Ratings Report: 'Awkwafina Is Nora From Queens' and 'Schigmadoon!' Make Their Summer Debuts

Roger Cross and Serinda Swan - CW

Broadcast: Coroner

The CW has returned with one of its more fascinating casts and has found a good audience in the US despite being a Canadian show that aired across the northern border earlier this year. It had a strong premiere during this last window of summer before the fall slate takes over towards the end of September. Garnering a 0.08 rating in its first episode and notching over 800,000 viewers despite the first season airing on NBC and then garnering a massive amount of viewers of 1 million per episode. Since then it was globally premiered and renewed for another two seasons.

I am looking forward to seeing how well this show continues to perform. It is a success for a reason with its beloved cast and interesting premise of a recently widowed coroner solving mysterious crimes and adding a somewhat fresh take on the police procedural genre. 

Awkwafina - Comedy Central

Cable: Awkwafina Is Nora From Queens

Starring one of the funniest breakout stars since she debuted in the hit films Crazy Rich Asians and Ocean’s 8 that same year. Her show is another new show in the same vein as Louie and has been compared to Broad City, another successful comedy central show, starring as a fictionalized version of herself Awkwafina has turned this series into a hilarious romp that has made a space for wacky stories in New York, often with ridiculous and nonsensical circumstances and twists. The show is doing well for Comedy Central average 330,500 viewers over the premiere and second episode and while isn’t as high as the best episodes of last season it will more than likely pick up further into its run as summer comes to a close. 

Cecilia Strong and Keegan-Michael Key - Apple TV+

Streaming: Schmigadoon!

A new show starring a hilarious duo of one half of Key and Peele and Cecilia Strong of SNL fame that get thrown into a magical land that is a perpetual musical and filled with quirky outlandish characters, and Fred Armisen. The couple whose relationship is faltering when they arrive find that the only way to escape is to find true love, does that mean with each other? With someone new they meet in town? Who knows but I am glad that this series is getting the great reception it is. The TV musical genre has not done enough since the tragic cancellation of Galavant years ago and even with other shows like Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist just for me doesn’t quite scratch the itch of a good musical. With a plethora of loving reviews, the show sits at a 88% certified fresh on Rotten Tomatoes with an equally great audience score of 84%.  Schmigadoon! Is available for streaming on Apple TV+

Kim Dong-wook and Seo Hyun-jin

International: You Are My Spring

Starring Seo Hyun Jin and Kim Dong Wook as they investigate a murder that occurred in their building. Young Do played by Wook is a psychiatrist specializing in suicide and does his best to rehabilitate and help those who have attempted or are struggling with suicidal tendencies and their problems, and despite his efforts to help others with their problems he often turns a deaf ear to his own heart and problems. Unfortunately for the two leads, the show is not doing that well which is a new indicator that the plot is moving far too slowly as the past two episodes have only managed to garner around 680,000 average viewers per episode, a paltry sum and the lowest the series has seen so far.