Sci Fi TV Top 5: Covering the top sci fi and fantasy TV stories of interest from the past week. You can keep up with the sci fi and fantasy TV news headlines at r/SciFiTV on Twitter and on Reddit.

1. The CW Shows Fight the Trend of Ratings Declines

Quite a number of The CW’s shows had their premieres / returns this past week, and that network is not seeing the ratings declines that the Big Four broadcast nets and cable channels are currently experiencing. On Sunday, Batwoman posted 0.5 rating based on same day viewing for the 18-49 demographic for its series premiere which counts as a good debut for a series on that network. Leading out from that, Supergirl had a 0.4 rating which is up from its prior season average, something we are seeing very little of these days. Black Lightning and The Flash returned even with last year’s numbers and Riverdale did better than its prior season average (though that episode probably got a bump due to its tribute to the late Luke Perry). Nancy Drew also had a decent debut for its network with its series premiere. There are still a few more returning shows for The CW, but at this point it appears to be ahead on the curve compared to this season’s Peak TV crunch which is driving down the ratings on other networks. Be sure to keep up with the ratings numbers and status updates for all the currently airing sci fi and fantasy shows each week with our Cancellation Watch Weekly Roundup post.

2. Primal Takes a Bite Out of the Nielsens

Also enjoying decent ratings is Adult Swim’s new animated series Primal which comes from Samurai Jack‘s Genndy Tartakovsky. That series premiered late-night on Monday and pulled a 0.28 rating based on same day viewing for the 18-49 demographic. It is airing episodes on consecutive nights this week and the Tuesday installment improved to a 0.34 score while the Wednesday slipped a bit to a still-respectable 0.31 rating. The overall average for those three episodes is quite good these days for a cable show (especially one airing at Midnight) and have this show off to a good start. My understanding is that the first season only consists of five episodes, but I would expect Adult Swim to be ordering another season and possibly more.

3. Star Trek Short Treks Brings Mr. Spock, Tribbles, and More In Its Second Season

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Star Trek Short Treks has kicked off a second season of shorts set in the Trek universe with two episodes currently available for streaming on CBS All Access. The episode “Q&A” focuses on Spock’s first day on the Enterprise as Number One gives him a tour of the ship and the episode “The Trouble with Edward” brings back the tribbles. Another episode arrives on November 14th, “Ask Not”, followed by “The Girl Who Made the Stars” and “Ephraim and Dot” on December 12th. The final second season episode, “Children of Mars”, arrives on January 9th.

4. Maniac Cop Heads to HBO

HBO has picked up the series Maniac Cop based on the cult films by John Hyams. Deadline Hollywood gives the following description of the project:

Set in Los Angeles, Maniac Cop is told through a kaleidoscope of characters, from cop to common criminal. A killer in uniform has uncaged mayhem upon the streets. Paranoia leads to social disorder as a city wrestles with the mystery of the exterminator in blue – is he mere mortal, or a supernatural force?

Nicolas Winding Refn will be helming the project with Hyams onboard as executive producer and director. Expect this to land on HBO’s schedule at some point in 2020.

5. Horror Series Longinus in the Works from Suspiria Director

BIM Production is developing the supernatural horror television series Longinus from infamous director Dario Argento. Deadline Hollywood offers the following information on the project:

Little has been revealed about the series but the producers promise “mysterious murders, suspense and unexpected revelations, esoteric elements and ancient enigmas” in the “international thriller suspended between reality and the supernatural, set among the French Alps of Grenoble and Siena, during the Palio.” The celebrated Palio is a horse race held twice each year the Tuscan city of Siena, Italy. Ten horses and riders, bareback and dressed in different colours, represent ten of the seventeen contrade, or city wards.

This is an Italian production and no network is attached at the moment, but the project should draw considerable interest with Argento involved.

The Sched: Arrow Returns for Its Final Season and Watchmen Has Its Premiere Next Week



The initial rush of Fall premieres has already occurred, but there are still more shows hitting the schedule over the next few weeks. On Tuesday, The CW’s Arrow kicks off its eighth and final season at 9 PM EST following a new episode of The Flash. Also on Tuesday, USA’s The Purge returns for its second season at 9 PM ESt. And on Wednesday, the second season of Impulse has its debut on YouTube. Then on Sunday, HBO’s much-anticipated Watchmen has its series premiere at 9 PM EST. You can see the full schedule of sci fi and fantasy shows at this link and you can keep up with the weekly listings at this link.

>Prior Sci Fi Top 5: The Walking Dead Get S11 Renewal, Star Trek: Picard Gets Premiere Date, The Expanse Gets New Trailer, and More

More from CancelledSciFi.com

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Check out our Sci Fi TV Schedule for debut and season finale dates and follow our Weekly Listings for a rundown of the shows airing in the current week.

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