Splitting Up Together season 3 renewal hopes: Will we get more at ABC?

Following tonight’s finale, how optimistic should we be for a Splitting Up Together season 3 at ABC? Should we expect that we’re going to be splitting up with the show itself? Through out this article, we’re going to do our best to map out, for better or for worse, the future for the Jenna Fischer – Oliver Hudson family comedy, which got off to a great start last year as a part of a Roseanne lineup … but has crashed a little bit back to earth ever since. That’s why you should be nervous, but we don’t want to give away our final verdict on what we think is going to happen with this show without breaking down a few things first.

The reason to keep Splitting Up Together around – When you’re thinking about what ABC is trying to do with their comedies, this show is extremely on-brand. It’s a family comedy that focuses on a family in a little bit of a non-traditional sense. In the first season, the hook of a split worked to get viewers on board right away — as did probably having Jenna Fischer on board given how beloved she is from The Office. The comedy here is daring without jumping over any lines, and there’s certainly a lot of story left to tell within the world of uncertain relationships and the impact that they have on kids.

ABC has shown a willingness over time to be very stable when it comes to their comedy lineups — they allow some of their programs a chance to find their place and an audience, and see this as a far more favorable alternative than just canceling it if it isn’t a smash hit right out of the gate.

The reason to cancel it – The problem for Splitting Up Together is that we are into season 2 now and it just isn’t finding it’s footing. It was for a while in season 1, but so far this season, we’re looking at an average of just under a 0.7 rating in the 18-49 demographic — down more than 40% from what it was pulling during season 1. It’s the lowest-rated comedy on the network’s Tuesday schedule and it just hasn’t held up from it’s lead in black-ish. (By comparison, this season of black-ish is averaging over a 0.8 rating.)

If you’re not seeing a strong performance out of Splitting Up Together this season, why keep it — especially when ABC has some stable comedies elsewhere? Here’s the thing — if the network was floundering with some of its other multi-camera shows, we could’ve seen them be a little bit more inclined to keep this one around. They’re just not. They’ve got The Conners, black-ish, American Housewife, The Goldbergs, the upcoming final season of Modern Family, and a whole lot more on their schedule again (most likely anyway). They don’t have to worry about keeping a show that commercially isn’t quite working.

Our projection

Splitting Up Together isn’t tanking out, but it’s also not working as well as ABC would probably like. Don’t be shocked if there is a less-than-cheery uncoupling at some point this May, when most major networks announce their plans for the future.

Do you want to see a Splitting Up Together season 3 on ABC?

Be sure to vote in the poll below with your thoughts, and remember to check back soon for more updates once we’ve got them. (Photo: ABC.)