A few years ago, FOX had some of the top-rated TV shows on the air. Now, the network is struggling. Which series will be cancelled and which will be renewed? Stay tuned.

How do the execs decide what to cancel or keep? They look at a lot of different factors but the ratings play a very large role. The higher the ratings, the better chances a show has of surviving.

FOX shows this season (so far): American Idol, Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?, Backstrom, Bob’s Burgers, Bones, Boom!, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Bullseye, Empire, Family Guy, The Following, Glee, Golan the Insatiable, Gotham, Gracepoint, Hell’s Kitchen, Home Free, Knock Knock Live, The Last Man on Earth, MasterChef, MasterChef Junior, The Mindy Project, Mulaney, New Girl, Red Band Society, The Simpsons, Sleepy Hollow, So You Think You Can Dance, Utopia, Wayward Pines, and Weird Loners.



NOTE: The 2014-15 season concluded on September 20, 2015. You can see the FOX ratings for the 2015-16 season here.



Note: If you’re not seeing the updated charts, please try reloading the page. You can also see them here and here.

A couple of notes about these charts:

These figures are updated automatically as new ratings are released. The averages are based on the final national numbers (live plus same day viewing), unless marked with an asterisk (*). For technical reasons, I have to resort them manually so feel free to let me know if I missed something.

Keep in mind that the demo numbers are typically what’s most important to advertisers. Therefore, that’s how the networks measure success. Advertisers pay more for ad time on a show that has a higher demo rating. Because older viewers don’t count? No, it’s because younger viewers watch less traditional TV and are therefore supposedly harder to reach.

Demo numbers are typically reported using the 10ths decimal place (2.4, for example). In the averages, I’m using an extra decimal for easier ranking. The networks take into account when shows air on Fridays and Saturdays, nights when TV viewership is lower.

What do you think? Which shows are you rooting for? Which one isn’t as big a hit as you thought? Are you hoping any series will get cancelled to make room for something else?