Ratings debate: Will ‘Surburgatory’ stay in the neighborhood another year?
We’ve wrapped up our ratings debate articles when it comes to some of The CW shows currently on the bubble, so with that in mind, it only seems appropriate now that we cross over to another network in ABC with a number of other question marks. Despite having a number of advertised “hits,” the ratings declines of “Once Upon a Time,” “Revenge,” “Modern Family,” and even “Grey’s Anatomy” make you wonder whether or not they are making some mistakes in their programming. The network seems at times content with staying under the radar, and that really lines up perfectly with a show in “Surburgatory” that no one really notices … which is a shame since it is pretty great.
While not a ratings monster by any means, there are some other factors to consider when looking at this show’s fate in particular, whether it is the constant time-shifting, the ratings of some other shows, and the fact that it is actually funny and you can do more with that than with a similarly-rated show with bad reviews.
Most recent performance – 1.5 in the 18-49 demographic for the episode airing on March 20 (following a “Modern Family” repeat)
Why it should go – Because you have to hope for good retention. Last week, we got a sense of how many people may watch “Suburgatory” when it does not have a lead-in to back it up, and the results weren’t good. When it does have “Modern Family,” it’s easy to say that the show fares well enough to justify a renewal. However, doesn’t ABC have to hope more than for some show to just bring in around half of what the lead-in does? This is the same conundrum that they were faced with when it came to “Happy Endings” and “Cougar Town,” and when both these shows were moved, they flopped.
If network head Paul Lee wants to drastically change up their lineup, they may opt to scrap some of their other comedy nights, focus on Wednesday, and put “The Middle” and “Modern Family” with new shows.
Why it should stay – Doesn’t that last plan seem a little harsh? Well, that’s because it is. The truth here is that ABC has run around four hours of comedy a week for a good percentage of this season, and of this group “Suburgatory” repeatedly either equals or beats “The Neighbors,” “Happy Endings,” the already-canceled “Don’t Trust the B—- in Apartment 23,” “Last Man Standing,” and “Malibu Country.” Even if you don’t put it on in the fall, this is a solid performer that aired its entire first season without being dependent on “Modern Family,” and it could do so again.
Plus, this is a show that ABC should be proud of. It may not be a ratings beast, but Jane Levy is a comedy rising star, the writing is very good, and it is the sort of show that the network should love to have: appropriate TV for families that doesn’t talk down to its audience.
The verdict – ABC would be out of their mind to cancel this show, and it’s not going to happen. We put the odds of this show staying at around 95%, mostly because we can’t imagine the network bringing back only two comedies. There are other shows that will surely be gone, but we’ll have more on that soon.
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Be sure to vote in our poll below on the future of “Suburgatory,” and check out the other ratings debate pieces we’ve composed over at the link here.
Photo: ABC