As we head towards season end, two genre entries airing on the Freeform cable channel are struggling in the ratings and their futures appear uncertain. Freshman supernatural drama Motherland Fort Salem has averaged only a 0.10 rating based on same-day viewing for the 18-49 demographic with 325K total viewers so far in its first season. Veteran series Siren is down from last year, currently averaging a 0.11 rating with 400K total viewers in its third season, a drop of 28% from its second season ratings average. On the positive side, Freeform is not as focused on the same-day viewing numbers as the broadcast networks, with the digital viewing on the network’s app and on Hulu next day factoring heavily into a show’s performance. And both shows are also performing better than Party of Five which was cancelled by Freeform earlier in the year. But they are not performing that much better, especially the last few weeks, and neither is a lock for renewal at the moment.
Motherland Fort Salem kicked off in March to mediocre same-day viewing numbers, and has seen those drop as the season has progressed. I moved this show to Bubble status after a few weeks of declining numbers and still consider its fate very much in doubt at this point. In the show’s favor is the fact that Freeform appears to remain committed to scripted programming while several of the other basic cable channels are venturing away from originals. And the show tends to skew to a younger audience who typically consume shows digitally or on DVR rather than watching the live broadcast. Still, I consider it very much a toss-up at this point, and I would not be surprised if the network decided to move on from the show after it finishes its first season. But the fans will have a say in that which I go into in more detail below.
As for Siren, it was one of Freeform’s better-performing shows in its first two seasons and has developed a dedicated fanbase. The year-over-year ratings drop is something that we are currently seeing across almost all shows on the cable channels and broadcast networks in the Peak TV environment, but the fact that it did not see gains while people were shut in during the lockdowns (while other shows did) suggests that viewership interest has declined. Still, I don’t consider the current ratings levels to be a death knell for the show. I have moved it to Bubble status as well, but I am leaning towards renewal, possibly for a final season.
Ultimately, the fans could be the ones to make a difference for both of these shows. Freeform has renewed shows in the past that had moderate to poor ratings if they demonstrated sufficient “stickiness” on the social networks. Both Motherland Fort Salem and Siren have dedicated fanbases who should be as active as possible on the social networks right now. Fans should also watch the show digitally, either on the network’s app or on Hulu. Watching the live broadcast will not help unless you are a Nielsen family, but the digital viewing will be counted. Online petitions could also help give a boost to both of the shows and you can also vote for them in our season end poll. I go into more detail on fan efforts that might help their shows at this link.
Neither Motherland Fort Salem nor Siren are definitely headed to cancellation at this point, but they cannot be considered safe either. If the fans make a large enough outcry, though, that might be enough to nudge network execs toward a renewal for one or both. Disney (which owns Freeform and ABC and will own you and me before long) has moved its Upfront presentation (where it unveils next season’s schedule) to the end of May, so it may be a few weeks before a decision is made. But other networks are already announcing renewals and cancellations, so a decision could come at any time. If fans want to help these shows, they need to get active right now to give them a boost as the network execs are making the final call what shows to bring back next year.
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But we still haven’t heard anything news about Everything’s Gonna Be Okay. They need to tell us whether or not that show is coming back or not also.
I’m rooting for Motherland. I’m honestly surprised by how much I enjoy this series, because it didn’t look like something for me at first glance. I’m glad I gave it a chance anyway. I suppose it’s too dark and military for teenage audience, and this is Motherland’s main target group. Hence low viewership.