Cancellation Watch Weekly Roundup: The Gifted Goes Out on a Low Note, The Walking Dead Holds Steady

Ratings results and status updates on all the currently airing sci fi & fantasy shows as well as those still awaiting word on their fates. For the latest ratings updates, be sure to follow the Cancelled Sci Fi Twitter Site

Ratings Results of Interest: On Tuesday last week, FOX’s The Gifted slipped to a 0.4 rating based on same day viewing for the 18-49 demographic with 1.6 million total viewers for its season finale. That is a series low for the show and does little to help its already diminishing prospects. It was FOX’s lowest rated scripted series for the season before Proven Innocent debuted just a few weeks ago and currently The Gifted appears to be headed towards cancellation. Series creator Matt Nix believes the best chance for the show is to shift to one of the streaming services, and if fans put together a strong enough Call to Action on the social networks, perhaps that could happen.




Over on The CW last Tuesday, Roswell New Mexico slipped to a 0.2 rating with 890K total viewers, but it only had a repeat of The Flash as its lead-in. Over on the History Channel, Project Blue Book improved to a 0.30 rating with 1.5 million total viewers.

On Monday last week, Freeform’s Shadowhunters returned for the second half of its third season and posted only a 0.13 rating with 373K total viewers. That show is in the process of airing out its final episodes. Over on FOX, The Passage slipped to a 0.8 rating with 3.3 million total viewers, but it didn’t get much of a lead-in from a repeat of The Masked Singer.

On Wednesday, Syfy’s The Magicians slipped to a 0.17 rating with 534K total viewers, though that show has already been renewed for a fifth season. In the next hour, Deadly Class dropped to a season low 0.12 rating with 355K total viewers and that show’s prospects could be sinking.

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On Thursday, FOX’s The Orville held at a 0.8 rating with 3.2 million total viewers for a second week in a row as that show’s prospects seem to be brightening. Over on The CW, Legacies improved from last week to a 0.3 rating with 872K total viewers despite only having a repeat of Charmed as its lead-in. On Freeform, Siren continues to sink, slipping to a 0.14 rating with 408K total viewers and that one could use a Call to Action on the social networks to bring it more attention.

On Sunday, AMC’s The Walking Dead held steady at a 1.7 rating with 4.7 million total viewers as that one has staved off the Walking Dexit the last couple of weeks. On CBS, God Friended Me improved from its last new episodes to a 0.7 rating with 6.9 million total viewers. On The CW, Supergirl and Charmed improved after airing repeats last week with the former pulling a 0.4 rating and 1.1 million total viewers (its highest numbers since the December Elseworlds cross-over episode) while Charmed had a 0.3 score with 738K tot viewers.

The other sci fi and fantasy entries remained mostly steady or did not air new episodes during the week.  You can see the full ratings results for the week at this link, and be sure to follow the Cancelled Sci Fi Twitter Site for the latest results and breaking news.  Ratings Source: ShowBuzzDaily


What’s to watch on the Streaming Services?  Click on the following links for a comprehensive list of the Sci Fi TV Shows available on Netflix | Prime Video | Hulu | Other


News Roundup: CBS All Access has announced that Star Trek: Discovery will continue its voyage for a third season on the streaming service. AMC has announced that another spin-off of The Walking Dead is currently in the works. Rumors suggest that Warner Bros. is considering bringing back Constantine as a solo series. Syfy has ordered Resident Alien to series which will star Alan Tudyk. Fans have started a campaign to show their support for Wynonna Earp after production of the fourth season has been delayed to due to financial difficulties with its production company.

Status Updates: The Orville‘s Chances of a Third Season Are Looking Better

Below are the status updates for all the currently airing shows or those still awaiting word on their fate.  This does not include streaming shows, unless there is information worth mentioning, because there is typically too little data available to gauge their fates. You can click through to the show pages to see week-over-week ratings results (where available) and find out more information about the series.  You can see the status of all the currently airing and returning sci fi TV shows at the Cancellation Watch Page.

Currently Airing / Streaming:

Arrow (CW, Status – Renewed): As expected, this show has been renewed for an 8th season. It could be targeting wrapping up with next season’s Crisis on Infinite Earths cross-over event which I discuss in more detail at this link.

Black Lightning (CW, Status – Renewed): Though it wasn’t a sure thing, this show has been renewed for third season. It could get folded into the Arrow-verse during next season’s Crisis on Infinite Earths cross-over event which I discuss in more detail at this link.

Charmed (CW, Status – Renewed): The same day ratings for this show may not be great on highly competitive Sunday nights, but it is one of the most watched shows in digital viewing on the network’s website and app.  Since The CW has better adapted to the 21st century than the other broadcast nets, it factors online viewing more heavily into its model and has given this one a second season renewal.

Deadly Class (Syfy, Status – Renewal Possible): This show’s numbers have been down the last few weeks, but it may still be doing barely good enough for a Syfy entry these days.  Fans may want to make a Call to Action on the social nets to bring it some more attention, though.

The Flash (CW, Status – Renewed): As expected, this show has been renewed for an 6th season. There could be some changes coming with next season’s Crisis on Infinite Earths cross-over event which I discuss in more detail at this link.

God Friended Me (CBS, Status – Renewed): As expected, this show has been renewed for a second season .  Its numbers in the 18-49 demo are just passable, but it continues to rank in the Top 25 based on total viewers each week and it fits in well with the CBS brand.

Gotham (FOX, Status – Final Season): The ratings have been on a downturn for this one the last few seasons, but FOX elected to bring it back for one more year to wrap up Batman’s origin story.

Into the Badlands (AMC, Status – Cancelled): The good news is that this show will be returning to the schedule on March 24th.  The bad news is that the remaining Season 3 episodes will be its last.  After remaining silent on the status of the show since it wrapped up the first half of its third season last June,  AMC has announced that it will not be returning for a fourth year.

Legacies (CW, Status – Renewed): The same day rating for his one have not been great in its first season, but it is one of the most watched shows in digital viewing on the network’s website and app.  Since The CW has adapted to the 21st century better than the other broadcast nets, it factors online viewing more heavily into its model and has renewed this show for a second season.

Legends of Tomorrow (CW, Status – Renewed): As expected, this show has been renewed for an 5th season. It could be targeting wrapping up with next season’s Crisis on Infinite Earths cross-over event which I discuss in more detail at this link.

MacGyver (CBS, Status – Renewal Likely): This show’s ratings are down from last year’s levels, but that likely will not matter. It is owned by CBS and it will have three full seasons after this year, so it is worth it to the network to keep it going at least one more season to get it to the episode threshold the syndication market prefers. Also, it plugs up and hour on low-viewership Fridays.

The Magicians (Syfy, Status – Renewed): This show’s fourth season debut was down from last year’s numbers, but it is still the highest rated show on Syfy overall. It has already been renewed for a fifth season, so it is safe for at least one more year.

The Orville (FOX, Status – Renewal Possible): The numbers for this show are down in its regular Thursday timeslot year-over-year, though they have shown a slight improvement the last few weeks. It also continues to perform well in Live+7 delayed viewing like last year so I believe it has a decent chance of making it to a third season. But fans might want to take to the social networks with a Call to Action just to give it a boost.

The Passage (FOX, Status – Renewal Possible): This show got off to a good start with it premiere, but its numbers have slipped since then. If it does not drop any further, though, it could stick around for a second season.

Project Blue Book (History, Status – Renewed): This show got off to a decent start for a cable series these days and has been able to hold on to its audience through the first few weeks of its first season.  And as expected, the History Channel has renewed this one for a second season.

Riverdale (CW, Status – Renewed): This show is only down slightly from last year’s numbers and it tends to get plenty of attention on the social networks. It also performs very well in its encore runs on Netflix and is on the verge of the syndication stretch. The CW has renewed it for a fourth season as expected and it could stick around beyond that.

Roswell New Mexico (CW, Status – Renewal Possible): This one has started out with decent numbers for the fifth place network and I expect it will also perform well in digital viewing. It did not get included with the network’s renewal of its Fall shows, but it just joined the schedule and looks to be on target for a second season nod.

Shadowhunters (Freeform, Status – Cancelled): This show has been cancelled by Freeform and is currently airing the second half to its third season which will also include two additional episodes that will act as its series finale.

Siren (Freeform, Status – Renewal Possible): This show returned with decent debut numbers for its second season, but it has seen its ratings slip since then.  I don’t count it as a Bubble show just yet, but it could benefit from a Call to Action from fans on the social networks to bring it some more attention.

Supergirl (CW, Status – Renewed): As expected, this show has been renewed for an 5th season. There could be some changes coming with next season’s Crisis on Infinite Earths cross-over event which I discuss in more detail at this link.

Supernatural (CW, Status – Renewed): As expected, this series has been renewed for a record-busting 15th series. Whether it continues beyond that will depend upon whether the principal actors will want to stick with the show.

Star Wars Resistance (Disney, Status – Renewed): This show’s numbers are on the low side, but then animated series tend to live and die more by their merchandising than overnight ratings results. It has been renewed for a second season that will debut in Fall 2019.

The Walking Dead (AMC, Status – Renewed): The post-Rick Grimes era has not led to an improvement in the ratings for this show, but TWD still continues to rank as the top scripted series on cable and also outperforms most broadcast network shows.  Coming as no surprise, AMC has renewed this one for a tenth season.

Season Ended But Still Awaiting Renewal / Cancellation Decision:

The Gifted (FOX, Status – Cancellation Likely): This is currently one of FOX’s lowest-rated shows and it is not seeing enough in delayed viewing gains like it did last year. The network does own the show and it is part of the X-Men franchise, so that works in its favor. But even series creator Matt Nix does not have much confidence in the show returning for another season on FOX. I have moved this one to Cancellation Likely status and it could definitely use a Call to Action from fans on the social networks.

Humans (AMC, Status – On the Bubble): This show’s numbers were down in its third season, and AMC kicked it out of Prime Time to the 11 PM hour; never a good sign. Its fate is more closely tied to how it is performing in Britain on Channel 4, but its numbers are down over there as well according to Wikipedia. I have moved it to Bubble status and will keep it there until we hear final word on its fate.

Manifest (NBC, Status – Renewal Possible): This show got off to a strong start based on same day viewing early in the Fall, but saw its numbers slip as the season progressed. But it has remained one of the most-watched broadcast network shows based on Live+7 delayed viewing. Rumor is that NBC has already renewed the show for a second season, but I am currently waiting for an official announcement.

Mars (NGC, Status – Renewal Possible): This show’s same day viewing numbers were down notably in its second year, but it relies more heavily on its global viewership stats. I consider a third season possible, though Nat Geo may decide to wrap it up at that point.

Origin (YouTube, Status – Renewal Possible): This show has flown under the radar since its debut in November, but it is receiving mostly positive buzz thus far. YouTube is in the early stages of ramping up its scripted programming for its premium service, so it will likely stick by its shows and give this one at least one more season to find an audience.

You can see the list of all of this season’s renewals and cancellations at this link.


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Author: johnnyjay

1 thought on “Cancellation Watch Weekly Roundup: The Gifted Goes Out on a Low Note, The Walking Dead Holds Steady

  1. Omg now what am I going to watch ? The gifted is one of my favorite shows ever and they to cancel it too ? Now how am I going to see Blair RedFord on tv ? Thanks for nothing.

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