the kids are alright season 1 michael cudlitz mary mccormack

PERCENT OF FRESHMAN SHOWS AXED

Of those that have met a certain fate, 43 percent of the series that debuted during the 2018-19 TV season will not be back for an encore — an appreciable improvement over the previous TV season, when 51 percent of freshmen flunked. (Thank you, overly generous CW?)

Of this year’s one-and-done casualties, just 36 percent were hour-long dramas, which is nearly half of last year’s ratio. (Thank you again, overly generous CW?)

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GETTING FOXED OVER

Fox had the worst batting average this TV season, with just 20 percent of its freshman shows living to see a Season 2 — and that’s only because we count the network’s pick-up of Last Man Standing as “new.”

The CW, meanwhile, famously went 5-for-5 with freshman launches — though in retrospect, the ending of its Netflix deal surely played a factor in that sweep of renewals (In the Dark, really?).

KIM KARDASHIAN WEST, ALEC BALDWIN

QUICKEST CUT

ABC’s The Alec Baldwin Show was the first new show to get bad news, when after four low-rated airings it got banished to Saturday nights.

FYI, here is last year’s caption:

“Going by the calendar, ABC’s Ten Days in the Valley” — which like The Alec Baldwin Show also aired Sundays at 10/9c — “was the first new show to get bad news, when after four low-rated airings it got banished to Saturday nights.”

Those who don’t learn from history….

I Feel Bad - Season 1

SHORTEST RUN

Dare we say, the broadcast networks were nicer this TV season…? Even with more and more shows hovering around if not sliding below the 1.0 demo mark? The Alec Baldwin Show was the only freshman that didn’t finish its run (leaving two episodes on the shelf). Everyone else, even I Feel Bad, got out at least their 13-episode order.

(Update: As TVLine superfan Dana pointed out via Twitter, CBS’ Million Dollar Mile was pulled from its Wednesday perch after just two episodes, and then idled on Saturdays for two more outings before getting yanked for good.)

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THE LONGEST-RUNNING CANCELLATION

Ending on its own terms, CBS’ The Big Bang Theory aired 279 episodes at the time that its farewell run wrapped. Of the truly cancelled, CBS’ Elementary will have aired 154 episodes once its upcoming eighth and final season is over.

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THE LOWEST-RATED RENEWALS

Despite both averaging a 0.16 in the demo (as of May 17), The CW’s Dynasty and In the Dark will return for third and second seasons, respectively.

Dynasty also stands as the least watched renewal, averaging 560,000 viewers.

Blindspot - Season 4

THE LOWEST-RATED RENEWAL (NON-CW)

NBC’s Blindspot earned a fifth (if final) season despite averaging just under a 0.5 demo rating.

In total audience, NBC’s Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Good Girls were the least-watched Big 4 renewals, each averaging 2.36 million viewers.

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THE HIGHEST-RATED CANCELLATION

Again, ending on its own terms, The Big Bang Theory departs us as TV’s top-rated entertainment program, averaging nearly a 2.3 demo rating through its boffo finale. Of the truly cancelled, though, Fox’s Star was the highest-rated, averaging a 1.1 during its third season.

In total viewers, CBS’ one-and-done Murphy Brown revival left the largest audience on the table: 6.2 million.

Whiskey Cavalier Why Cancelled

MOST-DISCUSSED CANCELLATION

TVLine’s original reporting of ABC declining a second round of Whiskey Cavalier drew 410 comments, and then another 145 in response to the explanation “why.” (Fun cable fact: Into the Badlands‘ death notice amassed 566 comments.)

On the flipside, the not-at-all surprising news that CBS’ Happy Together would get no happy ending generated… six comments.

NBCUniversal Upfront Events - Season 2019

SHOWS THAT HAVEN’T PREMIERED YET, ONE YEAR LATER!

AKA “This Is Awkward, Interviewing You on the Upfronts Red Carpet About It, Again.”

Of the 40-ish new shows announced one year ago, two have yet to see the light of day: NBC’s The InBetween arrives May 29, while ABC’s Grand Hotel finally opens its doors on June 17. (CBS’ Blood & Treasure, premiering May 21, was first announced back in November 2017 — not during Upfronts.)

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THE COMEBACK KID

Unlike 2018’s Brooklyn Nine-Nine and 2017’s Timeless before it, none of this year’s cancelled shows have been “saved.”

Yet.