Though it was NBC’s lowest-rated unscripted series last season, no one expected the Dateline TV show on NBC to be cancelled. It’s been integral to the network’s programming since its 1992 debut. Now that it’s in its 28th season, can this news series recapture some of its lost audience, and if not, does that matter? Will Dateline be cancelled or renewed for season 29? Stay tuned. 

A signature news series, Dateline NBC covers stories ranging from mysteries to documentaries and in-depth investigations. Anchor Lester Holt is joined by NBC correspondents like Andrea Canning, Hoda Kotb, Josh Mankiewicz, Keith Morrison, and Dennis Murphy. Contributing anchors include Willie Geist, Natalie Morales, Meredith Vieira, Kate Snow, and Craig Melvin.

The ratings are typically the best indication of a show’s likelihood of staying on the air. The higher the ratings (particularly in the 18-49 demo), the better the chances for survival. This chart will be updated as new ratings data becomes available — usually the next day, around 11:30am EST/8:30am PST. Refresh to see the latest.

2/29 update: You can see the latest night’s ratings in context.

Note: If you’re not seeing the updated charts, please try reloading the page or view it here.

For comparisons: The Friday editions of the 27th season of Dateline NBC averaged a 0.56 rating in the 18-49 demographic and 3.35 million viewers (live + same day ratings).

Note: These are the Live + Same Day Ratings which include “live” viewing plus delayed DVR viewing, up until 3am local time that same night. Ratings marked with an “*” are the fast affiliate ratings and will be updated with the Live+SD numbers when they are made available. Typically, networks get paid for C+3 ratings which includes DVR viewing within three days of the original airing when commercials are watched. Those numbers are rarely released to the press.

What do you think? Do you still like the Dateline NBC TV series? Should it be cancelled or renewed for a 29th season?