Are CW Sundays struggling from bad programming or Sunday Night Football competition?

The CW Sunday night programming is struggling. Both Supergirl and Charmed are dropping in ratings. Is it due to bad programming or Sunday Night Football competition?

CW Entertainment boss brought Sunday night programming back for the network this fall. It sounded like a good idea to bring in more original programming but has it really worked out? Supergirl and Charmed run the night but the ratings are slipping. Is this because of bad programming or is it linked to competition?

Let’s be honest, there’s a reason The CW didn’t have Sunday night programming for a long time. It started with it but had to scrap it due to poor ratings. There was just too much competition on the weekend. While the network had hope that Sundays would start to perform well, it’s still clear that people aren’t interested in watching TV live.

There is a lot of competition on a Sunday night. There’s really only the shows that run after the Sunday Night Football headliners or programs like 60 Minutes that perform well, which is why the likes of God Friended Me and NCIS: Los Angeles continue to perform well. The CW doesn’t have that benefit and is, instead, competing against already well-performing shows.

Plus, God Friended Me is one of those that has managed to attract The CW’s usual viewers. It’s got the millennial aspect through the lead character running his own podcast and the aspect of social media to make the show feel fresh.

More from CW

• The CW’s culture of pulling shows continues as Everyone Else Burns and Run the Burbs are removed from the schedule
• All American: Homecoming season 3 release updates, strike delay, and more
• The CW is out of the superhero business with Superman and Lois canceled
• The Spencer Sisters filming locations: Where is the CW drama filmed?
• The Librarians: The Next Chapter release updates and everything we know so far

However, it could also be bad programming. Supergirl has dropped considerably over the years. While it’s not terrible, many fans have been turned off by some of the overly political messages. Then there’s the fact that every time Alex is put in charge, someone else comes in to run the show.

As for Charmed, well, that was always up against a lot. The Classic Charmed fans have been critical long before the show even got to air its first trailer. I believe it deserves a chance, but there are plenty out there who don’t think the same as me.

Fair enough, we all have our different opinions but it’s certainly not helping the show. In some cases, I do think there’s been some over-critical comments, especially as the episodes have gone on, but everyone’s different and I respect that.

The programming hasn’t been terrible. There are worse shows on the airwaves right now. However, ratings for Sunday night are slipping. Granted, Sundays are still stronger than Friday nights for The CW. That’s a plus point and suggests that some of the trouble could be Sunday night football.

There’s also the fact that The CW’s ratings overall haven’t been stellar this year. Supernatural, Arrow, Legends of Tomorrow, and Black Lightning have all seen dips. The only show that continues to perform well is The Flash. And by well, I mean it’s only had a 16% drop in key demo ratings compared to Supergirl‘s almost 30% drop.

Younger viewers aren’t interested in watching live, and The CW knows that. You can tell by the amount the CW App is pushed. This is the place U.S. viewers can easily catch up the following day. Then there’s the fact that people watch on Netflix since all CW shows end up there.

I don’t think the Sunday night programming dips are purely due to bad programming. Nor is it just due to Sunday Night Football. There’s a mixture of issues at play, with a key one being people want to watch when they say and not when a network demands it.

As I’ve said before, the live viewing figures are an outdated way of measuring if a show is performing well, but it’s the main option for the networks and advertisers right now. Until that changes, we just have to look at the ratings and assess. Sundays aren’t performing as badly as Fridays but we’ll need to see after Sunday Night Football is over to see if Sundays do better.

Why do you think The CW’s Sundays are suffering? Is it programming, Sunday Night Football, or just people not watching live? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Supergirl and Charmed air at 8/7c and 9/8c respectively on Sundays on The CW.