Ratings Report: 'Tuca and Bertie's' Resurgence Shows Out
CW
Broadcast: Roswell, New Mexico
A new show about the exploits of teens who encounter aliens living among them is not exactly new, but this reboot of the once beloved and award winning show from the early 2000s has struck a chord with a new audience. Originally adapted from Melinda Metz’s book series Roswell High this new show adapts to our more modern times and how an alien race living among us would adapt to living in the age of social media, and the changing political landscape of a place as small as Roswell, New Mexico. The show stars Jeanine Mason who began her career by winning the fifth season of So You Think You Can Dance, in addition to Lily Cowles, Tyler Blackburn, Nathan Parsons, and Heather Hemmens. Overall Roswell has been having moderate success and staying steady during the powerhouse of ratings that is the Olympic Games in Tokyo with an average viewership of 625,000 over the past two weeks and not a great number of those in the demo with an abysmal 0.1 rating, despite this, Roswell, New Mexico was renewed for a fourth season in February of 2021 months before the third season premiered.
Netflix
Cable: Tuca and Bertie
An animated series that rose from the dead after being cancelled by Netflix just a few short years ago, this comedy was subsequently renewed at Adult Swim and has enjoyed a healthy second act after finding a solid place in its new home. Attached to the show are a few big names among them like Tiffany Haddish, Ali Wong and yet another animated outing for Steven Yeun the cast is also sprinkled with a bevy of comedians and comedic actors in supporting and cameo roles over its three seasons. Created by Lisa Hanawalt, the adult animated comedy follows the roots of shows like Rick and Morty and Bojack Horseman with their style of raunchy adult humor with abstract humanoids, aliens, and anthropomorphic animals. Hanawalt had also worked as a production designer on Bojack before she created her own webcomic that would eventually become the basis for Tuca and Bertie. The show has been having a very successful time and was recently renewed for a season three which has no official air date at this time. Averaging around 200,000 viewers for its second season at Adult Swim in the demo and with a total average viewership of around 400,000 viewers total for the season.
Johnathan Daviss and Madison Bailey - Netflix
Streaming: Outer Banks
The second season of this Netflix original series has been well received, launching after a critically lauded first season that led to a quick turnout during a pandemic with the newest season premiering and landing firmly at the number one spot on Netflix’s top ten with a 71% on Rotten Tomatoes. Reviewers cite over the top melodrama and a strong sense of adventure that seems to appeal to the summer crowd and critics alike. The second season has been receiving stronger reviews with 80% certified fresh with 5 early reviews.
Ji Sung - tvN
International: The Devil Judge
The Devil Judge, a dystopian futuristic version of South Korea in which public television displays all crime trials in this country and with a corrupt criminal justice system in which the courts are voted on by the people and justice is served to the rich and powerful in this chaotic system. Starring Ji Sung as the Devil Judge who wins the favor of the public on the reality show that is his court of law, he conceals large parts of his life and personality, and ambitions. The series has had a steady amount of viewership and there are talks about the series being continued through a webtoon series after the conclusion of the show. It averages 1.9 million viewers during its 9th episode and episode 10 hitting a peak of 2.65 million viewers with a total average of 2.2 million for episode 10. These are strong numbers for a dystopian tale of kangaroo courts in the age of COVID-19 and tVN should consider another season of this unique story if it continues to perform as admirably as it has been.
