Cancellation Watch: Is There Still Hope for Syfy’s Haven? Can the Fans Keep the Show Alive?

The Syfy supernatural series Haven wrapped up its fourth season in December and now has to play the waiting game to see if it will get renewed for a fifth year. But the fact is that its prospects do not look too good at this point based on its ratings results from the past few months. The show averaged a 0.4 rating in the 18-49 demographic based on the overnight results this past season which is a very marginal number for an original scripted drama airing on that network and I have yet to see Syfy renew a show with ratings that low. Last year, Alphas averaged a 0.4 rating for its second season and it got axed. Two years ago, Sanctuary got cancelled after its fourth season even though it averaged a 0.5 score. And most recently, Warehouse 13–once a flagship series for the network–received a truncated final season order of only six episode after it averaged a 0.5 for its fourth season. So it seems at best that Haven can hope for that final shortened season order, but there’s a good chance it may not even get that. Some may point out that the shows Lost Girl and Continuum have had consistently lower numbers than all those mentioned above and yet received renewals. However, those series originate from the Canadian Showcase channel which bears the brunt of the financial responsibility and their performance up north more heavily influences whether they get renewed. Haven is also produced in Canada, but Syfy pays the bills for that one, so they need to see sufficient ratings from its first run episodes to cover the costs for the show.  Read the full article at CancelledScifi.com

The CW Has Become a Relevant Network Again and Its Sci Fi and Fantasy Shows Appears to Have Helped Its Turnaround

Just last season I was asking the question whether The CW could continue to keep its doors open with all of its shows struggling noticeably in the ratings.  But this season the fifth place network appears to have turned its fortunes around to an extent, in part because of its focus on sci fi / fantasy as a large chunk of its ten hours of Prime Time programing.  Returning shows Vampire Diaries, Supernatural, and Arrow have held their own or even improved their numbers this year, and new entry The Originals has become a strong addition to the network’s schedule (by CW standards).  Now the truth is that the ratings in the all-important 18-49 demographic are still relatively low compared to the other broadcast networks (with The CW’s best shows generally falling in the 1.0 to 1.2 range), but the year to year attrition that we have been seeing appears to have halted, at least for these shows.

And last season The CW had just one night that it could consider a success (by its standards), which was Wednesdays when Arrow and Supernatural delivered relatively stable ratings.  On Thursdays, Vampire Diaries held tight to the 8 PM EST timeslot, but its lead-out series Beauty and the Beast could barely hold half of its lead-in audience by the time the season was winding down.  And the other three nights that the network programmed (Monday, Tuesday, and Friday) were nothing short of a disaster as The CW could barely hold onto a 0.5 rating for the two hours it had on the Prime Time schedule (numbers that are only passable for cable networks like Syfy). 

This season, though, the network has a good foothold on three nights (Tuesday through Thursday), and it is genre entries that are performing best on those nights: The Originals and Supernatural on Tuesday, Arrow on Wednesday, and Vampire Diaries on Thursday.  True, The Tomorrow People has been somewhat of a disappointment in the Wednesday Arrow lead-out slot, but the network will be doing some schedule juggling at mid-season and will bring in another sci fi series--the promising The 100--to take advantage of Arrow’s hold on that night.  And next season, The Flash could find its way to the schedule possibly paring with Arrow or maybe trying to establish a beachhead for the network on Monday nights. 

But it’s important to note that The CW, struggling for so long, is finding new life with science fiction and fantasy and is actually doing better with the genre than the other broadcast networks both in quality and (relative) ratings.   If it continues on its current path, it could become the broadcast sci fi channel by next season based on its current slate and the shows it has in the pipeline.  Previously the network’s strategy was to aim at the niche audience of young females and most of the genre entries still appeal to that group.  But the network appears to be shifting course a bit and reaching out more to sci fi / fantasy fans and they definitely seem to understand that audience better than the Big Four broadcast networks.  The CW may not be rolling out any Walking Dead’s for the moment, but they are definitely providing better genre entertainment than such mediocre entries from the other broadcast nets like Revolution, Almost Human, and Once Upon A Time.  This new direction could very well be the key to brightening up their once dubious future and a reason for sci fi and fantasy fans to pay close attention to what the network is doing going forward.

CW Shows on DVD and Blu-ray from Amazon.com:

Numbers Overload: Agents of SHIELD Slips Back into the Top 25 for its Fall Finale

With the Fall season winding down, there was not too much activity in the Top 25 lists for last week.  American Horror Story: Coven was the only genre show on the cable list for last week with The Walking Dead already hibernating for the winter.  Agents of SHIELD did manage to cling onto the lower rungs of the broadcast network Top 25 (after slipping out the prior week with a repeat) for its Fall finale despite the fact that it posted its lowest ratings yet with that episode.  And had the competition been tougher that week, the show probably would not have made it in.  FOX’s Sleepy Hollow was also toward the bottom of that list with its somewhat tepid numbers for its Fall wrap up.  Once Upon A Time slipped back out as its late Fall numbers continued to drop.  And Person of Interest dropped out as well, but it was preempted for the week and it will return when this week’s numbers are tallied.  Interestingly enough, sci fi / fantasy shows made a strong showing in the DVR charts for the week of Nov 25th through Dec 1st.  Several shows did surprisingly well in the ratings for that typically low viewership week (because of the Thanksgiving holiday) and they received an additional boost with their delayed viewership.  The Originals and Supernatural showed up for the first time this season and Dracula and Grimm returned to the list.  The rankings will definitely shift once mid-season kicks into gear in January, though.

Top 25 Dec 9th  to Dec 15th    

Cable Networks

Total Viewers:  Live + Same Day viewing from the overnights
15. American Horror Story: Coven (FX) 3.9 Million (Prior Week - #7, 4.1 MM)

Broadcast Networks

Ratings:  18-49 demographic in Live + Same Day viewing from the overnights
23. Sleepy Hollow (FOX) 2.2 Rating (Prior Week - n/a)
24. Agents of SHIELD (ABC) 2.1 Rating (Prior Week - n/a)

Dropping Out: Once Upon A Time

Live+7 Day DVR Ratings:

Top 25 Ratings Increase for the Week of November 25th to Dec 1st    
2. Sleepy Hollow:  Rating Increase - 1.4, Final Rating - 3.6
3. Once Upon A Time: Rating Increase - 1.3, Final Rating - 3.2
5. Agents of SHIELD:  Rating Increase - 1.3, Final Rating - 3.9
6. Grimm:  Rating Increase - 1.3, Final Rating - 2.6
7. Person of Interest: Rating Increase - 1.2, Final Rating - 3.4
10. Almost Human: Rating Increase - 1.1, Final Rating - 3.0
18. The Originals:  Rating Increase - 0.7, Final Rating - 1.8
19. Dracula:  Rating Increase - 0.7, Final Rating - 1.6
25. Supernatural:  Rating Increase - 0.5, Final Rating - 1.6

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Cancellation Watch: Grimm, Once Upon A Time, Almost Human Deliver More Lackluster Fall Finale Numbers

Last week’s trend of tepid mid-season finales continued with the late week shows and into this week as several more genre entries delivered lackluster numbers with their Fall exits.  Grimm had its two hour finale the last Friday and only averaged a 1.2 rating in the 18-49 demographic with 4.9 million total viewers (based on the final numbers).  That’s a season low for the show and I believe it also matches its series low.  Still, this one has been up and down this year and I expect it to rebound when it resumes with new episodes in January.  Also on Friday, The Neighbors remained low with a 0.9 score and just over four million total viewers.  It is currently on the schedule to air the remaining installments of its thirteen episode order in January, but don’t expect any more beyond that.  Over on Syfy, Haven wrapped up its fourth season with another 0.4 score and 1.3 million total viewers.  The waiting game is on now for fans of that show to find out if Syfy will bring it back for a fifth season, but the prognosis does not look good at this point.  And on The CW, Nikita continued to barely register as it pulled only a 0.2 rating with 650k total viewers.  That show will have its series finale in next week on December 27th.

On Sunday, Once Upon A Time did not excite too many viewers with its Fall finale, matching its season low of a 1.9 rating in the 18-49 demo with 6.4 million total viewers.  And it can’t claim to have done comparatively well for the night as the FOX animated shows and the Survivor finale stomped on it in the 8 PM EST hour.  It now has a three month hiatus in front of it before it returns in March, but I expect it to rebound a bit at that point.  Over on Lifetime, The Witches of East End improved slightly to a 0.6 rating with 1.7 million total viewers.  That show still has a few more episodes left for its first year (and it has already been renewed for a second season) and I expect those will show up some time in January or early February.  On Monday night, FOX’s Almost Human dropped to a new low of a 1.6 rating with 5.3 million total viewers.  That one has to hope for a quick upsurge in its numbers when it resumes in January otherwise it may find itself quickly booted from the schedule.

On Tuesday, a stray episode of Person of Interest showed up and matched its season low with a 1.9 rating in the 18-49 demo and 12.1 million total viewers (based on the preliminaries).  I’m guessing a lot of people assumed the November 26th episode was the Fall finale and didn’t expect a new ep in the middle of December.  This show only has a two week break before it resumes on January 7th, and it’s still pulling huge numbers in total viewers, so it is safe for now.

That wraps up the ratings for the Fall shows with the exception of the last two episodes of The CW’s Nikita.  But new episodes will start showing up already the first week of January (you can see the full run down at this link), so keep an eye on this site and the Cancellation Watch Twitter Site for the early mid-season numbers.  I will be posting a Fall wrap-up column shortly as well as the full mid-season schedule and the all-new Cancellation Watch Power Rankings.  So enjoy your holidays now, but be ready for a new onslaught of numbers and cancellation predictions in short order.

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Firefly: The Board Game

Firefly, the popular TV series created by Joss Whedon, comes to life in a new boardgame from Gale Force Nine and Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products! In Firefly: The Game, players captain their own Firefly-class transport ship, traveling the 'Verse with a handpicked crew of fighters, mechanics and other travelers. As a captain desperate for work, players are compelled to take on any job: so long as it pays. Double-dealing employers, heavy-handed Alliance patrols and marauding Reavers are all in a day's work for a ship's captain at the edge of the 'Verse! 

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Social Network Rankings: GetGlue Off the Grid?

Not certain what is going on over at GetGlue these days (other than them pissing people off by changing their sticker policy), but they never posted the Top 10 lists for Dec 2nd through 8th and I haven't seen anything for last week yet either.  I'm trying to find out more information, but I don't know if they have suspended posting the rankings for now.  They have had them available for at least a year, so I don't know why they would stop, though the site was recently acquired by i.TV last month, so maybe they are in the process of restructuring right now.  If I get any more information or see the Top 10s get posted, I will pass that along.

As far as Nielsen's Twitter Rankings, American Horror Story: Coven has been the only entry there for the last two weeks with The Walking Dead now on its winter hiatus.  AHS ranked at the Number 5 slot for the week of Dec 2nd through 8th and at Number 8 last week. That will likely be it for genre shows on that list until AHS returns in January.

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Sci Fi TV and Movies in Comics (Due out Dec 18th):

Star Trek Ongoing #28
IDW Publishing

Description: The climactic chapter of the Klingon-Romulan War! Kirk and the Enterprise have one last chance to prevent galaxy-wide cataclysm... but at what cost to the crew?

Star Trek Into Darkness writer/producer Roberto Orci oversees this all-new story set in the aftermath of the blockbuster film!

By: Mike Johnson, Erfan Fajar

Star Wars: Darth Vader and the Cry of Shadows #1
Dark Horse

Description: During the Clone Wars, a single trooper-left for dead during battle-comes to hate the Jedi generals who abandoned him. Years later, he lives on, bitter and angry, until hearing tales of a great warrior. Now, this clone believes he may have found the leader he should have been following all along . . . Darth Vader!

* All-new series starring Darth Vader!

* Tim Siedell (@badbanana) has one of Time's 140 Best Twitter Feeds!

"A fine example of what Vader can and should be all about."-Comic Book Resources

Samurai Jack #3
IDW Publishing

Description: Jack's travels bring him to a village filled with tension and mystery.

Can he discover the town's strange secret before Aku's robotic army invades? Our samurai hero's quest to gather the Threads of Time continues.

By: Jim Zub, Andy Suriano

Doctor Who Prisoners Of Time TPB Vol. 03

Description: The conclusion to the year-long event celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Doctor Who! The 9th through 11th Doctors are showcased in a story leading up to the final issue with all 11 Doctors.

By: Scott Tipton, David Messina, Francesco Francavilla

Numbers Overload: Once Upon A Time Makes it Back to the Top 25, Barely

The Top 25 lists are looking pretty slim for the past week as far as genre shows go with The Walking Dead having wrapped up its Fall run and quite a number of shows either preempted or in reruns.  ABC’s Once Upon A Time did manage to creep back into the lower rungs of the broadcast network Top 25 for the first time in over a month.  When the competition gets stiffer in January, expect it to drop back off, though.  And interestingly, Person of Interest still made it to the Top 25 based on total viewers despite the fact that the episode was a repeat.  It’s lower on the list than usual, but if you think of what it outperformed based on total viewership with an encore episode, that’s pretty amazing.  Those who think this show might be in trouble because its ratings in the 18-49 demographic have slipped this year should think again.  Most of the usual suspects showed up on the DVR list, though Once Upon A Time dropped out for that week (Nov 18th - 24th) despite the fact that it aired a new episode.  

Top 25 Dec 2nd  to Dec 8th    

Cable Networks

Total Viewers:  Live + Same Day viewing from the overnights
7. American Horror Story: Coven (FX) 4.1 Million (Prior Week - n/a)

Dropping Out: The Walking Dead and The Talking Dead - On Hiatus

Broadcast Networks

Ratings:  18-49 demographic in Live + Same Day viewing from the overnights
24. Once Upon A Time (ABC) 2.2 Rating (Prior Week - n/a)

Dropping Out: Agents of SHIELD, Person of Interest, Sleepy Hollow - In Repeats

Total Viewers:  Live + Same Day viewing from the overnights
20. Person of Interest REPEAT (CBS) 8.6 million (Prior Week - #7, 11.9 MM)

Live+7 Day DVR Ratings: 

Top 25 Ratings Increase for the Week of November 18th to 24th   
4. Agents of SHIELD:  Rating Increase - 1.6, Final Rating - 4.0
8. Sleepy Hollow:  Rating Increase - 1.5, Final Rating - 4.0
14. Person of Interest: Rating Increase - 1.2, Final Rating - 3.2
16. Almost Human: Rating Increase - 1.0, Final Rating - 3.3
24. Revolution:  Rating Increase - 0.9, Final Rating - 2.3

Dropping Out: Once Upon A Time, Grimm (Preempted)

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New on DVD from Amazon.com the Week of Dec 17th:


More New and Recent Releases at This Link

Cancellation Watch: The Tomorrow People and Star-Crossed Receive No Love from The CW's Mid-Season Schedule, Plus Agents of SHIELD Limps Out of Fall

The CW has announced their mid-season schedule and they did no favors to freshman series The Tomorrow People or new arrival Star-Crossed with the timeslot arrangements. The former series--currently airing on Wednesdays at 9 PM EST--will be getting shuffled to Mondays at that same time and new entry Star-Crossed will be leading in to it at the 8 PM hour.  Mondays have been a disaster for The CW of late, so scheduling these two shows on that night suggests the network may have a lack of confidence in them.  The Tomorrow People has already been struggling in the Wednesday Arrow lead-out slot and it will stay in that hour when it returns from hiatus in January.  But then on March 17th it gets shifted to Mondays when Star-Crossed is scheduled to have it series premiere and The CW may be looking at that as a burn-off run for the remaining episodes of The Tomorrow People.  Or perhaps the network is hoping these two will reclaim some viewers for the night like The Originals and Supernatural did for Tuesdays which was also previously a bad night for The CW.  But it can hope all it wants because it is looking at a very different scenario on Mondays in Spring.  The Originals had a built in audience from Vampire Diaries and Supernatural has been a solid performer pretty much wherever the network schedules it.  Star-Crossed is a new, unproven property and The Tomorrow People is already struggling.  I'm thinking this is a nail in the coffin for the latter show and a vote of no confidence for the former.  We will see how things play out once the shows debut on Monday nights, though.  The other series premiere that the network announced is their Hunger Games-like series The 100 which will debut in the post-Arrow slot on March 19th (watch for the full mid-season schedule of science fiction and fantasy shows in the next week or two).

ABC's Agents of SHIELD aired its Fall finale episode on Tuesday and saw its numbers drop to a season low of a 2.1 score in the 18-49 demographic with 6.1 million total viewers.  That was some bad news for the show after seeing its numbers improve the last few weeks and it doesn't have the excuse that there was strong competition on one of the other channels this past Tuesday.  This one has been up and down since its huge debut back in September and its future looks a bit murky at this point.  We will have to see what happens when it returns in January, but if it does not post some immediate improvements it will be considered a bubble show.

The Originals and Supernatural have already wrapped up their Fall runs and Person of Interest has one more new episode next week before going on its Winter hiatus (see the full rundown of Fall wrap ups and mid-season returns at this link).  On Wednesday, Arrow had its Fall finale and posted a 1.1 rating in the 18-49 demo with thee million total viewers.  That show had a few slips earlier in the season but has mostly posted solid numbers in its second year.  The Tomorrow People wrapped up Fall on a down note as it slipped to a season low of a 0.5 rating with 1.4 million total viewers.  As mentioned above, its future seems very uncertain at this point.  Over on FX, American Horror Story: Coven pulled a decent 2.1 rating with 3.9 million total viewers for its Fall exit, but for the first time in weeks it did not top the list of cable shows for the night.  Instead, it was beat by the Duck Dynasty Christmas Special.  Go figure.

On Thursday, The CW's Vampire Diaries wrapped up its Fall run on a low note, pulling a 1.0 rating with 2.4 million total viewers (based on the preliminaries).  That's not as high as it was several weeks ago, but still acceptable for the fifth place network.  On ABC in the same hour, Once Upon A Time in Wonderland delivered another 0.9 score with 3.5 million total viewers and landed in fifth place in the timeslot among the broadcast networks.  That episode ends the shows tenure on Thursday nights and there is no word yet on when it will return to the schedule to air out the remaining episodes of its "limited" run.  

Keep an eye on the Cancellation Watch Twitter Site for the ratings numbers for the Friday shows, and you can see the current status for all this season's genre show at this link.  And for more information on the ratings numbers and how I determine the Cancellation Alert status of a show, see the Cancellation Watch FAQ.

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25 Must-Watch Science Fiction and Fantasy Movies

So many science fiction and fantasy movies and so little time. Metropolis, King Kong, War of the Worlds, Fantastic Voyage, Star Wars, The Terminator, The Matrix, Lord of the Rings, Inception . . . Plan 9 From Outer Space . . . and so many, many more. Where to start and which ones to watch? Well that's what this book is here to help you with. It may not cover all science fiction movies, and not even all of those mentioned above, but it gives you a heck of a good start starting point. This book begins with 1927’s Metropolis and then treks through 24 more genre films ending with 2009's Moon to give you an extensive look at some of the best of the best of science fiction and fantasy cinema. Each entry includes a synopsis, review/commentary, cast and crew information, as well as a few nuggets of tidbits and trivia relating to the films. Whether you are new to the genre and trying to figure out where to get started or a grizzled veteran who has logged many hours in the cinema watching sci fi, 25 Must Watch Science Fiction and Fantasy Movies is sure to entertain. And even if you have already seen the movies covered in the book, there's a good chance you could walk away knowing a little bit (or maybe even a lot) more about these films than you did previously.

A great primer for science fiction and fantasy cinema and a fun read as well!

Available now on Kindle from Amazon.com. 

Buy a New Kindle Reader for as Low as $69

Cancellation Watch: Dracula and Almost Human Improve Their Numbers, Is There Still Hope for Them?

Two struggling shows got some good news from the Nielsens over the past few days, but I'm not certain if it is good enough to change their fates.  NBC's Dracula improved to a 1.1 rating in the 18-49 demographic with 3.8 million total viewers on Friday for its Fall finale which is the best numbers that show has seen in weeks.  But after residing below the 1.0 mark for several weeks prior to that, I'm not sure that will help this show's cause too much.  It was originally pitched as a limited run "event" series and I'm thinking NBC will decide to stick with that based on the show's ratings.  However, if it does hold at the 1.1 level or higher when it returns January to air out its final four episodes, there is a slight chance the network could decide to bring it back for another go next season.  The guys over at TV by the Numbers have pondered whether this one could be the current season's Hannibal (which was renewed despite low ratings), but I'm not so sure considering that it does not have as strong of a social network presences as that one.  It will be January before we have a clearer picture on Dracula's fate, but I'm still considering it de facto cancelled at this point.

On FOX, Almost Human improved slightly on Monday to a 1.8 rating in the 18-49 demo with 6.1 million total viewers.  Those are still pretty low numbers, but at least it stopped its decline.  If it can hold there again next week or even improve a bit, then continue to build on that when it returns January, it might still have a chance.  However, my gut tells me that this one is in serious trouble, but I'm going to wait for the January numbers before I start coming down hard on it with the Cancellation Threat levels, because I believe the FOX execs will be doing the same thing considering its late start.

In other ratings news, on Friday Grimm did another bounce-back and pulled a 1.6 score in the 18-49 demo with 6.3 million total viewers as it continues to anchor NBC's lineup on Fridays.  ABC's The Neighbors is still struggling on that night pulling only a 0.9 rating with 4.2 million total viewers.  It's Fall wrap up is this Friday and that could very well be its final episode as well.  The CW's Nikita continues to fly low, though it did improve slightly to a 0.3 rating with about 850k total viewers.  That show's series finale will be later this month.  Also on Friday, Syfy's Haven pulled another 0.4 score with 1.4 million total viewers as it winds down what could be its final season.

On Sunday, Once Upon A Time improved a bit to a 2.1 rating in the 18-49 demo with 6.9 million total viewers.  That series has its Fall wrap-up next week before going on an extended hiatus until March of 2014.  Lifetime's The Witches of East End was preempted but returns this coming Sunday.  On Monday, Sleepy Hollow had a rather tepid Fall finale matching its season low with a 2.2 rating and 6.7 million total viewers.  It returns in January to air the final three episodes of its first season (and it has already been renewed for a second season).

Here are the season to date numbers and standings through December 9th for all the shows that have bowed so far (sorted by most likely to get cancelled):

Series	Network / Airs (EST)	Cancel- lation Alert	StD Rating	StD Eps	Tracking
Dracula	NBC / Fri 10 PM	High	1.2	6	Low
Once Upon A Time in Wonderland	ABC / Thu 8 PM	High	1.1	7	Low
Beauty and the Beast	CW / Mon 9 PM	High	0.3	8	Low
The Neighbors	ABC / Fri 8:30 PM	High	1.0	10	Low
Revolution	NBC / Wed 8 PM	Elevated	1.5	9	Low
Almost Human	FOX / Mon 8 PM	Moderate	2.0	5	Up
The Tomorrow People	CW / Wed 9 PM	Moderate	0.7	8	Low
Haven	Syfy / Fri 9 PM	Moderate	0.4	12	Low
Grimm	NBC / Fri 9 PM	Low	1.5	6	Up
Arrow	CW / Wed 8 PM	Low	1.0	8	Up
Vampire Diaries	CW / Thu 8 PM	Low	1.1	9	Down
Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.	ABC / Tue 8 PM	Low	2.9	9	Up
Once Upon A Time	ABC / Sun 8 PM	Low	2.2	10	Up
Supernatural	CW / Tue 9 PM	Low	1.1	9	Good
The Originals	CW / Tue 8 PM	Low	1.0	9	Good
Person of Interest	CBS / Tue 10 PM	Low	2.1	10	Up
Nikita	CW / Fri 9 PM	Final Season	0.2	3	Low
American Horror Story: Coven	FX / Wed 10 PM	Renewed	2.3	8	Good
The Walking Dead	AMC / Sun 9 PM	Renewed	6.6	8	Strong
Sleepy Hollow	FOX / Mon 9 PM	Renewed	2.7	10	Down
Witches of East End	Life / Sun 9 PM	Renewed	0.7	10	Down

Keep an eye on the Cancellation Watch Twitter Site for the latest ratings numbers, and you can see the current status for all this season's genre show at this link.  And for more information on the ratings numbers and how I determine the Cancellation Alert status of a show, see the Cancellation Watch FAQ.

Ratings Source: TV by the Numbers

Nielsen TV Ratings: ©2013 The Nielsen Company. All Rights Reserved.
 

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Why Were They Cancelled? 
The Plight of Science Fiction and Fantasy Television in the Face of the Unforgiving Nielsens and Networks

Ever wondered why your favorite science fiction and/or fantasy show disappeared from the television schedule, never to deliver anymore new episodes? The reason why, most likely, is that it was cancelled because its ratings were low. And this book looks at those many cancelled sci fi/fantasy shows as well as the Neilsen ratings and television networks that dictate their fates. Available now for only $1.99 on Kindle from Amazon.com.

Sci Fi TV in Comics: The X-Files, Battlestar Galactica, Grimm, and More

Due Out on About December 11th:

X-Files Season 10 #7
IDW Publishing

Description: Hosts, Part 2 of 2: Missing persons reports point to the return of the 'giant, bloodsucking worm' known as the Flukeman, sending Mulder to Martha's Vineyard to invesigate and Scully to Quantico to examine the supposed remains of the creature.

And what they both discover lies beyond belief and terror!

By: Joe Harris, Elena Casagrande, Carlos Valenzuela

Battlestar Galactica Starbuck #2 (of 4)
Dynamite Entertainment

Description: The origin of Lt. Starbuck continues, told by #1 New York Times best-selling author Tony Lee! Two years before the attack on Cimtar and Starbuck has hit rock bottom - But when a clue to the Cylon spy behind the attack on Umbra appears, Starbuck finally has a chance to gain justice for his parents - but can Starbuck and Apollo find the spy before the Cylons stop them?

By: Tony Lee, Eman Casallos, Sean Chen

Grimm #8
Dynamite Entertainment

Description: We flashback to Aunt Marie as she spends her final Christmas battling the cancer that is rapidly ravaging her body while a sinister force battles for her soul.

Face to face with her mortality, she reflects on her own choices as a Grimm and learns that not everything is jolly during the holidays.

By: Marc Gaffen, Rod Rodolfo, Lucio Parillo

Grimm Warlock #1 (of 5)
Dynamite Entertainment

Description: Check out this new mini-series based on the hit NBC show! Follow Portland Detective Nick Burkhardt on his adventures as a cop and as a monster-hunting Grimm.

Nick and his partner Hank have to put the stop to a fixed basketball game that will keep the hometown team out of the playoffs.

But the stakes are even higher when Nick finds the dangerous Wesen at the heart of the case.

By: Jai Nitz, Jose Malaga, Greg Smallwood

Smallville Season 11 Alien #1 (of 4)
DC Comics

Description: A new SMALLVILLE miniseries begins! Superman has barely adjusted to his new status quo when he finds himself racing against time (and Lex Luthor!) to uncover the secret behind a Russian meteor strike.

Something has fallen from space - and it looks an awful lot like a Monitor! Don't miss 'Alien' part 1 of 4!

By: Bryan Q. Miller, Edgar Salazar, Cat Staggs

Honey West & T.H.E. Cat #1 (of 2)
Moonstone

Description: Two cult TV icons heat it up together for the first time! Ex-cat burglar and aerialist Thomas Hewitt Edward Cat is back for the first time in 45 years!

He puts his skills to good use as a professional bodyguard - primitive and in love with danger!

Now he teams up with TV's first lead-female private eye. In 'Death in the Desert', 1960's mob infested Las Vegas, they investigate a series of accidents - but will the attraction between the two cause the case to overheat?

By: Trina Robbins, Silvestre Szilagyi, Valarie Jones


More of This Week's Comics at This Link  

New on DVD: Salvage 1, Doctor Who 50th Anniversary and More

Salvage 1: The Golden Orbit and Hard Water

Way back in 1979, this odd little series showed up on television about a salvage man named Harry Broderick (played by Andy Griffith) who gets the crazy idea of building his own spaceship and flying it to the moon to salvage the gear that the Apollo missions left behind (moon buggies, etc.) which is worth millions. And in the pilot episode of the series, he actually does it with the help of former astronaut Skip Carmichael and NASA fuel expert Mel Slozar. Then in subsequent episodes, this team went on wild adventures across the world salvaging crazier and crazier items. It wasn't quite classic sci fi, but it was a fun and whimsical little show that completely fell off the radar after its short, two-season run. Warner Archives is finally giving the series the DVD treatment, though oddly enough they are currently only offering two of the two-part episodes the showed aired but not the pilot that introduced the series. In the episode "The Golden Orbit", Skip is called back into service by NASA and sent into space, but Harry must come to his rescue when his mission runs into trouble (note that the synopsis given for the DVD is actually for the pilot episode which would make things that much more confusing for anybody who orders it). In "Hard Water", Harry and the others (along with an annoyingly cute kid now along for the ride) tow an iceberg to a drought-stricken area. These should provide a blast-from-the-past for fans of the show and also introduce the curious to this series, but it would have been nice if they had included the pilot among the DVD offerings. Maybe that is on the way with a complete series set as well. In the mean time, these should provide some good cheesy fun for those who like their 70's sci fi on the absurd side.

Order The Golden Orbit at This Link

Order Hard Water at This Link

More Rare Sci Fi on DVD from Warner Archives at this Link

New on DVD and Blu-ray from Amazon.com the week of December 10th:

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More New and Recent Releases at This Link

Cancellation Watch: Fall Finale and Mid-Season Return Dates (Updated) for the Current Crop of Sci Fi / Fantasy Shows

Not too much to report in the way of ratings numbers (but what there is I have below) so thought this would be a good time to run down the dates that the current sci fi / fantasy shows will be wrapping up their Fall runs and when they are expected to restart after the Winter hiatus.  Below is the list for the shows currently airing and I will be working up a full mid-season schedule of genre shows in the coming weeks.  A few notes on the shows below:  I haven’t heard that The Neighbors received a full season pickup, so December 13th could be the show’s swansong (if so, expect them to make fun of that very fact in the episode).  Once Upon A Time in Wonderland will be returning next year according to ABC to air out its remaining episodes (consider it de facto cancelled at this point), but not on Thursday nights.  It will likely get cast to Friday or Saturday for a burn-off run or they may kick it to Summer.  Of the TBDs for mid-season returns below, Agents of SHIELD, Grimm, Sleepy Hollow, and The Witches of East End are definitely coming back, I just haven’t seen definite return dates.  Almost Human and Once Upon A Time in Wonderland should come back, but there’s always a chance the networks could kick them to Summer.  None of the dates below are set in stone (except for those that have already had their Fall wrap ups) and the mid-season return dates are definitely subject to change.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.:     Fall Wrap Up: Dec 10th  /  Mid-Season Return: Jan 7th 

Almost Human:     Fall Wrap Up: Dec 16th  /  Mid-Season Return: Jan 6th
American Horror Story: Coven:     Fall Wrap Up: Dec 11th  /  Mid-Season Return: Jan 8th
Arrow:     Fall Wrap Up: Dec 11th  /  Mid-Season Return: Jan 15th
Beauty and the Beast:     Fall Wrap Up: Nov 25th  /  Mid-Season Return: Jan 13th
Dracula:     Fall Wrap Up: Dec 6th  /  Mid-Season Return: Jan 3rd
Grimm:     Fall Wrap Up: Dec 13th  /  Mid-Season Return: Jan 3rd
Haven:     Season 4 Finale: Dec 13th 
Nikita:     Series Finale: Dec 27th 
Once Upon A Time:     Fall Wrap Up: Dec 15th  /  Mid-Season Return: Mar 9th
Once Upon A Time in Wonderland:     Fall Wrap Up: Dec 12th  /  Mid-Season Return: TBD
Person of Interest:     Fall Wrap Up: Dec 17th  /  Mid-Season Return: Jan 7th
Revolution:     Fall Wrap Up: Nov 20th  /  Mid-Season Return: Jan 8th
Sleepy Hollow:     Fall Wrap Up: Dec 9th  /  Mid-Season Return: Jan 13th
Supernatural:     Fall Wrap Up: Dec 3rd  /  Mid-Season Return: Jan 14th
The Neighbors:     Fall Wrap Up: Dec 13th  /  Mid-Season Return: Jan 13th
The Originals:     Fall Wrap Up: Dec 3rd  /  Mid-Season Return: Jan 14th
The Tomorrow People:     Fall Wrap Up: Dec 11th  /  Mid-Season Return: Jan 15th
The Walking Dead:     Fall Wrap Up: Dec 1st  /  Mid-Season Return: Feb 9th
Vampire Diaries:     Fall Wrap Up: Dec 12th  /  Mid-Season Return: Jan 23rd
Witches of East End:     Fall Wrap Up: Dec 15th  /  Mid-Season Return: TBD

As for the Wednesday and Thursday ratings, the first appearance of Barry Allen (aka the Flash) boosted the ratings of The CW’s Arrow to a 1.2 score in the 18-49 demo with 3.2 million total viewers.  That show wraps up its Fall run next week.  The Tomorrow People stayed at a 0.6 rating (after the final numbers came in) with 1.7 million total viewers.  It wraps up its Fall run next week as well, but consider its mid-season return iffy with The 100 and Star-Crossed currently waiting in the wings (the same can be said for Beauty and the Beast as well).  NBC’s Revolution has already finished its Fall run and returns for what will likely be its final round of episodes on January 8th.  The American Horror Story: Coven topped Wednesday among cable shows (and out-paced many of the broadcast net offerings), pulling a 2.2 rating with 4.1 million total viewers.  It has one more installment next week before taking a rest until January.

On Thursday, The CW’s Vampire Diaries slipped down to a 1.0 rating in the 18-49 demo with 2.3 million total viewers and also dropped to fourth place in its timeslot after having ranked 3rd for its last two airings.  That show wraps up next week and then returns with new episodes in January.  ABC’s Once Upon A Time in Wonderland remained at at 0.9 rating (based on the final numbers) with 3.3 million total viewers and again ended in fifth place in its timeslot.  Consider this one is for all practical purposes a lame duck series at this point.

Keep an eye on the Cancellation Watch Twitter Site for the ratings numbers for the Friday shows, and you can see the current status for all this season's genre show at this link.  And for more information on the ratings numbers and how I determine the Cancellation Alert status of a show, see the Cancellation Watch FAQ.

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Sci Fi Trifles
Useless but essential pop culture tidbits and trivia from the worlds of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror

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Numbers Overload: Agents of SHIELD Rises on the Charts, Person of Interest Makes it to the Ratings List

There were plenty of preemptions and repeats over the Thanksgiving week, but several of the sci fi / fantasy shows that did have new episodes managed to climb up the charts.  The Walking Dead mid-season finale was the Number 2 show on the cable charts but it was the Number 1 scripted show across the cable and broadcast networks for the week as usual.  And more people than usual stuck around for the The Talking Dead--probably because they wanted to hear more about that wild episode--and it climbed to the Number 3 slot among cable shows for the week.  Agents of SHIELD has definitely turned its fortunes around the last few weeks and it moved up to the Number 12 slot on the broadcast network charts based on the ratings in the 18-49 demo.  It also crept into the charts based on total viewers reaching the Number 19 slot.  Person of Interest entered into the ratings charts, landing at the Number 19 slot for the week.  And it climbed up in the charts based on total viewers, rising to Number 7 for the week.  Almost Human made an appearance on the DVR gains chart for the week of its debut.  That one has dropped out of the Top 25 ratings chart and I don’t expect it to find its way back there any time soon.

Top 25 Nov 25th to Dec 1st   

Cable Networks

Total Viewers:  Live + Same Day viewing from the overnights
2. The Walking Dead (AMC) 12.1 Million (Prior Week - #2, 11.3 MM)
3. The Talking Dead (AMC) 6.0 Million (Prior Week - #16, 3.4 MM)

Dropping Out: American Horror Story: Coven - Preempted

Broadcast Networks

Ratings:  18-49 demographic in Live + Same Day viewing from the overnights
16. Agents of SHIELD (ABC) 2.6 Rating (Prior Week - #21, 2.4 Rating)
19. Person of Interest (CBS) 2.2 Rating (Prior Week - n/a)
21. Sleepy Hollow (FOX) 2.2 Rating (Prior Week - #20, 2.5 Rating)

Total Viewers:  Live + Same Day viewing from the overnights
7. Person of Interest (CBS) 11.9 million (Prior Week - #10, 12.3 MM)
18. Agents of SHIELD (CBS) 9.7 million (Prior Week - n/a)

Live+7 Day DVR Ratings

Top 25 Ratings Increase for the Week of November 11th to 17th   
6. Agents of SHIELD:  Rating Increase - 1.6, Final Rating - 3.8
7. Sleepy Hollow:  Rating Increase - 1.6, Final Rating - 4.2
9. Almost Human: Rating Increase - 1.4, Final Rating - 4.5
12. Once Upon A Time:  Rating Increase - 1.2, Final Rating - 3.1
16. Person of Interest: Rating Increase - 1.1, Final Rating - 3.1
21. Grimm: Rating Increase - 1.0, Final Rating - 2.6

Dropping Out: Revolution

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Cancellation Watch: The Walking Dead Mid-Season Finale Does Not Set Any Records, Almost Human Beaten by . . . Charlie Brown?

The Nielsens are finally caught up (mostly) from the holiday delays, so here’s a look at the ratings results for genre shows from the last few days.  First off, The Walking Dead mid-season finale did not set any records.  That may sound like an odd statement, but over the last few seasons it’s just become an expectation that this show sets records as it enters and exits its new episode runs, thus leading the Season 4 mid-season finale to seem like somewhat of a letdown.  Still, the show scored a 6.1 rating in the 18-49 demographic with 12.1 million total viewers which placed it higher than any non-football airing in Prime Time over the past week, so we can’t call those bad numbers.  It’s just that they seem somewhat ho hum for the show.  Of course, after Sunday’s bat-shit-crazy episode, I expect the numbers to rise when the show returns February 9th to finish out its fourth season.  But I wouldn’t be surprised if that episode doesn’t set any records either.  The fact is that TWD may have reached its peak with this season’s debut episode (which pulled an unheard of 8.2 score in the 18-49 demo) and it appears to be coming down from the stratosphere.  Not that the show is in any danger, though.  On AMC, it could still survive with a rating in the 1.0 to 2.0 range, so it’s performing well above what is required of it.  And I’m sure this show will ultimately choose its ending date rather than face the prospects of cancellation.  But its days of record setting ratings may be a thing of the past now even if it does continue to perform relatively well over the coming years.

Also on Sunday, ABC’s Once Upon A Time continued to deliver somewhat low numbers for that show as it scored a 1.9 rating in the 18-49 demo with 6.6 million total viewers.   Fans of the series should not fret, though, because it still performed well enough compared to the rest of the offerings on the night from the broadcast nets and ABC’s spin department touted it as the top scripted airing for the evening.  And it’s a third season show, so it is safe for now.  Over on Lifetime, The Witches of East End slipped to a 0.5 rating with 1.4 million total viewers.  No worries for that one, though, as it has already been renewed for a second season.

On Monday, FOX’s Almost Human was the only genre show with a new episode and it sank yet again to a 1.7 rating in the 18-49 demo with 5.8 million total viewers.  To make things worse, it was beat in the ratings by a nearly fifty year old repeat of A Charlie Brown Christmas (hey, that’s a classic, though).  Almost Human has two more episodes to go before wrapping up for mid-season and has to hope it does not sink much lower because FOX could yank it before giving it a chance to rebuild its audience going into 2014.  Sleepy Hollow was a repeat and it returns next week for its mid-season finale.  The CW’s Beauty and the Beast was preempted for A Very Muppet Christmas repeat which proceeded to outscore (by one tick) the 0.3 rating that B & B usually pulls.

On Tuesday, The Originals and Supernatural were the only two genre shows with new episodes and both repeated their ratings numbers from last week pulling a 1.1 score in the 18-49 demo with the former having 2.4 million viewers and the latter slightly higher at 2.5 million (those numbers are based on the preliminaries).  Agents of SHIELD and Person of Interest both aired repeats for the night and both have one more episode to air this year before going on their winter hiatuses.   

Here are the season to date numbers and standings through December 3rd for all the shows that have bowed so far (sorted by most likely to get cancelled):

Series	Network / Airs (EST)	Cancel- lation Alert	StD Rating	StD Eps	Tracking
Dracula	NBC / Fri 10 PM	High	1.2	5	Low
Once Upon A Time in Wonderland	ABC / Thu 8 PM	High	1.2	6	Low
Beauty and the Beast	CW / Mon 9 PM	High	0.3	8	Low
The Neighbors	ABC / Fri 8:30 PM	High	1.0	9	Low
Revolution	NBC / Wed 8 PM	Elevated	1.5	9	Low
Almost Human	FOX / Mon 8 PM	Moderate	2.1	4	Down
The Tomorrow People	CW / Wed 9 PM	Moderate	0.7	7	Low
Haven	Syfy / Fri 9 PM	Moderate	0.4	11	Low
Grimm	NBC / Fri 9 PM	Low	1.5	5	Down
Arrow	CW / Wed 8 PM	Low	1.0	7	Good
Vampire Diaries	CW / Thu 8 PM	Low	1.2	8	Up
Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.	ABC / Tue 8 PM	Low	2.9	9	Up
Once Upon A Time	ABC / Sun 8 PM	Low	2.2	9	Down
Supernatural	CW / Tue 9 PM	Low	1.1	9	Good
The Originals	CW / Tue 8 PM	Low	1.0	9	Good
Person of Interest	CBS / Tue 10 PM	Low	2.1	10	Up
Nikita	CW / Fri 9 PM	Final Season	0.2	2	Low
American Horror Story: Coven	FX / Wed 10 PM	Renewed	2.3	7	Good
The Walking Dead	AMC / Sun 9 PM	Renewed	6.6	8	Down
Sleepy Hollow	FOX / Mon 9 PM	Renewed	2.8	9	Down
Witches of East End	Life / Sun 9 PM	Renewed	0.7	9	Down

Keep an eye on the Cancellation Watch Twitter Site for the latest ratings numbers, and you can see the current status for all this season's genre show at this link.  And for more information on the ratings numbers and how I determine the Cancellation Alert status of a show, see the Cancellation Watch FAQ.

Ratings Source: TV by the Numbers

Nielsen TV Ratings: ©2013 The Nielsen Company. All Rights Reserved.

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Ratings Numbers Delayed

Because of the holiday last week, the Nielsen company is still trying to catch up with the latest ratings numbers.  I have posted everything that has been released so far at the Cancellation Watch Twitter Site which does not yet include the Walking Dead mid-season finale (though the early numbers showed it pulled 12.1 million total viewers).  Once the ratings numbers are caught up (probably later today), I will get the latest Cancellation Watch piece posted.