In this weekly column, I monitor the viewership levels for the currently airing sci fi and fantasy shows as well as their renewal and cancellation prospects. Also check out This Week In Sci-Fi TV on Fridays (sometimes Saturdays), which delivers news and updates on genre television. Ratings Source: The Nielsen Company.

The Orville Sees Notable Delayed Viewing Gains

I typically do not pay much attention to delayed viewing these days because despite the fact that the networks love to cite those numbers in press releases, they rarely seem to help broadcast network shows get renewed (though they are more important for some of the cable networks). That’s because when someone watches a show later on DVR, they typically fast forward through the commercials, which is not what the sponsors want. But this year Nielsen has added Hulu and YouTubeTV to their delayed viewing stats (and I believe the network websites are included, though they are not very clear about it). So that means that some commercials are getting through in that delayed viewing and the numbers are becoming a little more relevant to sponsors. Still, over the past few years we have seen shows like Constantine, Forever, and Limitless cancelled despite strong gains after the live broadcast, so I remain wary about giving the numbers too much weight.

With that said, the Fall season has produced some notable numbers for FOX’s new series The Orville which are worth pointing out. That show is already doing relatively well on Thursday nights against stiff competition on ABC and CBS, and its average same day ratings on that night are up 38% from what FOX saw in the 9 PM EST timeslot last year (a 1.1 rating vs. a 0.8 rating). In addition, for the three weeks that I have seen delayed viewing numbers for the Fall season, The Orville has been doubling its viewers and has ranked in the Top 15 among all shows on the broadcast networks one week and in the Top 10 the other two. That should come as no surprise because sci fi fans tend to be more likely to use the newer technology to view shows. And while The Orville‘s same day ratings are somewhat midling, the delayed viewing makes it one of the top shows on the broadcast nets which is something FOX should pay attention to.









Sci fi and fantasy shows have historically struggled in the same day ratings arena, but have tended to attract loyal that will stick with them over time (even if cancelled too soon) giving them the potential to bloom into franchise properties. I have been working on the assumption that FOX knows The Orville will not pull great ratings on Thursdays, and that the numbers it currently has should be more than sufficient to justify a renewal. Add in the delayed viewing and it is time for this network to start thinking about that second season announcement.

Also of note in delayed viewing, Spike’s The Shannara Chronicles saw a 200% gain in its Season 2 premiere once those stats were factored. That show saw significant delayed viewing gains in its first season (which aired on MTV) as well. But then going from a paltry 0.1 score to a 0.3 this year is not too much to crow about and its delayed viewing is still below its 0.4 same day average it had in its first season.

Donald Bellisario Has a Quantum Leap Film Script Ready

At the LA Comic Con, Quantum Leap creator Donald Bellisario reunited with series star Scott Bakula and mentioned that he has written a new movie script for the beloved show. Commenting on the script he said “I don’t know what’s going to happen with it, but I did write it.” There are no current plans to take that property to the big screen or to do a revival, but with the current reboot fever in the air and every network grabbing up any scripted programming available, it’s possible that we could leap back to Sam Beckett’s time travel adventures. The show ended on a somewhat ambiguous note, and many fans would love a better resolution and/or a continuation of the tale.

Ratings Results of Interest: The Walking Dead Continues to Drop

Apparently “The Walking Dexit” has not ended for AMC’s TWD as that show dropped to its lowest numbers since its second season on Sunday. It had a 4.0 rating based on the overnights for the 18-49 demographic with 8.9 million total viewers, which still leads all scripted shows on television, but is down notably from the highs that show previously experienced. Still, don’t expect it to be leaving the air anytime soon. Over on Starz, Outlander slipped to a 0.33 rating with 1.7 million total viewers, but that one is still performing quite well for a Starz entry and has already been renewed for a fourth season.

On Friday, ABC’s The Inhumans improved slightly to a 0.5 rating with 2.1 million total viewers, but that will do little to change its status at this point in the game. MacGyver, airing in the 9 PM EST hour, got a slight boost from a Michael Jackson special at 8 PM to a 0.9 rating with 6.5 million total viewers. But its status in its second season remains unclear with its ratings down year over year. Syfy’s Z Nation slipped to a 0.16 rating with 600K total viewers, but I still expect that one to continue into a fifth season. In the next hour, Superstition slipped to a 0.08 rating rating with 334K total viewers and I believe that one only has a ghost of a chance of surviving.

According to the preliminary Monday numbers, FOX’s Lucifer had a 0.8 rating again with 3.3 million total viewers. That one has adjusted up to a 0.9 score the last few weeks, though. The Gifted improved to a 1.1 rating with 3.5 million total viewers and it looks like it could be gifted with a second season.

I covered the Tuesday through Thursday ratings in at this link and be sure to follow the Cancelled Sci Fi Twitter Site for the latest ratings results and breaking news. You can see the full ratings results for last week at this link.

Cancellation Watch Scorecard: Mr. Robot Continues to Drop in the Rankings Read

You can see prior Sci Fi TV Status Report columns at this link