SWAT episode 2 ratings remain (reasonably) solid for CBS; looking ahead

Are the SWAT episode 2 ratings enough to make us comfortable when it comes to the show’s future? We wouldn’t go that far; yet, they do offer up hope that the CBS series could stick around for a little while and have a shot at a second season.

Overall, SWAT episode 2 generated a 1.0 rating in the 18-49 demographic, which was enough for it to narrowly beat out How to Get Away with Murder over on ABC. SWAT aired against NFL football on NBC — very strong competition, especially with men 18-49 — but it still managed to drop less than 10% from the premiere. Anytime you have a scripted show and you can have this level of retention, especially early in a series when viewers are more fickle, you have to consider it a victory. Networks aren’t expecting big week-to-week increases; they just want a foundation for what can be coming up down the road. They don’t want a warning sign that a show is about to fall off the side of a cliff.

Looking ahead for SWAT, the objective should be clear: Find a way to consistently post a 0.9 rating in the demo or higher. If it does that, the odds are in its favor that it gets additional episodes and will come back for another season. If it slips down into the 0.6-0.7 range, you can go ahead and consider it done. Its goose will be cooked and there won’t be anything the writers or producers can do to turn it around.

This is a show that we adamantly want to cheer on here at CarterMatt for a number of different reasons. We’re not just speaking about our love for Shemar Moore thanks to his work on Criminal Minds — we also root for executive producer Shawn Ryan, who’s unfortunately lost many promising shows well before their time. (It is by the grace of NBC that his show Timeless with Eric Kripke is coming back.) We also root for SWAT cast member Jay Harrington, a guy we love thanks to his role on Better Off Ted many years ago.

CBS will likely have to make a decision on the future of SWAT, (at least in terms of additional episodes) by Christmas. The network can wait until May in order to decide on a potential season 2.

What do you think about the SWAT episode 2 ratings? Do you think that the show should stick around for more than its standard episode order? Share in the comments!

Also, check out the story here to preview what’s coming on the show next week!

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