There’s lots of data that the networks look at when deciding whether to renew or cancel a TV series but the ratings are the main ingredient.
Wonder if your favorite’s already been renewed or cancelled? Visit our CBS 2011-12 show page.
Which CBS shows are hits and which ones are in danger of being cancelled? The answer might surprise you. By looking at the chart below, you can see their current season ranking, ratings averages to date, and their grade in the all-important 18-49 demographic.
These charts incorporate final ratings data through Friday, June 1, 2012.
| Demo rank | Non-scripted CBS TV shows | Demo grade | 18-49 demo rating (actual) | Viewers in millions | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Survivor: South Pacific (fall, renewed) | A+ | 3.2 (3.22) | 10.95 | ratings |
| 2 | The Amazing Race (fall, renewed) | A- | 2.9 (2.88) | 10.18 | ratings |
| 3 | Survivor: One World (spring, renewed) | A- | 2.8 (2.82) | 10.07 | ratings |
| 4 | The Amazing Race (spring, likely renewed) | B | 2.6 (2.62) | 9.31 | ratings |
| 5 | 60 Minutes (renewed) | B- | 2.3 (2.29) | 12.72 | ratings |
| 6 | Undercover Boss (renewed) | B* | 2.0 (2.01) | 8.87 | ratings |
| 7 | 48 Hours Mystery (renewed) | D* | 1.2 (1.16) | 5.41 | ratings |
| 8 | Person to Person | F | 1.0 (1.00) | 5.90 | ratings |
Here’s the CBS Summer 2012 Ratings Report Card.
Original ratings data ©The Nielsen Company. All Rights Reserved.
A couple of notes about these charts:
The averages included in these charts are based on the final numbers, not the fast affiliate ratings that are typically reported the next morning. The final numbers become available about a day after the broadcasts or in some cases several days later. The chart are updated as the new data becomes available.
Keep in mind that the demo numbers (not total viewers) are what’s most important to advertisers. Therefore, that’s how the networks measure success. Advertisers pay more for ad time on a show that has a higher demo rating versus one with a lot more overall viewers.
Demo numbers are reported by Nielsen using the 10ths decimal place (2.4, for example). We used to report averages that way but it ends up being hard to see any movement week to week. It can also be a little misleading since a show with a 2.35 average and a show with a 2.44 average will both round to a 2.4 rating.
In these charts, we’re including the demo average rounded to the 10th (2.4) as well as the 100th place (2.41) in parenthesis so you can get a better idea of how the average has been affected by the latest episode’s demo rating.
The letter grades are relative (kind of like grading on a curve) and are based on the individual network’s demo performance. All of the networks have very different gauges for success right now. (A successful show for The CW would get quickly cancelled on CBS.) Our system for coming up with letter grades isn’t perfect but it should still give you an idea of where the different shows stand.
*The grades for TV series that run on Friday and Saturday nights are weighted a little differently, to compensate for airing on little-watched nights.
What do you think? Are surprised by any of the ratings? Are any of your favorite shows in danger of being cancelled? Which should be doing better?
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Cam » Something seems to have gone wrong with that chart so I’m going to have to rebuild it. Thanks for letting me know!
I love the show : Rob ….I love ..its the best show
Hi!!! I’m from Argentina y lo unico que quiero decir es…Aguante Five 0!!!! Vamos por una 3° Temporada!!!!!!!Ayuden a la serie que es una de las mejores que hay en estos momentos!!!!!
You’re 100% right, Mike, Lori has GOT TO GO! Season 2 of Five-O hasn’t matched the success of season 1, and it’s all because of her. (Rather, it’s because of the person who created her character!)
Georgia, Kat, Peg…’Person of Interest’ is indeed the best new show on TV, and the ratings shot up even more last week, so it seems pretty definite that CBS won’t cancel it, don’t worry!
I’m a big Five O fan and to see the ratings fall is sad. If the powers that be would just listen to even a small portion of their fan base, they would see that it’s an easy fix. All is needed is to eliminate the Lori Weston character for obvious reasons and get the writers back to what they did in the first season and WHAM, it’s back on top. If you go back and look at the ratings from when she started, you’ll see the downward spiral. Ah, but that may be a bit too much to ask… Read more »
What does this demo grade even mean? A show gets 10 million viewers and gets a D. If a show gets watched by old people, out of the 18-49 demo, it flunks?
After reading this chart – I truly believe that the ratings are so unjustly inaccurate, that I don’t even understand why they bother to “collect” the data at all! “Person of Interest” won Best New Drama at The People’s Choice Awards! That’s people – choosing!!! “CSI” and “The Good Wife” have millions of veiwers, just not accounted for in the all-important demo! I happen to fit in their age bracket, but my mother, who watches virtually all of the same shows I do, doesn’t count because she is older than their limited 49 years! Which is really sad, since she… Read more »
Person of Interest is one of the best new shows this year! All my friends watch it and love it too. I can’t believe The Good Wife is rated a D. That is crazy. It is one of my must see each week.
The three lowest rated shows are all on Fridays. They should put different shows then. ABC shows standalone reality shows and they do the best on that night. But do we really want more reality shows on CBS?
I think CSI Miami is getting a bum deal being on Sunday night and having to compete half the year with being on so late due to the football games and the shows before it starting at least 20 to 30 minutes behind normal time.
I think it needs some new blood and a better time slot
There are only two shows I watch religiously (with a few others I watch on a “take it or leave it” basis). And those are “A Gifted Man” and “Psych”. Almost all the shows on major networks make my eyes bleed. I will be extremely depressed if they cancel “A Gifted Man” (“Psych” has already been renewed for a 7th season). It’s the networks fault that the ratings are low because they decided to bring in a brand new show on a FRIDAY night. But if the new demo rating of 1.5 sticks then it’ll make it the most watched… Read more »
How i met your mother is the only show i watch on cbs.
Person of Interest grade of C-?? That is my favorite show on TV – all networks. That hour passes so quickly and hate when it’s over.
The report card I’ve been waiting for! It’s time to see how my favorite new show, Person of Interest, is faring on the network. And the verdict is… C-? Man. That’s harsh, CBS’s viewers, so very harsh. Just imagine picking something like Two and a Half Men or Two Broke Girls over that, ick! (Though to be fair, you can’t really compare the audiences for sitcoms and dramas). Anyhow, what else do I watch here… There’s NCIS: LA (B-), Hawaii Five-0 (C+), and CSI: NY (D*), which I’m actually waiting for on DVD since I can’t tape a third show… Read more »
I don’t like A Gifted Man, but I recognize that the F grade should go to Gentlemen since it was cancelled after a couple weeks. I love that you are doing these grades, but maybe you should weight them to reflect that Gentlemen’s ratings were only for a couple of weeks, while the other shows have been on for a couple months. That way cancelled shows get a more accurate grade when compared to shows still generating ratings and ad revenue.