a byte of sci fi

ABC’s V returned from its long hiatus Tuesday night (the last time we saw the show was at the end of November) and the ratings, while not terrible, didn’t break any records.  The show averaged a 2.9 rating in the 18-49 demographic with just under 7.3 million viewers.  That’s down slightly from the 3.1 rating the show landed in it last two episodes in November.  Those aren’t bad numbers for the 10 PM EST timeslot and the show did win the hour by a pretty decent margin.  But is it enough to keep an expensive show like V on the air?  Hard to say at this point.  If it drops much at all in the coming weeks, count it gone.  ABC rarely sticks with shows that don’t have much ratings traction, especially those in the Science Fiction and Fantasy genre.  If it improves over the next few weeks, that might be just enough to get the show at least a 13 episode order for next season.  If it stays at this level, then look for the “will they or won’t they” debate as the show airs out the remaining episodes of its inaugural season.  This could lead to a real nail-biter for fans of the show and I’m sure they will find some sort of gimmick to show the network they are supporting the show.  Stay tuned for the next couple of weeks because that will provide the leading indicator.  If the ratings start to drop, they will likely continue in that direction.  If they start to improve, expect more of the same.  If they stay level, then hold onto your hats for a wild ride to the end of the season! -JJJ

FlashFoward sunk for a second week in a row, dropping to a 1.8 rating in the 18-49 demographic and is almost certainly on life support at this point. Chuck failed to improve from the dive it took last week as it posted a 1.9 rating for a second week in a row. Human Target took a hit as it dropped to a 2.0, though at least that show can point the finger at a special airing of Survivor that it had to contend with this week. (See the full Ratings Results for the week here)

If FlashForward sees one more week with numbers like this, I expect ABC to take immediate action. They could kick it to Fridays or Saturdays or they could just pull it altogether like they did last season with Pushing Daisies and Eli Stone. Then it could get cast into the Summer months as a burn-off show. No matter what, I do not see any scenario in which FlashForward gets a second season renewal short of a miraculous ratings turn which I don’t see happening.  As for Chuck and Human Target, both are delivering less than overwhelming numbers and you have to consider them seriously on the bubble at this point. I still believe that the odds are in the favor of these shows, but I have to raise the Cancellation Alert on both of them to Moderate.  (Click here to see this week’s full Cancellation Watch Column).

The ratings were down across the board for shows with new episodes (including non-Science Fiction and Fantasy entries), and TV by the Numbers did a week over week comparison to show an overall drop in the ratings of close to 10%. It could be because of Daylight Savings Time or it could just be a blip on the radar, but it’s definitely not good news for bubble shows.  Two of the biggest hit were Chuck on NBC and FlashForward on ABC. Chuck hit a season low and tied an all-time low with a 1.9 rating in the 18-49 demographic. Seeing as this one has been trending downward for the last few weeks, that can’t help its case. ABC’s FlashFoward returned from its extended hiatus, but not too many people noticed. It pulled a series low of a 1.9 rating in the 18-49 demo as it had to fend off both the DST curse and College Basketball on CBS. I already had that one at an “Elevated” Cancellation Alert, but it will be jumping up to the next notch shortly and it better turn its attrition around immediately if it does not want to wind up as a Summer burn-off show. And expect a cancellation announcement on this one by the time the overnights roll in for next week’s episode. -JJJ

Get the Full Ratings Results for the Week at this Link