Ratings Bubble Report: The path to a potential Agents of SHIELD season 6
In this edition of our Ratings Bubble Report series, we’re going to do everything in our power to look at the future of the series, especially when it comes to its performance relative to past seasons and to ABC’s expectations.
Understanding the latest Agents of SHIELD season 5 ratings
To date, Agents of SHIELD is bringing in on average a 0.6 rating in the 18-49 demographic. This is down close to 20% from this past season of the show, but you have to remember that the series moved from Tuesday to Friday and with that, there are many viewers who are going to switch from watching live to watching via their DVR / streaming. This was already a show generating strong DVR ratings, and this tradition is still holding strong.
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Beyond that, in terms of total viewers Agents of SHIELD is averaging around 2.29 million, down only 2% year-to-year! That’s incredible retention especially given the move / the fact that there are so many other ways in which to watch the show.
Why Agents of SHIELD could be renewed for season 6
One of the biggest reasons goes beyond the ratings and into some other important factors including international appeal. Agents of SHIELD is enormously popular all over the world and with that, it generates money from places that not all other shows do. It also has the strength of the Marvel brand behind it alongside a pretty great streaming deal for new episodes. If you love Agents of SHIELD you have so many opportunities to watch the show, and this in turn means more revenue streams for ABC.
Creatively, we do also think that Agents of SHIELD is better than it’s ever been. These past seasons have not only featured great writing, but performances from the likes of Clark Gregg, Ming-Na Wen, Chloe Bennet, and other amazing cast members that should be remembered and celebrated.
Why Agents of SHIELD could be canceled
It was a close call for cancellation last year, and as a result of that it could be in a similar spot this year. Maybe ABC decides that they could generate some better ratings by programming unscripted fare on Friday night instead. Or, maybe they just don’t like awesome shows like this one.
Our Verdict: Agents of SHIELD should be renewed, but it’s not a guarantee
ABC has until May to figure this out, and it is definitely possible that it could take that long. This all mostly comes down to what the network envisions as the future for the franchise and the Marvel Cinematic Universe at large.
What remains the most interesting scenario to us is for Agents of SHIELD to wrap after season 6, which would allow the series to end at around the same time as the second Avengers movie hitting theaters. This film is meant to be a culmination in some ways for our current crop of superheroes; why not do the same for SHIELD and company?
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