Sci Fi Cancellation Watch: CBS Execs Address Whether the Fifth Season of Person of Interest Will be its Last, Plus Latest Ratings Results

Unless otherwise noted, the ratings numbers below are based on the final overnights and may vary slightly from the preliminaries reported on the Cancelled Sci Fi Twitter Site.

person-of-interest-cancelledWord is that negotiations went to the eleventh hour this last May concerning the fate of of CBS series Person of Interest.  Allegedly, the network was ready to part ways with it (despite the fact that it regularly placed in the weekly Top 25 based on total viewers), but the show’s studio Warner Bros. managed to swing a deal to bring it back for at least one more year.  That will likely be a shortened, thirteen episode season that is currently scheduled to bow at mid-season, and the assumption is that this will be the show’s swansong.  CBS has yet to make an official statement on that, though Entertainment Chairman Nina Tassler did address it to an extant at the TCAs: “That show’s in production now and will be coming on later this season, but we haven’t determined if it’s the end of the series yet.”  But she did comment that the show’s creative team would be given advanced warning on any cancellation decisions so that its storylines can be resolved.  We can only hope that is truly the case, and I am currently approaching the show’s fifth season as its last when I head into tracking the Fall numbers.

Ratings results for the sci fi / fantasy shows airing Monday August 3rd thru Sunday August 9th (metric definitions below):

(Updated for Chart Activity in the Top 25 for the broadcast and cable networks)

The Whispers ABC Mon 8/3 10 PM
Rating: 0.7 | % Chng PW: n/a | Tot Viewers (MM): 2.8 | StD Rating: 0.9 | Cancellation Alert: Medium

The numbers for this show continue to slide and I would say that it only has a whisper of a chance at this point.

Teen Wolf MTV Mon 8/3 10 PM
Rating: 0.5 | % Chng PW: +16.3% | Tot Viewers (MM): 1.1 | StD Rating: 0.5 | Cancellation Alert: Renewed

It improved some from the prior week and continues to perform well for its network.

Chart Activity: It slipped two rungs in the weekly Nielsen Twitter Ratings Top 10 to the Number 7 slot, but it continues to be a fixture on that chart.

Stitchers ABCF Tue 8/4 9 PM
Rating: 0.3 | % Chng PW: -8.3% | Tot Viewers (MM): 0.8 | StD Rating: 0.3 | Cancellation Alert: Renewed

Not much change for this show’s numbers, but it has the second season secured. I can’t believe it will get to a third at these levels, though.

Zoo CBS Tue 8/4 9 PM
Rating: 1.0 | % Chng PW: -16.7% | Tot Viewers (MM): 6.0 | StD Rating: 1.1 | Cancellation Alert: Low

It dropped from the prior week, but its season to date numbers still look good. I believe it remains on track for a second season unless CBS deems it too expensive.

Chart Activity: It dropped notably from Number 12 to Number 22 in the broadcast network Top 25 based on the overnights for the 18-49 demographic. In the Top 25 based on total viewers it slipped to Number 13 (down from Number 8).

Proof TNT Tue 8/4 10 PM
Rating: 0.3 | % Chng PW: -10.0% | Tot Viewers (MM): 2.0 | StD Rating: 0.3 | Cancellation Alert: Moderate

It is down slightly from last week and continues to perform in that “ratings noise” level. But TNT renewed Legends last Summer at these levels, so Proof still has a chance.

Scream MTV Tue 8/4 10 PM
Rating: 0.3 | % Chng PW: +13.8% | Tot Viewers (MM): 0.7 | StD Rating: 0.4 | Cancellation Alert: Renewed

It was up slightly from last week and it already has its second season renewal in the bag.

Extant CBS Wed 8/5 9 PM
Rating: 0.8 | % Chng PW: 0.0% | Tot Viewers (MM): 4.3 | StD Rating: 0.7 | Cancellation Alert: Medium

This show held steady with the prior week, but it continues to lose over 60% of its Big Brother lead-in audience. I know it has the Amazon partnership and international financing backing it, but I’m raising the Cancellation Alert to Medium because this show’s number have to be an eyesore to the network’s execs.

Beauty and the Beast CW Thu 8/6 8 PM
Rating: 0.2 | % Chng PW: 0.0% | Tot Viewers (MM): 0.8 | StD Rating: 0.2 | Cancellation Alert: Renewed

Another week, another 0.2 ratings score. But it already has its fourth season renewal in the bag.

Under the Dome CBS Thu 8/6 9 PM
Rating: 0.8 | % Chng PW: -20.0% | Tot Viewers (MM): 3.9 | StD Rating: 1.0 | Cancellation Alert: Low

This show dropped to a series low and it is even with Extant‘s most recent numbers. But the CBS execs are still considering a fourth season as a possibility. If it stays at these levels, though, they may change their minds.

Chart Activity: This show’s ratings slide caused it to drop completely out of the broadcast network Top 25 (both based on the ratings in the 18-49 demo and total viewers) for the week.

Dominion Syfy Thu 8/6 10 PM
Rating: 0.3 | % Chng PW: -18.2% | Tot Viewers (MM): 0.9 | StD Rating: 0.3 | Cancellation Alert: Low

This one is down slightly from the prior week, but still averaging a 0.3 ratings score based on the overnights for the 18-49 demo. That’s decent for Syfy these days, so the show still appears safe.

Defiance Syfy Fri 8/7 8 PM
Rating: 0.3 | % Chng PW: +25.0% | Tot Viewers (MM): 1.3 | StD Rating: 0.3 | Cancellation Alert: Medium

It improved notably from the prior week, and it is on par with Syfy’s other shows currently airing. But I still believe that Syfy has higher ratings expectations for it because they are carrying most of the production costs, and for that reason I am raising it to a Medium Cancellation Alert level.

Killjoys Syfy Fri 8/7 9 PM
Rating: 0.3 | % Chng PW: +13.0% | Tot Viewers (MM): 1.1 | StD Rating: 0.2 | Cancellation Alert: Moderate

This show improved to its best numbers in weeks and I still believe its chances are good because of the partnership with the Space Channel in Canada and because Syfy has been patient with its new shows of late.

Dark Matter Syfy Fri 8/7 10 PM
Rating: 0.3 | % Chng PW: 0.0% | Tot Viewers (MM): 1.0 | StD Rating: 0.3 | Cancellation Alert: Moderate

This show held steady with the prior week and I believe that the partnership with the Canadian Space Channel will help it get a second season.

Atlantis BBCA Sat 8/8 9 PM
Rating: n/a | % Chng PW: 0.0% | Tot Viewers (MM): n/a | StD Rating: 0.0 | Cancellation Alert: Cancelled

Ratings results pending.  Check the show’s page on this site later in the week for updates

Hannibal NBC Thu 8/6 10 PM
Rating: 0.3 | % Chng PW: 0.0% | Tot Viewers (MM): 1.1 | StD Rating: 0.4 | Cancellation Alert: Cancelled

No change for this show’s numbers and still no word on another network picking it up for a fourth season. Will Hannibal soon have eaten his last meal on television?

Humans AMC Sun 8/9 9 PM
Rating: 0.4 | % Chng PW: +23.5% | Tot Viewers (MM): 1.1 | StD Rating: 0.4 | Cancellation Alert: Renewed

It improved notably from the prior week as it heads toward its Season 1 finale (and it has already been renewed for a second year).

The Last Ship TNT Sun 8/9 9 PM
Rating: 0.8 | % Chng PW: -1.3% | Tot Viewers (MM): 3.0 | StD Rating: 0.7 | Cancellation Alert: Low

It continues to cruise forward with mostly stable numbers and a third season renewal should be on the horizon.

Chart Activity: This show slipped in the cable Top 25 based on total viewers again, going from Number 17 to Number 18.  But it had a fair amount of competition for the week and will likely rebound when next week’s numbers are tallied.

The Strain FX Sun 8/9 10 PM
Rating: 0.6 | % Chng PW: -3.4% | Tot Viewers (MM): 1.3 | StD Rating: 0.7 | Cancellation Alert: Renewed

Its numbers dipped just slightly, but it is still performing well enough. And the third season renewal came as no real surprise.

Falling Skies TNT Sun 8/9 10 PM
Rating: 0.5 | % Chng PW: +3.8% | Tot Viewers (MM): 2.0 | StD Rating: 0.5 | Cancellation Alert: Final Season

This show remained steady as it heads toward its series finale.

Be sure keep an eye out for the latest numbers and any breaking news throughout the week at the Cancelled Sci Fi Twitter Site.  You can see the status of all the currently airing sci fi / fantasy shows at the Cancellation Watch page and also the latest Sci Fi TV Power Rankings post. And for more information on where I get these numbers and how I make my Cancellation Alert assessments, check out the Cancelled Sci Fi FAQ.

Metric Definitions:

Rating: Overnight rating in the 18-49 demographic for same day viewing based on the final numbers unless otherwise noted

% Chng PW: The percentage change +/- for this week’s rating vs. last week’s rating.

Tot Viewers: Estimated total viewers (age 2+) to tune in to the episode for same day viewing.

StD Rating: Season to date average for the rating metric tracked above.

Cancellation Alert: My prediction of the likelihood that a show will get cancelled. From least to most likely the statuses are Low, Moderate, Medium, Elevated, and High.

Ratings Source: TV by the Numbers and ShowBuzzDaily

Nielsen TV Ratings: ©2015 The Nielsen Company. All Rights Reserved.

Author: admin

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