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?


Keep the show – it’s great – I work in the medical field – its better than most.
love the show, challenging medically and logically.Takes brains to solve difficult medical equations and to overcome stressful situations. Keep it going CBS!
I’m a nurse and this show is very different from your typical medical show. It’s different refreshing and brings a whole new prospective to medicine. I love everything about this show please keep it on air.
Love love love it. Want it back.
Please bring it back! My family and I absolutely loved this show and looked forward to our weekly episode! The actors and actresses were all wonderful! One of my absolutely favorite tv shows!
Great show. Hoping the network will renew.
My family and I really enjoy watching this show!!! We can’t watch it live, because it comes on so late but we are desperately hopeful that CBS will renew Code Black for a second season.
Please bring back code black!!! There is so much **** on tv and this show was realistic and the acting fantastic.
Please bring back Code Black! I was an avid fan of ER. Code Black is as good and at times better than ER!!
Please please renew Code Black! This is the absolute best show on tv. The depth of characters is awesome. I love that you don’t really know how the show will end until it’s over.
I absolutely love this show. I’m a nurse and the ER scenes and scenarios are so real and I can feel the intensity. I only follow 3 shows so please please don’t cancel
Code Black is one of the best shows on TV – please bring it back!
My daughter and I watch this show together and love it! Please bring it back!
it started really boring but it got good they should renew it. it was even better than Grey’s Anatomy
greys anatomy turned into more of a love story rather than patient based…the last episode i saw a patiet lost aheartbeat and there taking for like 30 secs while the guys is dying on the table and to mush dram between characters and def medical malpractice
Are they seriously thinking about cancelling code black. Code Black is one of the best shows on tv. I usually watch sports, PBS, Showtime, and politics/ news but I thought toys was really well done. Michael Seitzman chose excellent topics. I really can’t believe they would cancel this show. I guess people just prefer mindless crap to unwind.
Sad America
Awesome show please come back