Ratings Report: Is ‘NCIS: New Orleans’ a lock for season 4 renewal?
Is there any danger forming on the horizon in New Orleans? We’re getting closer to the time now when networks have to start looking to make some important decisions for the future of their shows, and for CBS, that could include determining if they want “NCIS: New Orleans” back for another go along with the other editions of the franchise. (The flagship show is already renewed, while the “Los Angeles” version is a lock.)
As for whether or not there is as much of a guarantee around the future of this show, let’s just say that for the time being, we’re reasonably optimistic. However, at the same exact time there is an interesting point that we want to elaborate on for a minute. Last season, we saw “Limitless” canceled after it drew a 1.3 rating on average in the 18-49 demographic in this timeslot. “New Orleans” is averaging the same exact rating — technically, it’s averaging lower, but we’re rounding to the nearest tenth of a ratings point. Why is this show considered safe in a way that “Limitless” was not? There are a few different reasons why this could be.
1. Total viewers – The demo traditionally is the most important metric for any network, but on CBS in particular they tend to care more about older viewers and total numbers. While “NCIS: New Orleans” is about the same to “Limitless” in terms of the demo, it is averaging 9.7 million viewers as opposed to 7. 05 million for the other show. This is a huge increase, easily huge enough to ignore the magnitude of the demo.
2. Syndication – Many third-year shows have a golden ticket to coming back on the air thanks mostly to their potential being sold off-network. For many shows, this happens at the end of season 4 and a show can be monetized further as a result of that. “NCIS” proper really took off after getting into syndication, so there’s a huge amount of potential that can come from this as well.
3. The franchise – Obviously, it’s “NCIS” and that’s a major staple of CBS’ identity at the moment. You can do crossovers with the other shows and it’s a name that is known all over the world. These are shows that are incredibly easy to market elsewhere, and this likely remains in the forefront of many executives’ minds.
It’s because of these three things that we feel “New Orleans” is almost surely getting a fourth season. It’s got an established base, and while the demo rating may not be through the roof, at the same exact time there are so many things going for it that there is no real reason to see this as a huge deterrent.
Do you want to see “NCIS: New Orleans” get renewed for another season? Share some of your thoughts in the comments.