During the regular 2019-20 television season, the FOX network launched eight new TV series and cancelled just two of them. That ratio isn’t typical. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020-21 season will be unlike any other in television history. How many TV shows will be cancelled or renewed this time? Stay tuned.

How do the execs decide what to cancel or keep? They look at a lot of different factors but the ratings play a very large role. The higher the ratings, the better the chances a show has of surviving.

FOX shows this season (so far): Bless the Harts, Bob’s Burgers, Cosmos: Possible Worlds, Family Guy, Filthy Rich, I Can See Your Voice, LA’s Finest, The Masked Singer, neXt, and The Simpsons.

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A couple of notes about these charts:
These figures are updated automatically as new ratings are released. The averages are based on the final national numbers (live plus same day viewing), unless marked with an asterisk (*). For technical reasons, I have to resort them manually so feel free to let me know if I missed something.

Keep in mind that the demo numbers are typically 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. Older viewers also matter but younger viewers watch less traditional TV and are harder to reach. Delayed viewing matters more and more these days (if commercials are watched) but live viewing is still advertisers’ ideal.

Demo numbers are typically reported using the 10ths decimal place (2.4, for example). In the averages, I’m using an extra decimal for easier ranking. The networks take into account when shows air on Fridays and Saturdays, nights when TV viewership is lower.

What do you think? Which shows are you rooting for? Which one isn’t as big a hit as you thought? Are you hoping any series will get cancelled to make room for something else?