We’ve received quite a few e-mails from readers who are been worried that Parenthood has been cancelled by NBC. Well, it hasn’t been canned and will actually be returning on January 4th. That’s the good news but fans shouldn’t get too complacent. The drama hasn’t been performing all that well and certainly isn’t assured of a third season.

Last May, Parenthood was one of those shows that was “on the bubble” but still ended up being renewed. Though season one premiered with a 3.1 rating in the coveted 18-49 demographic and 8.1 million viewers, it soon after dropped to a 2.3 rating and 5.83 million viewers. The 13 episodes of season one ended up averaging a 2.6 in the demo and 6.38 million total viewers.

For season two, Parenthood debuted at about the same demo rating it had at the end of season one. Unfortunately, that didn’t last. In mid-November, shortly before it went on hiatus, Parenthood hit a series low of a 1.8 rating in the 18-49 demo and 4.8 million viewers.

The first half of the season has averaged a 2.1 in the demo and 5.22 million. Parenthood is currently the seventh-highest rated scripted program on the network, falling in the middle of the list, just below The Event. While it’s not in immediate danger of being cancelled, the show’s certainly not safe either. Its fate will ultimately be decided by how well it performs when it returns from the six week hiatus. Most shows don’t typically fare very well and ratings drop after a hiatus. Will Parenthood be the exception?

What do you think? Will the ratings for Parenthood go up or down? Will it be cancelled or survive to see season three?

Image courtesy NBC.