Manhunt: Season Two Ratings (Deadly Games)

(Spectrum Originals/CBS)

The first season of Manhunt (aka Manhunt: Unabomber) aired on Discovery Channel in 2017. The anthology series moved to Spectrum’s exclusive channel for its second season where it was seen by a limited audience. Because COVID-19 has caused a delay for the production of CBS’ regular shows, the network picked up the rights to air season two. Will the additional exposure and revenue help Manhunt be renewed for a third season, with a new true-crime tale or, will it be cancelled? Could Manhunt return to CBS if the ratings are strong enough? Stay tuned.

A true-crime anthology series, the second season of Manhunt, subtitled Deadly Games, stars Cameron Britton, Jack Huston, Gethin Anthony, Carla Gugino, Arliss Howard, Kelly Jenrette, and Judith Light. Season two follows one of the most complex manhunts on American soil following the deadly terrorist attack at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. Security guard Richard Jewell (Britton) is lauded as a national hero after he discovers a massive bomb at the Games and saves hundreds of lives by clearing the area. However, his public identity as a brave citizen quickly erodes when the FBI and the news media, led by driven crime reporter Kathy Scruggs (Gugino), falsely accuse him of being the bomber. As Jewell and his mother Bobi (Light) fight to clear his name, the real perpetrator, Eric Rudolph (Huston), remains at large and undetected as he carries out a series of bombings.

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 for survival. This chart will be updated as new ratings data becomes available.

10/25 update: You can see the latest night’s ratings in context.

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For comparisons: Season one of Manhunt, which aired on Discovery Channel in 2017, averaged a 0.30 rating in the 18-49 demographic and 1.04 million viewers. Season two was released as a Spectrum On Demand series on February 3, 2020.

Note: These are the final national numbers (unless noted with an “*”). These are different from the fast affiliate numbers which are just estimates of the actual ratings. The final nationals are typically released within 24 hours of the programming or, in the case of weekends and holidays, a couple days later.

What do you think? Do you like the Manhunt TV series on Spectrum Originals and CBS? Should it be cancelled or renewed for a third season? Would you like to see it return to CBS?