Zoo Canceled After Three Seasons

photo: CBS

CBS has canceled drama 'Zoo' after three seasons. The series was based on the James Patterson novel by the same name. In the show, Jackson Oz & company attempted to figure out why there were violent animal attacks across the world. James Wolk played the titular character. Kristen Connolly, Nonso Anozie, Nora Arnezeder, Billy Burke, Alyssa Diaz, Josh Salatin, and Gracie Dzienny made up the rest of the main cast. The series averaged an anemic 0.5 in the Adults 18-49 demographic. Those low ratings ended up sealing its fate. This was a correct prediction by the TVRatingsGuide.

What do you think of this news? Were you a fan of the series? Leave your thoughts in the comments below. 

Summer Renew/Cancel Predictions - July 24: Extant Will Likely be Canceled

Hi! In case this is your first time reading my summer renew/cancel predictions post, I'm Hunter and I will be posting these predictions each weekend this summer, covering the summer shows on the five major broadcast networks. This is week six, and this week Welcome to Sweden premiered its second season on NBC. Also, this week I have to make a correction; I found out last weekend that Wayward Pines was canceled, which had been quietly revealed last week on Thursday when the tenth and final episode of the season was promoted as the "series finale". I apologize for the error, this week it will be corrected, and Wayward Pines will be in the "fate decided" category. I predicted this cancelation correctly, as in my July 10th post I had put it in the "will likely be canceled" category. That's enough talking for now, here are the summer shows divided into categories, and then my in-detail thoughts on a few of them. Enjoy!

Format for predictions:
Show title (network) (average adults 18-49 rating)

Certain to be Canceled
The Astronaut Wives Club (ABC) (0.8)
Dates (CW) (0.1)
Golan the Insatiable (FOX) (0.5)
The Whispers (ABC) (1.0)

Will Likely be Canceled
Extant (CBS) (0.7)
Rookie Blue (ABC) (0.7)
Welcome to Sweden (NBC) (0.3)

Toss-Up
Mistresses (ABC) (0.8)

Will Likely be Renewed

Certain to be Renewed
Under the Dome (CBS) (1.1)
Zoo (CBS) (1.1)

Fate Determined
A.D.: The Bible Continues (NBC) CANCELED
American Odyssey (NBC) CANCELED
Aquarius (NBC) RENEWED
Beauty and the Beast (CW) RENEWED
Hannibal (NBC) CANCELED
Wayward Pines (FOX) CANCELED 

Yet to Premiere
The Carmichael Show (NBC)
Mr. Robinson (NBC)
Significant Mother (CW)

CBS was probably hoping that with the timeslot upgrade, Extant's ratings would improve. They did, but I doubt that 0.1 more was good enough. Extant was only able to notch a 0.7 airing after Big Brother, which got a 1.8. It's looking like even that deal with Amazon won't save Extant now. Extant will soon be extinct.

Welcome to Sweden premiered to miserable ratings. Last year, it easily got renewed with okay ratings, a renewal in Sweden, and the Poehler name. This year, the ratings are half what they were last year, and there has been no news yet about a renewal in Sweden, where the show was not as big in season two as it was in season one. It's not looking good for Welcome to Sweden.

While Extant is doing poorly, all hope is far from lost for scripted programming in CBS summers. Zoo was flat at 1.0 this week and Under the Dome went up to 1.0. Also, CBS obviously is satisfied, as they plan on continuing scripted programming during the summer with the addition of new political sci-fi dramedy BrainDead. This is a sign that at least one of Under the Dome and Zoo are for sure coming back, and probably both.

ABC summers' scripted programming is looking a lot worse than CBS'. While Thursday is a mess, The Whispers is also not looking good. This week it went back down to 0.8, and that was when I decided to move it to "certain to be canceled". What made The Whispers' fate even more certain though is when Lily Rabe, the series' star, got casted in American Horror Story. There is absolutely no chance now that The Whispers will be back for season two.

Speaking of ABC Thursdays, I have moved The Astronaut Wives Club to "certain to be canceled" after this week's 0.6 rating. Also, this Thursday Mistresses fell again to a 0.7, while Rookie Blue rose to a 0.8. While this makes me want to switch the two shows on here, for now they will stay put at "toss-up" and "will likely be canceled" respectively. Don't be surprised if either show moves in the near future though.

Right now almost every show has reached certainty. Only four shows, Extant, Rookie Blue, Welcome to Sweden, and Mistresses, have not. Next week, at least one of those shows will move somewhere. Come back next week to see what moves where!

Do you agree or disagree with my predictions? How do you think the upcoming summer shows will do? Leave a comment with your thoughts!

Summer Renew/Cancel Predictions - July 17: Wayward Pines is Certain to be Canceled

Hi! In case this is your first time reading my summer renew/cancel predictions post, I'm Hunter and I will be posting these predictions each weekend this summer, covering the summer shows on the five major broadcast networks. This is week five, and while there was no renew/cancel news this week, nor were there any series or season premieres, this was still an interesting TV week. This week, NBC decided to move the already-renewed Aquarius and the already-canceled Hannibal to Saturdays, following terrible ratings from both (0.5 for the former, 0.4 for the latter) last Thursday. Also, CBS moved second-season drama Extant from 10:00 to 9:00 following Wednesday's low-rated episode, giving Extant a lead-in of Big Brother instead of Criminal Minds reruns. I will discuss what I think these moves mean below, in addition to other things. So, now, here are the summer shows divided into categories, and then my in-detail thoughts on a few of them. Enjoy!

Format for predictions:
Show title (network) (average adults 18-49 rating)

Certain to be Canceled
Dates (CW) (0.1)
Golan the Insatiable (FOX) (0.5)
Wayward Pines (FOX) (1.1)

Will Likely be Canceled
The Astronaut Wives Club (ABC) (0.9)
Rookie Blue (ABC) (0.7)
The Whispers (ABC) (1.0)

Toss-Up
Extant (CBS) (0.7)
Mistresses (ABC) (0.8)

Will Likely be Renewed
Under the Dome (CBS) (1.1)
Zoo (CBS) (1.1)

Certain to be Renewed

Fate Determined
A.D.: The Bible Continues (NBC) CANCELED
American Odyssey (NBC) CACNCELED
Aquarius (NBC) RENEWED
Beauty and the Beast (CW) RENEWED
Hannibal (NBC) CANCELED

Yet to Premiere
The Carmichael Show (NBC)
Mr. Robinson (NBC)
Significant Mother (CW)
Welcome to Sweden (NBC)

After falling even farther this week to a 0.9, I believe that Wayward Pines is certain to be canceled. The chances that FOX will renew the show are slim, despite the great DVR numbers. Live viewing is what matters most, Wayward Pines' episode next week will most likely be its very last.

When they are airing other countries' shows, networks usually allow the ratings to fall farther than other shows because it is cheep for them to air a season of a show that has already been ordered. However, Motive was canceled by ABC last summer, despite getting a third season in Canada, and since Rookie Blue's ratings this season are much lower than Motive's last season, I predict that it is likely to be canceled. After premiering to a 0.6, the show has risen to a 0.7, but it has since remained there. I don't know whether or not another season of Rookie Blue will be made, but I doubt that it will be aired on ABC in the US.

Extant reached a new low this week, 0.6. CBS then decided to move Extant to the 9:00 hour. This indicates two things. The first is 0.6s are probably not renewable numbers for Under the Dome or Extant, and the second is that CBS really wants Extant to survive. If Extant is able to get mostly 0.8 and above at 9:00, I expect that it will be back. Otherwise, it could end up getting canceled.

NBC's decision to move its Thursday night scripted programs to Saturday night wasn't surprising in the case of Hannibal, which had recently gotten canceled and got a 0.4 rating in its last Thursday airing. However, it was more surprising for Aquarius, which was doing slightly better and had gotten renewed. Many people are wondering if this indicates that NBC may reverse their decision to renew Aquarius. It's unlikely, in my opinion, but with NBC, anything's possible. But, what it does indicate is that season two of Aquarius will probably air on Saturdays, if not entirely online.

I was considering moving both Under the Dome and Zoo to certain to be renewed at the beginning of the week. However, their ratings this week made me want to wait probably one more week. Both series fell two tenths this week. If they are more stable next week, I will likely upgrade them. I was also planning on moving The Whispers down this week. If next week The Whispers gets 0.8 or below, I'm moving it.

The Astronaut Wives Club went back up to a 0.9 this week. If that proves to not be a fluke, I will move it back up to toss-up next week. ABC Thursdays are proving to be the hardest shows to predict this summer.

Next week, I will have my first prediction for Welcome to Sweden. I had hoped that this week the "certain to be renewed" section wouldn't be empty, but it still is. However, next week it is very likely that either Under the Dome, Zoo, or both could end up there. You'll have to come back next week to see!

Do you agree or disagree with my predictions? How do you think the upcoming summer shows will do? Leave a comment with your thoughts!

Summer Renew/Cancel Predictions - July 3: Zoo Will Likely be Renewed

Hi! In case this is your first time reading my summer renew/cancel predictions post, I'm Hunter and I will be posting these predictions each weekend this summer, covering the summer shows on the five major broadcast networks. This is week three, and this week gave me two more tallies in the "win" column. I correctly predicted the cancelations of NBC's American Odyssey and A.D.: The Bible Continues. These cancelations were far from surprising, as American Odyssey suffered low ratings its entire 13-episode run, and A.D. fell hard in the ratings after its first couple of episodes. Odyssey aired its now series finale last Sunday, and A.D. aired its the previous Sunday. Also this week, CBS's Zoo aired its series premiere and Extant of the same network began its second season. These premieres aired on Tuesday and Wednesday respectively. Now for my predictions! Here are the summer shows divided into categories, and then my in-detail thoughts on a few of them. Enjoy!

(Note: This week, the averages for The Astronaut Wives Club, Mistresses, Rookie Blue, Under the Dome, and Wayward Pines could be slightly incorrect due to Thursday final ratings being delayed until Monday. If any of these shows' average ratings are affected by adjustments, I will let you know. However, I would doubt that it would be significant enough to affect my predictions.)

Format for predictions:
Show title (network) (average adults 18-49 rating)

Certain to be Canceled
Golan the Insatiable (FOX) (0.5)

Will Likely be Canceled
Wayward Pines (FOX) (1.1)
The Whispers (ABC) (1.0)

Toss-Up
The Astronaut Wives Club (ABC) (0.9)
Extant (CBS) (0.8)
Mistresses (ABC) (0.8)
Rookie Blue (ABC) (0.6)

Will Likely be Renewed
Under the Dome (CBS) (1.2)
Zoo (CBS) (1.2)

Certain to be Renewed

Fate Determined
A.D.: The Bible Continues (NBC) CANCELED
American Odyssey (NBC) CANCELED
Aquarius (NBC) RENEWED
Beauty and the Beast (CW) RENEWED
Hannibal (NBC) CANCELED

Yet to Premiere
The Carmichael Show (NBC)
Dates (CW)
Mr. Robinson (NBC)
Significant Mother (CW)
Welcome to Sweden (NBC)

Zoo's premiere rating was not the best. It premiered to an underwhelming 1.2 rating. However, last year Extant fell as low as 0.8 and got renewed, due to CBS's deal with Amazon. CBS doesn't have a deal with Amazon regarding Zoo. But, they have a slightly better deal with Netflix. So, at this point, it's looking like money from Netflix will cause CBS to renew Zoo. But, Extant premiered to a 1.6 last year. Zoo could fall like Extant did. Will it still get renewed? We will just have to see how far it falls.

Speaking of Extant, it premiered this week to a series low, 0.7. That is a disastrous rating that begs the question, will money from Amazon still save it? The problem is, we have no idea the answer to that question. We will need to watch in future weeks and see how low Extant goes. But how low can Extant go and still get renewed? Your guess is as good as mine.

Last week, I predicted that The Whispers would get renewed on June 30th, as that was the day where the cast's contracts expired. However, ABC made no decision on The Whispers, neither renewing nor canceling it. But, by not renewing it, ABC let the cast's contracts expire, which will make it much harder to renew the series. This shows a major lack of confidence from ABC, which is why I have moved it down to "will likely be canceled". However, they didn't cancel it either, showing that they are not completely done with The Whispers at this point.

Last week I also told you that I would adjust my prediction for Wayward Pines. I was expecting to move it upward, to "will likely be renewed", but this week's rating told me it needed to go in the other direction. FOX press releases about the show make it sound like they don't plan on renewing it. However, I still had hope that it just needed to stay stable, maybe have some slight growth, and it would get renewed. And I expected it to have at least a 1.2 rating last night. But, it only notched a 1.0, tying its low (its premiere), and making me think that this show will be one-and-done. Luckily for fans, the show is supposed to have a satisfying ending.

This week I have three ABC dramas at a "toss-up", all three of their Thursday night dramas. Next week, I will move at least one of them, maybe more. Also, next week British series Dates premieres on the CW. So, come back next week to see!

Do you agree or disagree with my predictions? How do you think the upcoming summer shows will do? Leave a comment with your thoughts!

Questions of the Week: A TV Ratings Guide Summer Exclusive

Here it is! Questions of the Week are back in special edition exclusive to The TV Ratings Guide. Feel free to answer whichever ones you want, or just read my responses.

1) Do you think network-turned-streaming-only shows will become a bigger trend in the future?

2) Would it have been more beneficial for FOX to start the summer with Golan the Insatiable or reruns of The Last Man On Earth?

3) Does Wayward Pines have a future as a summer show, or is this simply a burn-off?

4) What do you think the renewal threshold is for Zoo and Under the Dome?

5) Will The CW and/or NBC opt to bring their summer comedies into the spring season if they perform well enough?

_______________________________________________

1) Do you think network-turned-streaming-only shows will become a bigger trend in the future?

Streaming services have definitely become more prominent over these last couple years. Yahoo acquired Community in a push to provide original programming, The Mindy Project got picked up by Hulu, etc. Aquarius also gets an honorable mention in this one, being released in its entirety on NBC's web site after airing just its first episode. So not only are paid streaming services becoming more popular, but network websites are as well, as indicated by NBC's willingness to do such a thing.

I do think that network-turned-streaming-only shows will continue to have a role in

modern day television. I also think we will see more and more just go to streaming 

period, without ever being on TV. Look at Orange Is The New Black, House Of Cards, etc. on Netflix. But yes, shows being revived by networks or picked up by streaming services should continue to grow in the near future. Potential target: Person of Interest.

2) Would it have been more beneficial for FOX to start the summer with Golan the Insatiable or reruns of The Last Man On Earth?

FOX animation is arguably dying away. They recently cancelled The Cleveland Show, shipped American Dad to TBS, and Bob's Burgers crashed in its move to the 7pm hour, all while The Simpsons and Family Guy have started hitting lows. Because of this, I'm surprised they actually let an animated comedy air in the summer. I think it would have been much more beneficial to rerun The Last Man On Earth, which I believe will be a breakout sophomore hit. If they are going to ruin the animation momentum with Brooklyn 9-9, they might as well try The Last Man On Earth as well, which arguably has more potential to grow.

3) Does Wayward Pines have a future as a summer show, or is this simply a burn-off?

Wayward Pines could really go any way, in my mind, and it all matters on two things: a) if FOX is willing to keep up with scripted series in the summer, and b) if Terrance Howard is available. After all, this show was first picked up in the 2013-2014 season and kept getting delayed, so he signed on to do Empire. Ratings are mediocre, but nothing worse than what Bones and Sleepy Hollow are going to do there in the fall. I say renew it.

4) What do you think the renewal threshold is for Zoo and Under the Dome?

I think CBS has high expectations for Zoo. I would be surprised if it premieres to anything under a 2.0 rating, and if it settles by a 1.3, I'm sure it will be fine. I still think it will end up rating much higher than that though.

Under the Dome, meanwhile, reminds me exactly of Sleepy Hollow's trajectory. It did outstanding in its first 13-episode season, premiering to a 3.3 A18-49 rating and finishing with a 2.8. In its second season, it completely collapsed as viewers lost interest in the stretched-out story line that strayed from the book it was based on. As such, it fell to as low as a 1.2 rating. This season, it will air Thursdays at 10 after Big Brother, but I don't think the time change will help it all that much. I think its renewal threshold is around a 1.0 rating, but I don't think it will be able to get there.

5) Will The CW and/or NBC opt to bring their summer comedies into the spring season if they perform well enough?

Probably not for The CW/The DC Network, as they more or less go against their current program slate. Meanwhile, NBC was willing to renew Welcome to Sweden's 0.4s and give Undateable's 0.6s a post-Voice time slot, and given how desparate they now are in the comedy genre, I think they will continue to try comedies out in the summer, so that they will do minimal damage if/when they flop. In the occasion they do half-decent, like say, 0.7/0.8, then maybe NBC will continue bringing them into the regular season to see what they can do. Just probably not this season considering how many comedy backups they already have.