Scorpion season 3 ratings fall further; how can show turn it around?

Scorpion is a great show, but the Scorpion season 3 ratings are leaving something to be desired. Is this a situation that can be fixed?

Before we get into the mechanics of giving the show new life, let’s start with where we are. Monday night’s new episode “Rock Block” drew a 1.0 rating in the 18-49 demographic. The good news is that this was enough to easily win the 10:00 p.m. Eastern timeslot. The bad news is that this is still the lowest rating for the CBS show to date. This used to be a show hovering around a 2.0, but the new timeslot has not been all that kind to it this year. Scorpion is a show with a devoted family following, given that there’s nothing about it that is altogether politically-charged or offensive. In moving it later in the night, it loses some of that momentum. That, plus the lack of lead-in momentum from the CBS comedy lineup, are two of the things that are outside of its own control.

With that said, there are clearly some other things that are within its control that it could be doing a better job of fixing.

The biggest issue that Scorpion has is repetition, almost on a frustrating level. Every episode this season, for better for worse, is the same thing. You start with a personal update, whether it be about the Happy / Toby wedding or about Sylvester’s alderman campaign, and then you get about a 35-minute story featuring some disaster / mechanical failure that the team needs to fix. One or two characters’ lives are put in jeopardy, but they work together to resolve it. Then, at the end of the episode, you get another personal update or two.

What this show needs is a way to balance out the stakes. Create an episode that is more comedically-based, or one that is relevant to something happening right now that is memorable. The missions need to be more creative if you’re going to adhere to this format so strictly. Some of the best episodes this season are the ones where there is some sort of personal connection to the case, such as saving Happy’s new friend or Walter getting stuck out in space, where he begins to start daydreaming about Paige. They need to be more than the average “keep X from exploding or poisoning the human race.”

Scorpion is a show that can draw great DVR numbers because it’s not something that needs to be watched live. The way to rectify that is to come up with incentives for people to check it out without waiting, whether it be a funny story-of-the-week or an opportunity to see an interesting guest star.

We love Scorpion, and want to see it on the air as long as possible. Unfortunately, there’s something — whether it be the formula or it having to produce 25 episodes this season — that is sapping away some of its creativity. These geniuses need to find a way to shine beyond the show’s central premise.

What do you think is plaguing the Scorpion ratings? Share in the comments!

Meanwhile, head over here if you want to read our review for Monday night’s new episode. (Photo: CBS.)