Cancellation Watch: Ratings results and status updates for the sci fi and fantasy shows on the broadcast networks, cable channels, and streaming services as well as breaking news on the currently airing, returning, and upcoming genre entries.
Linear Ratings Results of Interest:
On Sunday on AMC, Fear the Walking Dead had its eighth season premiere and posted a 0.09 rating based on same-day viewing for the 18-49 demographic with 556K total viewers. That is down by 65% from last year’s season premiere and 40% from last year’s full season average. That is also one tick above the lowest numbers the show has posted. FtWD is in its final season as the Walking Dexit continues for this franchise with viewership continuing to drop. And the spin-offs currently in the works could end up being the final gasps from the TWD universe.
On Thursday on CBS, Ghosts improved to 0.62 rating in the demo with 6.5 million total viewers for its season finale. That show has already been renewed for a third year. On Wednesday on The CW, The Flash slipped to a 0.07 rating with 388K total viewers as it airs out its final season.
On Tuesday on The CW, Gotham Knights held at a 0.08 rating with 351K total viewers as it waits on the network to decide its fate. Superman & Lois ticked down to a 0.11 rating with 552K total viewers as a fourth season still looks like a good bet for that one (though possibly with a move to HBO Max).
On Monday, FOX’s Fantasy Island posted a 0.20 rating with 1.7 million total viewers for what will now act as its series finale seeing as it was cancelled last week.
You can see the full, season-to-date ratings for the sci fi and fantasy shows at this link, and below are the ratings for the genre shows from the past week. Ratings Source: ShowBuzzDaily
Ratings Results for the Week of 5/8/23
| Series | Rating / Tot Viewers |
| Fantasy Island (FOX) Mon 8 PM | Rtg: 0.20 / Tot Vwrs: 1.7M, Status: Cancelled |
| Superman and Lois (CW) Tue 8 PM | Rtg: 0.11 ↓ / Tot Vwrs: 552K, Status: Renewal Possible |
| Gotham Knights (CW) Tue 8 PM | Rtg: 0.08 / Tot Vwrs: 351K, Status: On the Bubble |
| The Flash (CW) Wed 8 PM | Rtg: 0.07 ↓ / Tot Vwrs: 388K, Status: Final Season |
| Riverdale (CW) Wed 9 PM | Rtg: 0.04 / Tot Vwrs: 203K, Status: Final Season |
| Not Dead Yet (ABC) Wed 9:30 PM | Season Ended, Status: On the Bubble |
| Ghosts (CBS) Thu 8:30 PM | Rtg: 0.62 ↑ / Tot Vwrs: 6.5M, Status: Renewed |
| Fear the Walking Dead (AMC) Sun 9 PM | Rtg: 0.09 / Tot Vwrs: 556K, Status: Final Season |
Nielsen Streaming Rankings
Paramount+’s Star Trek: Picard returned to the Nielsen rankings for the week of April 10th to 16th. It was at the Number 10 slot for the penultimate week of its final season, pulling in 276 million minutes. Disney+’s The Mandalorian slipped to Number 4, but it still held at one billion minutes of viewing. The fourth season of that show is already in the works. Netflix’s Shadow and Bone slipped out of the Top 10 after a four-week run which may be enough to get it a third-season renewal unless it is negatively impacted by the writers’ strike (more on that at this link). The second half of the fourth season of Titans premiered that week on HBO Max but did not make it into the rankings. Following are all the sci fi and fantasy TV shows on the streaming charts for the week (the number in parenthesis is the prior week rank):
Nielsen Streaming Rankings for the Week of Apr-10 to Apr-16
Streaming Originals
4 (3) The Mandalorian (Disney+) 1 Billion Minutes, Weeks in the Chart: 7
10 (n/a) Star Trek: Picard (Paramount+) 276 Million Minutes, Weeks in the Chart: 2
Acquired Shows
7 (6) Supernatural (Netflix) 529 Million Minutes, Weeks in the Chart: 40
Source: Nielsen SVOD Content Ratings (Amazon Prime, Disney+, HBO Max, Hulu, Netflix, Paramount+ and Apple TV+), Nielsen National TV Panel, U.S. Viewing Through Television
Netflix Top 10
Only one genre entry made it into the Netflix Top 10 for the week of May 24th to 30th. Sweet Tooth was at the Number 2 slot for a second week in a row, pulling in 60.5 million hours of viewing. That show has been renewed for a third and final season. Following are all the sci fi and fantasy TV shows on the Netflix charts for the week (the number in parenthesis is the prior week rank):
English Language Shows
2 (2) Sweet Tooth 60.5 Million Hours, Weeks in the Chart: 2
Non-English Language Shows
No Genre Entries
Source: Netflix
Cancellation/Renewal Score:
There were four cancellations of genre shows last week (The Winchesters, Kung Fu, Lockwood & Co, and Fantasy Island) bringing the score for the current season even with 32 shows cancelled and ending so far (39% of shows tracked) vs. 32 renewed (39%). Below are this season’s numbers, and you can see the list of shows and keep up with the score throughout the week at our Cancellation Watch Page.
| Show Count | 82 | ||
| Cancelled | 18 | 22.0% | |
| Ending | 14 | 17.1% | 39.0% |
| Renewed | 32 | 39.0% | |
| On the Bubble | 8 | 9.8% | |
| Renewal Possible | 10 | 12.2% |
ALSO READ:
Sci Fi TV Week in Review: Four Shows Cancelled This Week (So Far), Babylon 5 Movie Gets an Update, and More Read
Six Sci Fi/Fantasy Shows That Could Be in Danger Due to the Writers’ Strike Read
CancelledSciFi.com: Keep up with the status updates of all the airing, returning, and upcoming sci fi and fantasy shows for the current season with our Cancellation Watch posts. And be sure to follow the Cancelled Sci Fi Twitter Site for breaking news and updates.
SciFiTVSite.com: Follow our Sci Fi TV Schedule for all the currently airing and upcoming sci fi and fantasy television shows, and you can see the premieres for all the upcoming genre entries at this link.
