As a child, Neil Patrick Harris made a big splash on ABC‘s Doogie Howser, MD. More than a decade later, he made his big, small-screen comeback in How I Met Your Mother on CBS. After that successful sitcom ended, he ended up on NBC with a variety show, Best Time Ever with Neil Patrick Harris. Since Nielsen households seemed to find something better, the series was cancelled, after one season. Now he’s giving them a second chance, with the Genius Junior TV show. Does the first season have what it takes to earn solid ratings and keep Harris on the Peacock Network? Will Genius Junior be cancelled or renewed for season two? Stay tuned. *Status update below.
An NBC game show featuring contestants between the ages of eight and 12, Genius Junior showcases incredibly bright children facing off against each other and the clock. As the game unfolds, they compete to solve increasingly difficult quizzes. Subjects range from geography, math, and spelling, to feats of memory, and more. TV’s former precocious teen, Harris, hosts the hour. At the end of each episode, that week’s winning team gets to face “The Cortex,” a tough intelligence test which provides the players with the opportunity to build up their prize fund. The winning team leaves with a “Genius Junior” grant, to help them prepare for their future.
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.
5/14 update: You can see the latest night’s ratings in context.
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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 like the Genius Junior TV series? Should this NBC TV show be renewed for season two?
*Status update: The Genius Junior TV show last aired in 2018 and has apparently been cancelled.
Loved, loved, loved the show! More importantly, my 93 year old mother who has Alzheimer’s LOVED it! I have had to play season 1 over and over for her. Please bring it back.
I think stating that these kids are geniuses is a bit too far. They are smart, but having the ability to memorize cards is not genius. I know someone who can do that, but in other ways is dumber than dumb. Recognizing patterns is not genius in itself, quite a few people of average intelligence can do that to. As for the show, I found most of the six kids to be arrogant, likely due to their upbringing. I won’t be watching this again.