‘Pretty Little Liars’ season 6 premiere ‘Game On, Charles’ ratings down versus previous years

Is the hype surrounding “Pretty Little Liars” on ABC Family starting to die down? In a way, you had to consider an eventual drop, given that this was a series that first lit social media on fire years ago, and like most trends, there does seem to be a natural ending. Many of the fans who were teens when they started watching are now adults, and there have also been so many twists and turns that if you are a casual viewer, it is hard to keep up with all that is happening.

It may be for these reasons and more that the series posted some of the lowest ratings that we have seen for a premiere episode to date, at least in terms of total viewers. The 2.38 million who watched “Game On, Charles” is still a solid number by network standards, but it remains the lowest-watched season premiere ever. It is also down from the season 5 finale. In terms of the 18-49 demographic, the 1.1 rating is still a great figure that beats most of The CW’s new series these days, and also is better than the majority of cable. That’s the number that really gets advertisers buzzing.

While it may be fun to discuss ratings at length, the real thing to remember here is that when the dust settles, how much do they really matter here. This series has already been renewed for a seventh season, and that could very well end up being the last. Therefore, there’s not so much a reason to fret about the numbers if they drop. If the decline continues, it may just be validation that it is better to end the show sooner rather than later, and let the viewers know that there is an ending soon.

If you are feeling particularly anxious to see what lies ahead on the series, head over here to see a preview for next week’s episode “Songs of Innocence”!

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