Ratings Bubble Report: Will ‘Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders’ last beyond season 1?

There is probably no single show that is as interesting to us as “Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders” when it comes to the whole “will it be renewed?” debate. It’s a show that on paper, should have a good chance when you consider the name of the franchise, the ratings so far, and the notoriety of a name like Gary Sinise.

Yet, for some reason we’re still not altogether sure what the future of this show will be thanks to a number of complications, which could make it so that CBS doesn’t decide until the very last minute as to what they want to do with the show for the 2016-17 season. For more on these complications, let’s dive further into this new edition of our Ratings Bubble Report series here at CarterMatt.

The case to keep it – First and foremost, let’s talk pure numbers. So far, the show is averaging a 1.4 rating in the 18-49 demographic. That compares to other new CBS shows like “Code Black” (1.3), “Limitless” (1.3), and “Rush Hour.” It’s lagging behind “Supergirl,” but it is performing better than such shows as “Madam Secretary,” “CSI: Cyber,” “Elementary,” “The Amazing Race,” and “Hawaii Five-0.” Of those shows, “Madam Secretary,” “The Amazing Race,” and “Hawaii Five-0” are all coming back.

One other reason to keep it is simply that we’re dealing with a franchise here! Therefore, there’s money to be made with crossovers, and there is also probably easy money to be made in selling this to foreign markets, where “Criminal Minds” is a solid performer. There’s a reason why so many of the most-watched shows around the world have been CBS crime procedurals; they have universal appeal.

The case to cancel it – Here’s the real rub with “Beyond Borders,” and it is the same reason why “Criminal Minds” proper is not often renewed until the last minute: It’s a CBS co-production with ABC Studios, which means that CBS doesn’t have the same stake in it that they have in some other shows that they produce outright. Therefore, they will probably always prioritize some of their own work over shows that they share with other studios. It’s possible that ABC Studios is negotiating a renewal for both the flagship and “Beyond Borders,” but who knows if that will stick?

Ultimately, this is a case where the next couple of “Beyond Borders” episodes could really make-or-break its chances of survival. Unfortunately, it only has one more week with the flagship show as a lead-in.

What do you think is going to happen with this show?