The Originals season 4 premiere ratings: What it means for season 5 renewal hopes

The ratings are in, and for The Originals season 4, it’s got some work to do to get renewed.

The season 4 premiere of the Joseph Morgan CW drama ended up drawing in total a 0.3 rating in the 18-49 demographic, which is down from the show’s season 3 premiere. Granted, that season aired in the fall, presumably when there were more viewers around to watch it. This is a little more in line with the show’s third-season average, but even with that, this may not be enough in order to ensure that a season 5 renewal happens.

One of the big things to remember with The Originals is that while it’s an enjoyable show, it’s not one that The CW may feel an incredible sense of loyalty towards at this point in the run. The Vampire Diaries was the show that they were largely loyal to thanks in part to how it was the vampire show that started it all and it was a tentpole for the network for most of its run. In this instance, we’ve got a show that’s always been moderately-rated at best. While they have renewed shows with the same ratings as The Originals (see Jane the Virgin) or even in some ways worse (see Crazy Ex-Girlfriend), the big difference there is that those two shows have enormous critical acclaim and awards-show clout. The network wants to keep them around because they get nominations.

Ultimately, The Originals season 4 premiere ratings may not be good enough to ensure that a season 5 renewal happens. It’s still possible, especially if the entirety of the crowd who watched the premiere ends up checking out the remainder of the season. This is just something that we’ll need to take a bit of a wait-and-see approach to before we know what happens in the end. The network has until May to finalize a decision, but they’ve already made such decisions with almost the entirety of the rest of their lineup. The only other show currently on the bubble is iZombie, and it hasn’t even premiered as of yet.

If you missed it, you can head over here if you are very much curious in seeing what the future is going to be for The Originals beyond the premiere episode.

Do you want to see The Originals get a season 5 renewal? Share your thoughts now in the comments! (Photo: The CW.)