew/Cancel Week 16: At Least Kenan Has SNL

It's time for another NBC Renew/Cancel, and this week, I'll be taking a look at Kenan, one of NBC's newest comedies on their lineup. Keep reading to see where I stand on its renewal odds!

Sunday TV Ratings 3/21/21: The Simpsons Down for 700th Episode, American Idol, Good Girls and Millionaire Finale Hold Steady (UPDATED)