Last May, Revenge was on the bubble and could have been cancelled. The ratings had fallen quite a bit over the course of the season and even hit a series low in May. ABC gambled and renewed it but was that the right decision?
It seems so. Revenge has been doing relatively well this season. It returned strong, to a 3.2 rating with 9.74 million viewers — the show’s best showing since its series premiere a year earlier. The numbers have come down since then but are still an improvement over Spring 2012. It’s currently the fourth-highest rated scripted series on the network.
Looking at the list below, it’s very doubtful that ABC will make a similar gamble with 666 Park Avenue or Last Resort.
What do you think? Was ABC wise to renew Revenge or did they just get lucky that its ratings have improved? Comment below.
Here are the season averages as of Thursday, November 8, 2012:
| ABC Scripted TV shows |
18-49 demo rating (actual) |
Viewers in millions |
Ratings pages |
|---|---|---|---|
| Modern Family | 4.8 (4.83) | 12.38 | season 4 ratings |
| Grey’s Anatomy | 3.6 (3.58) | 10.06 | season 9 ratings |
| Once Upon a Time | 3.4 (3.42) | 10.09 | season 2 ratings |
| Revenge | 2.8 (2.77) | 8.54 | season 2 ratings |
| Suburgatory | 2.7 (2.70) | 7.20 | season 2 ratings |
| The Middle | 2.6 (2.60) | 8.60 | season 4 ratings |
| Malibu Country | 2.3 (2.30) | 9.13 | season 1 ratings |
| The Neighbors | 2.1 (2.14) | 6.87 | season 1 ratings |
| Nashville | 2.1 (2.12) | 6.80 | season 1 ratings |
| Castle | 2.1 (2.05) | 10.54 | season 4 ratings |
| Last Man Standing | 2.0 (2.00) | 8.07 | season 2 ratings |
| Scandal | 2.0 (1.98) | 6.13 | season 2 ratings |
| Last Resort | 1.7 (1.68) | 7.29 | season 1 ratings |
| 666 Park Avenue | 1.7 (1.65) | 5.02 | season 1 ratings |
| Private Practice (last season) | 1.6 (1.63) | 5.76 | season 6 ratings |
| Happy Endings | 1.6 (1.60) | 4.94 | season 3 ratings |
| Don’t Trust the B in Apt. 23 | 1.5 (1.45) | 3.73 | season 2 ratings |
| ABC non-scripted TV shows |
18-49 demo rating (actual) |
Viewers in millions |
Ratings pages |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dancing with the Stars | 2.2 (2.24) | 13.48 | cycle 15 ratings |
| Dancing with the Stars (results) | 2.1 (2.08) | 12.41 | cycle 15 ratings |
| Shark Tank | 1.8 (1.83) | 6.55 | season 4 ratings |
| Primetime | 1.5 (1.50) | 4.72 | season 24 ratings |
| America’s Funniest Home Videos | 1.4 (1.44) | 6.11 | season 23 ratings |
| 20/20 | 1.4 (1.43) | 5.30 | season 35 ratings |
These charts incorporate the daily final ABC show ratings (reported by Nielsen) and are sorted by the 18-49 demographic. Network advertisers typically prize those viewers most and so will pay more to reach them. There’s lots of information that the networks take into consideration when cancelling or renewing a TV series but the ratings are the biggest factor. The higher the ratings, the better chance that the show will be renewed. And yes, they take it into account when a show airs on a Friday or Saturday night.
For the status of your favorite ABC shows, check out this page.
Want more posts like this? Here are the other networks: CBS | The CW | FOX | NBC
If we could trash the reality shows maybe the mentality of tv would be improved . We need shows like revenge , 666 Park Ave and
Supernatural. We need shows that will help us remove all that death on the news
.
PLEASE KEEP IT. I LOVE THIS SHOW. I DO NOT MISS AN EPISODE.
Revenge with Emily Van Camp is our favorite show. Person of Interest being
our next favorite and Elementary is also a favorite.
Hope they all stay around as there is not much left to watch on TV.
Revenge is a great watch–I look forward to it week after week. Please keep it! I speak for many of my friends who do not have a computer!
Thanks
Revenge is great and one I and many of my friends look forward to every week.
Thanks
Love it……keep it coming
Truly love, love, love Revenge. Love the story line, and the characters are very believeable. I wish ABC would make up their minds on what they want to show us on tv. Maybe they should expand their demographic to include everyone who watches it, including the more mature viewers. That would be much farer. Don’t you think?
DON’T GET RID OF REVENGE .BEEN WATCHING IT SINCE THE BEGINNING.LOVE THAT SHOW.
Renewing Revenge was definitely the right move. I’ve loved the show since the beginning, and I still watch it every week. I can’t watch it live because I work on Sunday nights, but I always catch it on my DVR. I also use it to watch Last Resort and 666 Park Avenue. I enjoy them both, and while I know it’s unlikely, I’d like to see them renewed next year as well.
Me and my family love 666 Park Avenue; quite gutted at the amount of views it has.
Revenge has lost its focus and sharpness. I decided yesterday I wouldn’t watch it any more.
Unless something changes for Revenge, I’ll likely not watch a season 3. It’s not like Season 1.
My husband and I have really the series. We don’t watch a series unless it is on HBO, however, Revenge draws you in week after week. We are so pleased it was not canceled. We are Baby Boomers and most series are for college aged or young families.
I don’t understand why they will probably cancel Last Resort and 666 Park Avenue, but they renew shows with lower ratings, why even have a show on ABC on Thursdays at 8pm? They always end up cancelled. ABC- Always Being Cancelled. If Last Resort is cancelled, I’m done watching ABC on Thursday’s at 8
How this show has not caught on is beyond me. It’s so different than all the other cop procedural shows out there. It has great actors and storyline.
It’s suspenseful and moves quickly. I love it and hope others will find it to keep it going.
Fully agree. The story is amazing!
I really like Malibu Country and I just started watching Castle this year…I hope they both stick around.