Ratings Report: ‘Ghosts’ witnesses notable rise in viewership, ‘Andor’ takes a risk that pays off with both critics and viewers

Broadcast: Season 2 of CBS’s half-hour paranormal comedy Ghosts has undergone a spirited uptick in overall viewership compared to its premiere run while its performance with younger audiences remains stagnant. The show’s Nov. 10 episode, the seventh installment of the season, earned a 0.55 rating with adults 18-49 (A18-49) and counted 6.62 million total viewers. Those numbers align with the broader trends that are playing out in the current season, which has managed a 0.55 A18-49 average rating and has drawn roughly 6.41 million viewers per episode. While season 1 garnered a 0.57 A18-49 average rating, its average viewership was 5.81 million per episode, significantly below that of its successor season. These patterns suggest that after finding its footing in season one, the sitcom has allowed itself to grow into its own with the airing of its sophomore effort. Ghosts stars Rose McIver (iZombie, The Lovely Bones) and Utkarsh Ambudkar (Never Have I Ever, Brittney Runs a Marathon) as Samantha and Jay, a young married couple who inherit a dilapidated mansion and decide to rehabilitate it only to discover the house is full of the ghosts. The show mines its humor from the comedy-of-errors that ensues as Samantha, the only living person who can see and hear the ghosts, desperately tries to deal with the never-ending issues brought to her by her home’s spectral occupants with varying levels of success. 

Ghosts was developed for American television by Joe Port (New Girl, Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist) and Joe Wiseman (Fam, Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist) as an adaptation of the British series of the same name from BBC One. The show was considered a break-out hit in its first season and currently ranks as the number one sitcom on CBS’s streaming platform, Paramount+. Port and Wiseman act as showrunners and executive producers of the show and recently inked a three year overall deal with CBS Studios that includes the development of other projects. McIver and Ambudkar lead the cast which also includes Brandon Scott Jones (Isn’t It Romantic, The Good Place), Richie Moriarty (What We Do in the Shadows, Orange Is the New Black), Danielle Pinnock (Young Sheldon, Tell It Like a Woman), Asher Grodman (Succession, The Train), Sheila Carrasco (A Lot of Nothing, Good Luck with Everything), Devan Chandler Long (Ambulance, Doom Patrol), Rebecca Wisocky (Devious Maids, The Mentalist), and Román Zaragoza (Stumptown, Austin & Ally). Ghosts airs on Thursday nights at 8:30 EST/PST on CBS and is available to stream on Paramount+. 

Cable: Interview with a Vampire, AMC’s gothic horror series adapted from Anne Rice’s 1976 novel of the same name, boasts a 99% critic approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes despite audiences being left underwhelmed. The hour-long vampire drama differs from its predecessor, the 1994 film adaptation of the novel starring Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt, by exploring the homosexual components of the Rice’s narrative more directly instead of merely hinting at them. Considering the show’s certified fresh designation on Rotten Tomatoes and AMC’s early decision to renew the series for a second season, reimagining Rice’s novel for modern audiences almost half a century after its release seems to have come at the perfect time. Still, the series’ 74% audience across 876 user responses implies not everyone appreciates how this contemporary retelling handles its source material. Interview with a Vampire chronicles the afterlife of vampire Louis de Pointe du Lac (Jacob Anderson) beginning in 20th Century New Orleans and beyond as told by Louis to renowned journalist Daniel Malloy (Eric Bogosian) in 2022. Anderson is best known for his portrayal of Grey Worm in HBO’s Game of Thrones, though his other credits include Doctor Who and Broadchurch. Bogosian’s more recent credits in HBO’s Succession and Showtime’s Billions. 

Interview with a Vampire was created for television by Rolin Jones (Weeds, Friday Night Lights), a writer and producer whose previous work in horror includes the 2016 TV series, The Exorcist. The seven episode first season premiered on AMC on Oct. 2 with the release of the first and second installments and concluded on Nov. 6. Episodes aired on AMC a week following their release on the channel’s sister streaming service, AMC+. Anderson and Bogosian are joined in the cast by Sam Reid (Belle, ‘71), Bailey Bass (The Jenkins Family Christmas, Avatar: The Way of Water), Assad Zaman (Apple Tree Yard, Our Girl), Kalyne Coleman (800lb Gorilla, Dog Bite), Chris Stack (School of Rock, One Life to Live), and Christian Robinson (The First Purge, Burning Sands). All seven episodes of the series are available to stream on AMC+ as well as on Amazon Prime Video. 

Streaming: Disney’s latest offering gleaned from the mythos of the Star Wars franchise, Andor, has delighted critics with its gritty and mature portrayal of a familiar world. Having earned a 92% approval rating with critics on Rotten Tomatoes and the certified fresh distinction, the show is being celebrated as a welcome departure from typical Star Wars fare. More specifically, the political orientation and darker tone of the series have been singled out as tactful narrative additions that elevate the show as a whole. While Andor’s 83% audience score may suggest that not all viewers agree with the critical perspective, it’s important to note that with a massive and dedicated fan base like that of the Star Wars franchise, it’s almost impossible to satisfy the expectations of every last enthusiast. Considering the response from fans and critics, the release of Andor may be a harbinger of a new, revamped phase of the Star Wars saga that embraces a more adult exploration of that far, far away galaxy so many know and love. 

Andor is a prequel series to the franchise’s 2016 film Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and sees the return of Diego Luna (Y tu mamá también, Narcos: Mexico) as Cassian Andor, the show’s protagonist, who is thrust into a dangerous world of intrigue and adventure as he sets out on the path to becoming a Rebel hero. Series creator, writer, and executive producer Tony Gilroy (House of Cards, Nightcrawler) is a longtime fixture in Hollywood known for his intuitive and fast-paced thrillers like 2007’s Michael Clayton, 2009’s Duplicity, and the first four out of five installments of the Jason Bourne franchise. The Lucasfilm produced series also features Stellan Skarsgård (Dune, Good Will Hunting), Genevieve O’Reilly (The Dry, Tin Star), Adria Arjona (Father of the Bride, True Detective), Denise Gough (‘71, Under the Banner of Heaven), and Kyle Soller (Anna Karenina, The Titan). Andor is available to stream on Disney+. 

International: Netflix’s Under the Queen’s Umbrella has spent the last three weeks climbing the platform’s most watched non-English TV show chart, most recently placing third in viewership for the week of Nov. 7-13 with 12.2 million hours viewed. The week before that, the show ranked as the sixth most watched series and accumulated 10.42 million hours of viewership. One major factor likely influencing the show’s gradual rise in popularity on an international scale is the distribution model utilized by Netflix and South Korea’s tvN. Instead of releasing all sixteen episodes of the series after it ends its run on tvN, Netflix is releasing episodes as they air on Saturday and Sunday nights in South Korea. The incremental distribution model allows Under the Queen’s Umbrella to stretch out audience engagement across eight weeks, drawing in returning fans week after week while simultaneously ensuring newcomers have the opportunity to catch up with the series and become weekly consumers themselves. Most likely, this release pattern will keep the series on the most watched charts for a more substantial period of time than if the entire series was released all at once. Under the Queen’s Umbrella is a hour-long historical drama and dark comedy that stars Kim Hye-su (The Hypnotized, Coin Locker Girl) as Queen Im Hwa Ryeong, a spirited royal mother who attempts to reform her troublemaking sons by training them to be proper crown princes. Kim is joined in the principle cast by Kim Hae-sook (Thirst, The Handmaiden) as the Queen Dowager and Choi Won-yeong (The Golden Spoon, Definitely Neighbors) as King Lee Ho. 

Under the Queen’s Umbrella is directed by Kim Hyung-shik (Cain and Abel, Sign), executive produced by Yoo Sang-won (Flower of Evil, Start-Up) and developed by Studio Dragon. Additional cast members include Kim Eui-sung (Train to Busan, W), Moon Sang-min (My Name, Mermaid Prince), Ok Ja-yeon (Burning, Ashfall), and Chani (Imitation, The Gossip). The series began airing on Oct. 15 and the season finale will air on Sunday, Dec. 4. Under the Queen’s Umbrella is available to stream on Netflix US and in select regions outside of South Korea.