Time
|
Show
|
18-49 Ratings
|
Viewers (mil)
|
Channel
|
| 8 PM | The Voice | 1.5/6 | 8.30 | NBC |
| Dancing With the Stars: Athletes | 1.0/4 | 7.64 | ABC | |
| Kevin Can Wait (Series Finale) | 1.0/5 | 5.42 | CBS | |
| Lucifer | 0.7/3 | 2.86 | Fox | |
| Supergirl | 0.5/2 | 1.59 | The CW | |
| 8:30 PM | Man With a Plan | 0.9/4 | 4.94 | CBS |
| 9 PM | The Resident | 0.8/4 | 3.98 | Fox |
| Superior Donuts | 0.7/3 | 4.35 | CBS | |
| iZombie | 0.3/1 | 0.82 | The CW | |
| 9:30 PM | The Big Bang Theory (R) | 0.7/3 | 4.34 | CBS |
| 10 PM | Running Wild with Bear Grylls (P) | 0.9/4 | 3.68 | NBC |
| Elementary | 0.6/3 | 4.56 | CBS | |
| The Crossing | 0.5/3 | 3.85 | ABC |
As predicted, ABC is making a welcome comeback and has retired Speechless and FOTB early to make space for three debuting sitcoms. American Idol's rebound has paved the way for its surrounds to enjoy higher ratings. And history has proven ABC has held the highest track record of mid-season successes. The Goldbergs and Modern Family are doing great and should have few to no problems. The remains, however, clearly need ideal real estate to succeed. American Housewife narrowly outperforms Speechless on Wednesdays, as proven when both have been forced to stand on their own without a strong lead. American Housewife will be back, and Speechless is more than likely returning as its 2018 numbers vs. the 2017 deliveries.
Black-ish has delivered a disappointing 4th season, as displayed by Week 25's poorly delivered double helping. It is perhaps not as sturdy as ABC anticipated. And FOTB? The show can be plugged in any timeslot and perform the same. Roseanne is anticipated to be spring's strongest contender, while Alex, Inc holds the best timeslot for a newbie to grow. Splitting Up Together has a long road ahead of it as the Tuesday 9:30 timeslot has dispensed too many sitcoms to count. If the series can stay above a 0.8, ABC may take compassion. After all, The Middle is leaving us, on top. ABC seems to be copying NBC's notes on time-sharing its sitcoms over limited space. And the network holds expansion space as dramas have a 40-percent success rate.
Thursdays are stellar as The Big Bang Theory, Young Sheldon and Mom have belted their competition. Even Life in Pieces enjoyed a sturdier 3rd season leading out of Mom's rebound. The Monday roster, however, leaves much to be desired. KCW is a modest success, just as MWAP is. Superior Donuts struggles then strides, and anything in the 9:30 timeslot is disposable.
What could CBS do next year as Mondays need tuning? Many argue against breaking up the Thursday block as it is rumored TBBT ends next season, and Young Sheldon will likely take the reigns. If Mom gets moved to Mondays, will it regress? LIP may be another candidate to move, and CBS will likely bench SD if it chooses to renew it, using it to plug fall's failures in new sitcoms. The network needs to spruce up its Monday franchise, or else it may be piecemealed again like it was between 2014-16. Bless the mediocre drama yield CBS has, as sitcom space could be reduced otherwise.
Unlike ABC and CBS, FOX has enjoyed the spoils of successful new dramas in the 2010's. The Resident, 9-1-1, Star, Lethal Weapon, The Orville and Empire all succeed in their respective timeslots. The sitcoms, however, have a different story. Sundays enjoy an early seasonal victory, while Tuesdays have delivered soft results since 2014. Add FOX acquiring Thursday Night Football in its 11-week entirety and having no 10pm timeslots means FOX's space is a premium and the Tuesday laughers could cease or move to Fridays.
Peek at the colored chart and notice several shows' statuses were downgraded. This is due to the scheduling conundrum next fall, and too many shows are just "there." Ghosted was spared this downgrade due to absentia. But the rest are weak. The Mick enjoyed a mild rebound and bested LA>Vegas this week, but it struggles. LMOE sits pretty in its timeslot, but FOX could decide to end the series if space is needed. And even B99 experienced a welcome rebound this week and is not circling the drain as anticipated. FOX' pallet is questionable at best and will be a true deciding factor come May.
NBC has already renewed winners The Good Place, Superstore and Will & Grace. The schedule's remains are all fighting to be seen and heard on the ratings radar. Great News tanked a prime lead-in. AP Bio demonstrated some sturdiness, and Champions appears to be toast. Yet to premiere is Trial & Error, which has no declared schedule space.
NBC wisely innovated its resurging Must-See-TV block to truncate episode orders for sitcoms, and it has worked to a great degree. Would NBC pare down all of its underperforming sitcoms and start anew? The network has done stranger things.
Last Man On Earth -- As discussed above, scheduling space lowers the odds of LMOE being renewed. Ratings have not dropped, but they were already low. A downgrade from 80% (Likely Renewal) to 70% (Leans Renewal) has been declared.
LA>Vegas -- This week's outing not only underperformed follow-up The Mick, but also demonstrated the series needs a stronger lead-in to distinguish itself. Scheduling space is working against FOX' latest series as it has yet to be shopped around on Sundays. A downgrade from 55% (On the Bubble, Leans Renewal) to 45% (On the Bubble, Leans Cancellation) depicts nearly striking a series low.
AP Bio registered as the only sitcom on Sunday February 25, registering with a six-tenth inflation (1.4) due to special seating next to the Olympics finale. Too bad CBS did not monopolize the Olympics this year, as Monday, February 26 brandished an evening with vulgar ratings. Kevin Can Wait (1.1) dropped two-tenths, narrowly nicking its series low from one year ago. Man With a Plan (1.0) dropped a tenth, and Superior Donuts (0.8) tied its series low thrice this season after a two-tenth drop. And CBS' 4th pilot of the season's results? Nielsen spanked it with the bible as Living Biblically (0.8) stands as the lowest-rated CBS sitcom premiere in its history.
Sitcoms were ABC's strong suit for most of the decade, with the 2014-17 seasons reigning strong for the network. This season found its power players taking a hit, along with a slew of recent contenders experiencing slumps. Goldbergs and Modern Family are fading, and the network modified its usual political strategy and is retiring softer hits (Fresh Off The Boat, Speechless) early to allow three spring entries to test their luck. This strategy is a wise move for the plagued network, which has not been able to catch a break for a number of years. Roseanne is forecasted as a strong player, Alex, Inc to be modest, and Splitting Up Together is predicted to have the deck stacked against due to the dreadful 9:30 Tuesday slot.
The Tiffany Network has it half right, half blight. Its Thursday linings are stellar and praiseworthy, while much of its Monday lineup is lusting for lambasting. The Big Bang Theory is aging as expected, and speculated to exit next season. Easing this loss is Young Sheldon has demonstrated it is more than a lead-in dependent enterprise, currently retaining 84%. Mom experienced a rebound, up 5% from the season before thanks to YS' success. And Life in Pieces is one of the strongest players of any 9:30 sitcom this season on any network (only second to ABC's Housewife). Move over to Mondays, and mundane mockery is maddening with canned laughter. Kevin Can Wait is modest, Man With a Plan a hair under, and Superior Donuts is anemic yet affable. The 9:30 timeslot, however, dispenses through sitcom suitors like a floozy on Saturday night.
America's oldest network has been in 1st Place for some time, yet its greatest achievement this season is its improved Must-See-TV Thursday programming. The entries deliver nowhere near their 80's and 90's heyday, but NBC has opted to update its model and houses series with smaller episode orders. Superstore, The Good Place and Will & Grace are the strongest players, but the remains of the schedule are dreadful. Fall is strong, Spring is faltering.