Each season, the television networks introduce dozens of new TV shows and hope that each will be a big hit in the ratings. Unfortunately, most are cancelled after one season. How are the new 2020-21 TV series doing? Which have the best ratings and which have the worst? How many will survive to see a second season? Stay tuned.
Here are the season average ratings of the new 2020-21 network TV shows — through the end of week 26 (Sunday, March 21, 2021).
New ABC shows (so far): Big Sky, Call Your Mother, Celebrity Wheel of Fortune, The Chase, The Con, Emergency Call, The Hustler, Soul of a Nation, and Supermarket Sweep.
New CBS shows this season (so far): B Positive, Clarice, The Equalizer, The FBI Declassified, The Greatest #AtHome Videos, Manhunt: Deadly Games, One Day at a Time, and Star Trek: Discovery.
New CW shows this season (so far): Devils, Superman & Lois, Swamp Thing, Trickster, Walker, and World’s Funniest Animals.
New FOX shows this season (so far): America’s Most Wanted, Call Me Kat, Cherries Wild, Cosmos: Possible Worlds, Filthy Rich, Game of Talents, The Great North, Holmes Family Effect, I Can See Your Voice, LA’s Finest, The Masked Dancer, Name That Tune, and neXt.
New NBC shows this season (so far): Connecting…, Debris, Kenan, Mr. Mayor, Nurses, Transplant, Weakest Link, and Young Rock.
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Notes: Cosmos: Possible Worlds is not the first season of the series but we are treating it as such because the previous season aired more than six years ago. The Greatest #AtHome Videos is included because, though it debuted during the latter part of the 2019-20 season, the first season is continuing into the 2020-21 season. America’s Most Wanted isn’t a new show but is included because it’s been years since its last season.
The averages are based on the final national numbers (live plus same day viewing). The demos are typically reported with one decimal place but I’ve included two for more accurate ranking.
Keep in mind that the demo numbers are typically what’s most important to advertisers. Therefore, that’s how the networks measure success. Advertisers typically pay more for ad time on a show that has a higher demo rating. Because older viewers don’t count? No, it’s because younger viewers watch less traditional TV and are harder to reach. It’s also important to remember that ratings are designed to estimate how many people watch a show’s commercials — not the show itself. That’s what advertisers pay for.
Want more? You can check out other season listings here.
What do you think? Are you surprised by any of the ratings? Which shows should be doing better?
