Ratings Bubble Report: Does CBS’ ‘MacGyver’ stand a good shot at season 2 renewal?
The 2016-17 season has shown itself to be a rather great one when it comes to all things CBS Friday night. You’ve got “Hawaii Five-0” surging, “Blue Bloods” staying fairly consistent, and then you have a new show in “MacGyver” that has managed to improve the timeslot in several key measures from the year prior.
Still, “MacGyver” is a first-year show, and there is a sort of heightened anxiety that comes with that. Other than picking it up for a back nine episodes, you’ve yet to see the network demonstrate that level of faith with it yet. The ratings are good for the timeslot, but are they what CBS is looking for? This is a question we’ll do our best to answer in this Ratings Bubble Report feature, but we’ll start off by saying that so long as you keep watching, there’s probably not that much to worry about.
For CBS, one of the biggest things that they typically look for is consistency, and that is something that this show in particular brings in spades. From episode 3 on, every episode is averaging within the 1.0-1.2 range in the demo, which suggests that it now has its core audience. With some new shows, you see a steady pattern of decline throughout and that’s a cause for concern with a renewal. Remember that these ratings are just a fraction of the overall audience, as well — there is also live+3 and live+7 data out there, and with a name like “MacGyver,” this is a show that CBS can market virtually anywhere in the world. It’s no coincidence that shows like “NCIS,” “The Big Bang Theory,” and “CSI” have been named some of the most-watched global series over the course of the past several years — this is a network that knows what its doing when it comes to finding shows with broad appeal.
One other thing that you have to remember when looking at ratings and renewal chances is this: Is your show making those around you better? In the case of “MacGyver,” the clear answer seems to be “yes.” So far this season “Hawaii Five-0” is up over 8% in the demo, wand while it’s not fair to call “MacGyver” the only reason for that, it’s absolutely a contributing factor. The two shows are cut from the same cloth — heck, they even share an executive producer in Peter M. Lenkov. If you enjoy one, you’re likely to enjoy the other. Whether it be crossovers or cross-promotional events, there are ways that you can link these series up in ways that you cannot do others to try and boost the ratings even more. (Check out the ratings gains whenever “Arrow” and “The Flash” team up, or even “NCIS” and “NCIS: New Orleans.”)
While we’re very far away from it right now, one other thing CBS may look at when considering a renewal here is syndication. If the show lasts for a few more seasons, you get a chance to air it on other networks and discover new viewers, some of whom may not be aware of the show because of when it airs. That’s another factor potentially in the “Hawaii Five-0” ratings gain, and it could be here.
Final verdict – While anything can theoretically happen depending on various factors behind the scenes, it’s hard to imagine a situation where “MacGyver” is canceled, provided the ratings stay fairly steady the rest of the way. It fits the CBS brand well, and is getting more and more exciting creatively as time goes on.
Do you think that “MacGyver” should be renewed? Share in the comments.