Ratings: The X-Files falls more; Criminal Minds season 13 recovers
One of the most interesting phenomena right now when it comes to The X-Files is actually something that does not directly involve the show itself. We’re speaking instead about the Fox series’ recent performance in the ratings.
Given that Wednesday night’s new episode introduced the character of Mulder and Scully’s son William for the first time, you would think that there would be some sort of reasonably bump up in the numbers … right? Well, we’ve seen the ratings now and that turns out to be not so much the case. Last night’s episode drew just a 0.9 rating in the 18-49 demographic, enough to make you wonder what’s happened to a series that was putting up monster ratings for most of season 10. We think that there are two things that are ultimately happening at this point:
1. The hype is gone – The X-Files is no longer that series returning after several years, and it certainly did not help that season 10 was polarizing at best. We do think overall that season 11 is better than the one that came before it, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that viewers are going to tune back in.
2. Questionable decisions – Namely, we’re talking about the premiere twist. Given the era that we’re in, the idea of having Scully impregnated by science was simply heartbreaking and icky. It took a great deal of momentum out of one of the show’s greatest mysteries with William. We don’t think you needed that twist to justify some of the strange circumstances of last night’s episode. Given that almost anything is possible with this show, Chris Carter could’ve made something else up.
Better news for Criminal Minds
While a 1.0 rating isn’t lighting the world on fire by any means, it’s an improvement versus the most-recent episode and this offers the series up a chance to go off the air for the next month-plus on a high note. With its future beyond this season currently unclear, we’ll take whatever good news we possibly can.
What do you think is going on with the latest X-Files ratings? Be sure to share in the comments!