CBS hasn’t had a successful medical drama in quite some time. How has Code Black been performing in the ratings? Will the network want it back for a second season or, will it be cancelled instead?
Code Black takes place in an Emergency Room in Los Angeles where underfunding and understaffing pile huge pressures on its staff. The cast includes Marcia Gay Harden, Raza Jaffrey, Bonnie Somerville, Melanie Chandra, William Allen Young, Harry Ford, Benjamin Hollingsworth, and Luis Guzman.
The series debuted in late September 2015 to a 1.54 rating in the 18-49 demographic with 8.58 million viewers. That was an okay start for the 10pm drama though the CBS execs were surely hoping for better.
The ratings took a big fall in week two, dropping 25% in the demo to a 1.16 rating with 6.83 million. The numbers for Code Black stayed at those low levels for the next several weeks and things weren’t looking good. Rather than ordering a full season of the series, CBS picked up five more episodes, bringing the first season tally to just 18 episodes.
Then, the ratings started to slowly rise and reached a mid-season high of a 1.47 demo rating with 8.50 million viewers. In 2016, the numbers have wavered however and last week’s installment hit a series low with a 1.05 demo rating and 6.04 million.
To date, the series has averaged a 1.27 in the demo with 7.13 million viewers. It’s ranking 15th (of 20 scripted CBS shows) in the demo and in total viewers.
Will CBS renew Code Black for a second season or cancel it? Looking at the ratings, the network should probably cancel it but they could easily go either way. Their decision will likely have everything to do with the strength of their upcoming pilots. We’ll know for sure by mid-May.
But, what do you think? Do you like Code Black? If you ran the network, would you renew or cancel the series?
I love this show. Even got my husband watching and he’s a big NCIS fan. Don’t cancel!!!
Kids love the show…they keep asking me when it’s coming back?
Love this show. I keep looking for it on the guide to see if it comes back. Please bring it back.
I love Code Black and CBS needs to bring it back. They can drop
some of the NCIS series and then keep Code Black for a new
type of programming The cast is Exceptional. Please, Please,
give it another shot.
My wife and I loved that show. I realize we are in our early 60s not exactly the audience Hollywood looks to. This show is great. We recorded every episode because we don’t stay up that late, stopped watching when my wife’s father was in the hospital in January because it was too close to reality, but when the father was better watched all of the remaining episodes. Outstanding writing and casting.
I just caught on to Code Black in re-runs and OMG!!!!!! PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEeeeeeeesssss!!!!! bring it back.
Maybe the reason CBS has never had a successful ‘medical series’ is because they don’t know a winner when they see one. Code Black is a winner!! I hope they renew it, I looked forward to this show every week. Very disappointed that it’s no longer available.
Please renew this show! it has amazing potential! I love the story lines and the fast not stop acting ( that’s incredible by the way!) CBS….Please give this show another chance!!!
Renew, Renew, RENEW!! Love it, love the characters, love the plot lines. So much better than Chicago Med. But help it out a little with better promotion. I would so hate to see such a compelling program get the axe.
I am very excited with the Code Black series. First meaningful drama in a long time on any channel that has human emotion, substance, and technical accuracy (mostly). Please do not cancel this outstanding drama
Please re-new Code Black. I’m a retired EMS Dispatcher. I love how this show depicts the real living, breathing ER. It’s an awesome, heart tugging show.
I was a nurse for 25 years and the depiction of this show is so accurate. Love this show.
I absolutely love code black and am constantly checking for updates. Many people do not have cable anymore, so they watch on their computer /phone or android box. I strongly believe ratings for all shows will decline mainly because 1/4 of the world are discontinuing their cable and watching via Internet. Keep this show running, it’s not one of those boring repeat types, it’s always entertaining and the intenseness makes my heart beat sometimes.
The intenseness also has made me cry, which I usually don’t do for a TV show.
Please bring code black to air, the show is passionate with real life drama , we love “mama.”. Look forward to watching this show
This is an outstanding show with a spectacular cast. It is very different take on a medical drama It is so good at being the most real life depiction of an ER especially one based on these types of circumstances. Please, please bring this trr
Please bring back Code Black. I was in the medical field for many years and this is the closest, realistic medical setting I have seen. Please bring it back.