It’s hard to believe that Dateline NBC has been on the air for over three decades. It’s also hard to imagine a time when the series won’t be occupying a Friday night timeslot on the peacock network. Could Dateline NBC be cancelled, or is it essentially guaranteed to be renewed for season 33? Stay tuned. *Status Update Below.

A primetime newsmagazine, the Dateline NBC TV show is the longest-running series in the network’s history. Debuting in 1992, the program covers stories ranging from mysteries to documentaries and in-depth investigations. Lester Holt anchors the series. Willie Geist, Meredith Vieira, Kate Snow, and Craig Melvin have served as contributing anchors.

The ratings are typically the best indication of a show’s chances of staying on the air. The higher the ratings, the better the chances of survival. This chart will be updated as new ratings data becomes available.

9/23 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 them here and here.

For comparisons: On Fridays, season 31 of Dateline NBC on NBC averaged a 0.30 rating in the 18-49 demographic and 2.49 million viewers.

Note: These are the final national ratings, including all live+same day viewing and DVR playback (through 3:00 AM). Early fast affiliate ratings (estimates) are indicated with an “*”. While these numbers don’t include further delayed or streaming viewing, they are a very good indicator of how a show is performing, especially when compared to others on the same channel. There can be other economic factors involved in a show’s fate, but typically the higher-rated series are renewed and the lower-rated ones are cancelled.

What do you think? Do you like the Dateline NBC TV series on NBC? Should it be cancelled or renewed for a 33rd season?

*5/11/24 update: Dateline NBC has been renewed for a 33rd season.