Midnight, Texas ratings start OK; Somewhere Between, Bachelorette numbers

Today, we’ve actually got a full ratings report that focuses on network shows that aired last night! This may sound like a “go figure” sort of thing (wouldn’t you always want to have ratings reports on network shows), but the crazy reality is that we haven’t had that all that much so far this summer. Blame the major networks for having a lack of genuinely good programming much of the time.

Anyhow, let’s dive in to some interesting numbers and performances that could make decisions tough for networks in the future.

Midnight, Texas – For its series premiere, the Charlaine Harris adaptation generated in full a 0.9 rating in the 18-49 demographic, which is actually a much stronger performance than we thought that it would draw on the night. This gives us some hope that the show may actually be able to show stability over the course of the season, especially given that the last thing we want to do is see networks completely abandon scripted fare in the summer. Summer shows have such a uniqueness and a style that you don’t often see in either the fall or the spring.

Unfortunately, we do suspect the numbers will fall next week. That’s not a slam on this show so much as it is some commentary on just what tends to happen across the board with many scripted shows that get some attention the first week and are forgotten by the second.

Somewhere Between – This may be one of the worst-promoted shows in recent memory. Unless you are a devoted viewer of ABC, odds are you didn’t even know this show existed — we barely do, and we work in this industry and spend almost all day reading up on television news.

Anyhow, the premiere episode generated a 0.6 rating in the demo — this is better than the final episodes of Still Star-Crossed were generating, but only by a little bit following The Bachelorette. Maybe we’re just in a cynical mood these days, but we’re not all that optimistic on the show’s future. We’ll see if there is any future for the show next week, or if it will continue to hang between cancellation and renewal. (Yes, Somewhere Between jokes — we’re here all week, folks.)

The Bachelorette – Rachel Lindsay’s reality series did continue to win the night with a 1.6, and it’s finally starting to show some positive momentum in the numbers this season. This is still the lowest-rated season of the show by a good margin, but you take your victories where they come. If you’re ABC, though, we would still take a long look this summer at why the ratings were down this time around and try to repair it. We feel like a big part of it may just be people starting to tire of the formula. It’s not like people bailed on the season; they just opted to not watch in the first place.

Oh, and for those wondering, American Ninja Warrior continues to do very well with a 1.4. It doesn’t have the buzz of The Bachelorette, but almost always performs almost as well.

Let us know in the comments below what it was that you opted to watch on TV last night! (Photo: NBC.)