9 Bubble TV Shows We’re Most Worried About, Ranked

Dan Clarendon
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'Brilliant Minds,' 'DMV,' and 'Watson'
Pief Weyman/NBC, Jonathan Wenk/CBS, Sergei Bachlakov/CBS

Soon we’ll know which broadcast TV shows will live to see another season, but the bubble shows below are all making us nervous.

After analyzing average viewership and 18-to-49 demo figures from TV Series Finale, we’re ranking these productions from threatened to endangered.

Some notes before we begin sounding the death knells: We’re excluding ABC’s freshman series R.J. Decker and Scrubs reboot and CBS’s America’s Culinary Cup competition from consideration, since they’re new to the scene. And Fox’s Grimsburg hasn’t yet returned for its third season.

OK, on with the ominousness…

Harriet Dyer as Colette in 'DMV'
Jonathan Wenk/CBS

9. DMV (CBS)

Good news: DMV’s average 18-to-49 demo rating (0.24) puts the workplace comedy in the middle of the CBS pack. Bad news: its average total viewership (3.06) — probably more important on the older-skewing network — ranks it near the bottom.

Morris Chestnut as Dr. John Watson in 'Watson'
Sergei Bachlakov/CBS

8. Watson (CBS)

It’ll take detective work to sleuth out why viewers aren’t warming to Morris Chestnut’s modern-day John Watson. The medical drama has lost nearly half of its Season 1 audience, dropping to an average of 2.79 million viewers in Season 2.

Melissa Roxburgh as Bex Henderson in 'The Hunting Party'
Ralph Bavaro/NBC

7. The Hunting Party (NBC)

The Hunting Party, a procedural starring Melissa Roxburgh as an investigator hunting down off-the-books fugitives, is hunting viewers in its second season. Its average demo rating has slipped to 0.16, down nearly 24 precent from last season.

Peter Van Sant, Anne-Marie Green, Erin Moriarty, and Natalie Morales of '48 Hours'
Michele Crowe/CBS News

6. 48 Hours (CBS)

After 38 years on air, is 48 Hours’ time limited? The newsmagazine is only getting a 0.12 rating in the 18-to-49 demo, a 32 percent drop from last season. It’s certainly no 60 Minutes, which is CBS’s most-viewed unscripted show.

Jenn Lyon as Courteney Potter in 'Stumble'
Danielle Mathias/NBC

5. Stumble (NBC)

With a name like Stumble… well, the jokes write themselves. The cheerleading comedy is averaging 1.80 million viewers, the least of NBC’s scripted offerings, so we can’t imagine network execs are feeling rah-rah about a second season.

Jimmy Fallon and Bozoma Saint John in 'On Brand With Jimmy Fallon'
Danielle Mathias/NBC

4. On Brand With Jimmy Fallon (NBC)

On Brand might not be on target. The reality competition about marketing — hosted by former Uber executive Bozoma Saint John alongside Fallon — is only averaging 0.17 in the demo and 1.67 million viewers.

Barbara Corcoran in 'Shark Tank'
Christopher Willard/Disney

3. Shark Tank (ABC)

It seems this reality show about entrepreneurs and their would-be investors has become toothless in latter years. In both its average demo rating (0.16) and its average viewership (1.64 million), the show is ranking last among all ABC series.

Zachary Quinto as Dr. Oliver Wolf and John Clarence Stewart as Dr. Anthony Thorne in 'Brilliant Minds'
Pief Weyman/NBC

2. Brilliant Minds (NBC)

The minds may be brilliant; the numbers are not. The medical drama is averaging 0.13 in the demo, down 40 percent from last season, and 1.87 million viewers, down 37 percent, and NBC recently punted the show’s midseason premiere.

Denis Leary as Colonel Patrick Quinn in 'Going Dutch'
Lorraine O’Sullivan/Fox

1. Going Dutch (Fox)

Viewers seem to be AWOL when it comes to Fox’s sitcom starring Denis Leary as an American colonel in the Netherlands. The series is averaging 0.15 in the rating — the lowest of any scripted show on the network — and only 0.90 million viewers. We have a feeling Going Dutch is going bye-bye.

48 HoursBrilliant MindsDMVGoing DutchOn Brand With Jimmy FallonShark TankStumbleThe Hunting Party (2025)Watson



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  1. M

    Ms Chanandler B

    I love Stumble. It is so funny. I hope it gets a second season and that more people discover it. Maybe if it wasn't on a Friday night it might get more viewers?

  2. T

    TV Fan

    Watson is the best show that -- apparently -- no one is watching. Outstanding cast and very well done. Will miss it when it is gone.

  3. G

    Green Olive

    The only two I’m worried about is Watson and Brilliant Minds. Love them both

  4. C

    Cora

    Watson is such a great show. Not sure why more people can't see that.

  5. J

    Jena

    I think the problem with Watson is that it has to rely on such obscure, rare medical anomalies. It's just a show about Bizarre Illness of the Week. That's a tough premise to maintain.

    Also, I'm surprised 48 Hours isn't getting great ratings. The original focus of the show was to follow some urgent situation for the first "48 Hours. Eventually it became about crime and murder until it finally evolved to what it is today: the search and investigation of a horrible crime, usually murder. With all the true-crime podcasts and other interest in the genre, you'd think viewership of this show would have increased.

  6. F

    Fellaway

    Maybe if NBC had kept Found, instead of The Hunting Party... Yeah, still bitter.

  7. H

    Herb_Clerecidge

    I can't imagine being worried about any of these shows getting renewed. I'd be much more worried if someone threatened to force me to watch them.

  8. D

    David

    DMV is absolute dreck. CBS should have renewed Poppa's House which was rounding into form at the end of its first season rather than greenlighting this waste of airtime. Tried it. Knew in the third episode how bad it was. Made it 5 minutes into the 4th episode and deleted it and all future recordings from the DVR.

    DMV should be DOA

    1. T

      TV Fan

      DMV has had its moments -- just not enough of them. Not worthy of returning.

  9. A

    Allison Williams

    Shake ‘em up! Out with the old. In with someone new,

  10. A

    Asija Francmanis

    Great, I canceled recording all those shows weekly. T those are the right shows to cancel..

  11. B

    bubye

    they. can. all. go. bye. bye.

    i'll miss melissa roxburgh's hotness tho.