TV ratings: Swamp Thing debuts well, Weakest Link down [Oct. 6]

A breakdown of the live TV ratings for Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2020

The CW has started its pandemic-proof fall. Meanwhile, most other networks continue with reality shows to wait for the return of the scripted lineup in November. How are the TV ratings holding up during this time?

We have to start with The CW, which debuted Swamp Thing to linear audiences. The DC series originally aired on DC Universe and was immediately canceled before being given a chance. The CW’s acquisition could lead to it getting a second chance, though.

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It’s already proven to be a hit for the network. The series premiere pulled in 1.12 million viewers and a 0.2 demo rating. The demo is the highest scripted show for the network so far in the 2020-2021 season. The audience is the highest overall.

While we didn’t get to see the ratings when Swamp Thing was on DC Universe, I do think The CW’s results are showing that more is definitely not better. I mean more streaming services are not better. Just look at Stargirl, which is moving from being both DC Universe and The CW to just The CW. People don’t want to sign up to lots of streaming services.

FOX’s pandemic-proof fall and NBC’s reality shows

While The CW performed well, FOX and NBC didn’t have the best results. Let’s start with the pandemic-proof fall from FOX. Cosmos: Possible Worlds continued to kick-off the night, losing 26% of its audience and 25% of its demo from the previous episode.

neXt followed with its series premiere pulling in 1.77 million viewers and a 0.3 demo rating. It was only just above The CW’s Swamp Thing, but the results weren’t good for FOX. It’s the lowest-performing show on the network in the demo already and a drop is likely coming.

Now, FOX is putting a spring/summer show on during the fall. However, there was hope that enough people would tune in to at least give the series a chance. The good thing to take away is that it’s performing better than the majority of Animation Domination, but it will cost more to create. With the low demo, we could see an early cancellation.

NBC didn’t have the greatest night, either. Weakest Link dropped 20% in the audience and 33% in the demo. Transplant lost 18% of its audience and 20% of its demo. However, we shouldn’t worry about either of these shows just yet.

Weakest Link is relatively cheap to produce compared to the scripted shows. And with a 4.70 million viewership and a 0.8 demo rating, it’s pretty safe for now. Transplant is an acquisition. NBC hasn’t had to pay to produce it, just to license it. That helps when the ratings are down.

Ellen’s Game of Games debuts its new season in the middle of the two shows. The audience was down 13% and the demo was down 18% compared to the previous season premiere. Could this be linked to the recent stories about Ellen DeGeneres? Maybe, but it’s also possible some didn’t realize the show was back. The downside of this messy fall is that it’s been harder to keep track of what is and isn’t returning.

What about the live TV ratings for CBS and ABC?

Finally, we have the biggest primetime networks. ABC had Jimmy Kimmel Live and the NBA Finals again. It’s not surprising to find out both had the best live TV ratings of the night. The NBA Finales pulled in 5.27 million viewers and a 1.9 demo, while Jimmy Kimmel Live had 4.66 million viewers and a 1.3 rating.

CBS mostly opted for reruns, and the NCIS rerun impressively pulled in the best total audience out of all non-special programming. The only new show was The FBI Declassified series debut, which pulled in 3.34 million viewers and a 0.3 rating.

It’s hard to call whether this was what CBS expected or not. After all, it was a new show after two hours of reruns, so the ratings weren’t exactly going to be great in the first place. The show has already received minimal promotion. It looks like it’s just temporary programming to get through the drought.

Take a look at the live TV ratings for Tuesday, Oct. 6 to see how your favorite program performed.

What did you watch last night? What do you take from the Tuesday TV ratings? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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