‘Mr. Robot’ season 1 and its remarkable commercial consistency

When you have a postmodern show about a hacker with twists, turns, and a very unreliable narrator, it is hard sometimes to gauge how your show is going to do. While “Mr. Robot” is an instant revelation for USA and Rami Malek is a possible Emmy nominee in 2016, these things are no guarantee of success. Just look at “Hannibal,” a perennial critical favorite that is now canceled and desperately looking for a home.

Luckily, there are two very good things that “Mr. Robot” has going for itself at the moment. First and foremost, it can inspire a little bit of confidence thanks to the fact that it is not having to worry at the moment over cancellation. After all, this show was renewed for a second season really at the same time in which it began, a tremendous sign of support from its network.

Also, its ratings have been consistent and then some. The show’s past five episodes have all been within one tenth of each other in the 18-49 demographic in terms of live viewing, which means that those who are firmly invested right now are sticking around. The show is also big in DVR viewing and other viewing measures; given that this is such a non-traditional subject matter, we imagine that it is also very popular with those who watch via non-traditional means.

Are the ratings (which are typically a 0.4 or 0.5) out of this world? Not exactly, but this is the sort of show that will pull more viewers over time as more and more people discover it. Given that this is not a typical USA show, patience really is a virtue.