While networks are still running on a pandemic schedule of repeats, imports, or hold-over summer content, scripted programming is starting to finally roll out as well, so Ratings Roundup is back for another season. The extended election coverage was a boon for ABC, NBC, and CBS last week as all three used the continuing coverage to plaster over holes in their existing line-ups. Football returned as planned, a relief to both NBC and FOX. All of the networks are still bleeding viewers, however, as even the few scripted shows that have premiered in recent weeks have not found their audience from last season.
ABC's Wednesday comedy block has been back for a few weeks now. The Conners is about three tenths off where it ended last season. The Goldbergs, American Housewife, and Black-ish are about even. The Good Doctor premiered its fourth season, down two tenths from where it was in the Spring.
| Program | Rating | Millions of Viewers | Renew/Cancel |
| ABC Election Coverage (Tuesday) | 1.6 | 6.3 | |
| The Bachelorette | 1.6 | 5.6 | |
| Dancing with the Stars | 0.8 | 5.5 | |
| The Goldbergs | 0.8 | 3.8 | |
| Supermarket Sweep | 0.8 | 3.5 | |
| The Good Doctor (premiere) | 0.7 | 4.9 | |
| America's Funniest Home Videos | 0.7 | 4.4 | |
| The Conners | 0.7 | 4.0 | |
| College Football | 0.6 | 3.3 | |
| ABC Election Coverage (Thursday) | 0.6 | 3.2 | |
| American Housewife | 0.6 | 3.1 | |
| ABC Election Coverage (Friday) | 0.5 | 3.4 | |
| Who Wants to Be a Millionaire | 0.5 | 3.2 | |
| ABC Election Coverage (Wednesday) | 0.5 | 2.6 | |
| Black-ish | 0.5 | 2.4 | |
| Shark Tank | 0.3 | 2.2 | |
| Card Sharks | 0.3 | 2.1 |
CBS premiered its Thursday night comedy block to lower than expected numbers. Young Sheldon opened three tenths down from where it ended last season. Mom was down two tenths. Freshman series, B Positive, premiered to middling numbers; good for what's available at the moment, but it will hold up as more and more scripted series' return over the next few weeks?
| Program | Rating | Millions of Viewers | Renew/Cancel |
| CBS Election Coverage (Tuesday) | 1.1 | 4.5 | |
| 60 Minutes | 0.9 | 8.8 | |
| CBS Election Coverage (Saturday) | 0.8 | 4.4 | |
| Young Sheldon (premiere) | 0.7 | 6.8 | |
| The Amazing Race | 0.7 | 4.0 | |
| B Positive (premiere) | 0.6 | 5.1 | |
| Mom (premiere) | 0.6 | 4.8 | |
| The Price is Right At Night | 0.6 | 4.2 | |
| Young Sheldon (rerun) | 0.4 | 3.2 | |
| Greatest #AtHomeVideos | 0.4 | 3.1 | |
| Sunday Movie: Star Trek Beyond | 0.4 | 2.7 | |
| CBS Election Coverage (Wednesday) | 0.4 | 2.0 | |
| 48 Hours | 0.3 | 2.6 | |
| Magnum PI (rerun) | 0.3 | 2.4 | |
| CBS Election Coverage (Thursday) | 0.3 | 2.2 | |
| SWAT (rerun) | 0.3 | 1.6 | |
| Bull (rerun) | 0.2 | 2.2 | |
| CBS Election Coverage (Friday) | 0.2 | 2.2 | |
| All Rise (rerun) | 0.2 | 1.9 |
NBC will take all the election coverage it can get as their pandemic schedule before the election was mostly endless blocks of Dateline. The one freshman show the network had premiered so far, Connecting, has already been pulled from the schedule; the remaining episodes will be burned off on Peacock. Football was the ratings saving grace for the network. The Voice was half a point off from its numbers in the Spring.
| Program | Rating | Millions of Viewers | Renew/Cancel |
| Sunday Night Football | 6.3 | 22.8 | |
| College Football | 2.7 | 10.4 | |
| Football Night in America | 1.9 | 7.2 | |
| NBC Election Coverage (Tuesday) | 1.7 | 5.8 | |
| The Voice | 1.1 | 7.7 | |
| NBC Election Coverage (Wednesday) | 0.9 | 4.0 | |
| SNL: Election Special | 0.6 | 3.2 | |
| American Ninja Warrior | 0.5 | 2.8 | |
| NBC Election Coverage (Thursday) | 0.5 | 2.4 | |
| Superstore | 0.5 | 2.2 | |
| NBC Election Coverage (Friday) | 0.4 | 2.0 | |
| Superstore (rerun) | 0.3 | 1.2 |
FOX announced last week that Filthy Rich and neXt were both cancelled. No surprise, really as both were holdovers from last season that the network never bothered to air. The Masked Singer took a hit, down four tenths from where it ended last season. In a bit of better news, The Simpsons, Bob's Burgers, Bless the Harts, and Family Guy were all up compared to their numbers in the Spring.
| Program | Rating | Millions of Viewers | Renew/Cancel |
| Thursday Night Football | 4.6 | 13.2 | |
| The Masked Singer | 1.7 | 6.6 | |
| The Simpsons | 1.7 | 4.9 | |
| I Can See Your Voice | 1.1 | 4.4 | |
| FOX Election Coverage | 1.0 | 3.0 | |
| Bless The Harts | 0.8 | 2.2 | |
| Bob's Burgers | 0.8 | 1.9 | Renewed |
| WWE Friday Night Smackdown | 0.7 | 2.3 | |
| Family Guy | 0.7 | 1.8 | Renewed |
| LA's Finest | 0.3 | 1.5 | Import |
| Boxing | 0.3 | 1.2 | |
| Filthy Rich | 0.3 | 1.1 | Cancelled |
The CW is limping along until January on the final few episodes of Supernatural, some imports from overseas, and hold-overs from its summer schedule. The Winchesters are hanging on to their core viewers to the end with the final episodes holding the viewer numbers from last season. The network announced The Outpost would be renewed for a fourth season even before the third season aired. Meanwhile, fans of Pandora may want to savor what is left, as the show garnered a zero rating last week. Not sure the fact that the show normally airs in the summer is going to be enough to save it.
| Program | Rating | Millions of Viewers | Renew/Cancel |
| Supernatural | 0.3 | 1.0 | Final Season |
| Whose Line Is It Anyway | 0.2 | 0.7 | |
| Whose Line Is It Anyway (rerun) | 0.2 | 0.7 | |
| Penn & Teller Fool Us (finale) | 0.1 | 0.7 | |
| Penn & Teller Fool Us (rerun) | 0.1 | 0.7 | |
| Penn & Teller Fool Us (rerun) | 0.1 | 0.7 | |
| Coroner | 0.1 | 0.7 | Import |
| World's Funniest Animals | 0.1 | 0.6 | |
| World's Funniest Animals (rerun) | 0.1 | 0.6 | |
| Masters Of Illusion | 0.1 | 0.5 | |
| Whose Line Is It Anyway (rerun) | 0.1 | 0.4 | |
| Devils | 0.1 | 0.4 | Import |
| The Outpost | 0.1 | 0.4 | Renewed |
| Masters Of Illusion (rerun) | 0.1 | 0.4 | |
| Whose Line Is It Anyway (rerun) | 0.1 | 0.3 | |
| Pandora | 0.0 | 0.2 |
Over the coming weeks, networks should start premiering more of their scripted dramas, as well as their remaining comedies. What returning favorites are you looking forward to watching?
Written by LadyShelley on Nov 9, 2020
I can't believe it at all
I haven't watched either to have an opinion on quality, but there's a reason both normally air in the summer. ;) Technically, Pandora is the first show I've seen in primetime garner a zero rating, not sure it really counts though considering the circumstances.
I can't believe The Outpost has a higher rating then Pandora 0_o
Obviously, both shows are pretty cheesy, but I expected it to be the other way round...
I wasn't that impressed with the premise when I read it in the Spring. There's no legs to a show like that. I doubt it will see the back side of the season.
Networks are going to have a job of things trying to gain back viewers who turned to streaming services over the spring and summer, certainly. One thing to keep in mind, the larger ratings draw are usually scripted dramas. CBS and NBC are planning premieres for their dramas starting this week, so that may pull audiences back in. The thing to keep an eye on is productions. If California, Vancouver, and/or New York put restrictions back in place that curtails filming, networks and streaming services alike will be feeling the pain.
I watched the premiere of B Positive, mainly because there was nothing else to do between Young Sheldon and Mom. I thought it was "meh" and probably won't watch more of it.
This COVID scamdemic has killed the 2020 tv season. Never seen anything worse in decades.