Cancellation Watch: Tracking the weekly ratings and the cancellation prospects of the science fiction and fantasy shows currently airing on broadcast and cable networks.
By John J. Joex
Back on February 12th, AMC’s Walking Dead set a record for a scripted cable series when it pulled a 4.2 rating in the 18-49 demographic upon returning from its mid-season hiatus. And now this past Sunday, the series broke that record as it pulled an unheard of 4.7 rating. AMC has definitely found a winner with this series and you know that the networks have to be salivating over the numbers it is pulling, topping even some of the highest rated dramas currently airing on the Big Four. Of course if one of those networks had aired this series instead of AMC, they would have almost certainly neutered it and not allowed the creative team to explore the morally ambiguous territory that is the show’s strength and that draws such a large audience to it. But In an industry known for imitation, don’t be surprised if we start seeing some shows that share some elements of The Walking Dead but lack its guts (yeah, that was intended) popping up and then quickly disappearing on the broadcast networks in the next year or so.
The ratings for the other shows airing during the first half of the week all stayed about the same as the prior week. Once Upon A Time drew a 2.9 rating and won out among scripted shows on the broadcast networks on Sunday night. Alcatraz continues to hold steady at a 1.6 rating, and The River managed to creep up a bit to a 1.4 rating in its season (and most likely series) finale. Over on Syfy, Being Human did edge up a bit from last week, pulling a 0.7 rating.
I will have the full ratings results for all of this week’s shows in the regular Monday column next week.
Ratings Source: TV by the Numbers
