Published: September 21, 2021

During the regular 2019-20 television season, NBC launched only seven new TV shows and five of them were cancelled. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020-21 season will be unlike any other in history. Which TV shows will be cancelled or renewed this time? Stay tuned.

NBC shows this season (so far): American Ninja Warrior, The Blacklist, Capital One College Bowl, Chicago Fire, Chicago Med, Chicago PD, Connecting…, Dateline NBC, Debris, Ellen’s Game of Games, Good Girls, Kenan, Law & Order: SVU, Law & Order: Organized Crime, Manifest, Mr. Mayor, New Amsterdam, Nurses,  Superstore, This Is Us, Transplant, The Voice, The Wall, Weakest Link, Young Rock, and Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist.

There’s lots of data that NBC execs look at when deciding whether to renew or cancel a TV series but the ratings are typically the biggest piece. Here’s how the network’s shows are doing.

Note: If you’re not seeing the updated chart, please try reloading the page or view them here and here.

A couple of notes about these charts:
These figures are updated automatically as new ratings are released. The averages are based on the final national numbers (live plus same day viewing), unless marked with an asterisk (*). For technical reasons, I have to resort them manually so feel free to let me know if I missed something.

Keep in mind that the demo numbers are typically what’s most important to advertisers. Therefore, that’s how the networks measure success. Advertisers pay more for ad time on a show that has a higher demo rating. Older viewers also matter but younger viewers watch less traditional TV and are harder to reach. Delayed viewing matters more and more these days (if commercials are watched) but live viewing is still advertisers’ ideal.

Demo numbers are typically reported using the 10ths decimal place (2.4, for example). In the averages, I’m using an extra decimal for easier ranking. The networks take into account when shows air on Fridays and Saturdays, nights when TV viewership is lower.

What do you think? Which shows are you rooting for? Which one isn’t as big a hit as you thought? Are you hoping any series will get cancelled to make way for something else?