It may only be a month into the new TV season, but we’ve already seen the cancellation of four shows (so long, “Lucky 7,” “We Are Men,” “Ironside” and “Welcome to the Family”) and seven series get picked up for full seasons (“The Blacklist,” “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., “The Crazy Ones,” “The Millers,” “Mom,” “Brooklyn Nine-Nine”) or a second season (“Sleepy Hollow”).
Though the fates of freshman shows mostly remain unknown, here’s our scorecard on how the new prime-time shows are faring (from a viewership perspective) now that we’ve had several weeks of sampling on the books.
A “The Millers” gets the slight edge over its CBS stablemate “The Crazy Ones,” mostly for holding its audience week to week. Both are strong, averaging 12.3 million and nearly 11 million viewers, respectively. “The Blacklist” (NBC) also tops the list of newcomers as the most-watched drama (11.6 million viewers) — all rare stand-outs in a mediocre season.
A- “S.H.I.E.L.D.” (8.7 million viewers) has brought an audience of young men to the otherwise female-skewing ABC, while “Sleepy Hollow” (8 million viewers) greatly improved its timeslot on Fox from last fall.
B “Mom” (CBS) has averaged a decent 7.3 million viewers, though expectations were certainly higher given it’s from the successful creator of “Two and a Half Men” and “The Big Bang Theory.” “The Tomorrow People” (CW) has drafted off “Arrow” on Wednesdays to average 2.3 million viewers (over two weeks) — making it the network’s top launch this year.
B- “The Goldbergs” (ABC) got off to a good start following “S.H.I.E.L.D.” but the 1980s-set family sitcom has fallen every week to average 6 million viewers, though ABC has ordered three more scripts. “Back in the Game” (ABC) is managing 6.7 million on Wednesdays without the big lead-in from “S.H.I.E.L.D.” “The Vampire Diaries” spinoff “The Originals” (CW) is holding its own on Tuesdays, and accomplished the rare feat of posting higher viewership in its second and third episodes (averaging 2.1 million) than its first, usually a promising sign.
C Rebel Wilson starrer “Super Fun Night” (ABC) is averaging the same number of viewers as “Back in the Game,” but should be doing better considering it has the much stronger “Modern Family” lead-in. Meanwhile, thriller “Hostages” has been struggling at the tail-end of CBS’ Monday-night lineup, averaging just 5.7 million viewers.
“Trophy Wife” has, likewise, failed to build a large audience on Tuesdays (4.7 million viewers). Still, ABC has still ordered three more “Trophy Wife” scripts.
The well-reviewed “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” is averaging just 3.5 million viewers but Fox has given it a vote of confidence, awarding it the plum spot after the 2014 Super Bowl. “The Michael J. Fox Show” is sinking along with the rest of NBC’s Thursday-night lineup. It’s now averaging 4.8 million viewers, with its last episode finishing behind the cult hit “Parks and Recreation” in the key demo of adults 18-49. The CW’s much-ballyhooed Mary Queen of Scots drama, “Reign” premiered to only 2 million viewers.
C- The spinoff “Once Upon a Time in Wonderland” (ABC) has proved lackluster, averaging just 5.2 million viewers Thursdays at 8 p.m. “Sean Saves the World” (NBC) and “Dads” (Fox) are near the bottom of the comedy pile with 3.6 million and 3.4 million viewers, respectively.
D The least-watched new drama still on the air with just 4 million viewers, ABC’s “Betrayal” seem the likely next target for cancellation.