In the second season of The Americans, the ratings dropped 25-32%. Fortunately, FX renewed the series for a third year anyway. Will the ratings rise this time around or will they fall? Will the show be cancelled or renewed for a fourth season? We’ll have to wait and see.
Taking place in the 1980s, The Americans revolves around the lives and secret work of Elizabeth (Keri Russell) and Philip Jennings (Matthew Rhys) — two Soviet KGB officers who are posing as an American married couple in the suburbs of Washington, DC. Others in the cast include Noah Emmerich, Holly Taylor, Keidrich Sellati, Annet Mahendru, Susan Misner, Alison Wright, Richard Thomas, and Lev Gorn.
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.
3/31 update: FX has renewed The Americans for a fourth season for 2016.
Final season averages: 0.3 rating in the 18-49 demographic with 1.08 million total viewers.
Note: If you’re not seeing the updated chart, please try reloading the page or view it here.
For comparisons: The second season of The Americans averaged a 0.5 rating in the demo with 1.34 million viewers.
What do you think? Do you like The Americans TV series? Do you think it should be cancelled or renewed for a fourth season?
Yes, please renew! Great and intelligent show.
I agree with another commentor, re: The Americans as a thinking person’s show. I’m also a big fan of new Danish “crime noir”, like “Bron”, “Mord Ude Grænser”, and of course “Forbrydelsen”. There is a certain quality of unvarnished reality that all these shows have in common. They are low tech, low lighting, and high concept. They make you think, and what’s harder, they make you RETHINK. And it’s this rethinking/reassessing which I think many Americans find troubling, if not formidable. If you look at “The Americans” fanbase, I would reckon that there are many folks on the very upper… Read more »
I see the audience for E7 shot up to 1.2 million! Really great news!
I also wrote a kind of review … just a blog post, never done one before but please take a look if you have a minute:
https://clevertelly.wordpress.com/2015/03/16/s3e7-walter-taffet/
A single number seems awfully simpllistic in the modern market, does this include time-shift viewing, any repeats of the show?
The number is for live viewers. But if you follow the Live, Live+Same Day, Live +3 day numbers, you will notice that shows fall into pretty much the same order. While Americans goes from .2 to .4, Big Bang goes from 4.5 to 6.5. The top shows are on the top of all the lists and the bottom shows are at the bottom of all the lists. In other words, this show will have relatively the same position in its rankings because EVERY show has time shifted, VOD, DVR viewers.
Of course every show time-*****. The point is that demographics vary in their time-shifting habits. Children and elderly people not so much, in between considerably more.
the one number is a snap shot. the networks get a break out of the numbers. but the one number does provide a very good indicator of a show’s overall performance.You can break out the numbers a hundred different ways and the americans would still be a low rated show because the hundred different numbers would still add up to a .2 rating
Love this show–it’s one of only two that i watch in real time. And i think about it many other days of the week. Really surprised the ratings are low.
I’m surprised the ratings are so low! It’s such a great show!
I’m surprised almost nobody watches The Americans. Such a good show. Hopefully, since FX loves the show and has stated it would like to see it go on as long as it is of the same quality, it gets renewed for a fourth season.
Looks like no one is watching the Americans or Allegiance
I watch the Americans and Allegience. I am 32 my husband 34 and are in the 18-49 range that shows want to appeal to. I have 3 sisters and many friends that watch these shows all in the same age range. We don’t have rating boxes in our homes so I guess the TV stations don’t care about us. Everyone I know LOVES these shows, just so happens that the losers that have these rating systems in their homes do not! And this is supposed to accurately reflect the population? Shows people LOVE, that are quality and amazing get canceled… Read more »
“everyone I know loves it” yeah, and how many people is that? 20? out 360 million Americans total. all that statement proves is that, shock of all shocks, you and your friends have the same taste, not that you speak for the whole country
That was a very lame response lol. Just proved my point!! Yes me and the 20 people I know shouldn’t account for the entire countries opinion! So why then does the 500-1000 people that have neilsons ratings boxes get to be an accurate representation of the entire United states!! Shouldn’t be! Shock of all shocks!
My response isn’t lame, it’s called confirmation bias. You think something and then find one other person to agree and therefore think you are right even though millions of others disagree. you let the one other person confirm your bias despie a preponderance of evidence to the contrary. and the 500 people with Nielsen boxes get to decide because it is called SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH AND POLLING. something you obviously no little about. Instead of showing your ignorance on the subject, why not do a little research and find out how 1,000 can be an actual representative sample of the whole… Read more »
This is my favorite show on tv right now. I am in the desired ratings range but don’t have a neilsons ratings system in my home. I wish I did because based off friends, family, coworkers, and acquaintances we all watch this show and many other of the same shows. If I had a system or one of my friends had these systems I don’t think season 2 ratings would have dropped because everyone I know thinks “The Americans” is the best show on tv right now. I wonder what kind of lame people they have with these rating boxes… Read more »
you and your friends must be the only ones based on these poor numbers. and NBC is trying to do a “version” of this show staring today 2/5/15. Wonder if one or the other helps one or the other. If you like one (Americans/Allegiance) will you be inclined to watch the other.
the rating at the bottom should not be 40% increase. .63-.5=.13/.5=26% not 40
Season two’s demo average was actually 0.45 (you can see it by clicking the link in the post) and this season’s average is being compared to that number in the chart. In posts, I round the demo to the tenths place because that’s the standard for reporting the demo. Hope that helps.
I loved it when I could see it on Hulu. It was easier to catch. I think FX made a mistake by pulling it off of Hulu for the second season. I couldn’t see the second season right away, so the show lost momentum for me.
The Americans is one of the best shows on TV. However, there are those that have no interest in history or this series and I find that not only sad, but frustrating too. Sure hope FX renews and keeps the series going!
Yes! Great show, keep it going!
GRRREAT show- Please keep it going. Please RENEW. I BELIEVE THERE IS SO MUCH MORE CONTENT TO COVER. RENEW,RENEW, RENEW.
this like a thinking man’s Homeland. Very realistic to the timeframe. Great acting!
just wonder if nielson is a republican firm they just need to change the demo and won’t do it. a very conservative approach. they just don’t want to progress and move forward with the changing times.
My response to “dji” is WHAT? Glad to see the Americans back… finally….. but geez, do you really need all the naked butt shots to get your point across?
republican firm? really?