The Biggest Winners and Losers of the TV Season So Far (PHOTOS)
Winner: Manifest
All those past series that were thirsty to be the next Lost — e.g. Invasion, Surface, and Threshold — apparently forgot to start their storylines with terror at 36,000 feet. This show, a drama about passengers who travel into the future when their jetliner hits turbulence, has been a ratings winner for NBC.
Winner: New Amsterdam
NBC’s idealistic hospital drama flatlined with critics — with one calling it “dead on arrival” and another saying it’s “very, very dumb” — but the Peacock Network hardly cares. Ratings for the show have been so good, NBC picked it up for a full 22-episode season.
Loser: Marvel fans
Seems like The Defenders need some defending of their own. In the span of two months, Netflix canceled three of its Marvel shows — Iron Fist, Luke Cage, and Daredevil — leaving just Jessica Jones and The Punisher as the last ones standing. The news comes as Disney, Marvel’s parent company, readies its own streaming service; and some insiders think Daredevil, at least, may be resurrected at that juncture.
Winner: One Chicago
Chicago Justice got the book thrown at it in 2017, but producer Dick Wolf’s three other Chicago-set procedurals — Chicago Fire, Chicago P.D., and Chicago Med — all converged on Wednesday nights this season to major ratings success for NBC, especially with October’s “One Chicago” crossover event.
Winner: FBI
Dick Wolf got another checkmark in his win column with this new CBS show, which the network rewarded with a full-season pickup this October. The X-Files and Quantico may have left us, but federal investigators will always make for compelling TV!
Loser: Dancing With the Stars
Viewership for this ABC reality competition dipped to the 6 million range in Season 27, half of the average of Seasons 24 and 25. Meanwhile, ratings for the spin-off Dancing With the Stars: Junior are now in the 3 million range. Not exactly jive-worthy news!
Winner: This Is Us
NBC was wise to renew this family drama for two seasons back in Season 1. Not only is the show still getting solid ratings in its third year, but it’s also generating water-cooler chatter with its myriad flash-forwards and cliffhangers.
Loser: Reboots
Is 2018 the year the TV reboot finally died? CBS’s Murphy Brown only ranks 43rd among entertainment programs on TV, maybe because its original run isn’t streaming. Despite Jay Hernandez’s charms, the Eye’s Magnum P.I. isn’t doing much better. And The CW’s Charmed lost nearly half of its premiere audience in the span of two months. Even NBC’s Will & Grace is only pulling in a third of last season’s average viewership, though it’s already been renewed for an 11th season.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year… if you’re not a TV buff.
Most shows are off the air or airing repeats during the holidays. But this winter hiatus gives us a good chance to break down this first half of the 2018-2019 TV season. We're looking at the biggest winners and losers so far to see how superhero shows have faced un-super fates, how procedurals are the ones saving the day now, and how one network is Manifest-ing buzz.
Click through the gallery above to see where your new favorites landed!
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