Tonight marks the season finale of NBC’s Parenthood. The ratings are down so will it end up being the series finale as well? Will the show be cancelled or return for a fourth season?

Parenthood debuted back in March of 2009 as a mid-season replacement series. The first season’s 13 episodes ended up averaging a 2.6 rating in the 18-49 demographic and 6.38 million total viewers. The show was on the bubble but ended up getting renewed.

NBC didnt wait until mid-season to bring it back and season two kicked off in September 2010. With a full 22 episode season, the show’s averages dropped to a 2.1 in the demo and 5.34 million. Parenthood was on the bubble once again but, once again, it ended up being renewed.

This season, the ratings have dropped once again. The third season of Parenthood (not including tonight’s numbers) have averaged a 1.9 in the demo with 5.13 million. Based on the lower numbers at the start of the season, NBC only ordered 18 installments this time around.

Should Parenthood get a fourth season? Yes, of course! Maybe, I'm not sure. No! Are you kidding? View Results  Loading ...

Ordinarily, one would expect that Parenthood would be on the verge of cancellation once again. However, because the rest of NBC’s schedule is in such sorry shape, Parenthood’s ratings actually look pretty good by comparison.

Out of the 17 scripted programs that have aired on NBC this season, Parenthood has the sixth highest demo ratings, beating out shows like Community, Parks and Recreation, 30 Rock, and Grimm. On our NBC ratings report card, Parenthood registers a firm “B.”

Based on the season numbers and the fact that Parenthood is co-produced by Universal Television, NBC’s own production company, it’s almost guaranteed to be back for a fourth season.

But, what do you think? Do you think Parenthood should be renewed or cancelled? How long should the series reasonably continue?

Image courtesy NBC.