Ratings Report: The End Is Near
Broadcast: ABC’s Station 19 is approaching an end to its third season, with an average of 6.151 million viewers in the past two weeks. Although the latest episode experienced a 17.04 percent drop in viewership and 28 percent drop in the 18-49 demo, with the promise of a new season from ABC, Station 19 is sailing into its season finale on a hopeful note. And hopefully, the last two episode will attract more viewers. Black-ish, yet to be renewed, with its season finale episode coming up, had an average of 2.382 million viewers. Its prequel, Mixed-ish, also approaching its season finale without a renewal of another season, averaged 2.608 million viewers.
Over at FOX, 9-1-1, the highest rated series in the network last year, is nearing its season three finale. Already renewed for season 4, 9-1-1 had an average of 6.791 million viewers. One of FOX’s top-rated series, Empire, ended its six seasons run on April 21, with 2.939 million viewers. Even though the series didn’t lack drama both on and off screen, with the former co-star Jussie Smollett’s criminal charges last year (later dropped) in which he allegedly faked an assault, its rating had dropped continuously before the network announced its ending.
CBS’s The Neighborhood ended its second season with an average of 6.617 million viewers in the past two weeks. The series started on a high note in the ratings but the numbers have been falling. Will it be renewed for a third season? Bob Hearts Abishola, last aired on April 13, is left with two more episodes; whether or not it will be renewed for a new season will likely be decided soon. Even though the ratings haven’t been great, the network might give Bob Hearts Abishola a fighting chance, given that it’s created by Chuck Lorre. Magnum PI, also walking on thin ice with disappointing ratings and yet to be renewed, had an average 7.205 million viewers in the past two weeks. God Friended Me has been cancelled by CBS and ended on April 26, the last two episodes were aired on the same day with an average of 6.204 million viewers. CBS hasn’t renewed All Rise for a second season, which will soon be airing its season finale; it had 5.056 million viewers tuned in to the latest episode.
NBC renewed all of its POC led series about first responders (police, fire fighters, doctors etc). The Chicago trio (Med, Fire & PD) haven’t aired new episodes since the last ratings report; Brooklyn Nine-Nine’s episode on April 23 had 2.243 million viewers, a 9.47 percent increase from the episode before. Good Girls hasn’t performed well in ratings, and is yet to be renewed for another season by NBC, had an average of 1.665 million viewers in the past two weeks. Will it be renewed for another season despite its underwhelming performance? NBC’s No.1 comedy Superstore has been renewed for season six. The current season ended unexpectedly one episode short. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the production was halted before the finale finished. Superstore’s season finale had 3.01 million viewers tuned in.
CW, due to its six nights a week network programming, is prone to renew its regular series, including those led by POC characters. Rosewell, New Mexico had 655,000 viewers tuned in to its latest episode; the rating in the 18-49 demo was only 100,000, a drastic 41.18 percent drop from the episode before. Dynasty also scored 100,000 in the same demo, which was a 25 percent increase from the week before; its total viewership was only 323,000.
In the world of soap operas, things are also slowing down. CBS’s The Young and the Restless and The Bold and the Beautiful have started airing reruns after exhausting new episodes, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. ABC’s General Hospital also started airing classic episodes. However NBC’s Days of Our Lives is still running, with production 8 moths in advance. Regardless, in the week of April 20-24, both The Young and the Restless (+200,000) and The Bold and the Beautiful (+92,000) saw an increase in total viewership compared to last week; General Hospital (-133,000) and Days of Our Lives (-127,000), on the other hand, saw a decrease.
Cable: BET’s Boomerang had an average of 471,000 viewers in on April 29, when two episodes were aired on the same day. Tyler Perry’s Sistas, as of May 5, hasn’t been renewed or cancelled by BET, had 994,000 viewers in the last episode, a 5.52 percent increase from the week before; it also reached a high rating of 0.29 in the 18-49 demo (the season average is 0.25). Over at OWN, If Loving You Is Wrong had 1.16 million viewers last week, a 22.63 percent increase from the week before. POPTV’s One Day at a Time scored 187,000 viewers and 0.07 in the 18-49 demo, a 35.51 percent and 40 percent increase in both categories from the prior week. BBC America’s Killing Eve is maintaining its popularity, with an averaged 357,000 viewers from the past two weeks.
International: For the week of April 27 to May 3, 2020, Korean top Free-to-air TV ratings are as follow: Good Casting (SBS)-10.6%; The King: Eternal Monarch (SBS)-8.5%; 365:Repeat the Year (MBC)-4.5%; Born Again (KBS2)-3.1%; Find Me in Your Memory (MBC)-3.1%; Meow: The Secret Boy (KBS2)-1.2%.
Korean cable TV ratings are: The World of the Married (JTBC)-22.7%; Hospital Playlist (tvN)-12.0%;When My Love Blooms (tvN)-4.8%; Memorist (tvN)-2.7%; Rugal (OCN)-2.1%; A Piece of Your Mind (tvN)-11.1%; Eccentric! Chef Moon (Channel A)-0.5%.
Streaming: Created by Mindy Kaling, Netflix original series Never Have I Ever premiered on April 27, 2020 to rave reviews. The new coming-of-age comedy about a first-generation Indian American teenager Devi (played by Maitreyi Ramakrishnan) scored 92% from the audience on Rotten Tomatoes. The critics highlighted the series’ hilarious honesty and praised the newcomer Ramakrishnan, who stood out from thousands of applicants to Kaling’s open casting call.