TV ratings: L.A.’s Finest and Filthy Rich fall, Dancing With the Stars up [Sept. 28]
Live TV ratings for everything that aired on broadcast on Sept. 28
Now that fall TV is back, it’s time to look again at how the shows are performing in the TV ratings. Things aren’t quite normal just yet, with CBS continuing reruns or alternative programming and The CW not back with usual programming just yet. That doesn’t mean we can’t assess the new content.
FOX is the network with the most new content, running new episodes of LA’s Finest and Filthy Rich back to back. Of course, LA’s Finest originally aired on Spectrum, which could account for the low-ish figures. We also have to remember that Filthy Rich wasn’t originally intended as a fall series. This is FOX’s pandemic-proof programming.
More from Entertainment
- 10 Thanksgiving movies on Disney+ for your holiday watch list
- Strictly spoilers and results 2023: Who is leaving on Strictly Come Dancing Week 9?
- CMT Smashing Glass performers honoring groundbreaking women in music
- Jamie Lynn Spears joins I’m A Celebrity season 23: Who else is set to appear in the British reality series?
- Strictly spoilers and results 2023: Who is leaving on Strictly Come Dancing Week 8?
After debuts on the stronger side on Sept. 21, both FOX series saw big drops in both the demo and the total audience for the second episodes. LA’s Finest was down 10% and 24% respectively. Filthy Rich fell 40% and 32% respectively.
Will this mean the shows will be canceled? Well, LA’s Finest Season 2 is now available on Spectrum and will likely run on FOX so that’s not an issue. Filthy Rich is a cause for concern, but it’s too early to call right now. Big drops between series premieres and second episodes are common, so we’ll need to see how the shows balance out.
How did other new episodes perform in the TV ratings?
ABC had new programming with Disney Night on Dancing With the Stars. While the demo remained steady, the total audience jumped up by 50%. It was the biggest upward tick of the night, with the show also pulling in the largest audience at 7.04 million viewers.
There’s no need to worry about the dance show, I don’t think. It makes for good fall entertainment.
Emergency Call debuted after the two-hour episode of the reality TV series. It kept a little more than half the audience DWTS had, pulling in 4.27 million, and had a 0.7 demo rating. While they seem low compared to DWTS, they are good for the night overall. The audience was the second-best and the demo was the third-best of the night.
CBS was the only other network to air new episodes of programming, bringing new episodes of two unscripted shows. Love Island aired at 9 p.m., seeing a 4.6% uptick in the live audience and a steady demo. The same couldn’t be said for Manhunt: Deadly Games, which lost 33% of its demo and 11% of its total audience. It was the lowest of the night out of the Big Four broadcast networks, even behind the reruns of The Neighborhood and Young Sheldon.
The only lower audience was iHeartRadio Music Festival Night 2 (which had the same demo as Manhunt). The festival is a staple during the summer or when reruns are needed, costing little and offering some light entertainment. Lower numbers are normal for The CW.
The only programming we have left is NBC, which aired the 2020 Stanley Cup Final. That pulled in the second-highest demo of 0.8. However, the total audience sat at 2.95 million, behind CBS’s rerun of The Neighborhood.
Take a look at the exact figures for broadcast networks’ TV ratings here.
It’s clear that networks are currently struggling without the usual suspects airing in the fall. However, at least they’re all struggling similarly.
Follow Hidden Remote for the latest TV ratings updates.