Are The Originals season 5 ratings making case for Hope spin-off?

There was a time in which the proposed The Originals spin-off focusing on the character of Hope was not getting a whole lot of attention — as a matter of fact, there was a time in which we considered it close to dead in the water. With The CW not giving a whole lot of promotion to the current series, or even a formal pilot to the spin-off, how could we be that optimistic?

Yet, we’re starting to have some more hope (pun absolutely intended) that this spin-off could come to fruition based on some of the ratings that have come in to date for the first two episodes of The Originals season 5. These episodes both generated a 0.4 rating in the 18-49 demographic and to go along with that, almost a million total viewers. The Originals is to date performing better than it did in the ratings for season 4, though it should be noted that it has the benefit of airing in a better timeslot this year than it did last year.

Nonetheless, there are a few different reasons for optimism about this new potential series right now.

1. The CW adding another night – With the network airing Sunday shows for the first time in years, they could order more new series than usual.

2. Some of their current shows are in danger – While the fate of iZombie seems to be certainly in danger and it’s too early to tell on The 100, both Life Sentence and Valor seem to be dead in the water.

3. The established brand – While this new spin-off wouldn’t likely be some sort of smash hit (it’s hard to know if it would get any viewers beyond fans of The Vampire Diaries or The Originals), this audience would at least let The CW know that they are getting a reasonably-established show here that wouldn’t tank out in the ratings right away. It’s the same appeal that they have with Wayward Sisters, though we do feel a little more confident in the Supernatural spin-off than we do here. (That show, after all, got a backdoor pilot.)

Related – Be sure to see a preview for Wednesday night’s new episode.

Do you want to see the Hope spin-off happen, or have you not seen enough of the current version of the character to have an opinion one way or another? Share right now in the comments!

Meanwhile, be sure to like CarterMatt on Facebook to get more news, previews, and a whole lot more when it comes to the series. (Photo: The CW.)