Last week, FOX debuted a new game show for the holiday week called Million Dollar Money Drop. Is it a good investment for the network? Will it stick around or be cancelled?

On Million Dollar Money Drop, host Kevin Pollak starts out the game by handing over $1 million to a pair of contestants. To keep it all, they must answer seven multiple choice questions correctly. The couple can distribute their cash on more than one answer but must use it all. They lose whatever cash they put on incorrect answers and must watch as it drops out of sight through trap doors. The contestants get to keep however much cash, if any, they have after answering all seven questions.

The game show debuted last Monday to a 1.9 rating in the 18-49 demographic and 5.31 million total viewers. It ranked in third place for the 8pm timeslot. The second episode aired at 9pm to a 2.0 rating and 5.33 million, still in third place. On Tuesday at 8pm, the third installment registered a 2.2 rating and 7.04 million. At 9pm, opposite all repeats, it dropped down to a 2.0 rating and 5.57 million viewers. On Wednesday, Money Drop fell to a 1.6 rating in the demo and 4.79 million total viewers. Thursday’s installment, per fast affiliate ratings, fell again to a 1.3 rating and 4.54 million viewers.

So far, the show has averaged a 1.8 rating and 5.43 million viewers. That’s not great but its not too bad either. The competition wasn’t as tough last week but there were also a lot fewer people watching network television. On the positive side, Money Drop’s season average is almost as good as Fringe and Lie to Me and is much less expensive to produce than they are.

It’s unclear how many unaired episodes are left but has several more scheduled throughout the month of January. If the ratings for these installments are solid, it’s a safe bet that FOX will order more. At the very least, it could be a solid utility player and fill timeslots as needed.

A sidenote: If you’ve been following the news, you know that an answer from one of last Monday’s shows has been disputed. As a result, contestants Gabe Okoye and Brittany Mayti have been invited to play the game again on a future episode. Presumably, for them to do that, the show will have to go back into production. The pair have yet to agree to return to the game.

What do you think? Is Million Dollar Money Drop worth watching? Would you keep it or cancel it?

Image courtesy FOX.