‘Extant’ Ratings Down Sharply In Return
The retooling didn’t help much. The second-season premiere of CBS’ sci-fi drama Extant last night drew a paltry 0.7 Live+Same Day rating in adults 18-49, down -56% from last summer’s series debut to a series low. In total viewers, it logged 5.2 million, down -46%.
Since the get-go, Extant has been a heavily DVR-ed show, and under the CBS summer drama series model established by Under The Dome, is said to be profitable regardless of its linear performance on CBS thanks to an SVOD deal with Amazon. Still, the 0.7 opening rating is very low and would be virtually impossible to make up in delayed viewing. It was the lowest premiere Live+SD rating for any scripted series — new or returning — so far this summer. It also was tied with a couple of ABC comedy repeats for the lowest rating for a program on the Big 4 networks — original or repeat — last night.
Extant was a somewhat surprising renewal last fall after a softly rated freshman run. The attractive business model and the series star, Halle Berry, helped make the case for a second-season pickup. The producers shook up the setting, direction and cast of the show in an effort to jump start it in Season 2, something that has not happened, at least not right off the bat.
There was some caveat in comparing the first- and second-season premieres. The series debut directly followed an original Big Brother at 9 PM, while last night’s opener aired at 10 PM behind a lower-rated Criminal Minds repeat. (Extant still couldn’t hold onto its 0.9 Criminal Minds lead-in.) Last night’s Big Brother episode (1.8) was down -14% from last Wednesday but may be adjusted up in the finals.
Fox’s Masterchef (1.4) also was down, -7%, from last week, while Bullseye (0.9) was up +13%. The only other broadcast original offering, ABC’s Celebrity Wife Swap (0.8), was down -11% to tie a series low.
NBC aired an America’s Got Talent recap and American Ninja Warrior repeat but still managed to tie CBS and Fox for the No. 1 spot for the night in 18-49. CBS won in total viewers (5.6 million).
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