Ratings Results and Cancellation Watch Wrap Up for the 2009-10 Season
By John J. Joex
This past week delivered only three Science Fiction and Fantasy shows with new episodes all of which were their season finales. I reported the results of Lost and Chuck previously with the former finishing its six year run with strong numbers and the latter going out on a down note. On last Thursday, FlashForward wrapped up its first and only season as well (I had previously incorrectly reported the prior week as the series finale, but that was part one of the finale). Not too many people tuned in to see what happened in the series on the day everybody had “flashforwarded” to at the beginning of the show as part two of the finale pulled only a 1.3 rating in the 18-49 demographic and not quite five million viewers. The episode ended on a huge cliffhanger as another blackout occurred right at the end, but we will never find out what happened from there as ABC pulled the plug on the show several weeks ago.
With the season over, I will take this opportunity to look back at the Cancellation Alert* that I posted for each series throughout the season and let you judge just how accurate I was in predicting the fates of the Science Fiction and Fantasy bubble shows that aired during the year (which included every genre entry except Lost and the CW shows).
Looking at the shows by network, I will start with ABC and Eastwick which had at least a decent debut, though its numbers fell off pretty quickly. After only its second week, I predicted this series would be an early casualty among genre shows and it was pulled from the schedule by the end of November. FlashForward started up the with very strong numbers and looked like it might live up to its billing as the next Lost but it saw its ratings decline almost every week throughout the Fall months. I started to raise the red flag on this one by mid-November and had it at a Cancellation Alert of Medium by the time it ended its Fall run. When it returned in Spring, the ratings attrition actually accelerated and ABC called it quits on the show the week before the upfronts. I missed on V, though, which started late last Fall with very strong numbers, but like FlashForword it headed south quickly. When it returned from its hiatus in Spring with a continued ratings decline I figured its days were numbered as well, but ABC mysteriously gave it the greenlight for a second season. My early prediction for next season, though, is that it will not live beyond its thirteen episode order unless they completely revamp the show and manage to attract back the audience that showed some initial curiosity last November.
When Ghost Whisperer and Medium bowed on CBS last Fall with only mediocre numbers, I did not think too much about it because both were winning their timeslots on a typically low viewership night. But they continued a slow decline throughout the season and I finally raised the Cancellation Alert on both of them by mid-March. I split the difference on my predictions here as Ghost Whisperer ended up getting the axe while CBS kept Medium going (in part because their production company does that one and thus they pay less for it). ABC hinted that they might pick up Ghost Whisperer (as their production company cranks that one out), but ended up passing on it.
NBC continued to struggle as the fourth place network and Heroes stumbled out of the gate last Fall prompting an early prediction that it would get the boot quickly. I was only partly right on that one, though, as NBC kept it chugging along, despite weekly drops in its ratings, because it had too many other leaks in its battered hull to deal with. They eventually decided to part ways with the tired franchise by season’s end, though they indicated that they may do a wrap-up movie or two. Chuck also struggled with the ratings, but it does that every season. I had that one at a Cancellation Alert of Medium by late April, but it beat the odds once again and received the go ahead for a fourth season.

FOX, previously known as the sci fi killer network, stuck behind two shows while it sent two others to the executioner. Fringe struggled in its new Thursday night slot against juggernauts CSI on CBS and Grey’s Anatomy on ABC, but I believed the network would stick behind the show and I never raised its Cancellation Alert above Low. And as it turned out, the series got the nod for a third season even though it never came close to matching the numbers it enjoyed in its first season. Human Target never quite grabbed a sizeable audience but I felt like FOX would keep it around as well. As its numbers continued to decline, I did raise its Cancellation Alert to Moderate, but my gut feel was right as the network gave it the greenlight for a second season. Dollhouse debuted last Fall to abysmal numbers, though I initially passed on making any predictions on the show because of its unlikely renewal from the prior season. It continued to fall, though, sometimes barely beating out Smallville on the CW, and I predicted that FOX would go ahead and pull the plug, which it did. Past Life arrived in February with little fanfare and was pretty much DOA as it took over Fringe’s treacherous timeslot while that show went on hiatus and barely registered against superior competition. I had that one at a Cancellation Alert of Elevated after its first episode and it was gone after only two more airings.
None of the genre shows on the CW really struggled this last season even though the numbers for both Supernatural and Smallville (which moved to Fridays) dropped off from the previous season. In fact, the part time network elected to keep these two shows running into next season even though both of them were originally scheduled to end this year.
This will be the last of the Ratings Results/Cancellation Watch reports this season, but I will break in with reports on any genre shows that the networks air this Summer like ABC’s supernatural series The Gates which premieres on June 20th. I will also over the next week be taking a look by network at why each of this season’s cancelled shows got the axe, so keep an eye out for that. Also, watch later this Summer for my predictions on the new and returning shows for the coming Fall season (and you can get a first glimpse at the Fall schedule at this link).
*Following are the Five Cancellation Alert Levels:
1 – Low
2 – Moderate
3 – Medium
4 – Elevated
5 – High


